texts:
I remember that passive infinitive sentences can be changed into "It is PP that Subject+verb",
 but does the formula apply to the following sentences?
I wonder if all passive infinitive sentences can be changed into the above mentioned formula.

  An adverse event is defined to be unexpected if the nature of severity is not consistent with the current knowledge in relevant documents.

Can the sentence be understood to be:
It is defined that an adverse event is unexpected ..... in relevant documents.

  The machine was designed to be used in the workplace.

Can the sentence be understood to be :
It is designed that the machine is used in the workplace.

  He was asked to be the leader of the group.

Can the sentence be understood to be:
It was asked that he is the leader of the group.

  The idea is used to generate profits.

Can the sentence be understood to be:
It is used that the idea generates profits.


texts: Is it natural to say "You're showing too much flesh on your chest. Change into new clothes!"?

texts:
The woman in the picture showed too much flesh on her chest. It is either too sexy or not good for her lung in winter, for example.
Say, you have a teen daughter who wears things like that.
Is it natural to say to your daughter "You're showing too much flesh on your chest. Change into new clothes!"?


texts: My shoes 'make a funny sound' when I walk

texts:
I was reviewing the words I wrote down from movies when I came across the word squech and I had two example written next to it, one from a movie and the other probably from a reading.

I remember the scene was showing a sword thrusted at someone across his body and to show the sound of that it was put (squeching) under.

The other example goes like this my shoes squeching when I walk.

Now I'm searching and I can't find it! I've tried similar words but they don't make sense here. Probably I made a spelling mistake while writing it down and now I feel frustrated. What's the word?

Thanks


texts:
I wonder if double-sided can be used as an adverb as is the case with sentence below. I found this sentence on the internet .

  This table was designed as double-sided foldable .


texts: Do "would you care for some coffee?" and "Do you care for some coffee?" have the same meaning?

texts: I've never really heard the latter before; and, I'm not really sure if it has the same meaning as the former (I'm not even sure if it makes grammatical sense). I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know if they have any difference in terms of their meanings.


texts:
In the dictionary,

  When you mean that you care about something a lot, say that it is
  important to you, not that it is ‘important for’ you.

Ex: It is important for me to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Is it equivalent to "For me, to follow the manufacturer's instructions is important"?

Ok, "It" seems a dummy subject, can we say like this:

Ex: "style is important for me to choose clothes"

Does the structure "something is important for somebody to do something" sound wrong?

It seems that if we use "important to somebody", we have to use "that"

Ex: It's very important to me that you should be there.

Can we say "It's very important to him to be on time."?

But we can say "Fruits are very important to me."?

Can we say "Fruits are very important for me."?

So, How to correctly use "important to" and "important for"?


texts: "Only after buying the cottage did we discover..." What is the function of "did" here?

texts:
In the workbook that I'm working with, there is a strange structure of sentence for me and I would like to check with you if it's not wrong or mistake such as typo. The sentence is:

  Only after buying the cottage did we discover that it was infested with mice"

The location of the auxiliary verb "did" in this declarative sentence is not clear to me. Normally, when it comes before the pronoun then the sentence is turned into an interrogative sentence.

We can use also the auxiliary verb as an emphasizer but in such cases it should come after the verb (e.g. Only after buying the cottage we did discovered that it was infested with mice"). In addition, I do not understand the omission of the past form (ed) from the word "discover".


texts:
I was reading a technical article and came across the "pun intended" part. I'm not sure what the pun is in this excerpt. What pun is intended in the sentence in bold?

Being at least 27 years old, DEFLATE is getting a bit long in the
tooth. Computers are completely different today than they were in
1990. The Pentium microprocessor debuted in 1993. If memory serves (pun intended), it used PC66 DRAM, which had a transfer rate of 533
MB/s. For comparison, a modern NVMe M.2 SSD (like the Samsung 960 PRO)
can read at 3000+ MB/s and write at 2000+ MB/s.


texts:
I've read an article, but can't understand some sentences of it.

Question: My wife says she wants more intimacy in our marriage. I get the physical part, and I’m definitely into it. But she says she means more than that. I know our relationship needs improvement; I’m just not really a touchy-feely guy. What am I supposed to do?

I don't understand these sentences -> "i get the physical part, and I'm definitely into it"

Please explain to me the meaning of these sentence.


texts: Present continues or simple in relative clause?

texts:
I wrote this sentence

  The node features, which are used to create a condition, are selected from a list showing the available features

or

  The node features, which are used to create a condition, are selected from a list, which shows the available features

Why?

I myself somehow prefer the second sentence

By the way now I think if I start with the available node features, ..., I don't need a relative clause. However, I still like to know the possible difference here.


texts:
The server is connected to each PC in the class via cables.
  The server is connected to each PC in the class via a cable.

I would like to know whether the two sentences listed above I created have different meanings.

Specifically, I think the first means each PC is connected to the server via two or more cables while the second means each PC is connected to the server via a single cable.


texts: Using the time marker "All day", are my sentences correct?

texts:
Good day! I would like to ask if both sentences are correct or not. And please tell me the difference in meaning between the two.

We were looking for that phone all day. I thought I lost it. (Past Progressive)
We have looked for that phone all day. I thought I lost it. (Present Perfect)

Thank you!


texts:
I was taking an English test, and I couldn't find the wrong sentence. Could you help me out ???

Thank you

15) All sentences below are correct except:

A) After understanding the grammar rules it is easier to do exercises, don't you agree?

B) I am sorry, but I am not understanding what you are trying to say

C) It is a matter of understanding each other

D) Understanding grammar is very important


texts: What is the difference between "gone to become" and "gone on to become"?

texts:
The phrase is:

He's gone to become a legend.

My understanding of this phrase is: he doesn't exist any more, he is a legend now.

My friend states that the phrase is incorrect. Correct version should be:

He's gone on to become a legend.

Which version is correct? If both are, is there a difference in meaning?

UPDATE:
Some clarification of context of this phrase. It was not his purpose to become famous. He existed in the past but does not any more. But instead of being forgotten he became famous.


texts: Can we use For and Since together in the same sentence?

texts:
I am not sure if my sentence is correct:

  I had worked at Delicious Cake shop for more than 2 years since February 2012.

I quit the job in July 2014.
The people at Delicious Cake shop were very nice to me.
But It always took me more than 2 hours to travel to the shop,
so I wanted to look for a job that is closer to my living place.


texts: How do you use so-called "strong verbs" (power verbs?) in writing?

texts:
I came across a writing test which marks the quality of what you have written. In my results, I was advised to use "strong verbs" which definition I couldn't understand. Please tell me what it means, why it is advised to use strong verbs and how do I master this.

Example:

  When you live in the city where people keep dying, ...

Here, "in the city" demands the use of "strong verbs".


texts:
In China, people in different places speak different dialects, so the government introduces the official pronunciation standard -- Pu Tong Hua, which can be characterized by Ping Yin.

Therefore I am curious about what is the official pronunciation standard in English speaking countries. Does it exist? And what is it like if it does? Thank you.


texts: Using "whether .. or" in negated sentence

texts:
I have a sentence like this:

  .. and have no students whether from the same city or others at all

Is it correct? Or would using neither as below seems better:

  .. and have no students neither from the same city nor others at all


texts: "What the guy did was comfort her until she stopped crying"

texts:
What the guy did was comfort her until she stopped crying.

Is this grammatically correct?
I was trying to make a story, and I couldn't move on on this part, "she was crying when the guy saw her, and what the guy did was, he comforted her until she stopped crying".


texts: What does "it" refer to in this paragraph about creativity?

texts:
A good many scientists and artists have noticed the  universality of creativity. At the Sixteenth Nobel Conference, held in 1980, scientists, musicians, and philosophers all agreed, to quote Freeman Dyson, that “the analogies between science and art are very good as long as you are talking about the creation and the performance. The creation is certainly very analogous. The aesthetic pleasure of the craftsmanship of performance is also very strong in science.” A few years later, at another multidisciplinary conference, physicist Murray Gell-Mann found that “everybody agrees on where ideas come from. We had a seminar here, about ten years ago, including several painters, a poet, a couple of writers, and the physicists. Everybody agrees on how it works. All of these people, whether they are doing artistic work or scientific work, are trying to solve a problem.”

What does it refer to here?
it refers to the phrase where ideas come from? To me, it seems so obscure


texts: present continuous with from vs present perfect continuous with since

texts:
Is this the right sentence grammatically?

People are still using this Gist from 2013.

I think ‘People have been using this gist since 2013’ should be right.
But I am not sure, Maybe the above one is used in some other situation about which I don't know.
Can anyone explain it?
I found this sentence on this GitHub gist link here.


texts: Meaning of "as she had changed her kind" in William Cowper's "A Tale. June 1793"

texts:
From "A Tale. June 1793" by William Cowper:

  The mother-bird is gone to sea,
  As she had changed her kind;
  But goes the male? Far wiser he
  Is doubtless left behind.

Does it mean "as if she had turned into a sea-going animal?" As if she "had changed to another species"?


texts:
Today I want to ask if the two terms "member country" and "member state", in an international organisation, are the same and thus can be swapped for each other when we want to avoid repetition while discussing about it.

To give a common example, I will take "The United Nations" and "The European Union" into discussion.

For the United Nations: When I read about the organisation on official online website, I found that they use the term "Member States" rather than "Member Countries" (193 Member States of the UN)

However reading on the European Union's website shows that the organisation use the term "Member Countries" to identify its members (28 Member Countries of the European Union).

  So my question is whether we can say

  1) 193 Member States of the UN = 193 Member Countries of the UN

  2) 28 Member Countries of the European Union = 28 Member States of the
  European Union

Many thanks.


texts: does the first "out of love" mean no love while the second one it means from a love perspective?

texts:
Who then is our Saviour and Redeemer? God or Love? Love; for God as God has not saved us, but Love, which transcends the difference between the divine and human personality. As God has renounced himself out of love, so we, out of love, should renounce God; for if we do not sacrifice God to love, we sacrifice love to God, and in spite of the predicate of love, we have the God — the evil being — of religious fanaticism.

