texts:
At trial in 1921, expert witnesses disagreed about Bullet III. “[F]irearms identification in 1921 was in an embryonic stage,” notes forensics investigator James Starrs. The controversy surrounding Bullet III intensified after the trial.

Could you please explain why there is not used in the first sentence the definite article while in the second one it is so. – Maybe my second question is irrelevant for this site… but what does it generally mean when the part of the quoted text is in square brackets (like above "[F]irearms")? Is that from the reason that in the original text it is written "firearms"?


texts: "It is / has been expected that ‘Stop-Roach’ will be on sale very soon for under ten dollars." Which is the correct tense to use?

texts:
I have an exercise related to verb forms / tenses. I have solved 9/10 questions easily, just the question below makes me confused:

  Choose the correct form of verbs to fill in each blank.

  Singapore housewife invents useful device

  A useful device for getting rid of cockroaches has just been invented
  by a housewife. The device is called ‘Stop-Roach’ and will soon be on
  sale in department store and large shops.

  ‘Stop-Roach’ consists of a hollow cylinder and movable valve. It is
  placed in any drain or opening where there are cockroaches.
  Cockroaches trying to enter the house through the drain will find it
  impossible to get through the device.

  ‘Stop-Roach’ has been subjected to thorough tests by the Environment
  Ministry and the invention  has now been patented. It has been found
  completely foolproof against invasions of cockroaches from drains and
  sewers.   It _____ that ‘Stop-Roach’ will be on sale very soon for
  under ten dollars.

  A. expects
  B. is expected
  C. has expected
  D. has been expected

  Source: https://english4u.com.vn/de-thi-tieng-anh-lop-10/bai-tap-tieng-anh-lop-10-unit-5-co-dap-an-n436

The book's answer key is B (is expected). However, I don't know why the author doesn't choose option D (has been expected). I think the present perfect in option D can be used for something (be expected) that started in the past and continues in the present, so option D is also a correct answer for this question.

Is my understanding correct in this case?


texts: Participles to modify the subject of the main clause when the verb of the main clause is "to+be"

texts:
1-  Essos is an immense landmass located to the east of Westeros, extending into the far east of the known world." (Essos is an immense landmass located..+ Essos extends into the far...)

  2-  He is a bookworm, living in Canada. (He is a bookworm + He lives in Canada.)

As far as I know these two sentence above are correct. Does this use of a participle only work when the verb of the main clause is "to be" ?

Because "immense landmass" is just a noun phrase with two participial modifiers - "located..." and "extending...". And bookworm is a noun with one participle modifier "living...". And this noun phrase "immense landmass" and that noun "bookworm" refer to our subjects- "Essos" and "he"

Are this sentences below acceptable? :

  3a- He has 5 children, living in America. (He has 5
  childrens + He lives in America) (I think not the intended meaning so
  this sentence is wrong in a way) (I thought ıt might lead to
  misunderstanding. Someone might think "children" are living in America
  not "he". Maybe "he" and "children" are living separately.)

  3b- He has 5 children living in America.

  4a- He likes reading books, studying at Stanford
  University. (He likes reading books + He is studying at Standford)
  (The same as the above one)

  4b- He likes reading books studying at Stanford
  University.

My interperation: When the participle clause is used to modify the subject of the main clause and used after the main clause, the verb of the main clause should be "to be" I think. I suppose 3a,3b,4a,4b don't work as intended because main clause don't have a noun to be connected to the subject of the main clause but the other two sentences works (1 and 2) that is beucase :

As I explained earlier: Because "immense landmass" is just a noun phrase with two participial modifiers - "located..." and "extending...". And bookworm is a noun with one participle modifier "living...". And this noun phrase "immense landmass" and that noun "bookworm" refer to our subjects- "Essos" and "he"


texts: Proper way of mentioning a town name for the first time

texts:
If in my essay I mention a town named Greensea for the first time, what's the right way for me to put it?:

  ... and then he moved to a town of Greensea

  ... and then he moved to the town of Greensea

  ... and then he moved to Greensea town

  ... and then he moved to town Greensea


texts:
My question is whether this sentence is similar to or the same as the other one:

One day, a child caught his father disassembling one of his gadgets, to figure out what is wrong with it. The child said:

  Child: Should you really have to do that?

Is this the same as

  Child: Do you really have to do that?

Given the question at the beginning, is it possible to use these two sentences interchangeably?


texts: Difference between "I did say that" and "I said that"

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences:

  " Yes, guys, I did say that."

  “Yes, guys, I said that."


texts:
One of the successful managers were asked

or

  One of the successful managers was asked


texts:
What is the difference between "if he has got" and "if he got"?

I know that "If he got" is used for wishes or to talk about 'impossible' situations.

For example

  If he got the car, he would visit New Jersey

but I do not know what is the difference when I use has got


texts: Can one say something like "This seems to be valid in the general case, but is not proven there"? Or must one say "then"?


texts:
The Fed also announced a few housekeeping changes, primarily of interest to its close watchers. Fed officials are now prohibited from speaking about monetary policy for 10 days before a policy-making meeting, rather than one week. The Fed also said it would expand the information provided with its quarterly economic forecasts to include an illustration of the uncertainty surrounding the projections.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/business/economy/Federal-reserve-minutes.html?ref=business&_r=0


texts:
Our school bus has fixed bus stops. Kids board the bus at those stops. We are off on Saturday, but a few kids come to school to take extra classes. The bus stops change (usually; depends upon the stop and the number of kids boarding the bus at that stop.) for Saturday as few kids come to school . So a child was going to school on Saturday for the first time, and thus asked:

  Will the bus pickup here tomorrow?

  Will the bus stop here tomorrow?

Actually after the kids board the bus at that stop, it turns around and heads back to school (it is the last stop.) So I feel that "pickup" sounds better,because if the bus stops change, this being the last stop of the bus, the bus won't pickup kids at this stop, as the school is in the opposite direction and this stop is not on the way to school, thus, it is not stopping while driving to other stops or school's. Am I right in thinking so?


texts:
Could you make me clear about the sentence below:

  What we owe is only our fair share of the burden of securing for others what they are owed.

Would the meaning change if we changed that last part to "what they owe"?

  What we owe is only our fair share of the burden of securing for others what they owe.

What I am unclear is this phrase: of securing for others what they are owed.

There are several meanings for the word of "secure."

The context is an article of New York Times:

  "Our obligations to make the world better are limited by simple principle: What we owe is only our fair share of the burden of securing for others what they are owed."

The fuller context is:

  This ideal of a liberal education is profoundly democratic, aiming at enlarging the possibilities and the contributions of the largest possible number of people. It’s good news that there are more first-generation college students than there used to be. Such an education enables and encourages people to be capable citizens, better able to evaluate the arguments that circulate in public life and better positioned to take the obligations of citizenship seriously.

  But all these benefits depend on students’ being prepared for the courses they take and their being engaged with them in a serious way. The value of education comes not from their mere physical presence in the classroom or the lab or the library but from their doing course work as well as they can. If students aren’t prepared, if they don’t have the right motivations, if they don’t have the necessary time or resources for study, or if professors don’t have the time to give them the attention they need, the value of a college education is diminished.

  Where do you come in? Our obligations to make the world better are limited by a simple principle: What we owe is only our fair share of the burden of securing for others what they are owed. What has gone wrong at your university won’t be set right by anything that can reasonably be expected of you.


texts: What is the meaning of "polarisation" in this paragraph?

texts:
The implication is that the process of technical change, at the firm level, is generally
  evolutionary. Firms that survive within the marketplace will move along a technical trajectory
  accumulating resource commitments and expertise that is generally heterogeneous
  in character. Knowledge is learnt actively, rather than gained from an exogenously defined
  set of blueprints. Edith Penrose appeared to have this point in mind when she choose to
  stress that a firm’s ability to compete successfully depended upon its resource base.
  Resources may be built up over time but incur opportunity costs. Those costs include
  an increasing polarisation of resources towards specific knowledge and expertise.
  Such polarisation may be particularly problematic when new technology threatens to
  disrupt established infrastructural and technical systems. With this in mind, Chesbrough
  and Teece’s distinction between autonomous and systemic innovation is helpful..

I am writing an essay on MSc course, and I need to do a thorough analysis of the text. Basically, I struggle to understand the word polarisation and thus the whole meaning because of it. The dictionary does not help much as it refers to physics or either to two opposing groups of something.

How can I interpret "increasing polarisation of resources"?

P.S I did my BSc in technical discipline and God how I struggle to understand business people who write academic papers with the sole idea of making it to look cool with fancy words...


texts: Is this prepositional phrase a resultative complement?

texts:
At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid
  folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto
  the street.  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Judging by the appearance, ‘onto the street’ seems like an adverbial. But semantically, it needs to be the result of the previous action (resultative complement). Would the latter be the right view?


texts:
I have made an experiment and got many calculated values. While I was writing an article I got stuck at the sentence mentioned below. Which one is right?

  As a conclusion,
  1. The reaction time is 5 ms.
  2. The reaction time was 5 ms.
  3. The reaction time was calculated to be 5 ms.


texts: the long dash in English - how to use it?

texts:
What I've noticed about the long dash in English is that many writers don't use spaces in front of the dash and after it. So, for example:

  I mean, it's embarrassing for them. It’s painful for us to watch. I'm going out with someone later—I’m not even taking her out of the house.

As you can see, there's no space in front of and after the long dash. Why is that? Is there a rule in English punctuation that says anything about that?


texts: Does 'reason' have a modifier and a complement?

texts:
Things couldn't have been worse.
      Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other.
  Hermione was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover-up stories
  chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the
  last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this
  time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to
  forget the cloak? There was no reason on earth that Professor
  McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping
  around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest
  astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes.
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Does the ‘reason’ license that-clause as its modifier and for-phrase as its complement?


texts: The books have sold vs. The books have been sold

texts:
Do both "The books have sold" and "The books have been sold" natural and appropriate in English?
"The books have sold" sounds as if the book can sell themselves. Can they?

