texts: What is the joke in this context? (a "spring" in my step)

texts:
This conversation is from a tv series, Modern Family, and Manny(boy) comes into a room looking cheerful and talks to his step-father (Jay).

Manny: Hey Jay! Have you noticed a spring in my step?
Jay: Oh, kids say cruel things. That doesn't mean you'll turn out that way.
Manny: (frowning) No. We have something in common. I'm seeing a younger woman.
Jay: How much younger are we talking about?
Manny: 13 months. She makes me feel like a fifth grader again.

I know what "spring in one's step" means - you're walking lightly and it shows your happiness etc. - but I don't understand Jay's remarks following Manny's line. Turn out what way? How has Jay understood Manny's words so that he answers like that?
I mean, I can guess Jay presumed "a spring in my step" to be an insult from one of Manny's peers mocking the way he walks rather than understanding the idiomatic meaning, but I don't understand how Jay understood it. What does "spring" mean here, then? Is it "flexibility"?
I also saw an article saying that the writer of this episode is a lesbian, so there were several gay jokes in it, including this one about the spring in his step, but this just confuses me more. How is it a gay joke? How should I understand this to make it qualify as a gay joke? (I'm not sure if it's relevant, but just so you know, neither Jay nor Manny is gay in this show.)


texts:
She reveals the truth: Clare Quilty, an acquaintance of Charlotte's,
  the writer of the school play, and the man Lolita claims to have
  loved, checked her out of the hospital after following them throughout
  their travels and tried making her star in one of his pornographic
  films. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita)

I guess after tried there needs to be to-infinitive to denote afterward plan to make her star. Why is there –ing object of tried?


texts:
"If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not
  make excuses about what is said of you but answer, ‘He was ignorant of
  my other faults, else he would have not mentioned these alone.'" –
  Epictetus

What does the word "else" mean? I think it means "otherwise". Is it correct?


texts:
'What's happened?Have I hurt you,friend?'a man asked.
'no,' said Bathsheba ,trying to pull her skirt away.
'Ah! you are a lady !The spur on my boot has got tied up with your dress.'

Far from the madding crowd by Thomas Hardy.

what kind of structure is that ?

Does it mean ;

'Ah! you are a lady !The spur on my boot has been tied up with your dress.' ?
an other way of making passive voice with ''get'' ?


texts: swag (slang) -- what does this word really mean?

texts:
Source: Russia Is On A 'Holy Mission' And The West Doesn't Get It

Example:

  In his State of the Union address, Obama displayed similar swag and bluster against both the Kremlin and congressional Republicans, seemingly without regard for any recent events. As the president explained: ...

I hear it a lot, but what does this slang word really mean?


texts:
Shakespeare was the first man to ever write in this style.

Shakespeare is the first man to ever have written in this style.

Shakespeare is the first man to ever write in this style.

Shakespeare was the first man to ever have written in this style.

Which one(s) is wrong?


texts:
"I feel for that" I keep hearing this phrase all around.  I wonder what it means.

Can anyone elaborate?


texts:
Once the spirit is broken, only when the human has lost all hope WILL IT be transferred to the soul extraction chamber.

It should be "it will be" for conditionals here, right??


texts: What form of the verb is used with the word "did" (especially in a interrogative sentence)

texts:
Jill did not allow last game to Liz.

Or

  Jill did not allowed last game to Liz.

Do we always use the infinitive form of the verb with "did"?


texts:
Do I need to place a comma in this sentence? And is the word order correct?

  Supporting guidance on 'Fair trading requirements' advises that discrimination in regard to the costs of the goods and services against owners wishing to obtain a written prescription is forbidden.


texts: Past perfect or past simple to express a cause?

texts:
Because she finished the exam, she felt very happy.

  I was angry because someone stole my car.

Both verbs are past simple to express cause and effect and the effect is immediate, look at this other sentence:

  I was really tired because I had worked late the night before.

Why is worked not past simple to express the cause and effect, the order of event are very clear, is it because the tiredness was not immediate and came one day after working, a long time had passed between both actions.


texts: What's the meaning of 'sitting with the low back maximally arched'?

texts:
[Source] Sn the other side of the coin, there are some specific things you want to avoid. For one, [Dr Jenny Pynt], the physiotherapist, told me, “avoid chairs that force your upper spine, that part between the shoulder blades, forward. So called Executive chairs often do this.” Basically, you want something that’s supporting your back, not sculpting it. The same goes for the lower region. Another common mistake, Pynt warned, is “sitting with the low back maximally arched. This position compresses the joints in the spine creating pain.”

Despite Dr Pynt's status as a physiotherapist, this article is directed at laypeople, yet the bolded noun phrase confuses me. How do you determine/deduce from the words, the visualisation intended of the bolded mistake? I'd relish a picture to help.


texts: Wondering what the phrase "expand and mushroom" means in this context

texts:
He said the Ranger branded bullets used were designed to "expand and mushroom" and cause substantial damage.Source: Sky News – Pistorius Throws Up During 'Graphic' Evidence

I think it means that it means bullet was in a way that would go fast in the body. Am I right?


texts: I wonder If i can use “ by “ after all verbs as is the case with “ increase by “. For example Firstly Can  say “ I got into debt by 1000 dollars “ and second exaple : “The factory produced pens by ten million instead of “ The factory produced ten million pens .


texts: Meaning of "least reluctant" in this context

texts:
Likewise, watching a group of people, one will quickly notice which individuals act with the greatest confidence, attract the most glances and nods of agreement, are least reluctant to break into the discussion, speak in a softer voice yet expect everybody to listen (and laugh at their jokes!), voice unilateral opinions, and so on.Source: Our Inner Ape by Frans B. M. Waal

Does this sentence mean some people are unwilling to get into discussions or they are eager to break into them?


texts:
According to Barron’s TOEFL Flashcards, "call on" means the following:

  call on:

  1) to acknowledge in class

  2) to invite to speak

However, I cannot understand the usage of the first one in academic settings.


texts: Should a suspended hyphen be used for '10-to 15-year-olds'?

texts:
Should I use suspended hyphen in the example below like 10-to 15-year-olds?

  The time spend by 10 to 15-year-olds on two activities.


texts: Question regarding the use of the word "that"

texts:
i was writing this introduction and i don't know if the use of the word "that" really matters in this instance:

I wrote: "There is no doubt universities play a crucial role in educating society".

But then i started to think that maybe it was needing the word "that" to make it better:

"There is no doubt that universities play a crucial role in educating society"

Does it really matter?
 Now that i'm reading both options aloud they seem fine to me, but I'm not completely sure whether it does make a huge difference

Thanks in advance


texts:
What does 'taxpayer funded' mean?

  Huckfelt says it is important for people to experience the parks.
  After all, he said, “We own these parks…they’re taxpayer funded.”

Article 'Supporting National Parks Through the Arts' from VOA Learning English.


texts: Why we shouldn't use article the before importance in sentence below

texts:
The lack of importance of something

or

The lack of the importance of something


texts: I saw him cross the road vs having crossed the road

texts:
Is here any difference in phrases below:

I saw him having crossed the road.
I saw him cross the road.
I saw him do it.
I saw him having done it.

Are these phrases interchangeable?


texts: Where were you yesterday? I was late for/at work

texts:
What is the different between "late for" and "late at".

I was in a business meeting outside the work place (let's say at a restaurant), and it took time, so I late on my friends daily gathering. The next day my friend phoned me and said: "we expected to see you, where were you yesterday?", What should I reply?

  I was late for work.
  I was late at work.

I'm used to understanding them as following:

Late for:

When someone late on appointment or scheduled time:

  My colleague was late for work yesterday because of an accident .

Late at

When someone late inside a place after the normal time of leaving.

  I had a lot of tasks yesterday, So I was late at work.


texts: I am translating a sworn statement into English. Is it correct to say "I have the economic and financial legal capacity"? Thank you very much for your help!


texts: past tense and present tense in a single sequence

texts:
"Ever since Eric turned 18 years old he parties every weekend." ?
 It is an example from a BBC English course. I have my doubts about using the past tense and the present tense in a single sentence.


texts: How to express A > B > C in written English grammatically correctly without mentioning B twice?

texts:
In mathematics, we simply say A larger than B larger than C. However, that is grammatically incorrect, because there is no verb in it.

In my case,

  A: people who still smoke
  B: people who used to smoke
  C: people who never smoked

One way of specifying A > B > C is ...

  A has a higher risk of cancer than B and B has a higher risk of cancer than C.

But considering B is too long and I wonder if there is any way that I can just mention B once.

How about

  A has a higher risk of cancer than B and in turn than C?


texts:
As far as I know, both work and works may be correct in different contexts. For example, we say I had much work today. But when referring to different pieces of work we say works, e.g., related works in a paper. However, In these sentences I'm not sure which one is correct:

This survey sheds light on the differences between our approach and the previously proposed works/work.
Thanks to X and Y for their help in surveying the related work/works.


texts:
Are my examples grammatically correct?

She admitted that she had stolen the money.

She admits that she had stolen the money.


texts:
Let's say I'm on the phone with my girlfriend who's on her way home from a party. It's in the middle of the night. She's walking on a dark road. Suddenly she doesn't answer me. So I ask, worried for her...
What's happening? / What's going on?
Is one more natural to use than the other when being worried for someone?


texts:
The fight cost him his life, almost.

  Laying  in the grass, looking at the sky,  she watched the stars in the awe, mesmerized at their beauty, natural beauty.

Is the use of "almost" and "natural beauty" correct comma usage or do they require stronger punctuation?

And, I noticed this sentence on a grammar website.

  (But in the second sentence, because John is set off with commas. It is not necessary;  it is added information.)

Is this sentence accurate?  Full stop before the answer?  As I would have wrote

  because John is set off with commas: it is not necessary;


texts: "The shop opened by" vs "The shop was opened by"

texts:
Are these statements correct? and What are the tenses of the following sentences?