"The Essence of Christianity" by Ludwig Feuerbach


texts: Use of "so many" without specifying: so many WHAT?

texts:
I read a certain script of some film.

  An old man : But so many have been killed. We've lost so many.

He said, "so many" instead of "so many people".
Is this fine? Natural?

I know the word "many" alone can refer to "many people" as noun.
But there is "so" added before the word, "many" : "so many"

I think "so many people" or "the many" makes sense. But how about "so many"?


texts: Is it incorrect to use a comma before a verb acting on a list?

texts:
Which sentence is more correct?

Sam, Jack, and Ella, were confused.

or

Sam, Jack, and Ella were confused.

I've seen both used in professional writing, but the latter form seems to be used more often.
Is it considered acceptable to put a comma before the verb? I've searched everywhere for an answer, but I couldn't seem to find anything that addressed this specific topic.


texts:
I would like to know an proper equivalent adjective of the verb called 'encourage'
For example: I am talking with my friend about a topic as follows:

Me: This topic makes me encourage for investigating a novel technique. Let's delve into!
Him: Indeed, the topis is very [ encourageable | encouraging ].

Which adjective is correct to express about what the topic is?
Or Do you know any other words to express the meaning?


texts: Future Perfect and Future Continuous with present reference

texts:
I came across this dialogue:

  Is it too late to call them? Do you think they'll have gone to bed yet?
  Knowing them, they won't have finished their dinner yet. They'll be watching a film.

My question is why are the future perfect and the future continuous used in these sentences?

I couldn't  find any reliable information. In the case of the future continuous it might be  "future as a matter of course", but I'm not sure and have absolutely no ideas as to the future perfect here.

I'd be grateful for any ideas.


texts:
The incident gave hardly an impact  upon his vastly greater
  preoccupations

Is comparative used as a modifier? If so, then how it could be used without any comparison shown in the sentence?


texts:
"What do you anticipate it will be the impact of higher tariffs between China and US on your business?"

Is that "it" redundant?

Just like what do you think will be the impact?


texts:
Which sentence is correct with regard to "do they"/"don't they"?

  It just seems that C++ developers usually don't follow this rule in case of pointers, do they?

  It just seems that C++ developers usually don't follow this rule in case of pointers, don't they?


texts:
I just came across this question:

  This tree (be) _____ planted by the settlers who (found) _____ our city over four hundred years ago.

I think "over four hundred years ago" is an unspecified time. My answer was that the two gaps require present perfect. So I was a little surprised with the answer that both of them require simple past. Why is this the case?


texts: scissors cut/cuts paper, which is correct?

texts:
First I'd apologize for I can't describe it clearly.
I've heard that "scissors cut paper" is correct, but I found Sheldon said "scissors cuts paper" in The Big Bang Theory.
Which is correct, or both of them?


texts:
What is the difference between "Ms." and "Mrs."?

I always assumed they are the same, until today I found both of them in one place for choice, seems that there's a difference between them:

N.b. I couldn't find a difference on the dictionary (see links to the words).


texts: Cue lots of people, cue lots of smiles and so on. What does the word "cue" mean in these sentences?


texts:
Is the word in bold correct? If it is not, which word fits better?

  Today, English is used by at least 750 million people. Some estimates have put the total at 1 billion. Despite the total, English is more widely scattered, more widely spoken and written, than any other language has ever been.

I don't think "despite" is the best word. I think something like "regardless of" would be the best match, but these are 2 words, and I am only allowed to use one.


texts:
I am confused why we always use article The even though it is general. For example

1) He can master THE English language (even general statement)
2) The goverment can impose THE goods and services tax to increase the national revenue (even though it is general)
3) Reducing taxes can decrease THE unemployment rate (despite General statement)

Thanks


texts:
Context:

  I sent money to buy a second hand iphone 5s from him but he just whatsapped me the picture of DHL receipt and told me he that he had already sent out the parcel.
  I tracked the tracking number only to find the entry - 'HASN'T RECORDED.'
  I called him but he never answered my call nor did he return it afterwards. He continued to sell iphones via the facebook group for the last few days.
  Now I had to report to the  police. If anyone have details of this phony guy pls inform me.

Do we use had or have when stating that the report have been made just few hours ago?


texts: the need for article when the noun is further elaborated using who

texts:
I have the following phrase:

  ...could be the early detection of users who are likely to
  under-participate in the activity, as well as users who are likely to
  perform enough as required.

In this sentence, I wonder if I should better put the before each users or it is not necessary. As far as I know, there should be since the 'users' are further specified, but then it sounds a little redundant as well. Can someone help?


texts:
We are able to combine two things when two things happen at the same time .Like in this example

She is in the kitchen and she is making coffee.

to

She is in the kitchen making coffee.

What about if the subjects are different ? . Is it still possible to reduce the sentence 1 to the sentence 2 without changing the meaning and is sentence 2 grammatically correct?

1- Julia was cooking dinner and her brother was reading a book .

to

2- Julia was cooking dinner her brother reading a book .


texts: are thought to work in... - already working or expected to work?

texts:
Example with a context:

  The Tajik government has vowed to create 200,000 jobs this year but experts say it will be far too little to meet the demands of returning migrants. Between 700,000 and one million Tajiks are thought to work in Russia.

I'm not sure how exactly I should interpret that part. I think what it really says is that it is assumed or believed that there are between 700,000 and one million Tajik workers right now working in Russia. But why not say are thought to be working in Russia instead since they are in Russia and they are WORKING there? Because the way it's written sounds more like the author is trying to say that they are expected to go to Russia to work in the future rather than they are currently in Russia working. Am I missing something here?


texts: Why use "worrying" in "It's no use worrying about it."

texts:
Recently, I came across a fill-in-the-blank.

  It's no use ______ (worry) about it.

The right answer as told by my teacher is "worrying", why is "to worry" not right?


texts:
The day passed quickly

What is the meaning in context? Which one of these options:

to get over
exceed
pronounce
approve
to excrete
to ignore
to happen
to go by
to transfer


texts: Relative clause far away from its antecedent

texts:
I got a question about the following sentence,

After the flooding, people were suffering in that area, who urgently needed clean water,medicine
and shelter to survive.

Is it fine for the for the relative clause "who needed..." to work so far away from its antecedent"people"？ Does this sentence need to be revised?


texts:
Chris did not tell the truth when he was speaking to Martin

vs

  Chris was not telling the truth when he spoke to Martin.

Do both sentences have the same meaning ?Which sentence is the best?

I think in the first one the fact of not telling the truth is only a point of time may be it last one minute then they talked about another subject during 5 minutes  where as in the second sentence the fact of telling the truth did last all the speaking
What about Chris did not tell us the truth when he spoke to Martin, does it mean that the fact of not telling the truth lasts the same time as the speaking


texts: How do you say the probability of another planet like earth

texts:
We had a discussion about the meaning of "possible" and "probable" in the other question.

I know possibility refers to "can", and probability refers to "likelihood", for example we may discuss if it is possible that God exists or not (through logic and argument), but if we talk about the probability that a baby is son or daughter (there is not much logic involved)

I don't know why, but I feel if I say "It is very windy today, it is possible that tomorrow be rainy", there are some signs indicating tomorrow could be rainy, therefor the chance is not low.

However, if one say "Could the tomorrow be rainy?", I may reply "It is probable" I could talk about a probability (depending on the season this probability is low or high), even if there is no sign today.

However, if I say "probably, tomorrow is rainy", I could say there is a high chance that tomorrow is rainy.

I would like to know how much my interpretation could be valid, and is it possible that there is a difference in "probably" and "it is probable" under some circumstances or not? if not, how do you say that there is a chance for everything?

Update: OK, as now I know the meaning of "probable" as "likely" then I myself don't much credit for my claims, but I have a related question, how do you say the probability of another planet like earth, when you think the probability is very little?

It is possible : then it may doesn't point it's low probability
It is probable : it points a high probability, which is not the case
Neither, (then what do you say)


texts:
I am unable to determined word Exist is Adjective or Verb. Which one in the below sentence is correct to say ? Why ?

1) Yes, aliens do exist.

Or

2) Yes, aliens are exist.


texts:
The poetry festivals of the pre-Islamic period often pitched two poets against each other in a war of verse in which one would be deemed winner by the audience. Literary criticism also grew into theology, and thus gained a more official status with Islamic study of the Qur'an. Although nothing which might be termed 'literary criticism', in the modern sense, was applied to a work held to be i'jaz or inimitable and divinely inspired, analysis was permitted. This study allowed for better understanding of the message and facilitated interpretation for practical use, all of which help the development of a critical method important for later work on other literature.

I am wondering what the bold part could mean.

Could anyone please in a more readily way explain it?

Any comment would be appreciated


texts: What grammatical concept is used here? (“A that would have p.p. had B p.p.”)

texts:
The following is an excerpt from RFC 2616: Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- HTTP/1.1:

  §14.13 Content-Length

  The Content-Length entity-header field indicates the size of the entity-body, in decimal number of OCTETs, sent to the recipient or, in the case of the HEAD method, the size of the entity-body that would have been sent had the request been a GET.

. And this is my first time seeing this structure of a noun phrase:

  the entity-body that would have been sent had the request been a GET

. The meaning would be:

  the entity-body that would have been sent if the request had been a GET

, but how come? What has been omitted here? Is it an inversion? What grammatical concept is used here?


texts: Why is the present simple tense used for an event that is in the future?

texts:
I would like to know the difference between "be going to," the present continuous, and the present simple. We use one of them when we talk about future, but I can't differentiate them. For example:

  The holidays start next week.