List of best-selling books - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_best-selling_books
The books have sold more than 150 million copies and have spawned two film adaptations, with a third one slated for release next year." (4 February 2018)


texts: What's the difference between 'justified' and 'reasonable'?

texts:
I understand in some contexts they cannot be interchanged, for example, one can say 'the price is reasonable', but 'the price is justified' sounds incorrect.

But I don't know what are the exact differences between them when expressing 'something is reasonable or proved to be reasonable". To me, they seems to be interchangeable in most situations.

In addition, I learned that 'warranted' in some context also means 'reasonable',  for example, you experienced a degraded service and then requested a refund, you can say "I feel a refund would be warranted". Can I use 'reasonable' instead here? Is there any slight difference that makes 'warranted' better?


texts: Does "art or science of political government" refer to a set of activities or a field of study in this context?

texts:
I just came across the following meanings of "politics" on Dictionary.com:

the science or art of political government.
the practice or profession of conducting political affairs.

In my opinion meaning number 2 refers to the set of activities related to the governance/government of a political unit. If meaning number 1 does not refer to a field of study, how is it different from meaning number 2.


texts: What is the meaning of truck-worthy packing?

texts:
I have problem understanding the following statement in a trade context:

  The total price for this order is X Euro including truck-worthy packing and export permits.

What does the author mean by truck-worthy packing?


texts: Is it reasonable to say the pattern `noun + be + adj` is incomplete?

texts:
I wrote the following sentence in a post

"art form" is the most common phrase.

In fact, I constructed it as the following version first and then changed it as the one above.

"art form" is the most common.

The abandoned version doesn't have the noun "phrase" at the end of it.
A native speaker told me that it was incomplete but she didn't explain why is that.
I seems that the pattern noun + be + adj is incomplete, which might not be true in general.
Is it because the sentence uses the superlative form?


texts: Adjectives to distinguish males' & females' clothes and accessories

texts:
What adjective I can use to refer to specific sort of clothes or anything that has been designed to be used by women or men to imply that they are dedicated to "men" and in contrary specific for "women" use?

I've always said that these are "ladies'" and "for men"[which is not an adjective].


texts: "Ben's sister took him to a/the library to borrow a book" – article choice with public institutions

texts:
Which article should be used in this sentence?

  Ben's sister took him to a/the library to borrow a book.


texts: Could you give examples and logical conjectures of 'call on'?

texts:
I still can't understand the meanings for 'call on'

  officially ask someone to do something
  ask a student a question
  decide to use something
  produce a quality
  ask someone to prove statement
  visit someone for short time

Could you give examples and logical conjectures of 'call on' for 3 and 4 cases?

Macmillan's dictionary gives an example for 4:

  She called on all her reserves of courage to face the ordeal ahead of her.

and then gives Synonyms and related words

  affect, shape, impact...

I can not understand why these words are synonyms, especially affect and impact?

For meaning 3 Macmillan's dictionary gives this example

  We may need to call on professional help.

and gives Synonyms and related words - repurpose, use, bring in...


texts: How to interpret the sentence “I heard a little silvery laugh”?

texts:
I'm trying to interpret the sentence:

  I heard a little silvery laugh.

What confuses me is I don't know if the speaker hear "a little laugh which sounded silvery" or "a somewhat silvery laugh"?

What does "a little" modify in this sentence, laugh or silvery？


texts: Can "could" be used to denote annoyance at the reference time?

texts:
could: 6 used to show that you are annoyed that somebody did not do
  something.  They could have let me know they were going to be late!
  (Oxford/Advanced)

  might: 6 used to show that you are annoyed about something that
  somebody could do or could have done.  I think you might at least
  offer to help! Honestly, you might have told me!
  (Oxford/Advanced)

Referring to the dictionary, ‘could’ isn’t used to denote ‘annoyance’ at the reference time, unlike ‘might’. But semantically it could be used to show the meaning. Can it be or not?
- for example: "You could look more cheerful, Harry” (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)


texts:
I saw a sentence "there might be a new smartphone released this September" in some context, then wondered if I could just replace might by must here, i.e.

  There must be a new smartphone released this September.

I think it is a little bit strange of using the "be" of "must be" as the "be-verb" used in "passive tense", but not sure whether it is right or not.

So later I added the "been" in the sentence. i.e.

  There must be a new smartphone been released this September.

I think it might be grammatically correct, since its structure is the duplication of the structure of "There must be some mistake."

So I wondered if one day the fact is that one company didn't release any new cellphone this September, but some guy just somehow didn't believe it, then could he just shout out loud "There must be a new smartphone been released this September!!!!!!!"  as a grammatically  correct sentence?


texts: A word for a position of a person who organizes and buy things for a camp

texts: I was assigned a position in a camp to buy things that will be used (scissors, ropes, papers, balloons, glue, first aid, etc.), organize it into some space, and provide them when needed. It also have to clean up everything after all events. How to call this position?


texts:
I got two sentences:

  1) pass out from college. 2) pass out of college.

Could you tell me the difference in meaning when we use these two sentences?


texts:
I've seen a lot of people say

  "I've done seen you...."

what does it mean, i know what the exact meaning of it but what's the format of that type of sentences/grammar? And give me some examples how can i use the sentence by the format that you've given to me.


texts: Use "on the contrary" at the end of the sentence

texts:
Can we use on the contrary at the end of the sentence?

My sentence is something like this:
To find out whether readers qualify Peter Pan as a good children literature or on the contrary.

Or can I just straight away end the sentence after "literature"?

Thank you for helping me! =)


texts: One of usages of the verb "know": know object to V or know object V

texts:
They know the designs to work. vs 2. They know the designs work.

(quoted and varied from "previous designs that they know work")
Is there any difference between 1 and 2?
PS. I found this sentence on internet: I’ve never known it (to) snow in July before.


texts: What does "on a twist on" mean in the following context?

texts:
Example:

  I love Montreal, but like every destination, there are things you should and shouldn't do when you visit. On a twist on the ever popular blog meme, here is my list of things to avoid doing at all costs when visiting Montreal.

I'm not sure how to understand that part.


texts: Help me understand the phrase from the image: "to nervously ask you to prom"

texts: Again asking for Your help as native English speakers. I'm studying English, I really like it. I am not a native English speaker, my native language is Russian. For me not understand the phrase: "to nervously ask you to prom". Please explain what is meant.


texts:
This question may sound odd but as I am not a native speaker I would like to clarify this sentence that a person sent to me:

  I wrote it. It was in a notebook of mine that I had forgotten about. I
  wrote it months ago. It is in quotes so that it is understood that it
  is a poem.

Obviously a poem is meant by "it" in the I wrote it part.

Now my question - by using wrote word, does this mean that a person literally composed the discussed poem? Meaning that the person is an author? That's how I understand it but if anyone could confirm I would be thankful.


texts:
I've been having an agony of the use of the verb "bitch" in the transitive verb which was used many times in Aersosmith's songs, but may be it was I didn't give enough attention to it, after all if their rocks are catchy enough, they had become a hit.
It started after checking carefully the one of the above rockstar's song.
I know, no sense is perfectly OK to me when it comes to songs.
But "to bitch", assuming very offensive word, when it is used in the transitive mode, 2 dictionaries give
2 definition.
This Merriam Webster says,

transitive verb

1: SPOIL, BOTCH
bitched up their lives

2: CHEAT, DOUBLE-CROSS

3: to complain of or about

However, this dictionary gives different definitions.

verb transitive (Should we delete(+) this sense?) To make derogatory comments.

verb transitive To criticize spitefully, often for the sake of complaining rather than in order to have the problem corrected.

What's common between the 2 is that they have a definition "to complain about something".
So, does the verb bitch in the use of transitive mean "to complain"?
Thank you^^.


texts:
What is actually the phasal verb in a sentence:

You keep me hanging on

"Keep on" or "hang on"? What do we have here? Double phrasal verb? I am trying to figure this out for a while today... This is the part of the song by Vanilla Fudge and others.


texts:
I have recorded someone's blood pressure over a period of one hour. Should the resulting file that contains the blood pressure samples be called record or recording?

http://physionet.org/physiobank/database/mimicdb/ uses the term recording:

  The database described below was the product of our first attempt
  (1992-1999) to build a collection of multi-parameter recordings of ICU
  patients.

However, I read in http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/record that record can mean:

  a collection of related items of information (as in a database)
  treated as a unit

Shall I infer that I can interchangeably use both record or recording to designate the my file that contains the blood pressure samples?


texts: Use "would" and "could" to express possibility or politeness: do we need to change tenses in the subordinate clauses?

texts:
According to https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-modal-would.htm, would can be used to create remoteness of possibility or probability remoteness between speakers (formality, politeness).
Here are examples by me that try to create remoteness of possibility or probability or remoteness between speakers as the site says we can.

Would examples:
(1) If you want my answer, I would think that I will give you some.
(2) I would expect him to come because he doesn't seem to be busy.
(3) I saw him jogging this morning. He would seem to be getting better if he is able to go jogging now.
(4) You have the correct answer. Well, I would have to agree with you if you have the correct answer.
(5) It's Christmas. She would go to the church when people celebrate Christmas on the streets.

Could examples:
(6) If you want my answer, I could give you some.
(7) I could expect him to come because he doesn't seem to be busy these days.
(8) I saw him jogging this morning. He could get better soon if he is able to go jogging now.
(9) You have the correct answer. Well, I could agree with you if you have the correct answer.
(10) It's Christmas. She could be at the church when people celebrate Christmas on the streets.

My questions:
(a) Can we use them this way?
(b) Do we just treat would and could as softer will and can when using them for these purposes?
(c) And even though would and could are in past tense, we don't need to change the tense in subordinate clauses and we just use the tenses in the subordinate clauses according to what we try to say, right?


texts: "to have a perfect hearing" - is the article acceptable?

texts:
"You have a perfect hearing" or "You have perfect hearing".
Which one is correct? I have seen both versions and I am wondering if the first one is OK. By ”hearing" I mean "the ability to hear".