The shop opened

  ... while the shop opened by James Booth and taken over by Arthur Simpson in 1909 has long gone. Daily Telegraph

The shop was opened

  In 1921 it opened its first dedicated shop in London’s Oxford Street. Known as HMV – an acronym for His Master’s Voice – the shop was opened by Sir Edward Elgar.  Daily Mail


texts: The difference between 'lots of' and 'a lot of'

texts:
I have a lot of pens

  I have lots of pens

What is the difference? I do not see any difference but as per my teacher there is a difference which till date I am unable to understand


texts: I can not understand after" before sneaking..."

texts:
“I waited till Zach “inserted himself into our awkward conversation before sneaking inside to thaw my fingers beneath running water.”
Excerpt From
Thirteen Reasons Why
Jay Asher
This material may be protected by copyright.


texts: His vs His (possessive adjective vs possessive pronoun)?

texts:
How not to confuse the use of "His (possessive adjective) vs His (possessive pronoun)"?
Is there a rule to use these "pronouns"?

Are possessive pronouns used only after verbs and prepositions?

For example:

The black car next the bakery is his.


texts:
Is the verb eat correct or should it be eats??

I found a sentence similar to this:

  He makes a student that does not like milk eat a cake with milk

I am not sure if this is a grammatical mistake or the sentence is correct?


texts: Explain 3rd conditional complex sentence

texts:
Could you explain to me the bolded part of the sentence?
Why do we use this tense/form? Is it correct?

  If he had known that it would have upset you, he would have been
  more careful.

I understand that it is 3rd conditional and simple sentences are clear to me. But this bolded part confuses me.

Could we write: it would upset you or it had upset you? And why?

Where can I read a rule about dependent clauses in conditional sentences?


texts:
Listening to several songs of late musician Amy Winehouse she often sings the word black.  For example in the song Back to black

  I'll go back to black

Similar in the song Rehab she sings:

  Yes, I been black but when I come back [..]

What does black mean? I assume it means something like “depressed”/“depression”?

Is this a phrase that is commonly used in English - or is it a “made up term”? Would people understand the meaning if used in a real sentence?


texts:
I just read the following number 1 sentence in newspaper, but I think that it should have been written either like number 2 or 3.
Can any one please explain to me why they wrote it that way????

1- Two people shot in the city 2 hours apart.
( I read this in  a news paper)

2- Two people were shot in the city 2 hours apart.

3- Two people got shot in the city 2hours apart.


texts: Is "increase their chance of being burgled" clear in this sentence?

texts:
Children using mobile phones on public transport may be seen as easy targets and increase their chance of being burgled.

From 'and increase...' it sounds off to me. I tried changing it to 'and increasing' but that doesn't sound right either. Any suggestions?


texts: Why is New York often said with the word "City" in English?

texts:
Usually, while watching some videos/movies or reading books in English, I tend to see that people always adding the word "City" to New York(New York City).

What's behind this stuff in English? I can only guess that it's used just to distinguish state and City itself. However, in some other languages(e.g. Ukrainian), usually people don't use "City" after NY. They would assume that the person is talking about the city already. If you want to talk about state, you can mention that.


texts: Omitting the pronoun and the verb after “when”

texts:
In a court hearing, the prosecution is asking a witness about the incident they witnessed:

Prosecution: there is a point in time when a customer in there [in the store] goes outside, is that correct?
Witness: yes.
Prosecution: alright, and was that cusomer a male or a female?
Witness: er, when customer, you mean the woman that came out of the store?

The only case of omitting the pronoun and the verb that I am familiar with is the case of when proceeding an adjective.
Does using a noun after when seem correct?


texts: what's the meaning of this sentence? why is the butler on all fours

texts:
I was watching Growing pains TV shows, one scene is that Carol is watching a show called "the sturgeons of Pitt Street", and her mom was watching too and asked Carol "why is the butler on all fours? " then Carol answered the family dog died, and they didn't have the heart to tell their grandma.

I don't understand why Carol's mother ask "why is the butler on all fours? " and the meaning of it. Anyone could help? Thanks.

Ref: it is from Growing pains TV shows, first season，5th episode."super dad".


texts:
In a house description, it said

  "The living room is open with large windows, sliding glass door to outside balcony."

How to understand this sentence, and what does "is open with" here mean?


texts: What is the direct object in "He gave her a kiss"?

texts:
I understand that if you give something to someone, that "something" is the direct object while that "someone" is the indirect object.
However, I have a hard time believing "kiss" can be the direct object in "He gave her a kiss".


texts: What is it called: a hairpin or a hairgrip?

texts:
This is a hairpin

hairpin: a small thin piece of wire that is folded in the middle, used by women for holding their hair in place

This is a hairgrip

hairgrip: a small thin piece of metal or plastic folded in the middle, used by women for holding their hair in place

But what about this

Is it called a hairpin or a hairgrip?


texts: The difference between "could" and "can"

texts:
He's a better writer than I could ever be.

He's a better writer than I can ever be.

What's the difference between can and could here?
Are both sentences grammatically correct?


texts:
I watch quiz shows on TV where teams compete and each member of a team has to answer a question when it is their turn.

On the show, the presenter wants each member of the team to come on the stage one at a time and asks each of them a different question. And the presenter calls  the name of the next member of the team when it is their turn like this: "James, you are up next".

I understand by "up next" the presenter means "James, now it is your turn to come to stage and answer the next question."

But I wonder why does TV presenter say "UP NEXT", where simply "NEXT" would do?

Shortly, is there any difference between "you are next" and "you are up next"?

Regards,


texts:
That first season wrapped everything up nicely and when I heard that a second season would be made I started to wonder if it would be able to reach the same quality as the first season.

Source: Bridge Season.

I have from time to time problems to decide whether to use the definite or indefinite article before ordinal numbers. As to my sentence: would  usage of the definite article in the first part of my sentence be a grammatical mistake? Why is there "a second season" but "the first season" in it?


texts:
I don't understand the function of participles in these sentences below.

  1- She fled with her children, ending up in a shelter. (Does the
  action of the main clause( "fleeing") happen at the same the as the
  action of participle clause? ( "ending up") )

  2- Cooper enjoyed dinner at Audrey's house, agreeing to a large slice
  of cherry pie even though he was full to the point of bursting. (Does
  the action of the main clause( "enjoying") happen at the same the as
  the action of participle clause? ( "agreeing"))

  3- Three man tried to mug me but I fought them off, injuring two of
  them. (Again does the action of main clause( "fighting off" ) happen
  at the same time as the action of participle clause? ("injuring" ))

  4- Anthropologists found parasite eggs in ancient poop samples,
  providing a glimpse of human health as hunter gatherers transitioned
  to settlements. (Scientific American) (Is this a reduced relative
  clause which qualifies the whole independent clause? As:
  Anthropologists found parasite eggs in ancient poop samples, which
  provides a glimpse of human health as hunter gatherers transitioned to
  settlements. Christopher Intagliata reports ("which provides..."
  refers to the whole independent clause" " Anthropologists found
  parasite eggs in ancient poop samples" )


texts:
Some questions in the exam were very easy.

Some of the questions in the exam were very easy.

Most students in our class are very nice.

Most of the students in our class are very nice.

The question is why we can use both forms "in general way" and "in definite way". Linked question doesn't explain this case. It explains usage of "all" qualifier. We can use "All of the + noun" and "All the + noun", but this is another case.


texts: Did a program or have taken part in a program?

texts:
I want to say that I "did" a student exchange program in another country.
which way is the correct way of writing that in a formal letter / application:

I have taken part in a student exchange program in Japan
I did a student exchange program in Japan
I have been in a student exchange program in Japan


texts: Which is natural regarding the use of relative pronoun?

texts:
which is acceptable?

Few of us can become movie stars that we would like to be
Few of us can become movie stars who we would like to be
Few of us can become movie stars whom we would like to be

Help!


texts: What does this mean: 'puts up a poster touting for relief milking work'?

texts:
Pip chats to Lilian at The Bull. Pip puts up a poster touting for
  relief milking work, but manages not to let slip about Bridge Farm.
  When Spencer rings Pip whilst she’s there, Pip tells him all about
  it. (thearchers.co.uk)

There are words and phrasal verbs which are unclear to me; I fail to understand the highlighted sentence. Could you provide me the sense of the sentence?


texts:
I want to ask someone if "Thursday" is a good day for a skype meeting.

How should I ask?

Is Thursday at 10am a good day? (sounds wrong)
I just want to confirm our meeting at XYZth at 11am. Will you be available? (sounds weird)

Update:

I already sent an email for this person and he didn't reply yet.
I just want to make sure that he saw my email and confirm the meeting.


texts: How to call residents in a country, state, city, etc. Is there any rule regarding which suffix to add?

texts:
Words ending with a suffix "an" such as American, European, and Asian are a good example of referring people living in or born in a certain place. Likewise, the suffix "er" is also very common as in New Yorker and Hong Konger.
My question is if there is any rule in English regarding which suffix to add when we would like to describe residents in a country, state, city, etc. For example, how would you call people in Denver, Colorado? Is it Denverer, Denverian, or what?
Interestingly enough, a resident of Sydney seems to be called "Sydneysider." After all, I feel there is no fixed one rule. Is there any?


texts: Using an article between "after" and a "noun"

texts:
Could you please clarify for me do we supposed to put an article after the word before or after, when it's preceding a noun?

An example:

  It will be done after (a) request from appropriate employee.

  We will go jogging before (a) breakfast.


texts: What is the difference between "I am done" and "I am through"?

texts: What is the difference between when we say "I am done" and "I am through"? Please give examples to make the difference clear.


texts: What does "don't have a baby" imply or mean in this sentence?

texts:
This is really, really confusing as the literal meaning of "don't have a baby" — being pregnant or give birth to a child — does not fit the context at all.

My guesses are:

Don't act like a baby, be brave and face it.
Do nothing else, so as not to cause any further troubles , since we are already in great mess.
Other meaning that I don't know.

Could anyone help with this epic mystery here? And if possible, but not necessary, show me some similar examples?

The context is:

"I" am Louisa's sister. Louisa is a carer of a quadriplegic, Will，rich and young,  who is going to do euthanasia. Now the tabloids get this information from Lou's ex boyfriend Patrick, and they besieged our house, trying to get "my sister's side of story of Will."