Why can't we use:

  The holidays are going to start next week.
  The holidays are starting next week.
  The holidays will start next week.


texts:
Which tense would be appropriate for the below example,

  20,000 dollars received as donation from January 2017 to till date

  20,000 dollars has been received as donation from January 2017 to till date

The donation was received already and I'm going to report it to someone in a presentation. So I'm confused about whether I have to use simple past tense, because the donation was received and completed (or) I have to use present perfect tense because the donation was received however it is still related to the current moment because I've mentioned "to till date".

I'm confused because I have mentioned a time period from past to till date.

So please help me.

A simple explanation or answer is enough.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What did you do [today] in order to improve your English [today]?

texts:
Where to put the word 'today' in this sentence?

  A. What did you do today in order to improve your English?

  B. What did you do in order to improve your English today?

By my teachers in past I was told to put the 'time denoting words' always in the end, but in this sentence it seems to have two meanings if I'll put it in the end.

1st meaning:  the question is about today's doing.
2nd meaning: the question is about today's English.


texts: When I was in Tokyo, I [saw] or [had seen] the movie three times?

texts:
I'm pretty confused here as to why [saw] is preferred in the sentences below.

  When I was in Tokyo, I saw the movie three times.

  When I was in Tokyo, I had seen the movie three times.

I'm not sure but my understanding is, saw is preferred because "when I was in Tokyo"  refers to a period of time where the attempts of seeing the movie three times occurred, and had seen would indicate that the actions happened before I was in Tokyo.


texts: Is it correct to use "always" in front of a sentence?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  They are always scolded for their bad behaviour.
  Always, they are scolded for their bad behaviour.

Which one is the usual way a native speaker uses?


texts:
I have this sentence.

  If shouldn't helped him this tragedy might not happen.

Should I include have after shouldn't? shouldn't have helped doesn't sound fine to me. shouldn't helped either.


texts: I had something done vs I got something done

texts:
I have discovered that when you dont do something yourself but you make someone else to do it, you can say either:

I had my hair cut.
OR
I got my hair cut.

I wonder  whether those two have exactly same meaning and usage. Is one form more common than other? More formal? More suitable in some situations?


texts:
I'd like to know whether the following sentences are properly connected as far as tenses are concerned. The first sentence describes past experience, but the second seems to refer to the present or future. Is this correct?

  If you have ever broken a favorite mug, plate, or bowl, you have likely gone through several stages of sorrow. You might even hopelessly try to glue all the pieces back together, but of course, it doesn’t look as good as it did before. You could pay someone to fix it and make it look new again, but this would cost a lot of money and take too long. Tossing it would be an option, but there is another way. The Japanese art of kintsugi shines with broken pottery.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What's the difference between place-holding and space-filling?

texts: I encountered the counter-position of the two in one of the SE answers. I wonder what's the difference.


texts: The question/questions which one is this? or which ones are these?

texts:
Consider a sentence below.

  The question/questions "which one is this?" or "which ones are these?" force an identifying response.

I am confused. Should I use "the question" or "the questions?"

Since there are two questions, it should be plural, but both questions are separated by the conjunction "but".


texts: Question about the details in meaning between gerund and supine (aka to-infinitive)

texts:
The supervisors were asked ______ tasks to new employees so that they could be trained to do them properly.

A. Delegate - infinitive B, To delegate - supine C. delegating - gerund D. delegation - noun

I was wondering after improvising some structures in the sentence like below.

[Question1 - What if there is a choice for letter E and shows 'delegating for'?]

The supervisors were asked for delegating tasks to new employees so that they could be trained to do them properly.

[Question2] Could 'for' in brackets be a substitute of to? If so, will it have same meaning? The supervisors were asked delegating tasks to(for) new employees so that they could be trained to do them properly.

Could this make sense to? Under the premises that delegating tasks is the noun to have meaning itself.


texts:
What does "pinkness" mean in the following?

  Something significant happened under cover of pinkness while we were busy agonising over Scotland and Ed Miliband's dodgy memory. The Financial Times emerged redesigned: new type, new column widths, new colour graphics. What's significant about that, you say?

The Guardian: They used to say 'print or digital'. But do we need to choose?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Want to clarify the nuance of ''you', 'all of you', 'you all'

texts:
I'm in the class teaching something. And I say something...

  Don't be million miles away from this place. I'm going to teach you something. It is important for you/all of you/you all.

If I just say 'you', it's the whole classroom right?
Do they all mean same?


texts:
  "Tell us," said Mahony pertly to the man, "how many have
  you yourself?"   The man smiled as before and said that
  when he was our age he had lots of sweethearts.
    "Every boy," he said, "has a little sweetheart."
    His attitude on this point struck me as strangely liberal
  in a man of his age. In my heart I thought that what he said about
  boys and sweethearts was reasonable. But I disliked the words in his
  mouth and I wondered why he shivered once or twice as if he feared
  something or felt a sudden chill. As he proceeded I noticed that his
  accent was good. He began to speak to us about girls, saying
  what (1) nice soft hair they had and how (2) soft their hands were and how (3) all girls were not so good as they seemed
  to be if one only knew. There was nothing he liked, he said, so much
  as looking at a nice young girl, at her nice white hands and her
  beautiful soft hair. He gave me the impression that he was repeating
  something which he had learned by heart or that, magnetised by some
  words of his own speech, his mind was slowly circling round and round
  in the same orbit. (James Joyce, Dubliners)

What (1), how (2), and how (3), all, I suspect, exclamatives, at least they are acting as intensifiers. But I don’t find any grounds for it. Are they just free relatives or something intensifying? Or do the free relatives themselves have the intensifying meaning themselves?


texts: Can you deliver it [when,after] it [is | will be] assembled?

texts:
Right now we are assembling a device. I am asking another person if he is can deliver it [after/when] we finish. What question construction is the most correct?

Can you deliver it after it is assembled?

Can you deliver it after it will be assembled?

Can you deliver it when it will be assembled?

Can you deliver it when it is assembled?


texts: What is the figurative meaning of "side dish"?

texts:
I know what a side dish is, but I can't figure out its figurative meaning. Can you please give a definition to it.

  The daily Beast started as an aggregator with some original reporting as a side dish.


texts: Is "she was younger than he" a grammatically correct expression?

texts:
I am reading an e-book named In Cold Blood written by Truman Capote, in which I read a sentence as:

  ...the person he had wished to marry——the sister of a college classmate, a...girl named Bonnie Fox, who was three years younger than he.

I am doubting about the correctness of that expression "was younger than he", In my mind, it should be "was younger than him".

Is "She was younger than he" (and like "She is older than I")a grammatically correct expression?


texts: I want to say they quickly realized we were mother and daughter. Does it sound natural? I wonder if there are any words which can replace mother and daughter. Thank you!


texts:
I know I can substitute "if" with "when", but, I think there's a different meaning here:

  If you're ready to learn it, you know where to find me (0 cond)

  When you're ready to learn it, you know where to find me (maybe something else?)

Could guys explain me why these sentences are different from each other in meaning? Thanks in advance


texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between "study/teach at this school" and "study/teach in this school"? Is one of them more usual? Example:

I have studied/taught at this school for ten years.
I have studied/taught in this school for ten years.

I know the difference between "at school" and "in school" (without a demonstrative adjective) and that is outside the scope of the question.


texts: Is it correct to say "there is no contact between the cities" to mean you can't get travel between the cities?

texts:
Could you tell me if it is correct to say there is no contact between the cities to mean you can't get travel between the cities? For example:

At the moment there is no contact between the cities: the road is flooded.

If it doesn't sound natural, what are natural ways to say it?


texts:
When will the contract be awarded?
when the contract will be awarded?

At times, I am confused over the word order of a sentence. In this example, I am asking a question.

How do I determine the word order and which is a better sentence?


texts: What's the meaning of "radical" in this context?

texts:
I came across the word in this passage of an article on a medical discovery:

  Part of the reason that heart disease is so prevalent and intractable is that it often requires massive changes to one’s lifestyle— changes that are not easy to make.  Everything from radically altering ones diet to implementing serious exercise routines.  And while it’s never too late to start, people often realize the true danger only when it’s too late to make the changes and the damage is done.

This is the definition of radical from OALD:

  1 concerning the most basic and important parts of something; thorough and
  complete

radically altering one's diet. I understand the latter part of the definition thorough and complete when it applies to diet, but what about the former part concerning the most basic and important parts of something? When it involves diet does it mean the three main meals?


texts: It is no good (to cry)/(crying) over spilt milk

texts:
It is no good to cry over spilt milk.

It is no good crying over spilt milk.

The phrase is cry over spilt milk. Then grammatically, why is crying over spilt milk correct?


texts:
[30% down the page] This split-second eye bias can have some important consequences, according to [Prof.] Kawakami. When we don’t make eye contact with someone, we’re less likely to be able to decode their emotions, and less willing to trust or remember that person.
"Even though it might happen within the first 100th of a second, we know that downstream that can tell us whether you might hire a person, whether you have positive or negative associations with that person and whether you’re willing to interact with that person," Kawakami explained.

Which definition, if any, applies,from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downstream or http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/downstream?


texts:
And now that they are delivered from the unprofitable and burdensome
  babbling of the Seven Canonical Hours, oh, that, instead thereof, they
  would only, morning, noon, and evening, read a page or two in the
  Catechism, the Prayer-book, the New Testament, or elsewhere in the
  Bible, and pray the Lord's Prayer for themselves and their
  parishioners, so that they might render, in return, honor and thanks
  to the Gospel, by which they have been delivered from burdens and
  troubles so manifold, and might feel a little shame because like pigs
  and dogs they retain no more of the Gospel than such a lazy,
  pernicious, shameful, carnal liberty!

This excerpt is from a translated version of The Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther. I have no idea why there are so many commas and can't make sense of what "oh," "that" is supposed to do in this long sentences filled with commas. I think "instead thereof" means "instead of doing what was mentionned above that I found despicable". The rest of the sentence makes perfect sense albeit there's just way to many comma, but the first two words are a real head-scratcher.


texts:
1) Going to school everyday, I will feel bored and exhausted.
  2) If I go to school everyday, I will feel bored and exhausted.

