texts: Question about difference between "were taken" and "were being taken" in the following piece of news

texts:
The women abducted from the village were being taken to the ISIS-controlled northern cities of Mosul and Tal Afar, the official said.

Should it have been written like:
The women abducted from the village were taken to the ISIS-controlled northern cities of Mosul and Tal Afar, the official said.

What the difference might be in meaning or grammar?


texts: What do you call a syllable that makes a snake-like sound?

texts:
I am thinking there's a word or an adjective for syllables that makes snake-like sounds, I don't know if a syllable that contain the letter s qualifies, or if it restricted to a very few syllables, but I think there's a word for it, but I don't remember what it was.

For example:

  The poem had a lot of ___ syllables.


texts:
In these two sentences–

  It is through advertisements that we are informed of new products and events.

  ...we are also reminded by advertisements to save for the future and spend wisely, subtly but just as often.

What's the difference between by and through in these sentences? Why can by not be used in the first one and through in the second?


texts: Are these question correct? Is there any difference?

texts:
Why you say yes?
  Why you did say yes?
  Why you said yes?
  Why not say yes?


texts: "within walking distance to" vs "within walking distance of"

texts:
Is this hotel within walking distance to the city centre?

Is this hotel within walking distance of the city centre?

Which one to use?


texts: Should I use "whether or not" or "whether" in this sentence?

texts:
Should I use "whether or not" or just "whether" in following sentence? Which one is correct?

  I kept contemplating whether or not to sell my stock position.

OR

  I kept contemplating whether to sell my stock position.


texts: Which of these sentences with "coerced into playing" are correct?

texts:
I am coerced into playing along with him
If he comes, I will have to be coerced into playing
I am to be coerced into playing

Can I use those sentences above? Are those grammatically correct?
Found some sentences online which are probably correct...

The maid coerced her famous employer into paying her an exorbitant sum of money.
It took a lot of treats to coerce the cat into her carrier for a trip to the vet.
I don’t think anybody should be coerced into leaving.


texts: What do you call a medicine that takes signicantly more time after intake to be effective?

texts: I was thinking of "late onset medicine", but I am not sure if this is the term that would be used, and I am wondering if there are any other term that may be more correct or appropriate.


texts: "Have you seen the movie" vs "Have you ever seen the movie"

texts:
Consider these

  Have you seen the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?

  Have you ever seen the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?

Do they mean the same thing? A native speaker told me the latter is more natural. Why?


texts: just(recently) + present perfect or simple past

texts: I heard many people saying "he just left the room", but I read that just(recently) is used with present perfect. So are people just omitting has?


texts: "mean the same" vs. "mean the same thing"

texts:
In one of my posts (Are "beaten" and "punched" interchangeable in some situations?) I said

  "Alice was beaten to death."

  "Alice was punched to death."

  Do they mean the same?

I found lots of learners use the same expression, e.g. "Do the two clauses mean the same?", "Do these two sentences mean the same?", "they mean the same or not?", etc.

I also found lots of answerers use expressions like "mean the same thing", which has an extra "thing". For example, a nice answer says

  "defined as" and "defined to be" both mean the same thing ...

Is that extra "thing" optional or necessary? In other words, are "mean the same" and "mean the same thing" interchangeable in any cases?


texts:
As a musical experience, Eddie Howlloway Live at the Silver Lounge was
  a jolt. Two songs, originals, were vehicles for Eddie to describe,
  simply and sincerely, his enormous lovemaking abilities. These didn't
  interest me except as examples of fine lyrics and vocal delivery.
  Three other originals, however, provoked me in other ways. These not
  only referred to me by name, but described my lifestyle ("dull as a
  mole in his dark hole"), career ("he strikes a pose, this writer of
  indifferent prose"), and way with women ("slick and insincere, don't
  let him call you dear") in outrageous terms. Here then was another
  artist who, like Kelly, was able and willing to insert personal notes
  about me and girlfriend into his music, to make a point. But while
  Kelly's personal references were true, as I myself had verified,
  Eddie's were false as could be. Both artists, however, were true song
  stylists who succeeded in making genuine music. I couldn't overlook
  that, for all my personal involvement in their sounds.