Here is the sentence:

  ‘I’m from The Globe. I wondered if I could have a quick word?’

  ‘The Globe?’

  I could hear the confusion in Lou’s voice.

  ‘The newspaper?’ I stepped behind my sister. I saw then the notepad in
  the woman’s hand.

  ‘Can I come in? I’d just like to have a little chat with you about
  William Traynor. You do work for William Traynor, don’t you?’

  ‘No comment,’ I said. And before the woman had a chance to say
  anything else, I slammed the door in her face.

  My sister stood stunned in the hallway. She flinched as the doorbell
  rang again.

  ‘Don’t answer it,’ I hissed.

  ‘But how—?’

  I began to push her up the stairs. God, she was impossibly slow. It
  was like she was half asleep. ‘Granddad, don’t answer the door!’ I
  yelled. ‘Who have you told?’ I said, when we reached the landing.
  ‘Someone must have told them. Who knows?’………

  ‘Does this mean he’s dead?’ Her eyes had filled with tears.

  ‘No, it just means some arse is trying to cash in.’ I thought for a
  minute.

  ‘Who was that, girls?’ Mum’s voice came up the stairwell.

  ‘No one, Mum. Just don’t answer the door.’

  I peered over the banister. Mum was holding a tea towel in her hands
  and gazing at the shadowy figure visible through the glass panels of
  the front door.

  ‘Don’t answer the door?’

  I took my sister’s elbow. ‘Lou . . . you didn’t say anything to
  Patrick, did you?’

  She didn’t need to say anything. Her stricken face said it all.

  ‘Okay. Don’t have a baby. Just don’t go near the door. Don’t
  answer the phone. Don’t say a word to them, okay?’

  Me Before You by Jojo Moyes


texts:
English is a language

  The English are fine people.

  I like English language.

I know that we say the English language.

My question is:

I want the red book

There may be many red books  and I want a particular red book.

is it ungrammatical  to say English language  since we  are referring to only one language-English?


texts:
He drank the milk from feeding bottle.

After finished drinking. He didn't want to give me the cap.

  "Don't take it. You will lose it."

  “Don't take it. You will make it lose.”

Do they grammatically correct and have the same meaning?


texts:
I looked at him.

"I" is a subject of the sentence.

"looked" is a predicate.

Can I say "at him" is a indirect object?  How to judge the noun phrases to be a direct object and an indirect object?


texts: Use "who are" in a sentence that is not a question

texts:
I know that we use are in present continue in questions:
who + {is/are} + {verb + ing}

Can I use who are also in a sentence that is not a question?

  I think you should not talk to guys who are not your age, they
  could not understand you.

If yes, why?


texts: Putting commas before be-verbs that introduce clauses

texts:
My definition of a sweatshop[,] is a factory or a place of work that does not meet safe working conditions and often mistreats its workers by offering them very low wages for long working hours.

Should there be comma or another mark before offering my definition?

  The potential problems of using sweatshops[,] are the dangers that come by employing people in unsafe and inhumane conditions.

Should there be a comma before "are?"

  Many people will disagree with me[,] saying that it is the only way to keep up with the competition in our capitalist society.

How about this comma over here?


texts:
In the following sentence

Demerit points to remain on a Player or Player Support Personnel’s disciplinary record for a period of 24 months from their imposition following which they will be expunged.

I don't understand use of to here. And I think in place of will, are should be used.


texts: Non-defining or defining relative clauses

texts:
Sometimes I get confused with relative clauses.

1-The wedding, which only members of the family were invited to, took place on Friday.

I think in this sentence the relative clause should be defining and the commas should be removed. Why did we use non-defining relative clause ?


texts: An adverb or adjective for the mentioned context?

texts:
Many times when someone tells us something we just accept it. We don't consider the question "whether it is true". Perhaps because we trust the speaker. In such cases:

We believe others _____ .

Our acceptance of what other tell us is ______ .

unreflectively/unreflective? non-reflectively/non-reflective? non-speculatively/non-speculative? Immediately/immediately.

"uncritically" sounds to me too strong for such cases.


texts: Describing someone who is slightly overweight: “He is slightly on the _____ side”

texts:
He is slightly on the _______ side.
If I want to say that he is slightly overweight, what would be the most common word to insert here?
Thank you.


texts:
I have a question about the definition entry of "to" in this dictionary.

Definition 11a of "to" reads:

  until a particular time or date

Definition 11b of "to" reads:

  used for saying how much time passes before a particular date, time, or event

An example sentence under definition 11b reads:

  Sales increased during the 13 weeks to September 30th.

Does anyone think that this sentence probably fit better under definition 11a instead of definition 11b?  Definition 11a seems to emphasize the period of time, and definition 11b seems to emphasize the point in time.


texts: "This is to bring in your cognizance" or "this is to bring to your cognizance" is correct or both are correct

texts:
I came across a sentence in  an application of my friend that read as" This is  to bring in your cognizance that ..."  and so on and so forth.
i just want to know whether "This is to bring in your cognizance" or "This is to bring to your cognizance" is correct or both are correct.
I searched online but could not get any help.


texts: Is the correct spelling “fulfil” or “fulfill”?

texts: Which of the spelling is correct? “fulfil” or “fulfill”? I can find both spellings on the web, although “fulfil” is more common.


texts: Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous

texts:
She is away on holiday.
  Is she? Where ... ?

Where has she gone? (Correct)
Where has she been going?

Why we can not use the second choice here ?


texts:
Is this correct " We would also love to notify you "

Or this is correct " We would also loves to notify you "

Help will really appreciated


texts:
See how close kid comes to being run over by minibus and lorry

What does the meaning "to being" in sentence above?


texts: What is the synonym for //static picture of//?

texts:
Dear English Speakers / Users

  Alternative assessment techniques present a dynamic rather than
  static picture of learners' linguistic development.

I'm reading an article that contains above mentioned phrase. I cannot quite understand the meaning behind the words "static/dynamic picture of learners' linguistic development". What are the right words that may replace these part of the phrase?

Thank You


texts: "a range of", "a variety of" and "many kinds of", which one is more advanced?

texts:
I am preparing for IELTS test, in which advanced words get higher score.

consider these

  there is a range of jobs in my home town

  there is a variety of jobs in my home town

  there are many kinds of jobs in my home town

which one is more advanced?


texts:
If some functionality A makes B to do something, can we say

A is responsible for having B to do sth.
A is responsible for making B to do sth.

Do both sentences make sense? To me, it seems like the second one is natural but I am wondering whether we can switch "making" to "having" instead.


texts: What's the difference between "used to like" and 'liked'?

texts:
What is the difference between used to like and liked?

What is the difference if I say...

  When I was 4 years old, I had one pink dress. My cousins used to like it (my dress) very much.

Or

  When I was 4 years old, I had one pink dress. My cousins liked it (my dress) very much.


texts:
My chief used the idiom hue and cry when he addressed us in his inaugural talk.

Googling gave me this meaning:

  Not to make an issue

But I don't fully understand what that means. Can anyone explain it and its usage to me?


texts: How common the usage of "fortnight" instead of "two weeks ago"?

texts:
Today firstly I recovered by BBC report that the words "two weeks ago" can be replaced by the word "fortnight", while so far I didn't came across this thing. How common is this word?

It's not clear to me if "two weeks ago" is used by native English speakers or maybe they should say "fortnight" instead. In other words, I would like to know if I should use it in the spoken language or it's considered weird in spoken language?

  "About a fortnight ago, four men were sentenced to one month in prison
  after eating in public."


texts:
I often see the expression "briefly noted" on weblog posts (and also New Yorker). In general, what does it mean to say "something is briefly noted".
Some Examples:
In New Yorker
Its use in an academic journal
The Brad DeLong's weblog


texts: Can I say 'I knew I will go through it all'

texts:
If I'm talking about the past where I was sure exactly that I will do something, can I use two tenses - past and future in one sentence?

For example:

  I knew I will go through it all.

Thank you!


texts:
Of course it is not by argument that we originally come by our belief
  in an independent external world. We find this belief ready in
  ourselves as soon as we begin to reflect: it is what may be called an
  instinctive belief. We should never have been led to question this
  belief  but for the fact that, at any rate in the case of sight, it
  seems as if the sense-datum itself were instinctively believed to be
  the independent object, whereas argument shows that the object cannot
  be identical with the sense-datum.

[Problems of Philosophy, Bertrand Russell, Chapter II]

Does "should never have been led to" have the same meaning as "would never have been led to"?


texts:
I capture and edit on my own way

Or should it be "in my own way"?


texts:
what is the difference between

  how do I ask

and

  how to ask

I am an Indian. Basically asking question we have to use "do, does and did". Please explain does How to ask make a question?


texts: X differs from Y in that Z: better way to say it?

texts:
I wrote:

  De-identification differs from anonymization in that the latter is
  supposed to be irreversible while the former allows a trusted party to re-identify the data.

To my non-native ears, "in that" sounds like basic English. When facing a "X differs from Y in that Z" structure, is there a more stylized to phrase it?

I thought of using whereby:

  De-identification differs from anonymization whereby data is
  supposed to be irreversibly anonymized while the former allows a trusted party to re-identify the data.


texts: What does "in some cases" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I have heard this sentence a couple of times but have not understood its meaning properly. so what does it mean?

  "in some cases, it is correct"

what does "in some cases" mean in this sentence?

also, what does the sentence below mean in simple words?

  "he is tall for his age"


texts: Is there a word/phrase for the reciprocal of frame rate?

texts:
Frame rate is to frequency as ____ is to period?

If a video has a frame rate of 25 fps, the video has a 40ms ____?


texts: One of which being hand selected, by ____, as the _____

texts: I am writing a very important personal statement for career progression. I started a few of my sentences to show examples of accomplishments with "One of which being" and when I had someone review it for feedback they told me I was using improper English and I should change my writing style, is this true? How could I improve it to make it more impactful?


texts:
I came across theses sentences:

  He made a fortune selling property in Spain.

  He paid for dinner using his credit card.