Aren’t these sentences alike in meaning?


texts: Is "where" a relative pronoun or a relative adverb?

texts:
He lives in a village where there are no shops.
  When who, which, where, etc are used in this way, they are called relative pronouns.

Michael Swan, Practical English Usage fourth edition, Section 21

  the hotel where they were staying
  When, where and why used in this way are called relative adverbs.

A.J. Thomson & A.V. Martinet, A Practical English Grammar fourth edition, Page 83

I believe Swan has loosely classified all these relative words as relative pronouns and A Practical English Grammar is more accurate there. What do you think?


texts:
Energy production from coal in Germany followed a similar pattern, beginning the period at
  just under 60% and falling significantly, though unlike Denmark it fell to a low of only 5% in 2007 and then increased again to approximately 18%.

The previous sentence contains two subjects, namely "Energy Production" and "it".  Normally I thought that a sentence could only have a single subject, however this appears to have two even though it is also referring to energy production.  Is there a particular grammar rule which relates to this?

  The students from the school are good, they study very hard.

This is a simplified example, but i'm unsure as to whether it is correct or not?


texts: The neighbor buildings/The neighboring buildings

texts:
Context: A man is trapped on top of an apartment building.
He started waving his hands in the air, desperately trying to signal the neighbor buildings/neighboring buildings.

"Neighboring" seems to be the more common, but are both acceptable?

Does it make sense to write: "...trying to signal the neighboring buildings."? Can you signal a building?


texts: A question about "modifier" into the sentence structure

texts:
This model of reality lived on, overlaid by different conventions, in
  the more sophisticated Elizabethan works of the following age.

In this sentence, is "overlaid by different conventions" a modifier? I heard that if there is a modifier after a comma, it modifies a word that is right before the comma. So is it modifying "lived on"?

Thanks for your help in advance.


texts:
Here are two future events to be announced in writing:

  A well-known poet,  who is also a talented painter, is coming to the party.
  A well-known poet and a talented painter (different persons) are coming to the party.

At first, it seemed to me easy to announce both the events— just using the verb form accordingly to the one subject in the first announcement and the two subjects in the second:

  A well-known poet and (also) a talented painter is coming to the party.
  A well-known poet and a talented painter are coming to the party.

But something seems to be wrong with the first one since the grammar checker keeps marking "is" before "coming" as an error, suggesting to use "are" instead.

Is there really some sort of  grammar flaw in the first announcement?

If there is, what will be the right way to announce the first event sticking, if possible, to the model of the second announcement?


texts: It's correct to Say: "It was Tough to me?"

texts:
It's correct to say: "It was Tough to me accept the loss of my HD"? (To clarify, i want to talk about the Data loss, not the object itself)
I'm Brazilian, so this structure in Portuguese makes sense, But i'm not sure if 'tough' in this sentence can be used to talk about a difficult time in past. Anyone can help me?


texts:
Tell me please if I have to use make or make up in the following context.

  To make sure you have a good understanding of how to use the present simple, I want you to make (up) a few sentences in it.


texts:
I would like to know if the question below is grammatically correct or not or if it can be use in informal speech.

  "You know where is Carlos?"

I know I can say:

  "Do you know where Carlos is?"

All comments and answers will be appreciated.


texts: prepositions: at ABC Limited, of ABC Limited, from ABC Limited

texts:
I have made up the scenario below.
(1) I'm introducing someone to my friend right now. I say to Jack, "This is Mr. Brown Taylor. He is the senior sales manager at ABC Limited."
(2) ... "This is Mr. Brown Taylor. He is the senior sales manager of ABC Limited."
(3) ... "This is Mr. Brown Taylor. He is the senior sales manager from ABC Limited."
Which preposition is correct?


texts: what is the meaning of " timber claims"?

texts:
On the prairie, the wind blew. But in the mountains, there was rain. When we stopped at little timber claims along the way, the homesteaders said it had rained all summer. Crops among the blackened stumps were rotted and spoiled. There was no cheer anywhere, and little hospitality. The people we talked to were past worrying.They were scared and desperate.

Dose "timber claims" means: an area that is owned by someone?

This passage is from a short story named: Too Soon A Woman by Dorothy M.Johnson


texts: Recently, I attended an AI boot camp. Since I already knew most of the concepts being taught, the instructors arranged separate special advanced classes for me and a few others. So, I attended these classes, while most other attended the normal courses. This may be a stupid question, but what do I call these classes? Is it right to call them "extra classes", because I feel "extra classes" are often used to catch up on something?


texts: I can ask how to use but why to use is incorrect

texts:
Can someone explain it to me why I can’t use infinite-to with why, when and so on?

For example:

  Why to use a shaver?
  Why to use a baby carrier?


texts: Is "succeed in" always/ever a phrasal verb?

texts:
Examples:

I want to succeed in running a business.
My son succeeded in his exams.
They hope to succeed in life.

Is "succeed in" a phrasal verb in any of these sentences? If not, when is it (if ever)?


texts: What's the meaning of "to your halls and bowers"?

texts:
"O welcome, father dear, to your halls and bowers, and welcome to you,
  my new mother, for all that's here is yours" said Princess Margaret.

This is from a English fairly tale "The Laidly Worm of Spindrestone Heugh".She said this at her castle gate when her stepmother came there for the first time. Could you teach me?

I come across it now. Wouldn't it be "welcome to your halls and bowers"?


texts: "pros and cons" vs "advantages and disadvantages"

texts:
Are these terms equivalent:

"pros and cons"
"advantages and disadvantages"

If no, what's the difference?


texts:
Actually these are two questions in one. I want to express that once something was done, then something else became possible. The first question is, how to say that if that actually happened, and the second when it never happened but could have happened.

Is this correct?

Once the Germans crossed the river Dnepr, they were able to encircle the Soviet forces.

What about this?

Once the Germans would cross the river, they would have been able to encircle the Soviet forces.


texts: Successively, continuously, or sequentially, which has the meaning of "adjacent"?

texts:
I am trying to describe the positional relationship between the boxes in the image.  I think it can be described that

  The boxes are arranged adjacent in the Z-direction.

I would like to know whether it is possible to replace " adjacent" with "successively", "continuously", or "sequentially" as follows:

  The boxes are arranged successively/continuously/sequentially in the Z-direction.


texts: How do I learn words, with almost similar meaning, but distinct usage?

texts:
I am not talking about homonyms/synonyms/homophones.

This fill in the blank question sparked my curiosity:

  The Tower Of Pisa attracts visitors from all over who flock to Pisa to see one of the greatest architectural ________ in the world.
  (A) weirdnesses
  (B) oddities
  (C) abnormalities
  (D) deviations

As you might observe, I am talking about words with almost similar meaning but distinct usage. By "distinct usage", I mean that, even after having a similar meaning, these words cannot be substituted for one another, without making the construction look awkward.

For example, the word "abnormalities" could fit the meaning in the above sentence, but it certainly makes the construction of the sentence awkward.

I've already googled the internet and have only received list of homonyms, synonyms, or homophones.

My purpose: I wish to learn such groups of words.

My question: What resources are out there on the internet (or offline) - or how can I make use of the ones that already exist - to achieve my purpose?

UPDATE: I am looking for resources. This should be, and is, in my opinion a fact-based (and NOT opinion-based) question. This question doesn't IMHO deserve the close-votes.

Also, once I have access to (say) a word-list, which lists words in groups as I've described above, then I can surely look online for that word's usage. So, the thing that " You can look at word lists, but you won't learn how the words are used in context without reading them as they're used in context." doesn't apply.

tl;dr: I just need a collection of such groups of words, if there exists one.


texts: Is there any difference between "miss out" and "lose out"?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference between miss out and lose out?

  If you don't take the course, you will miss out a lot.

  If you don't take the course, you will lose out a lot.


texts: What is the difference between "I am done with you" and "We are through"?

texts:
What is the difference between "I am done with you" and "We are through" ?

I heard them in some soaps and I thought that might have same meaning in the first place, but I am asking because just in case if they have any little difference.


texts:
Let's take a first conditional sentence, expressing a real possibility:

  If I do my homework, I can go out.

How to express the same real possibility in the past? If I simply change it to the past tense, it becomes a second conditional sentence:

  If I did my homework, I could go out.

As far as I understand, it expresses an unreal or improbable possibility in the present. I want to express a real and probable possibility in the past (as in, "At the time when I was a teenager, if I ..."). How to do it?


texts: Difference or similarity between today, these days and nowadays

texts:
As we frequently hear following sentences:

Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone.
Everyone has a smartphone these days.
Today, everyone has a smartphone.

My question is:

Is there any difference between nowadays-these days and today? I know that nowadays and these days show us a trend and they are interchangeable. But, can we interchange both of them with 'today'? I want to understand them in the terms of usage. Thanks in advance.


texts:
Can I use "We refer to the Insurer’s instructions at 1218hrs on 23rd July 2017"?

I'm not sure whether two prepositions at the same time are necessary or redundant.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I was watching an English teaching video, they said:

  How often do you go to the Cinema?

And after a while, they said:

  How often do you go to work?

Why they didn't use the definite article the before work?


texts:
This may sound absolutely crazy but I really need an answer to that.

How do natives pronounce "idea of"

I am not sure if I hear it correctly, but to me, it seems like when natives pronounce 'idea of' they add an extra 'r' to the pronunciation. So I hear something like 'idear of'. If that is true, why do they do that?


texts: How do you say parrying a sword by slashing your sword on that sword? You know you can block a sword attack by blocking the slash with your swinging your sword at it. Is there a particular word for blocking a sword attack with a sword attack?


texts: Has happened for the first time since/that our family has gone on vacation

texts:
It has happened for the first time in 4 years since our family has gone on vacation.