  The dangerous singers by Michael Fowler

Why is the possessive pronoun 'my' omitted in front of girlfriend here? Does it sound colloquial?


texts: What does the word "status" in this text mean when saying "legal status"?

texts:
The 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was enacted because the earlier Federal Food and Drugs Act of 1906 was not worded strictly enough and did not include cosmetics. Two important concepts introduced in this new act were adulteration and misbranding. For example, false or exaggerated claims commonly were placed on new drug labels and often misled the consumer. This was considered misbranding. All controlled substances were required to be labeled “Warning: May be habit forming.” This act also provided the legal status for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Adulteration deals with the preparation and/or storage of a medication. Mishandling of the food or drug may cause injury or even death to a consumer. This act described the exact labeling for products and defined misbranding and adulteration as being illegal. The new law also required drug companies to include package inserts and directions to the consumer regarding safe use (see more information under the section titled.

Does it mean rank , position of FDA ?


texts: one minute wide-flung - meaning in the context?

texts:
Reading another great story from Clark Ashton Smith, I would like to clarify the following (for the context, Melchior is an amateur astronomer).

In especial, Melchior was drawn by one minute wide-flung constellation
south of the Milky Way.

WHat exactly does the one minute wide-flung part mean? I guess "minute" here could be used as an adjective but that still does not help me with understanding it precisely. I guess "minute" here is not meant in terms of degrees, as one would be probably too few.


texts:
I know that we use much in questions and negative clauses. If so, is this sentence correct ? I can't see neither negative nor question in this sentence .

  "Despite the fact that Senegal has had much importance in African
  politics since its independence,it's strategic position has been of no
  significance"


texts: "BC" (Before Christ) placed before the date to which it is referred to

texts:
BC, Function: abbreviation, 1 before Christ —often printed in small capitals and often punctuated (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Searching on Google Books I verified, or, at least, I perceived the idea, that the cases in which "BC" came before the date are rather rare respect to the cases where it came after, especially observing reliable sources. Instead results show that "AD" position is  more variable.

Obviousily I cannot show precise data because it is not simple to operate sistematic researches with "BC" and "AD". They are little words, abbreviations, rather common in books and, sometimes, with other meanings.

An example, among others, of "BC" placed before date: "Egypt: From the Earliest Times to B. C. 300".

Question is: Is it legal placing "BC" before the date? Or, is it a matter of style and of editorial choices?


texts:
What does playing for bragging rights mean in English and is it common and understood in everyday speech by all people?
I have found some dictionary definitions, but I couldn't understand its precise meaning. I wonder if you could help me to realize what does it exactly mean?

Example:

  Do you play for money, bragging rights, or other? [Source]


texts:
Is the below sentence is correct?

  "This home loan which I was paying is closed now. It was closed on 31st Aug 2015. I am no more paying EMIs for it now."

In above sentence "It was closed on 31st Aug 2015" is correct to use?

Does it have two meanings?

  a) It was closed on 31st Aug 2015 (Status)
  b) It was closed by me on 31st Aug 2015 (Passive Voice)

Please Help.


texts:
Suppose there were three people attended an interview test, Ronald, Anthony and Kevin.
A few days later, Ronald talks about the test to his friend Jason.

You could feel the tension in the room as we waited for our test scores.

The phrase "the tension in the room" seems to imply Ronald was not the only one getting that feeling.
In fact, other two attendees probably didn't feel tense.
No matter other two attendees felt tension in that room, Ronald thinks others got, so, he was not the only one.
From an ELL post

(feel the tension) is an environmental observation that could be ones personal concern or also the concern of others

I guess "environmental observation" is different wording with the same meaning to my understanding for this particular situation.
Is my understanding correct?

The example is adapted from the Cambridge Dictionary


texts: Use of pronoun with 'this/that' and possessive

texts:
Do we ever say:

  His this answer is right.

I've read in grammar books that we say:

  This answer of his.

So, it should be:

  This answer of his is right.

Which one is correct?

Secondly, do we use the following structure?