If I understand correctly, uncountable nouns should not be preceded by the indefinite article unless the meaning is particular, not general, e.g. "I had a good education". Is that the case here?

I know my question refers to the use of articles with uncountable nouns. I have found a similar question but I am still not sure.

Article “a” with uncountable nouns


texts: Is "draw in electricity/energy" idiomatic?

texts:
I googled "the contact draws in electricity" and found 0 result, yet it seems something you would read in an engineering paper or journal. I couldn't find anything. Is there a more idiomatic way of saying this?

  The contact draws in electricity from the battery and draws it out to
  the rest of the electronic device.

  The contact draws in energy from the battery and powers the electronic
  device.

I can't think of any other way to say this that sounds more idiomatic. "Suck in" might work, but it's informal and even less idiomatic sounding.


texts: Modifier issue "traveling" or "who traveled"

texts:
I have heard that modifier should be placed near the word or the phrase that modifies. In below sentence, the modifier  "traveling" is placed next to the word "tourists." I feel the below sentence is correct. But feedback of this states that it is wrong, because  it implies that the buildings may have been the ones traveling to more well-known memorial museums.
Can anyone explain the reason?

  Riddled with bullets, shattered by bombs, and hidden in alleys, the historic buildings in Lodz, Poland, were long ignored by tourists, traveling instead to more well-known memorial museums.

And the right answer is

  Riddled with bullets, shattered by bombs, and hidden in alleys, the historic buildings in Lodz, Poland, were long ignored by tourists, who traveled instead to more well-known memorial museums.


texts:
China’s State broadcaster has issued an apology Sunday after parents
  complained that an educational TV show instead exposed young viewers
  to a barrage of long commercials and an "effeminate" opening act.

Source

  ADJ If you describe a man or boy as effeminate, you think he behaves,
  looks, or sounds like a woman or girl.

But how an opening act be effeminate?
opening act like opening a bottle?


texts: "It does not get released" vs. "it does not release"

texts:
Please check both sentences and let me know what exactly difference is between both sentences.

  It (a movie) does not get released

Or

  It (a movie) does not release.


texts: two subject complements in passive form?

texts:
Hi I am English learner.
Recently, I have a question.

There is a sentence:

  He was selected chairman.

On this passive form, I think the word selected is a subject complement.
Therefore, He is subject and was is verb and selected is complement and chairman is complement as well.

Can we have two subject complements in one sentence?

On the other hand, Some people say that He is subject and was selected is verb and chairman is complement. But I don't agree this idea. Because I think that 'Was' is only verb and 'Selected' is complement.

FYI, someone say that selected chairman is adjective phrase.
What do you think that idea?
I searched this information in my country web but I couldn't find the information satisfying.
Please help me out. Thank you


texts: How do you say apartment and condo in British English?

texts:
In North American English

condo (condominium apartment): the multi-rise or high-rise residential building where you own the residential unit / suite and the land is owned collectively. If you want to rent a unit in condo, you usually dealing with a private landlord.
apartment: where you can only rent (not buy) the unit / suite in the residential building. If you want to rent a unit in apartment, you usually dealing with management / leasing office.

[Technically, condominium is not limited to apartment, but also in townhouses (British English terraced houses). In daily dialogue, condo refers condominium apartment, and apartment refer non-condo apartment. We neglect US co-op / cooperate apartment in this question.]

A: Where do you live?
B: I live in a condo.
A: I see. I live in an apartment.

Do British people distinguish condo and apartment in daily dialogue? If so, what are the terms? Does flat mean [condo and apartment] or [apartment only]?


texts: "all demographic information" or "all the demographic information"

texts:
The sentence I wrote is

"Please answer to the questions and complete all the demographic information / all demographic information".

Which one is grammatically correct?


texts: Is the bold phrase an object complement?

texts:
I read the following paragraph from a book and I want to confirm whether the bold phrase is an object complement or a subject complement?

  Then The New York Times wrote an absolute rave review of the food,
  giving the restaurant its highest rating, and suddenly, I thought the room looked pretty good after all. The newspaper’s analysis and
  praise of the restaurant completely changed my mind. That’s power.

Personally, I think the sentence is an object complement since it shows more information about the review. But somehow, the subject of the bold sentence is The New York Times, and if so, it will be the subject complement.

I'm totally lost here. Which one is the correct answer?


texts: I'd like to know what part of speech is TEMPTED in this sentence

texts: His eyebrows twitched, almost tempted to just stand up and shove at the kid.


texts:
I have written this:
Fiona silently takes in the sight of the city.
Is 'silently' placed correctly? Could I also place it at the end of the sentence?
Fiona takes in the sight of the city silently.


texts: Meaning of "I knew going into this that"?

texts:
What does it mean when you say "I knew going into this that ~"?

For example:

  "I knew going into this that we didn't have much time."

I can figure out the meaning but can't really catch the subtle differences between "know going into this" and just "know this".


texts: When someone begins to do something without necessary actions / doing needed requirements

texts:
Suppose someone comes to you and without any prior word / introduction / necessary measures wants you to make friends with them.

Or

at the beginning of a great TV program,  a TV reporter or showman without any prior word / introduction / necessary measures starts to speak.
Is there any fixed term in English for such a situation?
I'm sure there should be such a term, but I don't know what is that and how a native speaker would indicate this "doing / beginning something without.....".


texts: She comes up rudely with me vs She behaves rudely with me

texts: Once my colleague said to me that she comes up rudely with me but i said to her she behaves rudely with me, would be suitable to say. So, which one is the best to use? Thanks


texts: Are these two forms of the sentence grammatically correct?

texts:
An European thinks that India is still the land of snake charmers.

Europeans think that India is still the land of snake charmers.

Are both of the above sentences grammatically correct or is one of them wrong?

Also, is using "the" correct (in the first sentence)?


texts:
I have this English sentence from an English book:

  Don't forget to turn off the light before you go to bed!

I was wondering whether I can use the -ing form this way and get the same meaning:

  Don't forget to turn off the light before going to bed!

Is it latter correct?


texts:
When our own interests are threatened by the inconsiderate behavior of
  others, most of us find it easy to appreciate that those others have a
  reason to be more considerate. When you are hurt, you probably feel
  that other people should care about it: you don't think it's no
  concern of theirs, and that they have no reason to avoid hurting you.
  That is the feeling that the "How would you like it?" argument is
  supposed to arouse.

[What does it all mean, Thomas Nagel]

Do these two sentences have the same meaning?

That is the feeling that the "How would you like it?" argument is supposed to arouse.

and

That is the feeling that is supposed to arouse the "How would you take it?" argument.


texts:
What's the best way to express?

  All translations are checked and corrected by the American teacher
  with the education in literature

or

  All translations are checked and corrected by the American teacher
  with the degree in literature

I'm not sure about articles as well))))
Thanks for your help!


texts: "We can not play tennis today because it (rain or rains or is raining)."

texts:
We can not play tennis today because it (rain or rains or is raining).

Which tense should I use?


texts: Meaning of the grammar structure with "be" plus infinitive

texts: What does the following sentence mean? "However, sometimes the messaging we receive to be giving of ourselves, to push ourselves to the limit, be productive, and forgo our needs can be taken to an extreme in our everyday lives." What does "to be giving" mean there?


texts: Do Trespassing and No trespassing mean the same thing?

texts:
The meanings  of Exit and NO Exit or Entry and NO Entry are naturally opposite.

When I see an [Entry] sign, it means 'enter here'.

When I see a [No Entry] sign, it means 'do not enter'.

In this respect, considering the definition of trespassing, what would
a [No trespassing] sign mean? Could it mean *free to enter? (No - No entry without permission?)

  No Entry means the contrary of Entry. No Trespassing shall therefore
  means the contrary of Trespassing? How could appearance defy logic?

  Are we putting the car before the horse? In order to trespass, someone first needs to enter without permission. If there already were a no
  trespassing sign before someone had even been entering, could the absence
  of trespassing be interpreted as a green light?


texts: Word difference between 'flap' and 'flutter'

texts:
Is there any difference between flap and flutter?

e.g.:

  The bird is flapping its wings.

  The bird is fluttering its wings.


texts: ...the losers, frightened by the Juche missiles

texts:
Who are "frightened by the Juche missiles"? The losers or the US and the S.Korea?

The furious piece said: “The US and the South Korean puppet military gangsters cry for miserable scream and piteous moan of the losers, frightened by the Juche missiles of the DPRK.

“If the US continues challenging the just cause of the DPRK in disregard of the strong might and will of Juche Korea, it can never escape the merciless strike of the powerful revolutionary Paektusan army.
Source: Express (UK)


texts: Can appositives be composed of adjectives?

texts:
I’ve been reading a bit about apposition, and all the examples seem to be revolving around noun phrases. I’m wondering if adjectives can also form appositives.

Consider, for instance, the following two sentences:

  This scenario could easily lead to a system that is too conservative, overdesigned.

  The predictions delivered by these techniques are coarse, aggregate.

Assuming that too conservative means overdesigned, and that coarse means aggregate, are these two constructions legitimate appositives?

In addition, I’m interested in other ways of phrasing and punctuating the above sentences. Specifically, is it grammatical to write as follows?

This scenario could easily lead to a system that is too conservative, or overdesigned.
This scenario could easily lead to a system that is too conservative—or overdesigned.

I suppose that, if I leave out the comma and the em dash as shown below, the meaning of the sentence will change, which also needs a confirmation.

This scenario could easily lead to a system that is too conservative or overdesigned.

If “A, B”, “A, or B”, and “A—B” at the end of sentences are grammatical, why is it legitimate to write like this? What is the explanation? How are these three constructions called?


texts:
Is there a difference between 'catch someone doing something' and 'find someone doing something?'
My brother always wakes up late. I said:
"If I find you sleeping at this time from tomorrow I'm not going to help you with your homework anymore."
I wonder what difference it would make if I said 'catch' instead of 'find.'


texts: Difference between "I had already ordered" and "I already ordered"

texts:
I forgot that I had already ordered this book when I received it today.
   I forgot that I already ordered this book when I received it today.