It has happened for the first time in 4 years that our family has gone on vacation.

I’m really confused between these sentences since #1 might be a usual construction, but it kind of sounds wrong to me in this case. I would rather use #2 in this situation. Am I correct?


texts:
I'm interested in using the construction something goes somewhere and want to know if we always use to mean that something should fit somewhere, is intended to be somewhere or is meant to add up to some place?

Imagine somebody fixing something, "Okay this goes here, and this goes here. But where does this go?"
Imagine somebody doing a puzzle, "Okay this part goes here and this one should go here, I guess."
Imagine somebody assembling a computer, "Right, this part goes in here and we can close the panel."

Are all these usages right?


texts: Hi need to know the correct usage of 'set of.....'

texts:
Which is the correct line

  Set of 3 cushion cover

or

  Set of 3 cushion covers


texts: What's the difference between 'teacher of English' and 'English teacher'

texts:
Is teacher of English the same as English teacher and if not, what is the difference between?

  I am an English teacher.

  I am a teacher of English.


texts:
I would like to ask on the usage of the verbs "to try out " and " to try "

For example, when we say :

  I am going to try a diet out this month and I hope it is going work to
  help me lose 10 kg in a month.

  I am going to try a diet this month and I hope it is going work to
  help me lose 10 kg in a month.

Is there a difference in terms of meaning.I heard there could be regional differences in usage as well, is it true ( I mean maybe it is ok in the US but it is not common in the UK)

When I look up to  for  "to try out" on an online dictonary , it says "to test or use somebody/something in order to see how good or effective they are". So I noticed that we need a thing to try it out.But ,I reckon, another verb follows after only "try" like

-I am going to try to run 10 miles today.

I would like to ask you to check my other sentences if they are ok in this sense.

  1) Hey, have you heard? Famous chain kebab shop has launched a new branch in the town. The restaurant itself is pretty big and the prices are 50% off for today. So I am going to try it (out) today .

  2) I am planning on buying new stuff for learning English. I found out there is a video series which is provided by Oxford University. But before I buy the whole DVD set, I am going to try out the demo first in order to see if they are useful for me.

  3) I will try out a new antivirus software as the last one I bought was not able to deter viruses from infecting my computer.

  4) I have bought new chemical-proof work clothes so the workers can be protected from hazardous materials in the factory. Have every worker try them out, and make a report if it works for us.

  5) I will try out the LG3 smart phone to see if it is worth buying.

  6) I will try to use this grammar book for my dissertation this time because the old one is pretty out-of-date.

( I am aware of  there is another thread on this topic on the site.I have written down these questions after I had read it, because it doesn't answer my questions sufficiently. This question is not dublicate, more like extended version of available one)

Thanks in advance!


texts:
I found the following sentence when reading:

Just as a priest absolves believers of their sins, you may absolve your brother of blame for a household disaster, or you yourself may in time be absolved for that scrape on the car backing out of a parking space.

Here what does "household disaster" mean? Does it mean his brother messed up the house?


texts:
Is the following sentence correct? I feel to is not the right preposition to use in this context. Am I correct

  The same punishment shall be imposed to anyone who directly or indirectly finances, contributes, or collects economic funds or resources of any nature, with knowledge that such funds or resources will be used, in whole or in part, as support....

Can I rephrase the sentence to

  The same punishment shall be imposed on anyone who directly or indirectly finances, contributes, or collects economic funds or resources of any nature, with knowledge that such funds or resources will be used, in whole or in part, as support....

Does the meaning of the sentence change in this scenario?


texts: "Neither", "none", "no one" + [of them] + verb-s

texts:
In a comment on English Language & Usage I read the following answer responding to a(n) asker's question: "Neither sound natural."
I have always had more than one doubt on the "neither" usage and I would like understand(ing) the "secrets" to use this word better or, at the best, correctly.
So, let us consider the following examples:

1 Neither sound natural.
2 None sound natural.
3 No one sound natural.
4 Neither of them sound natural.
5 None of them sound natural.
6 No one of them sound natural.
7 Neither sounds natural.
8 None sounds natural.
9 No one sounds natural.
10 Neither of them sounds natural.
11 None of them sounds natural.
12 No one of them sounds natural.

Comparing the above sentences (one) with each other, can anybody explain which is grammatical and why?


texts: Would that sentence be clear and acceptable?

texts: "Once lost, one tends to understand the value of one thing better, and when gaining it again, it will be all the more invaluable than ever before."


texts:
A guy's little cousin took (as in "stole") his keycard and the hotel staff wouldn't allow him back up.

He took my keycard, so the hotel staff wouldn't let me back up

Or

He took my keycard, so the hotel staff wouldn't let me come back up.

Does the second one work?


texts: What's the meaning of phrase "Never let it be said..."?

texts:
I've met it in China Mieville's book "Perdido Street Station".

  Never let it be said I don't collect the best

And I still can't figure is he collecting the best or not?


texts: "I can design a building of any kind of difficulty level" - looking for a more natural ending to the sentence

texts:
I can design a building of any kind of difficulty level.

The sentence came out quite weird. I tried to say that I can design any building, no matter how difficult it's going to be. How to correct it?


texts: "I read the following in a book." or "I read the following from a book"

texts:
What should we use after following?

  I read the following in a book ...
  I read the following from a book ...


texts:
I need help filling out my Work & Travel application. In the personal statement section, I have to write what I hope to experience during my time in the US.

I wrote:

  I will experience a new culture, how to overcome my fears and the fact that taking risk is necessary to succeed in life.

I'm struggling with the part that says 'the fact that taking', is this correct or it should be 'the fact that take' instead?

Another question: Should risk be singular or plural?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
“OK man we all do it differently I didn't mean to diss you.” (daum.net)

Reading a Korean news that a girl singer ‘디스 [dɪs]’ an actress in her SNS, I wondered what this Korean word mean. It’s not in any Korean dictionaries but some other websites, and its meaning is from ‘disrespect,’ they say. And ‘diss’ seems to be really used in English expressions like these. What I now like to know is is it used common? at least not rousing antipathy? Consulting Koreans’ websites, they’re using them without being found fault with. It’s rather whether knowing the fad word or not that is matter.


texts:
What's the best way to say you're in training before a match? Can I simply use 'in training' or would 'at practice' sound better? Also, as I mean to use these words as nouns, should i put an article before them- a/an/the? And if not, then why?
Example:

    She's not at home, she's in training before a big match next week.
    She's not at home, she's in A training before a big match next week.
    She's not at home, she's at practice before a big match next week.
    She's not at home, she's at A practice before a big match next week.

Also, are the prepositions 'AT practice' and 'IN training' correct here?

And could I also use for in the place of 'before' in either one of these sentences? E:

    She's in training for a big match next week.
    She's at practice for a big match next week

Also, do we NOT use articles before either training or practice? For example, if I wanted to say:

    That was A good training/practice.
    OR
    That was good training/practice.

Which one would be correct? As both practice and training are nouns in above sentences there should be an article before each but I've seen both used without one.


texts: Is "spell check" a function or functionality?

texts:
function means

  the natural purpose (of something) or the duty (of a person)

  The function of the veins is to carry blood to the heart.

functionality means

  any or all of the operations performed by a piece of equipment or a software program

Spell checker - Wikipedia says

  In software, a spell checker (or spell check) is a software feature that checks for misspellings in a text.

in this context, should I say

  "spell check" is a function?

or

  "spell check" is a functionality?

I guess the latter, I'd just like to make sure my understanding is correct.


texts:
I just have learned this phrase.I know what it means but I don't  know how strong it is.  I mean I am not sure when and where it would be appropriate to be used.

For example first situation came to mind are social events we go. I don't think it can be used for formal situations but how about people we met at parties or bars randomly.

Would you say I have taken a shine to you to someone who you had "medium" talk with  in order to show that you would be happy if you are able to see him/her again and you would like to get to know more about him/her and maybe be keep in touch.

But would using this sentence make someone  a bit like clingy or desperate..

( I couldn't find the right word here by the way if there is .How can we name someone who tries to get to know people so quickly  and maybe push to make them feel she/he liked you.)

I would be happy if you would give  other example of  imaginary situation dialogues.

Thanks


texts: I am wondering how to pronounce "in that", where in that is a synonym for because. I have little understanding of reduction. Is it right to pronounce it /inə/?


texts:
I've looked up translations for the French word “cahier de brouillon,” and I've gotten two translations: “rough book” and “draft notebook.”

I'm talking about a small (note?)book wherein you write rough notes/make drafts.

How do Americans call it?


texts: What is the meaning of "we lay down in grass" in the following sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of "we lay down in grass" in the sentence, "Our front yard would be a lot nicer if we lay down in grass" ?

This sentence is in the examples in the Korean-naver dictionary. In the example sentence of this dictionary, this dictionary translates:

  "Our front yard would be a lot nicer if we lay down in grass"

as

  "Our front yard would be a lot nicer if we plant grass"

But Google translator translates "Our front yard would be a lot nicer if we lay down in grass" as "Our front yard would be a lot nicer if we lie on grass".

What does it mean?


texts: Can "of the North" refer to the direction it's coming from and not the point of origin?

texts:
Our ship is near the equator, and the wind of the North kept blowing the
  ship to the south.

I feel that "of the North" means that the wind comes from a far away northern region, and not like 2 miles from the equator in the north. Is this the case?

(I wrote the sentence myself)


texts:
Is the following "formula" about girls true?

  pretty = beautiful or cute

I mean

  beautiful > cute

but for "pretty" there is override with both.


texts: Which sentence is appropriate for showing my sympathy?

texts:
There are some expressions showing your sympathy, such as "That's too bad" or "I'm sorry to hear that." But I'm not sure how to use them correctly.

I've just read a grammar article which says that you never use the sentence "That's too bad" or "Too bad" without sarcasm. Is that true? There are two examples. One is when someone had to work for two weeks without any days off. Another is when someone's mother has been hospitalized because of her illness. In these situations, what sentence is most appropriate to use showing my real sympathy? I thought I could say "That's too bad."