  This answer of him is correct.


texts:
How do you like this hat? (RHD)

The example’s ‘how’ is included in the denotation of ‘to what extent or degree’ (here, adverb how#2 in its online version). But when I look up Cambridge, it seems to be ‘used when asking someone for an opinion.’ OALD also seems to have the opinion as in: How did you like Japan (= did you find it pleasant)? In OALD, ‘like’ having this meaning, to find something pleasant, ‘how’ seems to be that it’s a kind of dummy - pleonastic? I don't find proper words - word: I mean, without ‘how’ it can make sense.
It’s very difficult to understand the ‘how,’ so I asked the Korean interpretation to a Korean language institute - I asked about this sentence: “How do you like this dress?” (Of course, it was Korean sentence - 어떻게 이 옷 마음에 들어?” not English -- it's not a place for asking foreign languages, only for my own tongue, so it would not be directly applied -- I tried this to understand the how indirectly from my language for I don’t understand the how in English way.). They say the Korean ‘how’ (어떻게) in the case is a kind of interjection, used colloquially. When I interpret the example from RHD, based on the institute’s Korean word explanation, I guess it would be making sense in English, too. I’m afraid if I could deliver what I think well, but what do you think of the ‘how’?


texts:
Write down during the interview as the person is speaking versus at
  the end of the interview

In the example above, what does "versus" mean? Does it mean "write down not only during the person is speaking, but also after the end of the interview"?


texts:
I have a sentence as follows:

  For everyone who reads and applies the Bible, there will be one more of happy people in the world.

What does "for" mean? At first I think it means "because", but if so, it's nonsense in this sentence. Can you explain it?


texts: "Bros." pronunciation: "brothers", /bɹɒs/, or plural of "bro"?

texts:
I know that the slang word "bro" is /bɹoʊz/ or /bɹʌz/ in plural.

Then there are groups like Moss Bros. or a band called Bros that people do use /bɹɒs/.

People I see when I Google search this have said that they prefer to pronounce "Bros." in full form.

What's the use consensus?


texts: Is choosing to use "which" in this sentence wrong?

texts:
In an adjective clause with relative pronouns exercise,

  However, in the acknowledgment,_________ the author has more room,
  everyone from reference librarians  to proofreaders is thanked.

I chose which. The professor said it was wrong and should have been where. Now I know that it is more correct to use where since we are metaphorically talking about a place, which is the acknowledgment, that the author has more room in. But I don't feel that it is completely incorrect to have chosen which. Am I wrong?


texts: "Pretty to see, hard to catch". Vs. "pretty to be seen, hard to be caught

texts:
A girl should be like a butterfly. Pretty to see, hard to catch.

I want to know how this could be?

-Pretty to see (someone) or to be see (by someone), or hard to be caught instead of hard to catch.

I think "pretty to be seen" and "hard to be caught" are more grammatical.

Because if we said that is pretty to see, that would mean if she is not beautiful, or ugly, she would not be able to see.


texts:
He was not supposed to do that.

'Supposed' is a Participial Adjective then how 'to do that' Infinitive clause is working here.
It doesn't look like a catenative structure too.
And how is 'supposed' a Participial Adjective not a passive structure of simple past Tense?


texts:
I feel when we use "comma + which", the clause right before "comma" can act as a subject or object of the clause after "which". so I made 5 sentences to make sure I understand right.

  I get up late, which I feel I have to fix.

I get up late is a object of "fix".

  I eat a fruit every morning, which I think is really great for my health.

I eat a fruit every morning is a subject of "is".

  I drink a cup of coffee once I finish eating lunch, which I think makes me more productive.

I drink a cup of coffee once I finish eating lunch is a subject of "makes".

  My girlfriend is a vegetarian, which is what I like about her.

My girlfriend is a vegetarian is a subject of "is".

  My girlfriend is a vegetarian, which I like about my girlfriend.

My girlfriend is a vegetarian is an object of "like".

Am I right to think this way?


texts: How to alert the user that they might delete sensitive data?

texts:
This is the pop-up message that shows up if the user decides to delete sensitive data. Could it be better phrased?

  WARNING!

  You are about to delete sensitive data in background.  In this mode, any filtering or
  individual selection from the list will be IGNORED.  Only the
  parameters from the previous selection screen are passed for deletion.

Context: the user is deleting data selected from the previous selection screen; however, an ALV grid is displayed where users can make selections. This selection will be ignored and everything from the ALV gets deleted.


texts:
One of the buttons on the remote control isn't working.

  The button can't be press.

  The button can't be press down.