Think both are correct.
  The first means that the order happened a long time ago before the forgetting  (that is why I forgot it). The second means that the order and the forgetting were very close.


texts: Shouldn't it be 'Scheduled for Demolition' and not 'Under Demolition''?

texts:
There is a building beside my office with a sign board

  This building is under demolition

And, this is the sign I have been observing since past 6 months (and who knows for coming months or years)! If I read Demolition in progress, keep away OR This building is scheduled for demolition, I had no problem in understanding that.

Facts apart (whether the builders are in processes or whatever), I'm concerned about the language English here.

Can we use the word 'under' for something that is not happening right in front of you? The process is not ON and nobody knows when it'll be. If I say "under 'x'" all of you will certainly take it as it's in progress. We all know...

  This road is under construction- you see the road is getting done, you may find people working on this as well   This building is under construction - you see some constructed part or people working on it.

So, in these latter cases, you clearly find evidence of 'X' in Under [X]. but this is not true in case of under demolition.

Also, are they using the word correctly? Demolition or destruction?


texts:
I shook my head: I could not see how poor people had the means of being kind; and then to learn to speak like them, to adopt their manners, to be uneducated, to grow up like one of the poor women I saw sometimes nursing their children or washing their clothes at the cottage doors of the village of Gateshead: no, I was not heroic enough to purchase liberty at the price of caste. (Jane Eyre)

What are the uses of these four to-infinitives? The syntax is not clear to me. How is this sentence put together?


texts: "Last thing I'd do is" or "last thing I do would be"?

texts:
If you want to say, for example, "If I were you, last thing I'd do is laugh" what is the correct usage of "would" here?

I've seen the above example but that doesn't sound quite right to me. Wouldn't this work: "... last thing I'd do would be to laugh"?

Or: "...last thing I do would be to laugh"?


texts: "within a few years." vs "within few years."

texts:
Which of the following sentences is right?

  "This problem will be solved within a few years."

OR

  "This problem will be solved within few years."


texts: Optional use of the word "over" in these examples

texts:
She walked (over) to him.

  I'll bring the drink (over) to you.

How does the meaning of these sentences change with or without the word "over"?


texts:
I'm writing an email and just came up with following sentence:

  I contacted a couple of suitable candidates, of whom I thought would be capable of handling such job, but unfortunately none of them were interested.

I've got the feeling something is wrong?


texts: "... a little less problems" — is this phrase grammatically correct?

texts:
Is this sentence, "I wish I had a little less problems" grammatically correct? Especially the phrase, "... a little less problems". I know there are other ways to say the same thing like, "I wish I didn't have as much problems" or "I wish I had less problems" but it changes the feel of the sentence. The feel I'm tryna give off with this sentence is that the person has so many issues that he's wishing that AT LEAST something was right.

Btw, is the title grammatically correct?

Edit: Thanks Juhasz, this surely is an issue of countable and uncountable thing. But that didn't solve my problem cause in the sentence I'm not only using 'less' but 'a little' also.

Edit: So, this is what I'm actually writing: "It's hard to live in a world where everyone seems perfect and you spend your day wishing you had a little less problems". Now, I can't find something that quite goes with the flow.


texts: Why isn’t the third person singular used in “The Lord bless you”?

texts:
I saw the following statement within the Longman Dictionary:

The Lord bless you and keep you.

But I think it should be like below:

The Lord blesses you and keeps you.

Because The Lord is a single entity. Am I right? If not, why?


texts: "as very beautiful as" vs "as beautiful as"

texts:
She is as beautiful as her sister .
  She is as very beautiful as her sister .

Can I use 'very' between

  'as' + 'very' + (adjective) + 'as'

If not, why ?


texts: Directly asking questions about adjective complements

texts:
Can we ask some questions about adjective complements?

  I was disappointed with your behaviour.(1)

Can we ask its question like

  With what were you disappointed? (2)

or

  What were you disappointed with? (3)

  I am good at math and physics. (4)

Can we ask its question like?

  At what areas are you good? (5)

or

  What areas are you good at? (6)

Thanks in advance.


texts: What does "that public schoolboy polish" mean here?

texts:
I would like to know what "that public schoolboy polish" means in the following sentences:

‘Yup,’ Will says. ‘We were at school together.’ I’m surprised. The
other men have that public schoolboy polish, while Johnno seems
rougher – no cut-glass accent.
‘Trevellyan’s,’ Femi says. ‘It was like that book with all the boys on
a desert island together, killing each other, oh Christ, what’s it
called—’
‘Lord of the Flies,’ Charlie says, the faintest trace of superiority
in his tone. I might have gone to state school, it says, but I’m
better read than you.

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 12

This is a thriller novel published in 2020 in the United Kingdom. One hundred and fifty guests would be gathering at some remote and deserted fictional islet called Inis an Amplóra off the coast of the island of Ireland to celebrate the wedding between Jules (a self-made woman running an online magazine called The Download) and Will (a celebrity appearing in a TV show program called Survive the Night). The day before the actual wedding day, Hannah, the wife of Charlie (Jules' friend), arrived at the island and is now at the dinner party for the rehearsal dinner with only some selected guests. And during the party, Hannah hears how almost all the ushers went to the same school as Will.
In this part, I wonder what "public schoolboy polish" means.
Does it perhaps mean that they have a sheen, a particular shine that would emanate from public schoolboys...?
But then, this is my small question, but is it right to understand that "public school" here actually means exclusive private schools in the UK, like Eton? This might be a fundamental question, but I am just wondering why it is "public" school when it is actually a "private" school.


texts:
Well,
Is there an English expression for courses that are after working hours?
Similarly to the difference between full time and part-time jobs.

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Past Perfect VS Past Simple in the context of previous experience

texts:
I have three extracts:

1st:

  A: Do you know this man?

  B: Yes, I had met him before war, but I haven't seen him since that
  time.

2nd:

  A: Is he a student?

  B: Yes, he studies at our university. He worked at our university. He
  worked at our factory before he entered the university. He isn't
  working any longer.

3rd:

  A: Where does he work?

  B: He isn't working now. He's a student. He worked at our factory
  before he entered the university.

Once I posted the first sentences having asked about the acceptability of using Past Perfect in that context. The answer was that "war" isn't a "reference time", so that I had to use Past Simple in the examples 2 and 3, meaning that "working" was a habitual action that is no longer valid.

But what does "reference time" mean?


texts: Why does "alive" come after "men" in "I found four injured men alive"?

texts:
I found four injured men alive.

In this sentence, the adjective "alive" comes after the noun "men".

Why we have to use adjective "alive" after the noun, not before? because in adjective order, adjectives should come before the nouns.


texts: " I thought I was the Glob of rap " What is the meaning of "glob" in this time?

texts:
I saw this word in "Adventure Time" cartoon series.
Another instance of using this word --> "oh my glob"


texts:
What does 'laugh' mean in this sentence?

"Remember that we could laugh you out of politics."


texts:
If I were to win the election, I would restore the vitality of downtown area.

In the above sentence, I understand that it's a hypothetical situation so it comes with "I were" and "I would". However, I don't understand the use of "were to". What is the intended meaning of "were to" here.


texts:
We are allowed to use your personal information where it is in our
  interests to do so, and those interests aren't outweighed by any
  potential prejudice to you. (https://beam.org/privacy)

  To drive commercial value for our shareholders, where
  not outweighed by any potential prejudice to you.

What does "where not outweighed by any potential prejudice to you" mean? Does it mean that "where interests don't create any potential negative impact to you"?


texts: Combining sentences without using "that" or "which"

texts:
I am struggling to combine the following two ideas into one complete sentence:

  High number of missed cycles can be seen from site1.
  Missed cycles mainly occurred due to the missing segments (complete objects).

This is my effort on this.

  Missed cycles in site1 were mostly due to the missing of segments (complete objects).

I want to improve this further. Any further rectifications please.
Additionally, do I need to put the definite article in front of "missed cycles"?


texts:
I am trying to make the wikipedia definitions of the basic arithmetic operations consistent with each other, and was wondering on which verb is more concise.
From Wikipedia:Addition

The addition of two whole numbers results in the total amount or sum of those values combined.

or

The addition of two whole number creates the total amount or sum of those values combined.


texts: What is the difference between "thief" and "burglar"?

texts: Is there any difference between "thief" and "burglar" in meaning?


texts:
Look at this example below

  The carpet needs___________ before we use it.

  a) cleaning  b) to be cleaned

Which one would be more appropriate in the given context and why?

My thought process was:  a person always clear a carpet so it should have a passive sense --> to be cleaned.
But the first one also looks fine. Additionally, please clarify if we are using cleaning as a gerund in the first option.


texts:
When should I use "in" and when "with" regarding "errors" and "mistakes".

for instance:

  errors in the graph behavior in the asymptote environment

and:

  10 common mistakes with prepositions


texts:
The soldier starts walking toward the mother and her child. The mother protectively steps in front of her child as the soldier approaches.

Is my use of "approaches" perfectly natural here?


texts:
Tia tries to run over to help her husband, but is intercepted by two police officers.
Does "intercepted" imply that the police officers are being physical with her? In other words does it have the same meaning as "held back"?
Tia tries to run over to help her husband, but is held back by two police officers.


texts:
What is the grammatically correct way to say that?

  He cant find any as good tenant as her

  He cant find as any good tenant as her

  He cant find any tenant as good as her


texts:
I think if I can use "it doesn't matter ~", then I can also use "no matter ~". So to understand it more deeply and make sure of it, I've made two sentences and I'd like to know if these two sentences are the same meaning.

Whether it's in the library or in a coffee shop, it doesn't matter where you study. What's more important is if you have an willingness to study hard.