Can you tell me what sentence is good for these situations? And if there is any difference between these two sentences, can you explain it?


texts: What is the difference between "how much gold this ring has?" and "how much gold do this ring has?"?

texts:
What is the difference between the two sentences:

How much gold this ring has?
How much gold does this ring has?

Another example:

How much water do you have?
How much water you have?

Update
I have two questions.

How much something (do/does) something (have/has)?

When can I use do/does?
As you know this sentence:

How much contrast your image has?

Here we neither use do nor does.


texts: Meaning of "One can't expect the son of a Girondin to be entirely free from the spice of the old leaven"?

texts:
I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo at the moment and found this sentence:

  One can't expect the son of a Girondin to be entirely free from the spice of the old leaven.


texts: I was kept driving yesterday - or - I was keep driving yesterday

texts:
Could you please let me know which sentence is correct in terms of verb "keep" usage.

  I was kept driving yesterday

or

  I was keep driving yesterday.

I request you to give a reason for correct one that help me to understand better.

Thanks,
Charmi


texts: What's 'all' referring to in this context?

texts:
Harry had deliberately left the trial of the Keepers until last, hoping for an emptier stadium and less pressure on all concerned. However, all the rejected players and a number of people who had come down to watch after a lengthy breakfast had joined the crowd by now, so that it was larger than ever.

  Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

I think 'all' here refers to those candidates who attended the tryout for the Keeper, but I have no confidence about it. How should we understand the phrase "less pressure on all concerned"?


texts: How to describe "the English letter Q" in words

texts:
As a learner I am having problem answering the question:

  How to make English capital Q ?

in words.

  Answer: First, draw a circle then...

I am not able to describe the small line that points outward .

Please help me describe it.

By the way, can I use the verb curl to describe the letter S?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Please help me understand why the use of "human as" is wrong in the following sentence:

[...] the philosophers emphasized the study of human as fundamental to their doctrine."


texts:
Playing tennis is a lot of fun.

Is this a structure of
[adjective: a lot of][noun: fun] or [adverb: a lot of][adjective: fun]?


texts: Watch you do/doing it [simple present or continuous?]

texts:
Is it grammatically possible to use both, the continuous form and simple present in sentences that use the pattern as in the title?

Example sentences:

  I want to watch you wash/washing the car.

  I want to see you ask/asking him/her out.

  I want to watch you get/getting your hair cut.


texts:
Consider the following. Which one is correct to fill the blank?

  I wish I could live in that ....

  A. French old white house

  B. Old white French house

  C. French house old white

  D. white old French house

My book says that the order of adjectives are Determiner, Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, color, Origin, Material, Purpose/Participle. From this, the book conclude that the answer must be B.

  old (Age) white (Color) French (Origin) house (Noun)

But in my opinion, "old French white house" is better. I got this by just feeling it, like it sounds better. Well, I confuse which one is correct though.


texts:
Urban spirit that I was, I had no more aptitude as a farmer's daughter than my father had as a farmer. (From ACT)

What does the structure "urban spirit that I was" mean? I don't think it is inversion sentence.


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

texts:
I wonder if it means "investing" or "spending money on..."

"DiNapoli's office lashed back at the report, saying the comptroller has been reducing hedge fund exposure and paying lower fees."

source:http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/17/new-york-ripped-for-wasting-money-on-hedge-funds.html


texts: Meaning: "Trip wires fill this house with tip-toed love"- Eminem's song

texts:
What does the following mean?

  Trip wires fill this house with tip-toed love.

It's a part of Eminem song "Guts over Fear". Previous and next sentences are as:

"I didn’t wanna go another round

An angry man's power will shut you up

Trip wires fill this house with tip-toed love

Run out of excuses with every word

So here I am and I will not run"

I looked the words and phrases on internet and came to this:

trip wire (tripwire?): a low-placed concealed wire used especially in warfare to trip an enemy or trespasser and usually to trigger an alarm or explosive device when moved

tiptoe: to walk on your toes with the heel of your foot lifted off the ground, especially in order not to make a noise.

I have absolutely no idea how to paraphrase this sentence.


texts:
What does 'thrust up the trap' mean in context?

  At Thirty-fourth Street young Richard quickly thrust up the trap and
  ordered the cabman to stop.

Mammon and the Archer
by O. Henry


texts:
What is the difference between "had had" and "had" in this context?

  1 She woke up screaming because she had had a bad dream.

  2 She woke up screaming because she had a bad dream.

If both are wrong, then what is the difference between 1 and 2?


texts:
Does "I can do better than X" mean "I can find a girlfriend/boyfriend better than X"? Or it's applicable for other situations too (e.g. talking about someone's car).

Found in the context of this comics of xkcd:


texts:
I just want to know all these sentences are the same meaning and I can use whichever without changing meaning.

I want to have fun when I work.

I want to work having fun.

I want to work pleasantly.


texts: What's the meaning of (beat sense into) & (beat something blues)?

texts:
What is meant by these two expressions:
1- beat (some) sense into?
2- beat something blues?
For example:
Beat The Virus Blues / Beat The Budget Blues. (Those two are taken from magazines' covers.)


texts: What are the permissible things in the Yoda dialect?

texts:
I've found such a quote of Yoda:

  “Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you.”

So, if I want to express my thoughts like him, will I be understood correctly by my clients if I, for instance, say:

  “The beer don't have we, peanuts we do.”

meaning "We don't have beer, only peanuts"?


texts: Is it natural to say "ladle me some soup please" when I want someone to put some soup into my bowl?

texts:
Is it natural to say

  Ladle me some soup please.

when I want someone to put some soup into my bowl? Would be more natural to say

  Ladle some soup into my bowl please?

If neither of those is correct, what would a native English speaker say to communicate the message?


texts: 'Bring [someone] on board [preposition?] [some project/plan]'

texts:
Should I use a preposition after using the expression 'bring someone on board'? Like

Paul made a powerful pitch, but he brought only a handful of colleagues on board [?] his eccentric plan.


texts: Is it correct to use “happen once out of ten” in my situation?

texts:
I had an ipad and it sometimes won't boot normally but Not every time.
It is only one time not to boot after I press power button to boot for 10 times.

Could I describe this situation with the following sentence for apple's maintenance engineer?

  Sometimes, the ipad cannot boot normally with black screen after I press power button.(happened once out of ten)

Or (once every ten times)

If not, please tell me how to say.


texts: Yesterday was birthday of Jon or Yesterday was THE birthday of Jon?

texts:
What is the right way to say that yesterday was a birthday to my friend?

a) Yesterday was birthday of Jon

b) Yesterday was the birthday of Jon?


texts:
I would like to know the difference or if there's any difference between thereafter and afterward and how to use them properly.
For example: "For the first month you’ll be working here, and thereafter in Chicago."
Could I use afterward instead of thereafter?

Thank you! :)


texts:
Are the following sentences idiomatic and mean the same thing?

  I am addicted to drink coffee

  I am addicted to drinking coffee

  I am addicted to coffee drinking


texts: What is the difference between"energy saving" and "energy savings"?

texts:
When I read the papers, I sometimes see the phrases energy saving and energy savings. I don't understand how they are different. Compare these sentences:

  1) However, the maximum energy saving obtained by the OTMR scheme depends on appropriate speed setting for the processing units, which in turn is determined by the system power characteristics.

  2) As we discussed earlier, the processing speed for the ﬁrst two processing units in OTMR systems is critical in energy savings.

  3) However, if it is possible to reduce the voltage at all by running slower, then there will be a net energy savings per cycle.

How are they different?


texts: Why aren't all these verbs in the same tense?

texts:
We have decided to call it a day.  We are thankful for everyone that has come to our shows, screamed at the top of their lungs, bought our music, wore our tee shirt and joined the spirit of the band in the pit.

“has come to our shows” is an experience present perfect (even if there won't be any more shows as the band is going to split soon, so I think that past simple could be fine too as the other verbs should be in past simple (screamed, wore, bought, joined).

My question is in fact why present perfect for the first verb and past simple for the others, would it be better to put all these verbs either past simple or present perfect (all of them could be considered as life experience)

https://twitter.com/flying_vinyl springking 20 nov


texts: Is it natural to use verbs that can be used as either an intransitive verb or a transitive verb in the same sentence/paragraph

texts:
The room temperature will increase to about 15℃ by noon.  If you feel cool
  now, you can use an air conditioner to increase it right now.

Does this type of usage of verbs sound natural?


texts: How do I say that I want something to end soon using "I would like" and "I hope" and maybe Future Perfect

texts:
I'm wondering now how to say that I want this pandemic (or anything else) to end soon.

Is this sentence correct?

Using I hope:

I hope this pandemic will have ended by June.

is this tense Future Perfect correct to use? and is here any difference between by June and in June? or maybe I should say

I hope this pandemic will have been ended by June

Using I would like:

I would like this pandemic to end by July

or maybe in this would like construction should I use Future Perfect too, like:

I would like this pandemic will have ended by July

because I want this action to be completed by July?

I'm not sure if you can understand what I mean but anything you write about this, will be helpful for me for sure.


texts: Is there a word for powerful people in politics? There has to be, I know the word "insider", but "insiders" aren't all that powerful, some are, but they are not the ones who make the decisions necessarily.


texts:
What does "is very much" means in the following sentence? Is it a common usage?

  Surprisingly, when I asked my teacher, he was very much for the planned excursion.


texts:
Ok, I have a female friend, can I say "girlfriend" as "a female friend, not a romantic lover"?

Ex, I got married but I have a girlfriend.

Can I say "I have a girlfriend (a female friend, not a romantic lover)"?

Also, is "female friend" a popular term in everyday conversation?


texts: "What did she think as she walked in the park?" vs. "What was she thinking as she walked in the park?"

texts:
What did she think as she walked in the park?
What was she thinking as she walked in the park?