"Press" and "Press down" are the same? Is it the verb that can omit?


texts:
I have received an email with wishes for Merry Christmas and other information from my employer. I want to know if it is correct to respond in this way:

  Thank you for the information, Merry Christmas to you, too.


texts: What would be the most common one word or phrase to describe the name of a group that people work in a business organization?

texts:
I work in a research institute where we have operation groups called in many different names such as Office, Branch Office, Group, Unit, Center, Division, Department, Project Team, Section, etc.
I'm now drafting a kind of questionnaire asking everyone in the organization to answer it, and one of the entry items included in it is "Your xxxxxx: ___________."
In the blank, I would like the answers to write the name of the group they belong to, and what I'm looking for is a word or phrase that could best fit in the "xxxxxx" part. Is there any such one word or phrase? One of my colleagues has suggested "Affiliation." Do you agree?


texts:
10 is subtracted by 3
Can ‘10 minus 3’ be interchanged by ‘10 with the subtraction of 3’?
https://www.lexico.com/definition/minus
Is Lexico wrong? The other dictionaries says ‘deducted by’ and so on


texts:
Good website copywriting is honest, even when it means comparing yourself to the rest. If you’re going to compare your company, product or service to the competition, you need to be honest. Naturally you want to mention the differences that put you ahead of the competition, but don’t short change the competition or make up negatives they really don’t have—that tells the reader they can’t trust what you have to say.Source: expresswriters.com, 11 Website Copywriting Secrets (That We Will Tell), #10

What does "short change" mean in the context above?


texts: I have confused that is this meaning the same? "How do I (verb)" and "How can I (verb)"

texts:
is this meaning the same?

"How do I (verb)" and "How can I (verb)".


texts:
For all the ease in Carpenter’s response, Philbin might as well have
  told him that for a million dollars, he’d need to state his own name
  aloud or calculate the sum of one and one.

I know "might as well" is used to suggest doing something, often when there is nothing better to do.[1]

But I think "might" belongs to the structure "might + have + past participle"
And we can rewrite the sentence in this way:

  Carpenter answered so easily, as if Philbin might have told him that for
  a million dollars, he’d need to state his own name aloud or calculate the sum of one and one.

But I am not sure, so could you tell me what the meaning of the sentence above is?

The fuller text is:

  Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is one of the most successful TV game
  shows in history. It’s also an excellent place to watch people grapple
  with disfluency— the experience of struggling to make sense of
  information. The show has more than a hundred international variants,
  but in each case contestants answer trivia questions that become
  increasingly difficult as they’re worth larger sums of money. Two of
  the U.S. show’s most famous contestants are John Carpenter and Ogi
  Ogas, who both walked away with impressive winnings. On November 19,
  1999, Carpenter became the first contestant to win $1 million on the
  U.S. show. For the million-dollar question the show’s host Regis
  Philbin asked Carpenter which one of the following presidents appeared
  on the television show Laugh-In: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy
  Carter, or Gerald Ford. Carpenter smiled briefly [...]

  [then said] the U.S. president that appeared on Laugh-In is Richard
  Nixon. That’s my final answer.Carpenter was right, and he’d known the
  answer from the second he saw the question. The smirk that briefly
  crossed his face was the hallmark of fluent— smooth and
  effortless—mental processing. A small space in his longterm memory
  bank housed the link between Richard Nixon and Laugh-In, and the
  answer appeared to him without demanding much mental effort. For all
  the ease in Carpenter’s response, Philbin might as well have told him
  that for a million dollars, he’d need to state his own name aloud or
  calculate the sum of one and one.  (Drunk Tank Pink by Adam Alter)

[1]https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/may-might-as-well


texts:
Is "I do, so shall you" correct English? I feel like so, but when I google, I cannot find similar sentences, all I found are "as you sow, so shall you reap", but I try to see if the verb can be omitted if they are the same.

I'm not sure mainly because I'm not sure if "shall" can be used without a verb following.


texts:
Are you seeing anyone?
1: No way!   2: As if!

Did you read my diaries?
3: No way!   4: As if!

Do all of the answers sounds natural?
If not, which ones are natural and/or weird
and what is the difference between the two?


texts:
My English learner app said "a bit of toothpaste" was wrong but didn't say the reason.
Could you please tell me why?

The app test goes like this.

Choose the correct one:
a bit of ______

A)information
B)toothpaste

Then only A is the right answer.
I feel both are right.


texts:
I would like to check the use of a comma in a report I am checking.
Should the sentence (simplified) be:

In the tower, there is something of interest.
In the tower there is something of interest.
In the tower; there is something of interest.

Thanks in advance


texts: Can I use "to talked" in this situtation?

texts:
My mother called me every night to talked with me and encouraged me.