No matter where you study, whether it's in the library or at a coffee shop, what's more important is if you have an willingness to study hard.


texts: Which sentences mean the same as "My mother drives more carefully than my father."

texts:
My mother drives more carefully than my father.
My father does not drive as carefully as my mother.
My father does not drive so carefully as my mother.
My father is a less careful driver than my mother.
My father drives less carefully than my mother.

I'd like to know whether all the sentences have the same meaning or not and which sentence is exactly the same as the meaning of the first sentence.


texts:
Now I’d like to present you guys, the trailer of the movie.

Vs

  Now I’d like to present to you guys, the trailer of the movie.

Also,

  This is the last letter she sent me.

Vs

  This is the last letter she sent to me.

Is to required? Or is it not?


texts:
What I have learnt that we use "among" when we are talking about more than two, and "between" for two.

But

1 Between the students in the class which is the best?

2 The U.N.O. insists on better understanding between the countries of the world.

3 There is a treaty between the five great power.

But in these sentences "between" is used. There are many more examples like this. When we use "between" for more than two things or people. Can you explain the reason behind this?

Thank you


texts: When should noun modifiers be plural and when singular?

texts:
As far as I know noun modifiers should be singular. For example:

40 person team - the person is singular even though it's multiple persons

However, there are some cases in which a noun modifier will be plural. Example:

special operations team
special needs children

Why are the singular and plural cases different?


texts:
I am not sure about the meaning of this:

  link
  Transformers: Generation 1 (also known as Generation One or G1) was a children's toy line that ran from 1984 to 1991 and was produced by Hasbro.

Would the following rewrite be better?

  link
  Transformers: Generation 1 (also known as Generation One or G1) was a children's toy line the production of which ran from 1984 to 1991 and was produced by Hasbro.


texts:
I read one sentence today

We are having a party a week from coming Saturday.

So if we suppose that Saturday is 8 November 2014, then what date are they having the party in the above sentence ? (Is it the next Saturday?)

And while you are at it - if you could please also explain how to know

a month / a year from now or a month from next Tuesday etc.


texts: "If you pay for my ticket then we will be quits." -- what's the meaning?

texts:
I just came across the following sentence;

  If you pay for my ticket then we will be quits.

What does the phrase "we will be quits" mean in there? Please, elaborate!


texts:
It is from Crash Course Chemistry. It is at 1 minute and 44 second. Here it goes:

  It is what we use to translate from the very small to the very big, to parley the stuff that we cannot see  into the stuff we can.

I have looked up what parley means in a buch of dictionaries, but I cannot get what it means there.

In wikdtionary parley is defined as

  (intransitive) To have a discussion, especially one between enemies.

But that doesn't seem to fit this context.


texts: Convoluted vs Intricate vs Elaborate vs Perplexing

texts:
Convoluted means:

Especially of an argument, story, or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow

Intricate

Very complicated or detailed

Elaborate means:

Involving many carefully arranged parts or details; detailed and complicated in design and planning

Perplex means:

Complicate or confuse (a matter)

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

well I have learned the word convoluted recently.Before that, I thought the word intricate was the strongest in this sense. But when we look at the definitions it is hard to discern how to use them correctly because they mostly mean "very/ extremely complicated/complex/detailed".
As far I know a product made by an artist or scientist can be intricate or elaborate and also complex/complicated. For example a mural, fresco or automatic machine like a robot.
On the other hand, it seems like the word convoluted is more associated with written documents like legal terms and conditions or arguments which involves in many aspects of many subjects.
I'm not sure the word perplexing is used in a sense like baffling mostly but a novel's plot can be perplexing in a good/positive sense or when we use the perplexing we happen to suggest that we don't understand its context?
So can a software program, a machine, a film's/novel's plot, an art paint be convoluted?


texts: which one is correct between how long haven’t we met or how long we haven’t met

texts:
1.How long haven’t we met each other ?
2.How long we haven’t met each other ?

Which one is correct form of negative structure, please help me , thank you


texts:
I always use As someone said, ... in the comment or answers to respond peoples..

But I happen to see someone's comments are As you say,As someone say

I cannot determine whether there are problems in the tense?

Both Ok?


texts: after she had her baby; after she had had her baby

texts:
Sheila continued to work after she had her baby. (Longman Online)
  Silvina continued to work after she had had her baby. (Longman Contemporary)

I would guess that 1 implies Sheila continued her work, pregnant. 2 Silvina continued her work after bearing her child. Are my guesses all right?


texts:
I mean we only use it as an auxiliar in questions or affirmative sentences?

Could we use it with any verb in sentences?

Example:

I did jump yesterday -- I know this example is wrong but why we can't use it this way? Or with wich verbs could we use it?

Thank you very much!

PS: This is my first post. I hope I use the correct tags.


texts: When we use 's ' with a verb and what is subject and verb match?

texts:
hello guys i want to know that when we use 's' with a verb and when not and what is subject and verb match condition is the subject is singular then we use singular verb and if the verb is plural then we use plural verb is this statement is true

then why we use he goes when he is an singular subject.


texts: Which is right "office hours" or "office hour"?

texts:
I want to ask a person what time should I start to work.

What is the regular office hour?

OR

What are the regular office hours?


texts:
Is the use of the expression "past-dweller" correct in the phrases below:

  Please, don't take me for a past-dweller. Some of today's songs are
  great, and I like them, but none of them are as good as the ones we
  had in the sixties and seventies.

and

  Your days of fame and glory are gone. You must stop being a
  past-dweller, get yourself a real job, and start living life as an
  ordinary person, just like everybody else in the family.

Is this expression commonly used in English?
Are there any alternatives that would sound more colloquial?


texts: "Thank you for the good advice" - can this refer to a single piece of advice?

texts:
Jim: I cannot use Linkedin! It is blocked!
  Tim: You can use friGate, it's a nice addon that will help you.
  Jim: I've just installed it, and it works. Thank you for the good advice!

I wonder if this use of the is natural here. "Advice" is a noncount noun, so it cannot take a. I searched on Google Books and it looks like it can take the in "the good advice".

But will that mean "thank you for the good piece of advice", or will that mean generally "thank you for being so helpful with your advice" (which may consist of many discrete instances of "advice")?

Let me explain my request with an example: what if during the conversation several different pieces of advice were given, on wildly different matters? Would "Thank you for the good advice!" refer to them all, or only to the latest piece of advice in the conversation?


texts:
Boom —Boom —Popolac walked, the noise of its steps receding to the east. Popolac walked, the hum of its voice lost in the night. After a day, birds came, foxes came, flies, butterflies, wasps came. Judd moved, Judd shifted, Judd gave birth. In his belly maggots warmed themselves, in a vixen’s den the good flesh of his thigh was fought over. After that, it was quick. The bones yellowing, the bones crumbling: soon, an empty space which he had once filled with breath and opinions.
Darkness, light, darkness, light. He interrupted neither with his name.

http://www.e-reading.club/chapter.php/72065/7/Barker_-_Books_Of_Blood_Vol_1.html

I would like to ask whether "neither" in my sentence is connected to the nouns "darkness" and "light". So he did not interrupt either "darkness" or "light". Our official translator translated the passage as if the original was "He interrupted (bother) not even with its name".


texts: Is there a word for "making a pupil stand up in the back of class as punishment"?

texts:
Is there a verb for "making a pupil stand up in the back of class as punishment"? As in:

Jack misbehaved yesterday. The teacher verbed  him for 20 minutes

In Arabic we would say "yZZANIB", I've checked my (bilingual) dictionary and there is no entry for this verb.


texts: "police said" - why not "the police said"?

texts:
Example with a context (news article: Russian police arrest three after dramatic Moscow shootout):

  In their last crime, the alleged robbers had grabbed more than 8 million rubles ($146,000) in an attack on a cash courier in May, police said.

What's wrong with saying the police said? What's the nuance? Check that article. Almost every time they use the word police, there's no article in front of it.


texts:
From Hemingway's Farewell to Arms

  The soldier would not take the penny I offered him and brought me a pulpy orange. I sucked on that and spit out the pith.

What is the difference between a pulpy and non-pulpy orange? I take pulp to be the orange vesicles that contain juice (Wikipedia).


texts: why used "simple present" instead of "simple past" or "present perfect"

texts:
I didn't understand. Why did they use "simple present" instead of "present perfect" in this "Although I do not understand much yet"?. The Paragraph is below.

  Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything is so different, and I am trying to adapt to the new way of life here. I am learning a little bit of the language to make communication easier; unfortunately, I don't learn foreign languages quickly. Although I do not understand much yet, I believe that I am gradually improving.

I thought he was trying to learn language from when she arrived there to now (so why not use the present perfect)?


texts:
At first, I understood the boldfaced for all as in spite of, but now I've found of after that, which made me confused. What does the last sentence mean?

  The journey to discovering your authentic self promises to be the most
  rewarding adventure of your life. When you know yourself, you are
  free. You have a power and presence that radiates from deep within and
  shines out confidently into the world. You did not come into this life
  to suffer, to be manipulated and denied. Whatever binds you and keeps
  you from living your truth is false and can be shed. It takes courage
  to embrace your authentic self and live life on your own terms. Yet to
  be uniquely you, to listen within and love yourself for all of
  your weaknesses and missteps, is what your soul longs for.

    Discover Your Authentic Self: Be You, Be Free, Be Happy
    By Sherrie Dillard


texts:
From: Putin's biker gang lends muscle to rebel cause in east Ukraine by Maxime Popov:

  But in the club's sleeping quarters, Kalashnikovs still sit at the end of members' beds.
  "We are ready for anything. We do not believe in the cease-fire," says Vitali, a dagger at his hip.
  Close to the common room, a gym has been transformed into a hangar, where around 20 motorcycles and classic cars are surrounded by Russian flags.

Could you please explain how this type of grammar works?


texts:
Grammarly’s digital writing assistant helps over 20 million people write more clearly and effectively every day, across multiple platforms and devices.

Can I write like this instead? What is the subtle difference in meaning if I write it like this? Does the information become essential if I write it before the main clause?