I want to know when it's okay to omit "by".

Please give answers based in grammar and not personal feelings.


texts:
When you mean "we (a couple) are in a better relationship than ever" by saying "We are better than ever", is "better" the comparative form of "good" or "well"?

In other words, to express that we're in a good relationship, which is correct?

  We are good.

  We are well.


texts:
Please have a look at this sentence:

  We haven't gotten a lot of Finnish groups that we liked here at Bananas but I'm pretty happy with this four tracker from Helsinki, apparently recorded in the same place where the Ramones played in the 70's.

The first verb is in present perfect (up to now) and the second is in simple past tense. I don't understand the simple past for the second verb.

Why "like" is not in its present perfect form as the first verb is?


texts: Simple Grammar Question about who noun clause

texts:
Fill in the blanks

  I don't know ........

  who is that man over there.
  who that man over there is
  who that man is over there.
  that man over there who is

The first sentence that I thought about is "the man who is over there". which is not in the answers and I think it is right but anyway, we don't have this and we must choose from these four. I think the second ones seems familiar but I am not sure whether 2 or 3 is right.


texts:
I know that 'as much/many as' act like adverb to show how much thing is compare to another.
In my English book (English grammar in use by Raymond Murphy, Cambridge) there are some exercises to write a new sentence with the same meaning.
I'm not sure how to put 'as much as' in my sentence when thing we explain is a noun phase.
The first one

There are fewer students in this class than in the other one
The book's answer is " There aren't 'as many students in this clas as' in the other room"

The second one

You known a bit about cars, but I know more
The book's answer is "You don't known 'as much about cars as' I do"

I feel confused when I have to seperate as much ... as
Therefore I wonder could I put them as a group and speak like these

You don't know about cars 'as much as' I do.
There aren't students 'as many as' the other one.

Are they grammatically correct and sound naturally?


texts:
They pulled him on to the bank and turned him over. I know this man,
  he said. His friend said, who owns him? Nobody owns him, but he curses
  in German, therefore let us take him to the German House, for I myself
  am staying not at the Tuscan House but with a man who runs a foundry.
  Karl Heinz said, you are dealing in arms? and he said, no, altar
  cloths. Karl Heinz said, you are as likely to shit rubies as learn
  an Englishman’s secrets.

  Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

What is the meaning of 'to shit rubies' here?


texts:
So I've noticed there is usually a limit of how many pieces of clothing you bring in the changing room nowadays in clothing stores. I wonder what the staff usually say to the customers when the number of clothes they bring in exceeds the maximum.

Do the staff say like...?

  you can only bring in up to 3 items of clothing

As a non native English speaking person, I’d like to know what sentences would sound natural in this case! Thanks


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say 'to play computer'?

texts: I wonder whether one can actually say 'I play computer every once in a while' instead of 'I play computer games every once in a while'. I haven't come across the former phrase in any written context and I doubt whether it can be considered grammatically correct.


texts: Question regarding singular plural verbs

texts:
One of the things we see every day are/is these abandoned houses right here.
One thing we need are/is books.
Are both are and is applicable here?


texts: future continuous or future simple in this case

texts:
I hope it won't be raining when we leave church

  I hope it won't rain when we leave church

I can't see the difference. For me both mean the same thing and I think first one is better.

The second one is not a general statement and a rain has always a beginning and an end that always last longer than we would like, so "won't be raining" seems to be better.

After thinking of it the only difference I see is that in the first sentence the rain has begun before we have left the church and in the second sentence the rain has begun while we are leaving church.


texts: How to use purple correctly in my sentence

texts:
I would like to explain that there is a limited type of an object. For example, suppose that I have an object. Suppose further that the color of this object is very limited, for example, 2 colors only. Then, I would like to explain this object. I wonder how to explain that correctly.

There is a limited color of this object.

or

There are limited colors of this object.

Which one is correct, and why?


texts: Should I use third conditional to form this weird regret?

texts:
Context: I am 30 years old and single. I do not have any children. I regret that I won't have a daughter aged 18 when I become 38.

Then, is this sentence correct:

  If I had gotten married 10 years ago, my daughter would have been 18 years old, eight years from now.

To form this sentence, I used third conditional. But as far as I know, we use third conditional for wishes in the past. But my sentence has to do with future and past.


texts: What does 'would have [past participle]' mean in these sentences?

texts:
For me, it's hard to figure out what 'would have [past participle]' means in these sentences because the meaning seems to vary in different sentences even though the forms are the same. Would it make sense if I change 'would' to 'might' or 'could'?

  a) I would have thought there was nothing in that to disturb me. But I
  felt uneasy, and I wasn't sure why at first.

  b) I'm pretty sure I caught my cold from Jason who would have picked
  it up at school.

  c) She is a very famous comedian. You would probably have seen her in
  a lot of movies these days.


texts: Can one who lived be the subject of 'leave'?

texts:
“I’ve come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They’re the only
family he has left now.”
-- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.

OALD says leave somebody is to have family remaining after your death (OALD, leave #10). But the case’s subject is not Harry’s parents but Harry. Can Harry, who lived, be the subject of ‘leave’?


texts: What word can fit better than "view" in this context?

texts:
What word(s) fit better than view in the following sentence?

  The System shall allow any restaurant to view the customers who have ordered meals from it.


texts: How to rewrite this sentence to relate the participle phrase to the word it modifies?

texts:
“Looking down from the summit” is a participle phrase, but in this sentence it is modifying “Stacy’s friends’ faces” instead of “Stacy”. So, how to rewrite this sentence to relate the participle phrase to the subject ‘Stacy’

Looking down from the summit, Stacy's friends' faces were blurry as they smiled up at her.


texts: Can modal verb+have+pp express continuity?

texts:
“Well, and you have told me what to do! Let us buy them opium to
  enjoy, and more opium, and let them have their will of it as rich
  people do. I will seem to be friends with my cousin again and I will
  entice him away to the tea house in the town where one can smoke and
  we can buy it for my uncle and his wife.” But Wang Lung, since he
  had not thought of the thing first himself, was doubtful. “It
  will cost a great deal,” he said slowly, “for opium is as dear as
  jade.” “Well, and it is dearer than jade to have them at us like
  this,” the young man argued, “and to endure besides their haughtiness
  and the young man peeping at my wife.” But Wang Lung would not at
  once consent, for it was not so easy a thing to do, and it would cost
  a good bag of silver to do it. It is doubtful whether the thing
  (1) would ever have been done and they (2) would have gone as
  they were until the waters chose to recede had not a thing
  happened. This thing was that the son of Wang Lung’s uncle cast
  his eyes upon the second daughter of Wang Lung, who was his cousin and
  by blood the same as his sister.     (The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck,
  p299)

(2), unlike (1), has the meaning of ‘continuity.’ Can we use the ‘modal verb+have+pp’ to express continuity, even without the time-clause and subjunctive mood?

*continuity: "from a point in the past to either the present or the near present"
(Understanding English Grammar.Kolln, p79)


texts: were VS are - We all started panicking and looking around to see if there [were/are] any unattended tickets around us

texts:
Which is correct?

  We all started panicking and looking around to see if there  are
  any unattended tickets around us.....

OR

  We all started panicking and looking around to see if there were any >unattended tickets around us.....


texts: I don't think I did something or I don't think I do something or I think I didn't do something?

texts:
I want to say that I did something a few months ago and I don't remember whether I've done that.

Which one should I say?

I don't think I did something.
I don't think I do something.
I think I didn't do something.


texts: How weird would it be to use "a little more in the next sentence?

texts:
"Animal Kingdom and Shackleford are little more than the best of a bad bunch of 3-year-old thoroughbreds".

(New York Times, June 11 2011. It is a New York Times article about the stakes.)
Is it possible to use "a little more" instead of "little more" and if so, Would it change the meaning that much?


texts:
My native English speaking friend told me I shouldn't say "I am going to the downtown." But I should say "I am going downtown." The dictionary says downtown is a noun and an adverb, so was I wrong?

He also said that words like downtown, upstairs, downstairs, and home shouldn't be used like nouns, when they are destinations like in my first example sentence. Is this correct?


texts: How to politely respond when someone calls your name?

texts:
I found the following example in Genesis 22:1:

Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.

Is "here I am" considered as a polite response when someone called your name? Are there any polite alternatives?
I am aware of this question; what I am asking here is a polite response when someone whom you know calls you.


texts:
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,

  Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

  He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.
      "Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough -- I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?”

  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

There is seems to be a relative clause as she is in Her book displays the fine sceptical in-telligence of the scholar she is (CGEL,p1045). But I suspect there is some implicative meaning in OP’s there is. For example, there is Ø in the world, etc. Does ‘there is’ really mean what I’ve said?

Or there is is a set complement for the very best school of witchcraft (CGEL,p1101) and means ‘there is Ø among the witchcraft schools.

Or is it mean it’s the very best school of witchcraft [there is one among witchcraft schools]. And it refers to one.


texts:
Which of these sentence are correct and sound better?

  I not only don't care whether he wins, I don't want to know about it either.
  I not only don't care whether he wins, but I don't want to know about it either.
  I not only don't care whether he wins, I neither want to know about it.
  Not only don't I care whether he wins.
  4.1 I don't... either.
  4.2 But I don't ... either.
  4.3 I neither.


texts: On a phrase that combines "can be" and "no longer"

texts:
Can someone answer which one is correct between

can no longer be

or

can be no longer

Example)

  The cars can no longer be used as public vehicles.

  The cars can be no longer used as public vehicles.

Are the both common?


texts: Confusion about the past progressive and present progressive tense

texts:
They were fighting Nazis for three days.
  They fought Nazis for three days.

The first sentence is said to be the correct usage of past progressive tense. But why can't we use it in the same manner in present progressive tense?

It would be wrong to say:

  We are fighting Nazis for three days?

The correct form is:

  We have been fighting Nazis for three days.

Why do they differ in past progressive and present progressive?


texts: Is there any way to tell if a phrase is literal or figurative?

texts:
Nowadays, everybody are using pun/metaphor in their sentences, I use Google whether phrase is metaphor or pun.