Can I use to talked in this sentence?


texts: Meaning of "prostrate bowed but not believing"

texts:
I struggle to understand this line in G. Hansard's song Bird of Sorrow:

  You prostrate bowed but not believing

Can you please help?


texts:
I’m twice your age. (Oxford Dictionaries)

It looks like ‘twice’ is a preposition to me, yet it’s an adverb. On what procedure do you think in your brain, can this be an adverb?


texts: what's the meaning of "kicked off" in this paragraph

texts:
Battles between British troops and colonial
militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775
kicked off the armed conflict, and by the following
summer, the rebels were conducting a full-scale war
for their independence


texts: what does "to riff" mean in this context?

texts:
Two players were playing a chess game. One play voiced "it looks ominous" after playing a move that he thought was brilliant. The other player responded "riffing".

What does the verb, to riff, or the adjective, riffing, mean in this context ?

Was it used more similar to "gloating", "babbling" or something else ?
Or was it a typo ?

Merriam-Webster only has the following two definitions for the verb to riff, and neither seems fitting in this context.

  1.to perform, deliver, or make use of a riff

  2.to riffle, skim


texts:
A paragraph from the New York Times article:

Some researchers hypothesize, that there might be a specific part of the brain that is devoted to the doing of taxonomy. Without the power to order and name life, a person simply does not know how to live in the world, how to understand it. How to tell the carrot from the cat-which to grate and which to pet? To order and name life is to have a sense of the world around, and as a result, what one's place is in it

Regarding the text in bold, what does this sentence try to convey? Tell the carrot? And why from the cat? Does the author personalize them? Please help me understand it.


texts: What + sb + verb + [be (in the appropriate tense)] is followed by to + infinitive or a gerund?

texts: When we have a sentence of the form: What + sb + verb + [be (in the appropriate tense)] + ... (for instance, what I like is ...), which rules do we have to apply to determine whether the sentence is followed by to + infinitive or a gerund? Are these rules the same ones that we use when deciding if the verb is followed by to + infinitive or a gerund?


texts: How is the "'s" related to the death of a person or of an animal

texts:
"Camel hair" is, among other things, the hair of a camel.

Since we talk about "sheep's wool" or "lamb's wool", why don't we use the "'s" after camel in the case above?

Perhaps some historical reason might exist, but, as a not native of English language I'm wondering if I have to learn all the cases in reference to any specific animal or if there exists some guidance, if not some rule, helping to understand this problem.

For example, if the separation of an animal's part implies its death, can I be sure that the "'s" has to be dropped, as in the case of "calf skin"?

If this is a real rule, could we extend it to human beings? For example, if one—a doctor, for example—talks about my heart, after my death, should s/he say "Carlo's heart" or "Carlo heart"?


texts:
I recognise that etymology question are discouraged here, but I'm only asking about English herein.

  Etymonline: 1560s, "base supporting a column, statue, etc.," from Middle French piédestal (1540s), from Italian piedistallo "base of a pillar," from pie "foot" + di "of" + stallo "stall, place, seat," from a Germanic source (see stall (n.1)).

My English is very basic, so I don't understand all those explanations in the link for stall. Which modern definition of stall fits? How do you determine/deduce this? Please explain the steps or thought processes; I’d like to try to resolve this myself in the future?


texts:
Hello  I just wanted to know which expression is correct

Example

  I need to compress a document.

  Q: PDF or word?

  A1: both of them
  A2: any of them

Which answer is correct?

UPDATE, based on comment:

  My questions seems to be a conversation, so the hypothetical person is asking PDF or word? And I am replying both of them or any of them...my questions refers to the correct answer ( both of them or any of them)


texts: Would rather +( present simple or past simple)

texts:
John would rather that you not call me tomorrow .

John would rather that you will no call me tomorrow .

Which is the correct sentence and the explanation.....


texts:
Which one is correct:

During the same trip, the couple ( a guy and a girl) has also visited Venice.
During the same trip, the couple ( a guy and a girl) visited Venice.

Thank you.


texts: Can "passed on" be an alternative for "passed since"?

texts:
I want to write the following for shortening and for translation accuracy from

  Do you know how many years have been passed since your existence?

to

  Do you know how many years have been passed on you?

Would the latter be a valid equivalent for the former? Because it is not correct to say/write:

  Do you know how many years have been passed since you?