Across multiple platforms and devices, Grammarly’s digital writing assistant helps over 20 million people write more clearly and effectively every day.


texts:
Would someone help me figure out why this sentence sounds off, and help me rewrite it?

  We're talking about a group of people so deeply-rooted in and so appreciative of
  their ancient past, yet advancing rapidly into the future.

In the first half of the sentence

  We're talking about a group of people so deeply-rooted in and so appreciative of
  their ancient past

I try to use the style of omitting 'the relative pronoun + the verb be' construct (who are).

Yet a challenge arises in the second half of the sentence.

  . . . , yet advancing rapidly into the future.

I am trying to create a parallelism effect, but when I omit "who are" in the second half of the sentence, it sounds off for a reason I can't put my fingers on. And if I write "yet who are advancing . . . ", it still sounds very awkward because the first half of the sentence omits "who are."


texts: What's the meaning of “but of this hereafter”?

texts:
In Pride and Prejudice Chapter 13:

As a clergyman, moreover, I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace in all families within the reach of my influence; and on these grounds I flatter myself that my present overtures are highly commendable, and that the circumstance of my being next in the entail of Longbourn estate will be kindly overlooked on your side, and not lead you to reject the offered olive-branch. I cannot be otherwise than concerned at being the means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to apologise for it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make them every possible amends—but of this hereafter.

What does "but of this hereafter" mean? I don't understand the usage of "but of" here.


texts: How to refer an entity that has name in a shortened way?

texts:
For instance,

  The Games-X

vs

  The X-Games

In the first one, I would say that it could be a shortened way to say the "The Games named X" or the "The Games which name is X"

But in the second one "X" is the adjective giving the quality "X" to the noun "Games"

I’m asking this because some times, when writing stuff related to computer programming, I use both ways:

  The method Foo is an instance function of the class Bar

and

  The Foo method is an instance function of the Bar class

Which one is the correct way?

In the first sentence, "Foo" and "Bar" are the ones that are a "method" and a "class" respectively

In the second sentence, "method" and "class" are the ones which names are "Foo" and "Bar"


texts:
a. I don't think you should have done that.
b. I think you shouldn't have done that.
c. I don't think you should go there.
d. I think you shouldn't go there.
Is there any difference between the meanings of (a) and (b)?
Is there any difference between the meanings of (c) and (d)?
It seems to me that the answer to both questions is 'no'. I think (a) and (c) are more natural. I don't think context makes any difference here.


texts: Job was completed, job has completed and job has been completed?

texts:
I have written an email which I believe the sentence was incorrect.

  Mr. A, Mowing at the job site has completed.

It could be better if I say: "Mowing was completed at the job site" or "mowing has been completed".

But how odd was the original one? Do people consider that was just a typo or people can tell that I am not a native speaker because the structure of the sentence was incorrect?

I am asking the damage of the mistake.


texts:
With and to are very important prepositions in the English language. I know the usage of both prepositions but some points I become stuck with when should I use which preposition.

For example:

  He is kind/good/generous to me.
  He is kind/good/generous with me.

What is the difference between these two sentences?


texts: If something happened again, did it recur or reoccur?

texts:
This video (from 8 min.53 sec.) shows that the verb recur is often pronounced as reoccur, and the host of the show explains this as a case of a mispronunciation: there's no such word as "reoccur" and what may be pronounced as "reoccur" should be pronounced as "recur".

It  seems that either the speakers don't see any difference between the two verbs, or this difference is far too small to be taken into account.

At the same time, the entries for both reoccur and recur, and for the relating nouns recurrence and reoccurrence (the same links) can be found  in some of the dictionaries; the WordWebPro off-line dictionary is among them.

The question is this:

If there is a fine difference in the use of the verbs recur and reoccur and of the nouns recurrence and reoccurrence, what is it?


texts: What's included with railcard or what's included in railcard

texts:
What's the difference between the below sentences when I use with or in behind the included?

  What's included with railcard?

  What's included in railcard?


texts: The green paint on the wall provides a suitable contrast [with/to] the yellow doors

texts:
The green paint on the wall provides a suitable contrast with or to the yellow doors.

If I use with will that make this sentence wrong?


texts: Mixed type conditional or Type 2/3 conditional?

texts:
I'm revising grammar and while reading this I noticed that either "Mixed type conditional" or "Type 2 conditional" speak about the unreal present, and "Type 3 conditional" speaks about unreal past. How do we know if a sentence is a "Mixed type conditional" or a "Type 2/3 conditional". Does it matter?

If it didn't take you so much time to get dressed we would be at the cinema now. (Type 2 conditional or Mixed type conditional)
If it hadn't taken you so much time to get dressed we would be at the cinema now. (Mixed type conditional)
If it didn't take you so much time to get dressed we would have been at the cinema now. (Mixed type conditional)
If it hadn't taken you so much time to get dressed we would have been at the cinema now. (Type 3 conditional or Mixed type conditional)

I hope I'm right here.


texts: What does 'symbolic' mean in 'symbolic victory'?

texts:
Please look at the following sentences

On Thursday the squad scored a symbolic victory in their battle for equal pay when the Senate passed a non-binding resolution calling on the U.S. Soccer Federation to "immediately eliminate gender pay inequity and treat all athletes with the same respect and dignity."
Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary in Nebraska, but it was a symbolic victory only. Democrats in Nebraska caucused in March and chose Sanders.
A symbolic victory for people power in Ireland in this link. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ruairi-mckiernan/a-symbolic-victory-for-pe_1_b_5490935.html
Greenpeace protesters claim symbolic victory as Shell oil ship leaves Portland.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/07/greenpeace_protesters_claim_sy.html

I don't understand what is meant by symbolic in 'symbolic victory' in the above sentences. Does it mean that the victory symbolises something and stand for something? And what difference would not using symbolic in the above sentence make to the meaning of the sentence?


texts: Usages and nuances of tie to/tie up/tie down

texts:
The verbs tie to/tie up and tie down relate to limits put on somebody or something and which make somebody/something unavailable. There are several dictionary examples of these verbs occurrences:

(1) I'm tied to the job while I have mortgage to pay.
(2) She's tied up in the meeting at the moment, but I'll ask her to call you later.
(3) All my money is tied up in property.
(4) I don't want a relationship that ties me down.

My question is are these verbs wholly interchangeable or are there any slight differences of their meanings? Looking into the examples I would suppose that tie down is used when we say about people but not about money. On the other hand, I think of to peposition function as a pointer on a limit and, in my opinion, it doesn't exclude using up or down at once, so can I append up or down to tied in (1)?


texts: "I've lived in __ two years" vs "I lived in __ two years"

texts:
There is a question that's confused me for a long time.

Let's say I'm in Korea right now and I get asked
"How did you get the American accent" while talking to a stranger at a pub, can I say either:

  "I lived in California for 2 years"
  or
  "I've lived in California for 2 years"?

I suppose the former one is only acceptable since the latter is implied that I still live in California and now I am in California.

Am I right here?


texts:
Is among a tray of something grammatical? I am not sure but using among before a singular word seems ungrammatical, but I am not sure, because it's a tray of a bunch of things.

I found this particular excerpt, but I am not sure how grammatical it is. Many of the results from Google use archaic language or just straight out incorrect language.

  ...a main document selector designed to select a desired document from
  among a tray of encoded documents transported thereto...

Another example:

  A toy was hidden among a tray of other toys


texts: Comma before a participial phrase at the end of a sentence

texts:
Below is an exercise from this website. I'd like to ask if the sentence is correctly punctuated. Should not there be a comma between whale and looking?

  My dad spotted the whale looking through his binoculars.

The phrase is nonrestrictive (nonessential) since the subject dad can be identified with or without using the phrase.


texts: Is "successful" correct in this context?

texts:
I have received the following offer to work part time:

  Dear XXX.
   it was nice talking to you, hope things will be good with all of us.
   we offered a part time job.

I wanted to send my response.

I tried this:

  Dear Ms.XXX
   I agree to your offer.
   I will do my best to successful the job.

Did I use "successful" correctly?


texts: I am reading a novel about North African prisoners of war and in it the writer uses the acronym "Ite" to represent a certain AXIS group of Soldiers. The best I can make out is that its the Acronym for Italian. Does anyone know if my assumption is correct. I can't find the answer anywhere on the Internet.


texts:
Should "the" be added in front of "Houston University" in the following sentence? ("the Houston University" sounds not as natural as simply "Houston University" to me).

William is geophysics professor in Houston University.

Source: Sentence making practice by me.


texts:
I want to know the grammar case of these sentences

  He canceled that order minutes before it was to happen.
  He canceled that order minutes before it was happened.

Why in first sentence "to happen" has been used instead of "was happened".
What is the difference between these two sentences in meaning


texts:
There are a lot of word’s letters that can’t be pronounced, like The D in Fidgety, the K in know, and the H in hour.

Is there a rule or something that I most follow to know it.


texts: What is the difference between fraud and a scam?

texts:
Are they synonyms? Is one a broader category to which the other belongs?
Both seem to translate to the same German word "Betrug" which means to deceive somebody in order to get a (financial) benefit from it. I don't see the difference in English.
Examples which might belong to one or both:

Saying you would be a friend of the grandson of an elderly person. That grandson is in prison and you need money to get him free. In fact, you don't know the grandson but only want the money.
Pyramid schemes: You ask somebody to become part of a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity. They need to pay a certain amount which will go to the current participants. They will be part of the next group which gets paid, but then by way more people.
Selling something (e.g. an iPhone) online, but not saying that it is broken
Prince of Nigeria (advance-fee scam): You claim to be the prince of Nigeria and you want to avoid taxes. First, you need to have some money in country XY for which you need money of the victim. Then you can transfer a larger amount of which you claim the victim would benefit.
Wirecard: You claim to make way more money than you actually do, in order to boost the stock price.