I wonder what is the possible difference in meaning between the two sentences.

I wonder also how the meaning would change if we add about:

What did she think about as she walked in the park?
What was she thinking about as she walked in the park?

Which sentence of the four would be best suited to ask for the contents of the woman's thoughts?

(based on a sentence from a text I was proofreading at lang-8)


texts: When you pronounce "another thing", should you pronounce the "r" at the end of another?


texts:
Could anyone please tell me if "figure" is natural here? (The figure is meant to be the man the cops are looking for)

  The cops are searching the rooms in the dark hall. As they enter an office, a figure emerges from a room at the end of the hall and slips around a corner.


texts: Cries of (the?) widows being burnt on their husband's (husbands'?) pyre

texts:
Raja Rammohan Roy was greatly pained when he heard the cries of  ....... ?

  widows being burnt on their husband's pyres.
  the widows being burnt on their husband's pyres.
  widows being burnt on their husbands' pyres.
  the widows being burnt on their husbands' pyres.

Which out of four options is correct here ?

Personally I think 4th option is the best as widows is a noun we need an article with it and since we are referring to specific widows ( who are being burned) the article will fit and since widows is plural so I think husbands' is better than husband's. Am I correct ?


texts: "prospect" and "future" in the same sentence

texts:
Consider the next sentence:

  I chose X in order to bridge the gap between Y and Z, with the prospect of working on N in the future.

Is it correct to use the word prospect, which according to Cambridge dictionary means "the idea of something that will or might happen in the future", and the word future at the same time in a sentence? Or is there a better way to say that?


texts: nurtured it to growth - how do you understand this?

texts:
I must also mention my marvelous Greek teachers who first planted the seed of love for this language and nurtured it to growth.

What does that exactly mean? Does it mean that they cared for it until it reached a certain development stage where it continued to grow but on its own and the teachers' help was no longer necessary?


texts:
I'm having a bit of trouble understanding how to properly use reported speech, if in a direct sentence there's a conditional structure. Case in point:

  If I were rich I would have already bought that car.

Do I only need to backshift the whole sentence?

  He said that if he had been rich he would have already bought that car.

Or, another example, this time taken from The Wolverine movie.

  In three days, when they read his will, I will become the most powerful person in Japan.

If I wanted to recount what that person told me a while ago, and that thing doesn't hold true at the moment of speaking, would I just go:

  She told me that in three days when they read his will, she would become the most powerful person in Japan.

And, staying on topic of conditionals, could somebody tell me what exactly happened in just another quote from that movie?

  Mariko would have never gone through with the wedding, not once the will was revealed.


texts: What does "that's tricky to show you once it's all up" mean?

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

  that's
  tricky to show you once it's all up

quesiton

Does that mean the audience (such as me) would think the approach is tricky when it's all up?

what does it's all up mean in this context (use panels to soundproof a room)


texts: Semantic difference: "What have you expected?" vs. "What did you expect?"

texts:
I'm wondering what the semantic difference is between these sentences:

  What have you expected?

and

  What did you expect?

In both questions we are talking about the past, and both are translated into my native language identically.


texts: In 20 year's time he ..... his own business.( Will run - will be running- will have run ) what's the most appropriate tense here?

texts: In 20 year's time he ..... his own business.( Will run - will be running- will have run ) what's the most appropriate tense here ?


texts: "Please look straight. Do not turn your body to the side."

texts:
I was proctoring an exam for a teacher, and I noticed that some students turned their body toward the next person. I felt like they might cheat. So, I wanted to tell them to look straight (take a straight posture) in proper english. Not sure if this is grammatically correct and not awkward to say to my fellow american students. "Please look straight (or straight forward?). Do not turn your body to the side."

Thanks so much!


texts: Difference between periodic and periodical

texts:
What is the difference between the two adjectives periodic and periodical?

For instance should I say "a periodic event" or "a periodical event" ?


texts:
Suppose the part pointed out by red ellipse is the surface of the water.

I guess I can call the part pointed out by blue square "above" the water.

I can also call the part pointed out by red square "under" the water. Is it grammatical and idiomatic to say this part "beneath", "below" or "underneath" the water?

How about the surface of water?

  "above" the surface of water

  "under" the surface of water

  "underneath" the surface of water

  "beneath" the surface of water

  "below" the surface of water

What prepositions could be used to describe the position relevant to water?


texts:
I have a few questions about the meaning and usage of the expression the + V-ing + of.
Here's an example I found in M&W dictionary. In this case, it is used in defining the word "assemble".

the fitting together of manufactured parts into a complete machine, structure, or unit of a machine the assembly of an automobile

It appears to me that the gerund here refers to the process of assembling manufactured parts into a complete machine. Is my interpretation correct? Also, I'd like to know if it could be used in academic writing.


texts: "ing"-form after "while" / "during" question

texts:
I was wondering - when using "while" usually the "ing" form of a verb follows but what if the sentence continues?

Example:

While his friends are enjoying (1. ing) their vacation at the beach he finally gets his snow.
While his friends are enjoying (1. ing) their vacation at the beach he is finally getting (2. ing) his snow.

(I know it's a bit of "slang" and colloquial but the guy im describing was actually waiting for the snow to fall because it didnt happen until the end of January)

Or even more simple:

While his friends are sleeping he watches TV
While his friends are sleeping he's watching TV

Thanks for the help!


texts: what is the reason behind "this stops/ends now"?

texts:
how is the use of the present simple is classified here?

  it's clear that neither "stop" nor "end" are stative, and "this is stopping now" is just ridiculous.

is it used because it describes an occurrence in the near future such as in

  "the train leaves in ten minutes"


texts: Is there an expression for being the weakest student in a class?

texts: we say she tops the class every year meaning she has the greatest performance in her class per annum. Now how can we say someone has the weakest performance in a class?


texts: the verb agreement for conjunction of plural and singular nouns

texts:
I wrote:

  When using this technique, the document or segments of a document is/are viewed as plain text.

Should I use is or are in this sentence?


texts:
A post says

  If you are acquainted with the other person to whom you are referring

which uses the verb "acquainted with" with people.

the definition about "acquaint" on Cambridge Dictionary is with something.

  to make someone or yourself familiar with something.

I didn't consider that use before, now I do.

Imagine that, Michael and Albert are friends of Schmidhuber and they don't know each other.

Michael wants to know Albert, but he thinks it would be impolite to contact Albert directly. So, Michael asks Schmidhuber does him a favor.

With Schmidhuber's help, Michael get acquainted with Albert.

I guess it is idiomatic to say

  Schmidhuber introduced Michael to Albert.

where "introduce" means "help to know".

question

Is it idiomatic to say the following?

  Schmidhuber acquainted Michael with Albert.


texts: difference between "not a" and "not any"

texts:
Do both not a and not any sound natural In the following context? Are they both correct?

  Parliament elections in india are near. Today an opinion poll was held that says Abc party will win 250 seats, Xyz party will win 100 seats and others will not win a seat/any seats.

As both mean others will win zero seats so I think both forms are correct. Can someone explain?


texts: present or past tense when referring books

texts:
You should read the book and see what he means/meant by......
Question: Do we use present or past tense for a book? And does it matter if it's fictional books (Shakespeare) or fact (political/religion)


texts:
The president of the French Republic organises a plebiscite when,
confident that he has the backing of the popular majority on an
important issue, the popular vote would help him to continue the
general policy of his presidential mandate.
- Swiss Democracy by Wolf Linder

I want to know where does "confident that" belong to?
Does the sentence go "The president organises a plebicite when he is confident that"? In this case I don't know where the "the popular vote would help" part belongs to.
Or "Being confident that he has the support of the people the president organises a plebicite when popular vote would help him to continue general policy".
I am very confused about this.


texts:
1) How many marks do I need to get in order t get into the college?

2) How much marks do I need to get in order to get into the college?

Does the 2nd sentence without the word marks sound better? " How much do I need to get..."


texts: "...more likely to murder you and bury you in their basements as to speak a civil word to you" -- what does the "as to" part mean?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a video game:

  Many of these residents seem respectable to all appearances, but no sooner do they open their mouths than they reveal themselves to be evil brutes, shocking and rude, and more likely to murder you and bury you in their basements as to speak a civil word to you.

I don't understand the bold part. Oxford Dictionaries says as to can mean concerning, but I don't see how to use this meaning in my sentence.

The official Russian translation of this piece sounds like they would sooner murder you and bury you in their basements than speak a civil word to you. Sometimes the translation is incorrect, so I can't be sure, but since that's the only thing I have here, I guess likely and as to make up a phrase that has the meaning of would sooner ... than. Is that correct?

Also, would it be correct to substitute as to with than in this case?

  Many of these residents seem respectable to all appearances, but no sooner do they open their mouths than they reveal themselves to be evil brutes, shocking and rude, and more likely to murder you and bury you in their basements than speak a civil word to you.


texts:
This is a long error that has run with me, so it is better to have to an understanding of why, I always used I in small letters, whereas I am always corrected that it is a capital I e.g

  I am not feeling well, so I might take a day off to see the doctor and
  I will let you know. is right

  I am not feeling well, so i might take a day off to see the doctor and
  I will let you know. is wrong

The way I understand English is, we don't use capital words in between unless followed by full stop. e.g

  I am tired. I must take rest for five minutes

.

My understanding of English grammar is, that everything is small letter until followed after a full stop, so why I different?


texts: Exam Question: No sooner ____ the destruction completed

texts:
A) No sooner had the destruction completed, than mother walked in.

  B) No sooner did the destruction complete, than mother walked in.

  C) No sooner had the destruction been completed, than mother walked in.

  D) No sooner was the destruction completed, than mother walked in.

Which is the best sentence among the four given options? I know its against SE's rule to ask a question without  mentioning the research done on my part or not mentioning the reason / point of confusion or not pouring in enough details regarding question but I am sorry here I really don't have any idea  what to write.