According to my search, I found the verb "pass" come with from and since in this specific meaning but not with on except if the meaning would be: give, refuse, or die.


texts: Why do people say "I like" not "I like it" when they like something?

texts:
Why do some people say "I like" not "I like it" when they like something? I have seen that on the internet and in person. Is it even grammatical?

Edit:

Editing by request
I have heard that bare "I like" as comments when they see something they think is nice they say "I like" and I have seen it on Facebook in pic comments someone would write a comments just saying " I like" also on informative postings.
I hope this edition helps figuring this out.


texts:
It doesn't matter what obstacles you face in life, Sarah, and no matter what, you've got to reach your goals.

I added 'and no matter what' as it considered a comma splice without it- although when you read it out it sounds fine.

It doesn't matter what obstacles you face in life, Sarah, you've got to reach your goals.

Use a pair of bracketing commas to set off a weak interruption which could be removed from the sentence without destroying it.


texts: "The question is that" vs. "The question is"

texts:
In my other post (Is "complete list" idiomatic?), I said

  The question is, is "complete list" also idiomatic?

In another post ("to write things with" vs. "to write things"), I said

  The question is that, is it more idiomatic or natural when using the preposition with?

I've also found lots of people use these expressions.

I guess both are "that" clause, the former omits the word "that".

Are both grammatical and idiomatic?

How about this one?

  I am aware of the usage of ... The question is the tense.

I guess the 3rd way I propose the question would be probably grammatical and idiomatic.


texts: What is the adjective/verb describing someone who is repeatedly explaining itself in an argument when rest of the people already got the point

texts:
I don't remember if it is adjective describing a person or action, but I had come across an adjective describing someone who is constantly reapiting itself when trying expalining something. It occures often in heated argument.
Edit.1:
It might have been a verb actually. It describes someone or something when one person is in argument and start explaining itself over and over again, when rest on the involved people already got the point.


texts:
In this article the author writes that

If the an individual is at a higher risk for having HIV than a randomly sampled person from the population considered, how, if at all, would you expect P(Person tested has HIV ∣ ELISA is positive) to change?

I thought it would just be a typo but in the preceding text it appears again:

If the an individual is at a higher risk for having HIV than a randomly sampled person from the population considered, ...

I wonder if it is grammatical?


texts: "No sooner had ... than" and "No sooner did ... than"

texts:
Are both of the following sentences grammatically correct?

  No sooner had the committee made the announcement than everyone started complaining
  No sooner did the committee made the announcement than everyone started complaining


texts: Essential/Non essential usage (difference in examples)

texts:
Use commas around a “nonessential clause,” which is material that is extra information and does not change the meaning of the sentence when taken out.

My brother, who is single, lives in New York City. (nonessential)

My brother who is single lives in New York City. (essential) (why?)

Does this mean it's your choice whether you think the information is essential or non-essential? What is the difference between this usage and the below example which states the indentifier of the sentence may prompt the usage of commas.

https://awc.ashford.edu/grammar-punctuation-commas.html

If the parenthetical element in the sentence is closely identified with the subject the comma may not be necessary.

His wife Jill was a high flyer in the city.

Jill, his wife, was a high flyer in the city.

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_06.htm


texts: Is it possible to combine two sentences structured like this: if A then B. if no A then no B

texts:
The following two sentences seem redundant. How do I combine them into a single sentence?

Shortcomings are actually valuable opportunities that enable you to explore your potentials.
Without shortcomings, you may not be able to find these valuable opportunities.


texts:
Is there a context where diabolic is not a synonym of diabolical, or vice versa?

Diabolic's definition:
adj. Showing wickedness typical of a devil.
Diabolical's definiton
adj. Of, concerning, or characteristic of the devil; satanic.

Diversely from diabolical, diabolic's definition seems to be more strictly related to the Devil or his likeness, as, for example, in "the diabolic glamour of Nazism", I think.


texts: Cyberbullying means bullying that "takes" place using electronic technology

texts: I don't know why the need to use 'takes" and not "take"? Can somebody tell me why??


texts:
"By way of information"

What does it mean? Is it correct for a formal letter?


texts: Why is one article used for two nouns and why is it the definite article?

texts:
Clara first bought the five-room house, including the kitchen and bathroom, for $3,000 in 1994. (source)

This is the first time ever the article mentions the house's kitchen and bathroom, so shouldn't both be preceded by indefinite articles? Why does the definite article occur here and why is there only one of it?