For example: Break a leg is pun, but I think it is really as bones coming out of the leg, turning whole scene into blood pool.

After knowing Break a leg is pun to me; if guy says "Break a leg.", I say thank you. He feels OK.

And another guy says "If you come to my girl I will break a leg.", I say thank you, he feels sarcasm, he really break my leg and land me in hospital.

How can I know sentence is pun or metaphor?


texts: Is there an indefinite article after 'of', example: a piece of a pie?

texts:
Are there multiple indefinite(/definite) articles in such constructions as the title implies?

Example sentences:
a. 'I want a piece of a pie.' vs 'I want a piece of pie.'
b. 'I want a piece of a pie and an apple'

Thank you very much, I got kind of lost after searching.


texts:
How do you use while for more than 2 clauses?

This works:

  Bob is eating cheese, while John is playing the piano.

Does this work?

  Bob is eating cheese, while John is playing the piano, while Sarah is drawing.

If not, what can I do to make the sentence make sense while leaving the meaning unchanged? Can I do this?

  Bob is eating cheese and John is playing the piano, while Sarah is drawing.


texts:
Background:

Despite strong criticism, a federal program continues to operate with its faulty program design.

The Employment Insurance (EI) program differentiates unemployed workers' access to unemployment benefits based on their region of residence (much like a postal code lottery: if you live in region A, you qualify for benefits; if you live in region B, sorry can't help ya!). This design or aspect of the program is called "regional differentiation" (this is a widely known term in the area).

I am trying to capture this in my sentence below. I am using "persist with", but I am not sure if I am using it correctly, and if the whole sentence conveys the intended meaning.

  Why does the EI commission persist with regional differentiation? (This is the sentence I want to fix!)

From Cambridge, to persist is to try to do or continue doing something in a determined but often unreasonable way. This is the meaning I want.

Is the preposition "with" correct in this case? I know that "persist in doing something" is the commonly used phrase. I know that "persist with" is used like this: persist with [a course of action]. In my case, "regional differentiation" is the main feature of the EI program.

If I were to write it out in simple terms, it would read like this:

  Despite strong criticism, the EI commission continues to differentiate workers' access to benefits based on their region of residence. But why?

Question:

  What does "persist with X (=compound noun)" mean? Does it mean to continue applying X despite criticism? Does saying "Why does the Commission persist with regional differentiation?" make sense? Does it mean what I am trying to explain?

Note: My reader by now knows what I mean by "reg. differentiation" very well, it has been explained thoroughly before. Here, I am trying to write down a few "questions"- Why this? Why that? and so on. I am just not sure of the use of persist in this case - if it captures the intended meaning.


texts:
Source:  JavaScript Enlightenment

Example:

  If you are a designer or developer who has only used JavaScript under the mantle of libraries (such as jQuery, MooTools, Zepto, YUI, Dojo, etc.), it is my hope that the material in this book will transform you from a JavaScript library user into a JavaScript developer.

What exactly do you think this expression means?


texts:
Why mariah carrey pronounce  "infinity" song as "infinily"?

I think that I have not mistake listening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO1CQhwCiG0


texts: could you tell me what kind of sentence this is??i mean grammatically

texts:
What Kevin told you about himself wasn't true

if what is a subject, what about Kevin??

I want to know there is a grammar for this sentence?? if there is what do we call it??


texts:
His wrong's your wrong, and his right's your right,
         In season or out of season.
       Stand up and back it in all men's sight--
         With that for your only reason!
       Nine hundred and ninety-nine can't bide
         The shame or mocking or laughter,
       But the Thousandth Man will stand by your side
         To the gallows-foot--and after!

This is from “The Thousandth Man” by Kipling.
http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poems_thousandth.htm

I don’t understand the meaning of the sentences below.

and back it in all men's sight
To the gallows-foot--and after!

Am glad if somebody kindly teach me.


texts: What type of grammar is "get someone shot"?

texts: I know we can use the structure "get + object + past participle" to express accidents or misfortunes happening to us. But how's it different in an imperative? What does it mean when someone says, "Get your boss shot"?


texts: Which one of these words can describe pizzas and sandwiches?

texts:
I'm an order taker. If someone asked me: "What inside this sandwich?" or "What's on this Pizza?"

Regardless, which one is a verb and which is a noun. Can I use these words to describe: (Components of - Contains - Consists of -  Ingredients)?

Note: The sandwich is cooked and ready to eat. The don't ask about the pre-cooking ingredients like salt, flour, yeast ...etc.

Do you have any other words that you would like to suggest to add to my vocab?


texts: What are the forehead sides which lack hair called in English?

texts:
Some people, when they grow up and become adults, tend to lose their hair on the sides of the forehead. What are these places called in English?

I've checked in my language dictionaries and I didn't find a translation for this word. In translation from my language these places are called "bays", but it seems that this term is not valid in English for the condition that I described above.


texts:
sentence: "It wasn't going well at first, but it's got better now"

Something feels wrong with it, but it's like, I've heard people use it or something like it before, so I'm not sure if it's grammatically okay or not.

Feels like it should be "It's gotten better now" or "It's getting better now, but I don't understand why that is.

corrected the original sentence from "It wasn't going well at first, but it got better now." to "It wasn't going well at first, but it's got better now." (It was a typo)


texts: Understanding been up half the night lying in wait for her

texts:
I'm having trouble understanding of this passage from The Ferryman (Jez Butterworth) What is the meaning of:"been up half the night lying in wait for her"?
UNCLE PAT. She’s been up half the night lying in wait for her. Honing her
Battle Plan. I swear to God, sometimes I think the only thing keeping her
alive is her hatred for that woman. You watch. Soon as Mrs T starts up,
Pat’ll be out of that chair screaming till she’s blue in the bake, and
hopefully, she’ll have a massive coronary and drop stone dead on the
flagstones there. Let’s face it, it’s how she’d want to go. Me, I don’t care
how she goes, just as long as she bloody well does.


texts: Which one is more natural: "extend the quarantine", "extend the quarantine period" or "extend the period of (the) quarantine"?

texts:
Which one is more natural: extend the quarantine, extend the quarantine, extend  the period of quarantine, extend  the period of the quarantine? For example:

  The authorities has decided to extend the quarantine.

  The authorities has decided to extend the quarantine period.

  The authorities has decided to extend the period of quarantine.

  The authorities has decided to extend the period of the quarantine.


texts: What does this mean - had to cut short the interview

texts:
Nancy was taking the next flight to Paris so she had to cut short the interview.

Would you explain the following phrase?

  Had to cut short the interview.


texts:
Is it right to say: "Could you tell me how many students there are in classes?"
                 or "Could you tell me how many students are there in classes?"


texts: Can I omit the article in "I'm {Name}, a {profession}"?

texts:
Business cards and personal websites often use incomplete sentences like this:

  Carl Johnson

  Software Engineer

In case I want to turn this into a proper sentence, do I absolutely have to put an article there?

Compare:

Hi, I'm Rei Ayanami, web developer based in Tokyo-3
Hi, I'm Rei Ayanami, a web developer based in Tokyo-3

Is the first variant just plain bad, English-wise?


texts: Meaning of "Christians should think about the humility, poverty and simplicity of the birth of Jesus Christ"

texts:
Just ran into this:

  During the Christmas season, Christians should think about the humility, poverty and simplicity of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.

Is the writer saying Christians should think about the simplicity of the birth of Jesus Christ and about poverty and humility?
or it is attributing poverty and humility to the birth as well? In that case, what does poverty of birth mean?
What's more, what does this should imply? suggestion, obligation or a trend?


texts: "He lay on the bed gazing up at the ceiling." - Is this sentence from a dictionary correct?

texts:
In the definition article of "gaze" (MacMillan Dictionary) I found the following example sentence:

  He lay on the bed gazing up at the ceiling.

I cannot figure out what form "he lay" should be. My alternatives are "he lays" or "he laid" but not "he lay".

Is that sentence correct? If yes: what form is "he lay"?

Ohhh! After reading the answers (thx!), I found the source of my confusion: in this online dictionary you can click on each word and you would be forwarded to its definition. Clicking on "lay" in this sentence forwards to "lay (verb)" what is obviously a tricky linking error of the dictionary.


texts: gerund vs participle with having+past participle

texts:
Here are two sentences which look similar:

  Having taken a physics class helped me in calculus.
  Having taken a physics class, It helped me in calculus.

Do they mean same? Or second is wrong? What's the meaning they convey?


texts: Conditional sentence - If it did, it would have done

texts:
Would you please explain in which situation the following structure could be used? What does it imply?

'Both parties would have prepared statements of costs if they thought there was the possibility of an order in their client's favour'

The reason I am asking this question is that my understanding is that:

when we use the structure like 'Both parties would have prepared statements of costs if they had thought there was the possibility of an order in their favour', we want to say that the parties lost their opportunity to file statements of costs in the past and they did not obtain the relevant order.
we use the structure 'Both parties would prepare statements of costs if they thought there was the possibility of an order in their favour' to mean like that the parties could possibly apply for such an order today or in the future if there was an opportunity for doing so.

Many thanks


texts: "If I could have paid myself all the money I've paid out in interest over the years": meaning of "in interest"

texts:
"Pay your bills and stay hell out of debt. If I could have paid myself
  all the money I've paid out in interest over the years, I'd be retired
  already."

What confused me is "If I could have paid myself all the money I've paid out in interest over the years,I'd be retired already."

Could anybody help me ?


texts: In penetrating transparent media? Is "penetrating" standing for an adjective or a verb "gerund"?

texts:
... Hooke had previously elaborated on René Descartes’s notion of light as pressure waves transferred through an “aether” that permeates space. He concluded that colors embodied weak and strong components of light that become visibly distinguishable due to varying degrees of efficiency in penetrating transparent media, such as very thin glass plates. Newton used a similar approach to arrive at a new hypothesis in which light consists of uniquely colored particles that are easily separated by refraction at the surface of a transparent medium...