This is a question asked in my exam in which I have to choose the best sentence and to my ears except option 3 all sound fine.


texts:
A or An is usually decided by whether you pronounce the beginning of the following word as a consonant or not. Does a word in parentheses count as ' following'?

A (imaginary) point or An (imaginary) point


texts:
"It is unknown whether or not he was telling the truth."

This sentence means the same as -

"It is unknown if he was telling the truth."

"It is unknown whether he was telling the truth."

"It is unknown whether he was telling the truth or not."

Does it also mean:
"It is unknown although he was telling the truth."


texts:
Train station: you can get a train here.
  Tourist information office: tourists can get information here.
  Post office: you can post letters and parcels here.

  English Vocabulary in Use book

I noticed can is used with definitions. Is this common? Can we define the above items without can?

  Train station: you get a train here.
  Tourist information office: tourists get information here.
  Post office: you post letters and parcels here.

And why does the writer use here not there?


texts:
I am not so sure how to use "across" in this situation.

(1) Can I say

  The bridge is across a river.

Can "across" directly fellow after "be"?

(2) If the usage in (1) is right. Can I use "across" in this case?

  Black bridge (black stickin the bild) is across the senond grass (green rectangle, there are four regions of grass).

If I say it like above, whether others misunderstand that the black bridge is only across region 2 and no others. But actually, it is also across region 3 and 4. If it is wrong, how can I describe that the black bridge is "across" region 2?


texts:
This is the book I used.
  This is a book I used.
  This is the music I listened to.
  This is a music I listened to.

1 and 2 are implying that the book and the music were mentioned before at least once, so the listener already knows some part of the stories.

Whereas, 2 is implying that the listener is hearing about them having studied that book for the first time.

I want to make 4 the same as 2, but I can't use determiner 'a' in front of non-countable noun. What should I do? What am I missing?


texts: Is "plugging out" electronic devices an American expression?

texts:
Are these valid in American English as opposed to "unplug".

  Plug out the charger from the wall.

  I plugged out my TV.

  I found my radio plugged out.

I started hanging out with some guys of Jamaican descent who were born in Canada and I noticed that they talked about "plugging out" their electronic devices rather than "unplugging" them. Recently I've begun to hear the same expression from non-Jamaicans.

Anyone have any idea how widespread this is?


texts:
They are going to come here for the celebration. AND,
  They are to come here for the celebration.

Is there any difference?

I am clear with the phrase "going to" with other things (such as going to happen etc.) But if ultimately it's coming, why going and then coming! To me, going to come seemed redundant but then it's very very popular with native speakers. COCA gives thousands of such results.


texts:
The first calendar was originated in Egypt.

  The first calendar originated in Egypt.

Which voice is suitable for the word "originate", active or passive voice?


texts:
If in a train or bus some unknown elderly but rude passenger particularly a man, an old man, sitting on a seat which was already reserved by me, how to ask him to get up from there(the seat),
Is "Get off my/the seat" is a correct  expression when I don't want to be polite to the old man


texts:
I learnt that the structure of comparative sentence is between two "as". For example:

  It is as big as an elephant.

  He is as clever as Einstein.

  She is as nice as her brother.

Now my question is if the following structure is equal in correctness and meaning?

  It is so big as elephant.

  He is so clever as Einstein.

  She is so nice as her brother.

As you can see, I just changed the first "as" with "so". Is that fine?


texts: A word for a poem that portrays pictures in your mind?

texts:
There is this poem that describes an event and it is so good when I read it all the event details shape in my mind. I need an adjective to describe that poem.

Is depictive used for such cases? What about descriptive? Or other better suggestions?


texts: Is the phrase "stand us being far away" idiomatic?

texts:
Example sentence:

  How could he stand us being far away from each other?

The phrase only has  2 Google hits. So I suspect the phrase isn't very common. What's a better alternative?


texts:
I wrote:

  To eliminate embedded advertisements or navigation links (e.g. Related articles) or irrelevant fragments (e.g. Sharing Links, Metadata, User Instructions) from the main article, the link density and the text length features were used so that link density (above/more than) 33% (as offered in [6]) was used as the indicator of boilerplate.

First I would like to know if the ...so that clause was added correctly to the main sentence. Second, I would like to know the difference between above and more than before the percentage.


texts: what's the difference between "the" and blank?

texts:
I have a sentence but I don't know how to fill it. When I don't use the, it seems pretty sensible. When I use it, it seems sensible too. I'm writing the sentence below.

  An infographic is ....... kind of illustration which .... public
  enjoys looking at to understand statistical facts.


texts: Is it acceptable to have articles after adjectives?

texts:
I am working for a patent company and I encountered the text which is

  constructed from conductive an electrode and a layer.

I think that the writer is trying to say that 'a conductive electrode and a conductive layer.'

But is it possible to put the words in the order of 'adjective+article+noun' in that kind of context where 'too~to' or 'so~a' kinds of grammar do not exist?

I mean, can you put an adjective before an indefinite/definite article when trying to modify more than two nouns with the same adjective?


texts: Idiomatic phrase to suggest having a drink "to honor" the first time being together

texts:
"Let's drink to our meeting!"

How would native English speakers suggest celebrating their first time together by having a drink "in honor of the meeting"?

Say, a man met a woman while on vacation in some country, say, in a bar near a beach. And, after they have spent some time together, he tells her:

1) "Let's celebrate our meeting!"

2) "Let's celebrate our acquaintance!"

3) "Let's celebrate our encounter!"

4) "Let's drink to our meeting!"

5) "Let's drink to our acquaintance!"

6) "Let's drink to our encounter!"

7) "Let's have a drink to mark our meeting!"

8) "Let's have a drink to honor our acquaintance!"

or what?

It should be a phrase that, on one hand, implies having a drink, but, on the other hand, it implies that there is a special reason for that - their first time together.

Is there any idiomatic way in English to express that thought?


texts: I know that to name someone could mean to give him a name (for newborn babies for example), but I would like to know if this can be used to contempt someone? For example, to say, "people name him" to mean people use vulgar names (like crazy,.. etc. ) to someone? if not what verb is used for that?


texts:
I came across this sentence

  He has been by my side, my rock and shoulder to lean on literally, every
  step of the way, caring for me and Erin, holding my hands, holding me
  and loving me.

This is from a person's autobiography. I wonder if this sentence "my rock and shoulder to lean on literally" needs a verb like "my rock and shoulder lean on literally". What' the meaning of "to lean on" in this sentence? What's the usage of this infinitive?


texts: Why was "if" omitted in "I walked with Jesus and he would say"?

texts:
The Spacemen 3's song "walking with Jesus" begins

  I walked with Jesus and he would say
  "Oh you poor child, you ain't coming to me, no way
  You found heaven on Earth, gonna burn for your sin"
  But I think I'll be in good company down there with all my friends

  (Genius Lyrics)

Would is obviously  used as a conditional, so  it should be "if I walked with Jesus". So why  "if" was it omitted?


texts: Does the verb "position" have the meaning of determining the position of something

texts:
Assuming that there is a tube and a rod to be inserted in the tube.  The tube has a projection projecting from its inside wall.  When the rod is inserted in the tube to some extent, the projection touches the rod to prevent it from being inserted anymore.  Thus, the rod is placed in correct position.  Is it possible to describe this case as follows:

  The projection positions the rod inside the pipe.


texts:
I know the pronunciation of the word in its traditional sense. Lately I’ve been researching fitness largely via online videos, and whenever someone refers to motion transforming rotation into back-and-forth, he/she pronounces this as “EE-sen-tric” motion, rather than “ek-SEN-tric”. However I can’t find a resource that provides for this alternate pronunciation.

Is the former pronunciation acceptable and/or proper when referring to a type of motion?


texts: Is using "however" appropriate in this sentence?

texts:
"His experience, however small it is, is worth listening to."
In this sentence, what I am trying to say is basically his experience is little but what he says is important. So we should listen to it. Does "however" make sense here? It is supposed to explain the quanitive property or the extent of the object. Another example could be: "The sun however big it is, is still smaller than many stars."


texts: What does "To business" mean in this context?

texts:
"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice -- in your past, in my future -- we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," He added softly, "the longer you stay alive."

I don't know what "To business" is supposed to mean in this context, since there are many meanings for the word 'business'.  Is it a common phrase?

What does it exactly mean?

-- From Harry Potter.


texts: Is the following usage of “I got” correct?

texts:
I'd expected to see some live or embalmed animals. Instead, I got
  plastic chairs, square tables, and a whiteboard.

"I got" in this case means "I saw" or "this classroom had". Is this usage of "I got" common among native English speaker? Why or why not?

Note: the speaker is just visiting the classroom.


texts:
In any of the burial-places of this city through which I pass, is there a sleeper more inscrutable than its busy inhabitants are, in their innermost personality, to me, or than I am to them?

I have a problem understanding the sentence above.

From A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens


texts: target desired audiences - or 'the' desired audiences?

texts:
An example sentence from a market research company's website:

Having established relationships with departmental heads of such organizations helps us better target (the) desired audiences.

(I've reworked the sentence a bit; it says "required audiences" in the original)
The page makes no mention of the type of the audiences nor in any other way specifies them. Is the definite article needed there?
I've found instances of the desired audiences phrase being used without an article as well as with the definite article at Google Books:

If they fail to supply desired audiences, we should not consider them. If they do offer desired audiences, several additional considerations must enter the decision process.

By filtering viewers, controlling the frequency of ad exposures, and correctly positioning the ads within Web site pages, online ads can be a very cost-effective way to reach desired audiences.

and

MEDIA: A channel of communication enabling the organization to reach the desired audiences.  Important external audience made up of local and national press; trade, technical, professional press; radio, television, that is all those who report corporate happenings to their audience. (link)

Why does the latter quote use the definite article? Is it because the exact nature of the audiences is pointed out in the subsequent sentence?