I thought a sensible sentence should look like:

  Clara first bought the five-room house, including a kitchen and a bathroom, for $3,000 in 1994.


texts: There {is/are} a car and a bicycle in the yard

texts:
Which of these sentences is correct? and why?

  There is a car and a bicycle in the yard.

  There are a car and a bicycle in the yard.

Which of these should be used in an academic essay?


texts: {past tense verb} [optional adverb] is... - what is this grammar?

texts:
I came across with this sentence

Located on the Trusted Server is a private key named Certificate Authority (CA)

I guess it's another way to say something like: "The thing that is located on the Trusted Server is a private key named Certificate Authority (CA)"
Am I right? and how do I call this kind of grammar?


texts: "I know for sure" or "I know it for sure"?

texts:
Tell please which sentence is correct.

  I know for sure that he is right.

  I know it for sure that he is right.


texts: If it was not for vs If it hadn't been for

texts:
1

  If it was not for Vivian, the conference wouldn't  be  going ahead.

2

  If it hadn't been for Dad, I wouldn't have gone to college.

I know the second sentence indicates a time in the past but what about the first sentence?


texts: Could I use (how) instead of(what) in the sentence?

texts: Well,can you imagine how the world would look like if nobody took out the trash?


texts: Can we use "Verb + ed" for future tense?

texts:
Why Can't we use Verb+ed to tell future?
Example:

If he changed this in the future, his future will be xyz.

If suppose by mistake I changed this software code, will the employee get more salary next month?
Is above sentence construction is correct?


texts:
I read a sentence in a chapter named "The Last Lesson" which was:

And I? I have been to blame also.

I don't know what difference it makes to use "have been" instead of "am". Could anyone tell me?


texts:
I'm writing an ielts writing task 1 essay. It's about the expenditure in Million Pounds on fast food items by income groups in the UK and I have 3 items which are hamburger, fish&chips and pizza. Do I need an article for these items?

For example :

  More than 40 million pounds spent for hamburger by people who had high
  income.


texts: How to tell someone that the boss told me to tell them to call the boss?

texts:
The situation is my boss said to me to inform Person1 to call the boss.

  He said to me that he wants you to call him.

Is this correct? Or can say like

  He wants you to call me.

I prefer to avoid report speech.


texts: 'An avalanche of mail'? - it should be 'mails', shouldn't it?

texts:
I came across this example on WordWeb while going through the meaning of the word 'avalanche'.

  the program brought an avalanche of mail (Just like "a group of man men").

I'm quite sure it should be mails. Kindly confirm.


texts:
I have a sentence with a gap :

  I have experience ___.

A.for  planning

B.planning

C.with planning

D.on planning smth

Could anyone advise me what to put into the gap, please. All four options sound natural for me and I can not find any rules with regard to task. I suspect that the choice strongly depends on the context. Is it so?


texts:
In CAGIU, we read:

  "We can use the present simple in phrases such as It says here, I hear, I gather, I see, I understand and They say, (Someone) says, (Someone) tells me to introduce news that we have heard, read, seen (e.g. on television), or been told."

Then, it provides the following example which made me ask this question:

  "Professor Hendricks is at the conference and I hear she's an excellent speaker."

If I saw that sentence somewhere else, I would understood it as below:

I am at the conference and I hear people saying she's an excellent speaker.

Would you please shed some light on this sentence?


texts: What does this mean: "The more you fence in Iran, the harder it will be for the rest of the world"

texts:
I'm trying to understand the English in this article (bolding mine):

“I think it was a genius action from Lula da Silva” said Mujica in an interview with the Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo, when he argued it was a “gross mistake” of the international community to isolate Ahmadinejad.
“The more you fence in Iran, so much harder it will be for the rest of the world. What Lula da Silva is doing is something which I consider simply brilliant. Life has taught me that you can’t surround, fence in someone. It’s a mistake. This forces the other side to react, to fight back…The world does not need any more wars. It needs solutions, ways out to this kind of situations”, underlined the former guerrilla leader.

What does the sentence mean, The more you fence in Iran, so much harder it will be for the rest of the world.? I guess to fence in means to isolate? But as for the second part, so much harder it will be, what is it that is harder?


texts: How do you use tenses with the word "after" sensibly: which combos of tenses work and which do not?

texts:
No context is required, it’s just a normal question about using the word after. For instance, here are some easy sentences:

After he finishes his work, he will go for a walk.
After he finished his work, he would eat something.
After he has finished his work, he went shopping.