As I know penetrating can be functioning as a verb "in penetrating [transparent media]. Penetrates ( something)

And could function as an adjective, so would describe the following phrase ( penetrating transparent media). Something that can be penetrating)

What does the word penetrating function as an adjective or a verb and why?
In other words is "in" of media or penetrating?: in media, or in penetrating?

Give me the meaning of "penetrating transparent media"


texts: What tense is this sentence in 'It has been considered'

texts:
'It has been ...' suggests that it is in present perfect continuous but the verb 'consider' should ends with '-ing' in perfect continuous.
Why this is gramatically correct, or maybe it isn't?

Thanks!


texts:
Is there any difference between "by", "close" and "near" when they refer to spatial distance? Example:

He is by the door.
He is near (to) the door.
He is close to the door.


texts:
Is this sentences grammatically correct?

  John Smith was born in Netherlands, on the 21st of May 1981.
  He received the B.Eng. degree in Computer Science with specialization
  in Network Engineering from The Hague University of Applied Sciences,
  Hague, Netherlands, in 2013.

Thank you in advance for your help.


texts:
Can we use "have to" to take about future without adding "will" or "going to"?

  Robert can't come out with us this evening. He has to work late.

or should we say:

  He will has to work late.

which one is grammatically correct?


texts: "This is considered..." vs. "This is considered as..."

texts:
Does this "as" change the meaning or correctness of this sentence?

  This is considered as socially desired.
  This is considered socially desired.

Are both of them grammatically correct? Why or why not?


texts: "and in all places their lot is..." - meaning of "lot" here

texts:
Rading a story from C.A. Smith, I am unsure of the meaning in the following sentence (in bold):

For Melchior was one of those who are born with an immedicable
distaste for all that is present or near at hand; one of those who
have drunk too lightly of oblivion and have not wholly forgotten the
transcendent glories of other aeons, and the worlds from which they
were exiled into human birth; so that their furtive, restless thoughts
and dim, unquenchable longings return obscurely toward the vanishing
shores of a lost heritage. The earth is too narrow for such, and the
compass of mortal time is too brief; and paucity and barrenness are
everywhere; and in all places their lot is a never-ending
weariness.

What does "lot" means here? None of the dictionary meanings seem to fit properly.


texts:
How to parse the following sentence:

  I speak well of him.

If "well" modifies "speak", can I say: I speak of him well. If not,  how to parse it.

Similarly,

  I think highly of him.


texts: I'll arrest you. Vs. I'll have you arrested

texts:
Police A: If you keep resisting, I'll have you arrested!

  Police B: If you keep resisting, I'll arrest you!

What is the difference between those? Is the police A less likely to arrest him than police B would?


texts: Word order in "one only of the 12 dead astronauts"

texts:
During all the years she had sat in the garden in the cold evenings, too tired to bring herself to bed, she had been sustained by her concern for one only of the 12 dead astronauts orbiting the night sky.

The Dead Astronaut by  J. G. Ballard

I wonder why it's  one only of the 12 dead astronauts, not only one of the 12 dead astronauts or  one of the only 12 dead astronauts.


texts: Using to twice in a sentence - To whomever they were sent to

texts:
In the above example, would it be more correct to say:

"To whomever they were sent" or "To whomever they were sent to"?

Another example is:

"To what month is the event being deferred to?" Would it be more correct to simply ask "To what month is the event being deferred?"

I understand that it would be simpler in these examples to drop the first instance of "to". For example: "What month is the event being deferred to?" and "Whomever they were sent to". But I feel like the first "to" makes the sentence more formal. Disregarding formality and simplicity, would it be grammatically more accurate to include or drop the second instance of "to"?


texts: Concerning the meaning of "of" in "less of"

texts:
Which specific meaning does the preposition of  takes on within:

  It was less of a thought than I expected.

?

Edit: the original phrase (before the first answer) was:

  It was less of a thought than a feeling.


texts:
SOURCE

I saw the sentence in an answer to my previous question:

  "She couldn't see if there was hardwood beneath it because the carpet was completely covering the floor."

Could the pronoun be existing in the former section of the sentence?

I think that pronoun should be existing in the later section of the sentence like

  "She couldn't see if there was hardwood beneath the carpet because it was completely covering the floor."

Am I wrong?


texts:
Question:

In what way is the moon different from the earth?

  Possible Answers:

  1.The moon is different from the earth in that there is no twilight or dawn on the moon but there is on the earth.

  2.The moon is different from the earth in the way that there is no twilight or dawn on the moon but there is on the earth.

Which is suitable, in that or in the way that?


texts: Simple Present or S.Past tense in “she gains/gained weight”?

texts:
Let's say there is a female adult. She used to have a slender body, but now she is a bit overweight. You are wondering what might be the reason for this, and then you have found out that her Facebook photos are full of different fatty food as she has become a careless foodie. And you say:

  "So that's the reason why she gained some weight!"

Is this grammatical? In terms of the verb tense I have used? Should it be a past tense or simple present tense?


texts:
Which one of those two sentences is correct?

  Do you not think it has made our lives better ?

OR

  Do not you think it has made our lives better ?

I want to know if the technology has made our lives better or not.


texts: I have doubts concerning the tense to use

texts:
Take a look at this sentence:

  I'd like to see them winning

I was wondering whether I could use this sentence in order to express the wish that I want them to win although I don't know whether this will happen.
So, should I have used this one instead:

  I'd like to see them who win.

`


texts: Usually fiber coatings such as pyrolytic carbon are applied in order to create a weak interphase and thereby to achieve damage tolerant, high strength composites. Can in this sentence 'weak' be interpreted in the meaning of "brittle"?


texts: A lovely three days or lovely three days

texts:
I came across a sentence which reads:

  We spent a lovely three weeks in Canada.

Also sentences which read:

  A staggering 100 students attended the fee class.
  We have reached an amazing 1000 members this month.

My question is why to use 'a/an' where there are plural numbers like 'three weeks', '100 students', '1000 members'.


texts: Question about teaching "a couple of months" and .. to an absolute beginner

texts:
I bought this battery just a couple of months ago. I don't think I should have a problem with it every second day.

Could you please simplify the highlighted words in a very very very simple English.

Thanks a million


texts: Where is the dependent clause in the following sentence?

texts:
My friend asked me to underline the dependent clause in the following sentence ;

My hope is that everyone will come to the party.
I told her that the whole sentence is an independent clause in which the that everyone will come to the party acts as a dependent clause since it fills the gap of the subject complement, but she still thinks that the dependent clause is My hope is that because it doesn't stand alone and the rest everyone will come to the party does.
Am I right ?. If not, help me to figure out where the dependent clause is and why. Also, why is my friend's point of view wrong/right?
Thanks in advance.


texts: How do I use “stumbling block” in a sentence?

texts:
I'm a normal Korean uni student who's  confused by this expression STUMBLING BLOCK.

I've googled this word so many times, and I have even looked that up in the dictionary. It defines the word as "a problem that prevents from achieving something".  But can it be something like a hurdle?

I mean, I think this word is figurative. I mean, you cannot see it but we know we have our own OBSTACLE in our lives like finance problems, love, hatred, or things like that.

I'm having a debate with my English professor. He keeps saying Stumbling Block is visible, it's something that we can see. Like a building or the tree. But I think it's something we can't see, such as love, like, anger, or a language barrier.

And is the following sentence correct?

  a stumbling block holds back water in a reservoir.

I said it's wrong because of  use of stumbling block, but he says it's a correct sentence.

So please help me!


texts: Why is /æ/ conservative compared with /a/ in RP?

texts:
British Library

conservative RP  TRAP,  glad,  /æ/

TRAP,   glad,   /a/

audio clippings from the website

This provides good examples of how to sound British /æ/ and /a/. Koreans have historically and almost unanimously been more partial to the American accent; it takes me way too long to recognize that /a/ is a different phoneme from /ɑ/.

Now, the chart stirs up another curious question for me. I read at Wikipedia, in English phonetic history, that /a/—not the /a/ above, an open front unrounded vowel, but the open central unrounded vowel—is the origin of both /æ/ and /ɑ/, and that this /a/ changed progressively into the /a/ above, and next into /æ/. Then why does BL call /æ/ 'conservative' compared with /a/ in RP?


texts: "What homework is for?" vs. "What for is homework"?

texts:
I was asked to write a sentence from the words: for  / what / is / homework. Since the using of prepositions in the end of the sentence isn't the strongest part of my knowledge, I found it a little bit tricky, and I'd like to ask if I can write two correct sentences from them:

  What homework is for?
  What for is homework?


texts:
However much you explain yourself, you are understandable to the extent they can understand.

Could you please check the quote translated into English?


texts: Which one is the correct question? -“Are you still living in that apartment?”or“Do you still live in that apartment?”

texts: The first one enquires if the listener is  living in the apartment at present.The second one is a question of simple present type which deals with more obvious or general facts(here,is the listener’s living place still the same?).So,it seems to me that both are appropriate to use as both implies the same thing.


texts:
I'm reading The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters and I don't understand what a "hard society woman" is in the following paragraph:

  'Did you ever kiss a woman before? Did you ever hear of such a thing,
  before you met me?'

  Lilian was blushing, still stroking, following her fingers with her
  gaze. ‘I don’t know. Yes, I suppose so. But as something indecent. Or
  as something a hard society woman might do; not as something real.

By "such a thing", she means two women falling in love. Is "society woman" a upper-class woman? If so, what is a "hard" society woman? And why is it something only a hard society woman might do? Can anybody explain the idea for me?


texts:
A sentence is usually formed in one tense. But in the sentence below

  So far the United States, China and Russia were the only ones who’ve reported the ability to shoot down space objects from ground or airborne sources.

The simple past and present perfect both the tenses are combined. What I think about this is--

Since the action(have reported) was performed in the past, though recent past, that is why were is used. But I can also write the same sentence as-

  So far the United States, China and Russia are the only ones who’ve reported the ability to shoot down space objects from ground or airborne sources.

Would it make any difference?

  The Hindu


texts:
I have got some issues with comma usage. There are plenty of punctuation rules when it comes to participles. For exmaple:
I need to use commas:

Hoping for a treat, the dog fetched the ball;
The dog, hoping for a treat, fetched the ball;
The dog fetched the ball, hoping for a treat.