It seems that fraud is the bigger category. So scam is a type of fraud. What are other types of fraud, which are not scams?


texts:
I have read the following expression a lot on social media websites?

  that's just me though

sometimes with comma:

  just me, though

What does this expression mean?

Examples:

  That's just me though... link (Reply on another tweet )

  ... that's just me though. I'm never satisfied link

  I guess I can't. It's not just me though. Just a Wish Away


texts: Why is "would" used in "tasks that would not overwhelm them"?

texts:
I find it very confusing to use 'would' in sentences like:

That's why they give beginner employers introductory tasks that would not overwhelm them.

Why is "would" used here?


texts: What tenses to use to speak about two longtime actions in the past happening at the same time?

texts:
A woman is speaking to a girl whose life as she knew it ended a month ago speaking about two things a girl was used to during her previous life happening at the same time, not one after the other. Which one, if any, of these sentences is correct?

A girl whose every need was always fulfilled and who had all the time and luxury to be just thinking about things!
A girl whose every need was always being fulfilled and who was having all the time and luxury to be just thinking about things!
A girl whose every need has always been fulfilled and who’d had all the time and luxury to be just thinking about things!
A girl whose every need has always been fulfilled and who’s had all the time and luxury to be just thinking about things!


texts: Set limits vs set up limits vs set out limits

texts:
In the following sentence, should I use "set", "set out" or "set up"?
The government has set/set up/set out strict limits on public spending this year.
Do the 3 of them have the same meaning? What would be the differences in nuance? My dictionary has (among other definitions for each verb) "arrange sth" for the 3 of them, so I'm confused about their usage when you want to say "arrange/establish something"
Thank you


texts:
I wrote:

  The money isn't the root of selfishness. It can (instead) be the facilitator for good deeds.

Someone corrected it to "money". However as I googled I found a song including "it's not all about the money, not all about the fame". How does this usage of "the money" differ with mine?

Similarly, "the fame" is used in the song with the definite article


texts:
I want to say that the number of Xs is more than 10 times the nubmer of Ys, say, there are 10 Ys and 103 Xs. Can I say it the way below?

  Xs outnumber Ys ten times over.

If not, how can I put it?


texts: How to say bathe a dog in British English?

texts:
It seems that "bathe" is used this way only in American English. So, how does one express the same idea in British English?

Thanks for any help.


texts:
I came across these sentences in Oxford Dictionary where it says we can say the sentence 1 but not 2. Sentence 3 was written by me in order to compare.

  She hardly (ever) sees her parents these days.

  She barely sees her parents these days.

  She scarcely sees her parents these days.

I'd like to ask why. My understanding is that the second sentence implies that as if there is a physical obstacle between ( the girl and her parents) them like maybe a long and wide walls so it does not make sense.

I'd like to compare two these sentences so as to make sure I got them right.

For example :

  They hardly do exercise.

( what is your first impression? For example because they don't have time to do exercise etc.)

  They barely do exercise

( If this sentence makes a sense ,what is your first impression? Could you infer from the sentence that they cannot do exercise even though they want because there is a physical problem with their bodies)


texts:
Is there a formal idiom that means "fed up with something"?

I am wondering if there's a formal idiom, because the expression is an informal expression. After doing some research, I found "be sick and tired of", but it's not formal.

  I am fed up with these protests. I have been putting up with these loudmouths who have no respect for the law.


texts:
'Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts,' he blurted out.

  'Really?' said Lupin, looking only mildly interested as he took
  another gulp of potion. 'Some people reckon —'

  Harry hesitated, then plunged recklessly on, 'some people reckon he'd
  do anything to get the Defence Against the Dark Arts job.'

After researches in dictionaries, I found this sense of 'plunge' might fit for the context:

  6. (intr) informal to speculate or gamble recklessly, for high stakes, etc

But I haven't found a reference anywhere about the phrase "plunge on". Can we just remove 'on' from the context: Harry hesitated, then plunged recklessly, ...

What does it mean exactly in this context?


texts: Ellipses and how to decide which part I can omit as an ellipsis

texts:
In English languages Ellipses are very common and widely used. Few are easy to pick up but few others are really hard to get. for non native speakers it's really very hard to pick up a difficult ellipsis.

Picking up ellipses from a given sentence is one thing and deciding when to omit some part as an ellipsis in a sentence while writing is a different ballgame altogether.

Today while writing a sentence I am put into that test.

Please advice me while writing when to correctly omit some part as an ellipsis.

I was writing this sentence -

  The new design of Twitter profile is more of a Facebook profile than (it's been) never before.

I was planning to include "it's been" part as an ellipsis. Please help me out. And I want to know how to decide, so the answer shouldn't be necessarily limited to this particular sentence that I quoted. I want a general approach.

Thanking you in advance.


texts: Meaning of "lazy common sense" in this sentence?

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

Lazy common sense holds that the minority must understand the historical injustice done to Hindus by their ancestors and atone for it.

How would you interpret the phrase "lazy common sense" used at the beginning of it?


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

texts:
I read this passage from my reference book (Neal-S.-Widmer-Gregory-L.-Moss-Ronald-J.-Tocci-Digital-Systems-Pearson-Education-Limited-2017 - Page 28) and there is a word (in bold) which I haven't understand it yet.

  Circuits that can preserve exact voltages are much more complicated
  than digital circuits that simply need to recognize a voltage in one
  of two ranges. Digital circuits are designed to produce output
  voltages that fall within the prescribed 0 and 1 voltage ranges such
  as those defined. Likewise, digital circuits are
  designed to respond predictably to input voltages that are within the
  defined 0 and 1 ranges. What this means is that a digital circuit will
  respond in the same way to all input voltages that fall within the
  allowed 0 range; similarly, it will not distinguish between input
  voltages that lie within the allowed 1 range


texts:
I'm wondering if you could tell me which sentence sounds more natural.

  I'm going to have a job interview with a clothing company today.

  I'm going to have a job interview at a clothing company today.

Thank you!


texts: "hand made" or "handmade" what is formally correct?

texts: I also have a question about using this word: "Katarina Handmade" or "Handmade by Katarina" is the meaning different? What is correct?


texts: What grammar rule is applied in the following sentence: "The drilling platform **to be constructed** is determined based on the depth"

texts:
Could anybody help me out with the sentence I came across in my friend`s test:
The drilling platform to be constructed is determined based on the depth at which drilling must be carried out in a particular oil field.
What grammar rule is applied here when we use "to be constructed"?
I would personally choose the same answer but I can`t figure out how to explain it to my friend. the other options were 1)has been constructed; 2)is constructed


texts:
A negative aspect of the increased dominance of Big Business in the United States is that political ________ might come to center on economic matters, ignoring the larger requirements of civil society. Such society would have lost its perspective, seeing what should be a means to an end--business--as an end in itself; this might lead to excessive competitiveness, individualism, materialism, and _______ in society.

a. parlance
b. discourse
c. bombast
a. impassivity
b. cupidity
c. narcissism

Hi! experts. The answer to the blanks is given (discourse, cupidity) in book source: https://www.amazon.com/Barrons-GRE-Verbal-Workbook-2nd/dp/143800379X 1

If I take parlance and narcissism what will be wrong, can you please explain?
And what does the bold part mean?


texts: "I had never" vs. "I have never" when talking about a first-time event in the past

texts:
Tell me please what is the difference in meaning between the following sentences.

  I had an awful back pain yesterday, and honestly I have never experienced anything like that before.
  I had an awful back pain yesterday, and honestly I had never experienced anything like that before.


texts:
[1 i] Opening day had to be pushed back as the result of a month long labor dispute between owners and players.
[1 ii] Since the library's purchased archives are primarily from large and well-established publishers and vendors, the head of Acquisitions concluded that losing access to content as the result of publisher failure was a small risk.
[2 i] One of his many achievements in a career spanning 60 years was to instigate pollen counts and send reports to the media, as a result of which the pollen count is still included in weather forecasts today.
[2 ii] I think there's no question, because we know as a result of these undercover investigations, as Jane just mentioned, certainly there have been food recalls.
(COCA)

Examples in [1] have definite articles, while [2] indefinite ones. In my eyes, they can be interchangeable, and [2]s need to have the meaning definiteness and have to select ‘the’. But RHD says it, as the result of, is seldom, if ever, used (This dictionary being Korean version, I don’t know the original wording.) What makes the phrase take ‘the’?


texts:
In sentences like:

  The scientists came to realize that they were opening up a worm can.

  I came to understand that he was lying to us all the time.

Can come to mean gradually? I have checked the dictionaries but have not found this sense up to now.


texts:
I need your help. Could you please tell me which one of these is correct?

  A. I'm going out to the garden to pick some beans for it's not
  raining.

  B. I'm going out to the garden to pick some beans while it's not
  raining.

I assume that the first one is correct, because for in this case has the meaning of "due to the fact that".
Please tell me what you think about this. Your answer will be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot in advance.


texts: When can we use "light"as a countable noun?

texts:
I don't know why some native speakers say that "I shone light on his face" is wrong.
They said I had to say "I shone a light on his face" or "I shone the light on his face".


texts: Pronunciation of words that rhyme with "bare"

texts:
I listened to the pronunciation of words containing ar with the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary I have on my computer; in particular, I checked the pronunciation of the following words:

Dare
Care
Mare
Bear
Bare

I noticed that the pronunciation, for example, of bare is reported as /ber/, but the word seems to be pronounced as /beər/. (I hope it's clear what I mean.)

Is that exact, or am I misunderstanding the pronunciation of those words?

Strangely, the pronunciation in British English of those words is shown as containing the /eə/ sound, but I perceive a single sound (maybe prolonged).


texts:
Is the construction We judge excellent the work done by the contractors correct, or should one write instead We judge the work done by the contractors [to be] excellent?

I suppose that the same construction applies to verbs with similar meaning, such as regard or consider. Or are there differences?


texts: Should I say "in the command line" or "on the command line"?

texts:
Many IT workers use command-line utilities nowadays, and may of those utilities have "command-line arguments". I recently wrote the following sentence in an article:

  ... specify the option <option> in the command line.