I needn`t use commas:

Sarah often saw the dog fetching the ball;
The dog fetching the ball was mine.

(Source: https://bit.ly/3i1z0N7)
Those exmaples are quite straightforward to me. However, yesterday, I wrote a graph description, using as much participle phrases as possible, and I was a little bit confused. Here are a few exmaples with "my" punctuation:

There were an undeveloped route ( ) going through the village from the southwest to the north ( ) and a rail line ( ) passing from the southeast of the town to the northeast.
The old road was extended (,) branching off to the east and connecting the village and Fonton.
In the northern previously empty part, between Meadowside and Fonton, a hotel has been built as well as a station (,) connected to a new railway route ( ) running along the second road.

Here is the map I described:

I guess that I am struggling with this rule: "If a participial phrase is required for the reader to understand the meaning of the sentence, then no commas should be used". I am not sure whether these participle phrases are essential for understanding the meaning.


texts:
I bumped in a silly meme in facebook containing the following dialog (word for word):

A: "If I had said I love you would you say it back?"

B: "Of course!"

A: "I love you."

B: "It back."

To my understanding of the English grammar, the first sentence's construction belongs to a mixed conditional type and doesn't make sense in the context of the dialog. It seems to me that there should go type-2 conditional with simple past "if I said that I love you...".
However, some people claim that there is no mistake in the sentence and that it allegedly expresses an accomplished action "I have said" which transforms into "I had said" of the type-2 conditional.
I would love to see an answer from native speakers who could confirm my suspect that there is a grammatical mistake in that sentence or on the contrary disprove it.


texts: difference in meaning "sleep for eighteen hours" and "sleep eighteen hours"

texts:
If I want to answer to how many hours the babies sleep,
which of the following sentence is suitable.

  Babies sleep eighteen hours.

  Babies sleep for eighteen hours.

What is the difference in meaning between "for eighteen hours" and "eighteen hours"?

I would like to learn about the difference between the two sentences in general, in order to decide when to use
which.


texts: Help to understand "a source told Page Six of the company Trump launched in 2007"

texts:
“It’s just never recovered since she stepped away from the company,” a source told Page Six of the company Trump launched in 2007, and other sources told the same site that the company will be shuttered “ASAP.” MarketWatch reported that Klem broke the news to her 18 employees Tuesday, while Trump herself is expected to speak to the staff later.

I don't fully understand the sentence above in bold, especially a source told Page Six of the company Trump launched in 2007. Is it Trump launched the company in 2007 or a source told Page Six about the company in 2007? I don't quite understand the structure of told ... of ... either. I can't find it in my dictionary. Is it a common structure or phrase?

The full source.


texts: Can the first “is” be omitted in the following sentence from Cosmos? “The only planet we are sure is inhabited is a tiny rock...”

texts: Can the sentence be rewritten as “The only planet we are sure of being inhabited is a tiny rock...”?


texts:
How can i say that something is left. I mean when there are some items left.
Is it:

  That's what it's left from the party.

Is that correct?


texts:
It is said that Bloodline means family, and from my research it specifically indicates a dog family more commonly.

My question is why do they not say dog family/family instead of "bloodline" it sounds awkward anyway? or am I missing the precise definition?

I also have seen bloodline meaning the last person in the family, I don't know if I am confusing it.


texts: What article must one use, when the object is specified parenthetically?

texts:
Which variant is correct in a sentense like "Old books may be impressive: I like a/the book (Hamlet) written a few centuries ago"?

On the one hand, the object is specific and I would expect the definite article there. But, on the other hand, it is somewhat strange that the choice of article would depend on some optional information.


texts: No Problem vs No Problem At All vs Not A Problem At All - Are they interchangeable?

texts:
No Problem
No Problem At All
Not A Problem
Not A Problem At All

Are they interchangeable?


texts: What do you call the hanging sections on the sides of someone with long hair?

texts:
I'm referring to this:

At first, I thought they could be called bangs.

But according to Google it's only the head above the forehead:

  a fringe of hair cut straight across the forehead.

So what's the correct way of calling this part of the hair?

If there isn't a specific term, what would be the most natural way to call them?

For example, to be used in a sentence like this:

  Her __ curved inward, cradling her cheeks.


texts:
I read a paragraph that said:

  The first thing you notice when she walks into a room is how tall she is, six feet in flats.

What does "in flats" mean? Would it have the same meaning if "in flats" was deleted (i.e. it just read "She is six feet.")?


texts:
Imagine someone had a very bad tongue / mouth [in our language "tongue" is the figurative responsible body limb for what is said and not mouth] and speaks very bluntly and without considering what will their words cause to happen or what further consequences their words will have.

There is a metaphor in our language which says:

  Sometimes the tongue talks at your life / the head’s cost"

meaning that what you say may lead you even to death. Actually it refers to ancient kings in our land who all expected all people, no matter who, just respect them and obey every single commands which they used to issue at the time, otherwise, they may be killed.

I need to know if there is any equivalent proverb for such an effect of what you say in English?

I found another English saying, but I guess it doesn't work either.

  Chickens come home to roost.


texts:
E.g. You can update your application in twelve months time.

What does it mean by "in twelve months time"?

Does it mean within twelve months or after twelve months?

Thank you.


texts:
I wrote:

It was a step toward independence and get rid of foreign interference, but it might went too ideological on this ground.

versus.

It was a step toward independence and get rid of foreign interference, but it probably went too ideological on this ground.

It was a step toward independence and get rid of foreign interference, but it might go too ideological on this ground.

Which of them is correct according to the meaning I want to convey? I don't know why, but I like to use "might" and prefer it to "probably" but then again I like to use "went" rather "go" because "might went" to me is something that happened in the past. I'm not sure if "might go" still means that the event happened in the past.


texts: Whether to use an apostrophe after 'Games'

texts:
Should the following sentence have an apostrophe after 'Games'? I feel like it should as it's referring to plural 'games'.

  More tickets were applied for than at all previous Paralympic Games combined.


texts:
"I would definitely encourage each of you to follow-up on their initiative,write e-mails,posters,talk to professors and even reach out to people outside the university."

Is would used in above line as a hedge(just for softening) or do it has some purpose? Can 'will' be used in above line without change in sense?


texts:
I have a feeling both tenses are relevant here, but need some guidance if possible.
“He knew how to use the machine because he has/had used it before.”

Please correct me if I am wrong, we should be using had over has,
because there is a connection between two activities that happened in the past, where the first causes the other to happen.
Thanks in advance


texts: In my dictionary, fragile can be pronounced as frædʒaɪl or  ˋfrædʒəl. I am wondering which one is correct. Or it's regional? How is it pronounced by native speakers?


texts:
What is the difference in meaning (however slight) between the two following sentences?

  Both brothers fell in love with a girl living next door.

  Both brothers fell in love with the girl living next door.


texts:
Hello I'd like to ask something about present perfect.

there is a question

The cost of gas has gone up, but it's going down again.

I thought 'has gone up' has to be changed to 'went up'.

Because the situation has changed!

Could you explain why 'has gone up' is right and why 'went up' is wrong?

Thank you!


texts:
I saw a girl studying at a coffee shop and I thought she was beautiful.And a couple of weeks after I'd seen her studying at the coffee shop, I saw her dancing really hard at a club, when I thought she was so attractive that I

could not help but ask for her phone number.

could not help but ask her to give me her phone number.

I'm perfectly comfortable using "ask someone to ~" pattern, but I'd like to know if I can use "ask for~" in this context.


texts: I have heard several expressions e.g. "Holy Shit", "Holy Jesus", "Holy Mother of God" even "Holy Zeus" et al for cursing purposes in different English movies. Some of the phrases are relevant, but sometimes I hear innovative and newer additions with "Holy" for cursing purpose. So can I assume that people don't stick to original phrases only in conversations and that is why I can hear newer terms and that is perfectly understandable in the contexts?


texts: I've read (by web search) dictionary meanings of blunt, border (could not find border on specifics), certainly I hope I know what confrontation means. Still the phrase "instinct for bluntness bordering on confrontation" in acticle about founder of Amazon Inc. does not seem meaningfull. What is its' meaning?


texts:
Slow and steady win the race.

or

  Slow and steady wins the race.

I know that 'wins' is the correct answer but can anyone explain me why? And why 'win' can't be filled there and where is the subject in the sentence because 'Slow and steady' is an adjective and adjective can't be the subject of a sentence.


texts: Should I use Past indefinite tense instead of Past perfect continuos in these sentences?

texts:
I had been waiting for you
I waited for you
we had been sleeping
we slept

what is main difference between these sentences? And when to use Simple Past and when to use Past Perfect Continuous?


texts: Please check if the sentence I am presenting correctly describes the situation I am presenting

texts:
I would like to summarize the following algorithm in one sentence.
Algorithm:

Let i=1.
Suppose node i is a source node.
Obtain the reward accordingly, denoted by R_i.
Repeat 2) to 3) for i=2, 3, 4, 5, ..., 100.
By comparing R_1, R_2, ..., R_100, choose which node is the optimal source node.

For the above algorithm, I summarize as follows:

Also, the algorithm is based on a scheme of comparing all cases in which every node is selected as a source node and then choosing the best case.

Is the above statement correctly describing the algorithm above?


texts:
Sorry, if I mistake with community. But I don't know where I can get help else. Just I need to choose the best app name variant to call reader for reading training.

Inline Reader
Stream Reader

The application uses a running line. And I want to mirror it in the app name. I want to emphasize that reading takes place in a single line. But I don't sure which variant is more correct for this purpose.
P.S. English isn't my native language so I cannot choose the best variant.


texts:
I am trying to get admission into a British university.

I would like to choose a university in an area where the local people speaks in Posh accent.

Which region of UK speaks in Posh accent?


texts: use of past tense or past perfect tense?

texts:
Which one of the following sentences is better?

  When we came out of the restaurant it was half past eleven.

or

  When we  had come out of the restaurant it was half past eleven.


texts:
What does it mean "in arms"? And is there a double meaning here, since they are goalkeepers?

  They are brothers in arms, members of the goalkeeping fraternity, like their father before them. Their mum, too. Alisson returns for Liverpool on Sunday after suffering a calf injury on the opening day of the season. His older sibling, Muriel, who plays for Fluminense back in Brazil, will be tuning in, nervously, recalling the days when, as boys, they pushed each other to sporting success.

  The Telegraph: 'I bullied Alisson but that was only because we were so close': Liverpool goalkeeper's brother lifts the lid on sibling rivalry growing up in Brazil


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "turn around" in context

texts:
I stumbled upon this in this video. It is at 6 minutes and 16 seconds.

  The next type of akwardness is maybe one of the most common and this one that you want to turn around when you don't know what to do in a conversation.

I guess it means to prevent, but I am in doubt because none of the dictionaries I checked it with doesn't give the definition.


texts:
Merriam Webster's definition of tailor-made comes very counterintuitive:

  factory made rather than hand-rolled

Shouldn't it be the other way around? All other dictionaries I have consulted, even other definitions on MW, contradict this definition. The ODO for example defines the word as Made, adapted, or suited for a particular purpose or person. Then how could it be factory made?


texts:
When I'm telling about the future but refering to the past which is not the past yet, which tense should I use? Please, tell me, what you, as a native speaker would use, and what do other people use. Please, write about the dialect you use (BrE/ AmE/ AuE etc.).

Today: the situation is in state A.
Tomorrow: the situation is in
state A or B.
Two days later: I want to report about the situation.

I will tell you if the situation changed.
I will tell you if the situation has changed.
I will tell you if the situation will have changed.


texts:
I have a question regarding talking about deceased people and yourself at the same time.

  "My deceased husband and I have been close friends with the Jones ever since we met."

I'm not sure if this makes sense, since in this case, I'm still alive but the husband isn't. Which tense should I use if I insist on grouping myself and the husband together and am still friends with the Jones?


texts: I like the way you’re walking in the hall. V.s. I like the way how you walk in the hall

texts:
When I dropped off my kid at school. I heard the teacher said “I like the way you’re walking in the hall.” or “I like how you walk in the hall.”
I would say I like the way how you walk in the hall.
Which one is correct? And why?


texts: Using "in" in "Follow in someone's footsteps"

texts:
Is it necessary to use "in" in this idiom?

Follow in someone's footsteps.


texts:
Just saw this sentence on reddit, and it's bothering me. Is this construction grammatical?

  "You won't like my answer, but read a lot."

I assume the second clause is something like (you should) read a lot or (my answer is) read a lot.

Thank you.


texts: What should be used: "leave" vs "leaving"

texts:
I am confused about which one should I choose:

  We noticed him leave the house.

  We noticed him leaving the house.


texts: Difference between "Present Simple" and "Present Continuous" or "Gerund"

texts:
I have a very confusing exercise in my workbook. There are 4 options. This is the question:
I wouldn't like _____ in bed until noon, although I enjoy _____
1) to lie, to sleep  2) lying, sleeping  3) lying, to sleep  4) to lie, sleeping
I have no idea. Hopefully you can help me.

Greetings


texts: Is this sentence right with 's or without it?

texts:
I have heard this sentence in American colloquial language

  Ask that assistant of yours.

or

  I hate that friend of yours.

Now is the following sentence correct?

  I will stay at the place of my friend's.

Does anybody know what type of grammatical structure is this?


texts: Is it correct to say: "she's having her housework done by this evening"

texts: I'm not sure about the correct phrase to say something that has to end before a specific moment. I read that it can be written as: "by + expire time/date". For instance, you can think about doing an essay that has a duty time: "you have to hand in this essay by the 16th of March/by the end of this month". Is it wrong? Thanks in advance


texts: The church of St Mary, St Mary church or St Mary's church?

texts: I've found different ways of referring to the name of a church and I ask if we should use the possessive case for the title of a chuch: for exemple should we say St Paul's church or St Paul church?


texts: If something happens, for example, between 7 PM and 8 PM, can I say it happened "on/at the 8th hour"? Is it allowed in English (or something to that effect)?


texts: Isn't this sentence apparently misconstructed?

texts:
I read this sentence in "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare:

  This is no mortal business, nor no sound that the earth owes. I hear it above me.

And it translates to:

  This is not something done by mortals. Nor is it a sound that could come from the normal world.

I want to ask shouldn't there be "a" instead of "no" in the original text. Because "nor" and "no" are both negative and "a" instead of "no" would do much better there at least for me. Am I right?


texts: "environmental work" OR "environmental protection work"

texts:
Change of treatment process reflects our environmental work.
  Change of treatment process reflects our environmental protection work.

My question is does environment work implicitly mean the effort to protect the environment? Should environmental protection work be more clear and easy to understand?

And does environment work here refer to one of the environmental efforts?


texts: Can a declarative denote a conditional implication?

texts:
"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
      "No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."
      "That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

It seems like, I wonder, there needs to be a conditional clause instead of the perfect declarative sentence. Can the declarative denote a conditional implication?


texts: "mini-" vs "mini (space)" vs "mini (no space)?

texts:
I think words like miniskirt are usually written together.

But what about other words like mini-fridge? Or even most uncommon words like mini can?

I usually see the three type of usages on Google.

So, how to tell which one to use? Or they are all okay?


texts: I was really young. “I don’t even remember what is about” vs “I don’t remember what it was about”

texts:
I have a question about the tenses in a sentence. Hope you can help me.

Situation:
I was talking to a friend and I goes
“looks like everyone is watching “Love Actually” for xmas. I watched it once when I was really young. I don’t even remember what is about”

So, I was wondering what tenses should use for “remember” and “be” in the last sentence.

Don’t or didn’t?
(Though to my sense, I’m quite sure I should use present tense here, as I don’t remenber now and in general situation.)

Is or was?
(Not sure about this one. Both sound correct to me. If it was a thing in the past, I guess I should use past tense. However, the moive is still exsisting, so I’m not sure about it)

Side questions from about content:
1. Should I use “I was talking to a friend and I GOES” or “I was talking to a friend and I WENT”?
2. Should I use “Both sound” or “Both sounds”?

Thank you and Merry Christmas!


texts: Is the using of "present" and "gift" considered a matter of style?

texts:
When I give for free something to someone, can I simply consider it as a present or a gift and it is a matter of style only?

If I'm not mistaken, in the past I was told that there's a difference between them (obviously in the context of giving someone something for free), but I don't remember what it is.


texts:
a. They spoke out against the unbearable discrimination they witnessed there.
b. They spoke out against the insufferable sexism in their workplace.
Do these imply that 'they' consider some amount of discrimination bearable and some forms of sexism tolerable?
Could they be used if for them all discrimination was unbearable and all sexism insufferable?


texts: How should I interpret "off some wall" in this sentence?

texts:
It's a sample sentence under the entry "skank" in New Oxford Dictionary, illustrating the sense "obtain by deception or theft":

  I skanked the poster off some wall.

I find it quite hard to figure out what does the speaker talk about. Did he take the poster off a certain wall, or just ripped part of the poster off the wall?

What does "off some wall" mean here?


texts:
I'm really having hard time determining whether a verb/s should be present perfect or  simple past. Canonical Post #2: What is the perfect, and how should I use it? answer provided by StoneyB in this post was useful and at the same time it made me more confused. It says the present perfect tense has three uses continuative, existential, and resultative, but couldn't all past tense be categorized into one of this, thus making it present perfect?

For example, I found five errors using the information you have given us.
Couldn't found be categorized into existential, thus, I have found five errors using the information you have given us.


texts:
Two people are having dinner at a restaurant. They have a heated argument and...

A: Maybe you should just go somewhere else.

B: You want me to go/leave?

In this context are "go" and "leave" equally natural?


texts:
What does "your sweat soaking through the floor" mean?

Does the "sweat" there passes through the floor? Shouldn't it be "sweat soaking on the floor"?

Source: The Greatest Showman *the lyrics is around 0.15-0.22 sec.


texts: Before the days of the mobile phone (a marker for past/past perfect simple)

texts:
If you were narrating a personal story with past and past perfect events and then you want to end up your story with "before the days of mobile phones", you say:

  And this was before the days of mobile phones

not

  And this had been before the days of mobile phones

and as for the reasoning is it because the time of the days of the mobile phones is The Present (now), or because there is no past simple event to work as a clear Reference Time (RT)?


texts:
I read a similar post about it, and I understand the general rule:

  I took all the apples that were in the basket. (not all the apples in the world.)

  All apples have seeds. (In the world)

But I still have some doubts regarding the following case.
Let's say I'm writing about a group of people having a conference in a room, and, at some point, something happens that grabs the attention of all (the) attendees.

Can I say:

  All attendees turned their faces to see what was happening.

This definitely doesn't sound like all attendees in the world, but those at that conference only.

So, my questions are:

Which is correct in this case: all the attendees or all attendees?
Is all attendees correct (in case it is) because it is obvious from the context?
If all the attendees is correct, do I also have to add in the same sentence that were at the conference (like the example of the apples; that were in the basket), or can I just leave it, so as to avoid repeating every time?


texts:
I came across a sentence while reading the Angels and Demons of Dan Brown;

Their drug of choice was a potent intoxicant they called hashish.

If I constructed the sentence from the scratch It would be;

Their drug choice was a potent intoxicant they called hashish. or
Their choice of drug was a potent intoxicant they called hashish.

Is the original sentence true? If it so, why?


texts: Can I say "thank you for having us" before the end of a visit?

texts:
A few years ago I was visiting a friend's home, and since I'm always painfully polite, I wanted to thank his mother for being willing to have a group of boys in her home for the weekend.
So when I met her the first thing I said was, "Thank you for having us." to which the pretentious woman replied, "I haven't had you yet, have I?"
Now apart from the obvious ambiguity in her response I thought, surely "having us" is present continuous tense, meaning that it was technically correct to use this phrase mid-visit even though it's generally used in an implied past tense once you've already been hosted and thanking someone for their hospitality.
Clearly, I was traumatised by this lady. So please, tell me I was right and that she was rude.