On a later revision, I felt uneasy with the preposition in the above sentence. I have thought about these two alternatives.

  ... on the command line.

  ... in the command line arguments.

Questions:

Is the first sentence grammatically correct? (with in) Do I need to replace it (to maintain proper English in my writings)?
Are the alternatives I figured out correct and consistent in meaning?


texts: Do they only use accusative in this case?

texts:
a. It’s I.

  b. It’s me.

  “the choice between the cases for a predicative complement noun phrase
  varies according to the style level: the nominative is noticeably
  formal, the accusative is more or less neutral and always used in
  informal contexts.” (CGEL, p.9)

  . . . . . . As for the post-verbal NP in the existential construction,
  pronouns with a nominative-accusative contrast are rare, but where
  they occur they are accusative. In answer to the question Who is there
  who could help her?, one could respond with Well, there’s always me.
  Nominative I does not occur, indicating that the post-verbal NP has
  lost the subject case property. (CGEL, p.241)

Does the account say it, there’s always I, ungrammatical? Or while we can use this; when they say there’s always me they denote that the NP, me, has lost subject-case property?

In who is there who could help her?, the former who is shifted forward from complement place (semantic subject; there is who/ who could help her), the latter who is nominative-relative pronoun. In this syntax, which has the accusative case?


texts: use of "to" and "for" after "it is better"

texts:
is it (under any circumstance) grammatically correct to say:

  It is better "to" students to focus on one major

if it is, what's the difference in meaning with the following structure:

  It is better "for" students to focus on one major


texts: When is auxiliary "do" used in positive declarative sentences?

texts:
Examples:

"I did go home" instead of "I went home".
"We did make some tea" instead of "We made some tea".
"I do listen to future garage music" instead of "I listen to future garage music".

Is it correct?


texts: Is "named" an adjective in this sentence?

texts:
"Let's pretend that this monkey belongs to a girl named Bianca"

In this sentence, could anyone help me identify what sentence instruction is given using "named" in this sentence?

Is 'named' here an adjective?


texts:
I am looking for a replacement to the word attached in:

  “I am attached to my current lifestyle and resist changing it”.

What’s another suitable word I can use?


texts: What conditional to use when something possible in the future would affect something in the future happening afterwards

texts:
Imagine in half a year you want to go to a festival. Imagine you are not vaccinated before that. You want to say that there would be fear because of that.
Which of these is correct?
I assume the first:

I would be scared if I wouldn't have been already vaccinated.
I would have been scared if I haven't been already vaccinated before that.
I would have been scared if I already hadn't been vaccinated.

Not even Grammarly steps in, in these weird mixes.
Could you also explain what is the rationale behind the correct answer?


texts:
What would you choose? And why?

1. Can you descrive how ....?

a. does RAM work?

b. RAM works?

c. is RAM working?

d. has RAM benn working?

I am deciding between A and B. Do I need use "does" or not?

2. Pete ..... at least eight beeers since we came here.

a. drank

b. has drunk

c. drunk

d. has been drinking.


texts:
What does platonic twin mean here?

  I scooped up one of the detached nanoprobes. In reality, the drones mimicked my intentions with their own manipulators, picking up the nanoprobe's platonic twin...Then I jammed it recklessly into Janos's head, into his occipital lobe.

This paragraph is quoted from a short Sci-fi story Dilation Sleep by Alastair Reynolds. In the context, the protagonist was doing a surgery for Janos with the help of the drones and nanoprobe. Because the author didn't mention platonic twin before, I researched the meaning of platonic: (of love or friendship) intimate and affectionate but not sexual. Also I found twin flame: the other half of your soul. Combining these two words together might have something to do with the relationship. I'm guessing this is a coined term to describe a device which supplements the nanoprobe, but I'm not sure.


texts:
Are these sentences correct?

  Peter flew a kite today.

  Peter flew a kite this week.

  Peter flew a kite this morning.

Comments: If Peter flew a kite in the morning, I think in the evening or late afternoon I can say "Peter flew a kite this morning" or "Peter flew a kite today". It is past. But if Peter flew a kite on Monday and Tuesday, I on Thursday say "Peter flew a kite this week", I feel it odd. I think It should be "Peter flew a kite on Monday and Tuesday". Or "Peter has flown a kite this week". Or "Peter is flying a kite", which can imply Peter will fly a kite later in this week.


texts:
What is the metaphorical meaning of “hover between red and black”? I know the literal meaning of every word, but what’s the whole meaning?
This picture is cut out from 00:09:59 of S02E06 of “The House of Cards”.


texts: Where to use the phrase "as small as" in a sentence

texts:
Which one is grammatically better?

The material should be issued in parts as small as possible,

Or

The material should be issued in small parts as possible.


texts: What does "all-in" mean in this context?

texts:
I'm translating an article which is about wearable products (smart watches). I don't know what does all-in mean in the following context:

  If 2014 was the dawn of wearables in the sense that it represents the
  largest inroads made for a new product category, then I hope 2015 will
  be the year that really prompts me to really go all-in with the
  technology.

I searched about all-in, but I think all-in in above context is different.


texts:
I have following sentence:

  If Jonas Salk hadn’t discovered a cure for polio in 1952, millions of people couldn’t have been spared from this disease

My teacher said that "couldn’t" sounds bad here and I need to use "wouldn’t", but, unfortunately, she wasn't able to argue that well enough. Can somebody explain me, please, why do I need to use "couldn’t" here?


texts:
In drama movie Bombshell (2019), Fox CEO Roger Ailes questions Megan Kelly about how she upset Donald Trump:

Megyn Kelly: Roger, we had a full-screen of Ivana's recantation. Which
is soft.
Roger Ailes: She accused him during a divorce.
Megyn Kelly: Well, his lawyer, Michael Cohen, claims you can't rape a
spouse.  It pissed me off.

What does "soft" mean? I assume it means weak or in this context not convincing.


texts:
I wrote:

  When some grate bars are displaced, bent or broken, shadows are increased.

Did I use the verb forms correctly? Did I use commas correctly?


texts:
I wrote this sentence and my teacher underlined it as a mistake because I didn’t add a verb before the preposition “through”

  Children through getting exposure to media and listening to daily news can determine what the wrong and right things are.

My teacher told me to put a verb following children, and he referred to the mistake as a sentence structure.

Why should I put a verb before through?


texts:
In these following sentences, which one is grammatically correct?

  Where did you go?
  Where were you go?

Thank you.


texts: What can I say to my boss when I haven't got pay

texts:
When I haven't got pay, can I say to my boss

  You still don't pay

is this correct?
Please tell me what I can say.


texts:
Someone said to me, "We basically literally did." What were they trying to express to me?

Also, can basically and literally be used in the same sentence?

My points to my language partner:

Literally is an exaggeration and basically is a simplification
Exaggerations do not go with simplifications as a general rule of
language
Basically and literally cannot coexist at their core definitions

My language partners' point:

Colloquially they are be used together
It's slang use


texts: "Walking around with a fork in a mouth", "Don't walk around with a fork in your mouth". Do these sentences make sense?

texts:
Is there any verb describing "hold a fork in one's mouth"? I'm actually not even sure whether "hold a fork in one's mouth" is right. I just want to say "Walking around with a fork in a mouth", or "Don't walk around with a fork in one's mouth" more simply with a verb.

Have a nice day, guys.


texts:
Direct speech:"You might post these for me",he said.

Indirect speech(book answer): He requested me to post them for him.

I have two doubt here. first can we use might as request and second doubt is that i think there should be those instead of them. Because we change these into change those while converting it into indirect sentence.


texts:
I saw that he thought the information was important, and to my suggestion that we put an additional lock on the east wing door he opposed a strong negative.

I thought the above expression somehow odd.

Is it a natural expression in English?


texts: We all know there is a word 'anymore' in English. But is 'somemore' or 'severalmore' exist in English? Why or why not?


texts:
If I want to convey A is irrelevant to B, and A is irrelevant to C.
Should I say:

A is irrelevant to B or C.

Or

A is irrelevant to B nor C.

Or any other expressions?


texts: 'Only by defending against threats WILL YOU be able to carry out your strategies' - Position of "will"

texts:
I saw this sentence and thought shouldn't "will" be placed after "You" instead of before it?

  Only by defending against your opponent's threats will you be able to successfully carry out your own strategies.


texts: Is the suffix dot in "Mr." optional or required?

texts:
I am pretty sure I am aware of the meaning of "Mr.", which is a title used before the family name or full name in of a man who has no other title, or when talking to man who holds a particular official position.

source: Cambridge Dictionary

However, the usage of "Mr." or "Mr" confuses me a bit, that is whether the suffix dot "." in "Mr." is
 optional or required.

I see both two forms are commonly used, Google Ngram shows that the former is more commonly used than the latter.

even Cambridge Dictionary uses both of them.

  Good afternoon, Mr Dawson.

  I’m afraid I can’t agree with what’s just been said, Mr. Chairman

Is it a matter of AmE vs. BrE or just something about style?


texts:
does "already" refers to a time before the present? does it means in the previous articles?

  The investigation was held, but the results were negative. In an
  appended note to the doctors' report in the New York Tribune, the
  editor (Horace Greeley) observes: The doctors, as has already
  appeared in our columns, commenced with the assumption that the
  origin of the "rapping" sounds must be physical, and their primary
  cause the volition of the ladies aforesaid—in short, that these ladies
  were "The Rochester impostors." They appear, therefore, in the above
  statement, as the prosecutors of an impeachment, and ought to have
  selected other persons as judges and reporters of the trial . It is
  quite probable that we shall have another version of the matter.

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


texts: Which fits better "noise" or "sound" and why?

texts:
The question I earlier asked created further confusion for me. Some suggested using neither sound nor noise in that sentence, but what if I were to say this,

  I lived in the war-torn country, Syria, where the constant (sounds/noises) of
  explosions and gunshots were a norm.