I’m not sure which tense I should use after the word after, and I thought I couldn’t use past tense as in the second example.


texts: Does “prevalent” have a negative connotation?

texts:
Here is the definition of prevalent from Cambridge:

Prevalent: existing a lot in a particular group, area, or at a
particular time:

It doesn't tell anything about the connotation of the word. But in many examples it collocates with negative things. For example:

These diseases are more prevalent among young children.

In many examples I see that prevalent collocates with a kind of disease. But suppose the following example:

... It is a point of view which is still prevalent.

When we use prevalent for something like an Idea, does the reader think of a sort of negative idea? I just want to say that this idea is very common, without any judgment!


texts: "John Brown has died" - why is this tense used?

texts:
Whenever I see information about someone's recent death (usually well known, if this makes a difference), the expression used is

  John Doe has died.

Why is this tense used? What about the alternatives

John Doe died.
John Doe is dead.


texts:
What phrase, verb or phrasal verb do you use for describing a situation where someone takes someone's job with guile? Can use the phrasal verb get out? For example:

  The sly employee get his boss out of the posision and now he is the boss.


texts: What's the meaning of 'stopover' here? (movie dialogue, "The Defiant Ones", 1958)

texts:
Several lines of dialogue from the movie "The Defiant Ones" (1958):

  Somebody gotta fix them cars.
  Let somebody else fix them cars. Me? I wanna drive 'em!
  You gotta buy 'em first.
  On a buck-eighty an hour? That's just a stopover for a second-hand Chevy. Nah, not for me. I got smart. You're a maker or a taker. Me, I'm a taker.

Now, a stopover is "a short interruption in a journey or the place visited during such an interruption", according to Wiktionary. There seems to be no slang meaning.

From the context, he seems to mean "that's just enough to buy a second-hand Chevy". Why stopover then?

Or is it that he means "That's just half-way enough to buy a second-hand Chevy"?

In that case, it was the preposition for that beguiled me. Had there been to in its place, it would've been clearer to me: "That's just a half-way to buying a second-hand Chevy".


texts: How to find short mystery stories not whodunit or supernatural?

texts: I am teaching my student in Japan- she is quite advanced and has lived in England for 3 years but she is 8 years old - and she like mystery stories. I can find many stories that start with a crime- and so far she likes what I have found but I would like more choices. Examples are Jonathan Creek, some Biggles stories. What should I search for? Her supernatural preferences are probably too specific to find examples such as Chinese zombies.


texts:
I was told this would probably be the most suitable forum for this question.

I found this analogy here.  The correct answer is supposedly D, but I don't understand why.  My reasoning went like this:  meaning-wise, both punish and berate are members of the "misdeeds" family.  Before you get punished, you most likely get berated (scolded).  My thought was C. would be the right answer, because both those words are in the same family, meaning-wise (both mean to do an action that takes you up off the floor/ground).  It wouldn't have been my favorite answer, if there had been a better one.

Can anyone explain why D. is the right answer?

  Punish is to berate as

  A.  leafy is to green
  B.  deep is to ocean
  C.  jump is to leap
  D.  soak is to dampen
  E.  hike is to trek


texts:
I just know chatter is something related to talking.

  Counter-terrorism police in Sydney have arrested two men, charging one with possession of documents designed to facilitate a terrorist attack. The arrests were related to a series of counter-terrorism raids in September, officials said. They come after Australia's prime minister said there had been heightened "terror chatter" since a cafe siege in Sydney last week. (BBC)


texts: When is 'being' used instead of 'am/is/are'?

texts:
Originally the pile of plush consisted of mohair or worsted yarn, but now silk by itself or with a cotton backing is used for plush, the distinction from velvet being found in the longer and less dense pile of plush.

This sentence has been taken from this link.

Why has being been used instead of is? Will it be wrong if I use is?


texts: "what had she said " vs "what she had said" Which one is correct?

texts:
I had been deemed "what she had said" is correct sentence. However lately I played some English visual novel games, there was a sentence with strange grammar: "what had she said".

Which one is correct? Or I can use both as correct one?


texts:
Why "either' is not a Demonstrative pronoun while "neither" can be one?

I found it from this source that "neither" can be a demonstrative pronoun.
So I am curious why "either" can't be?

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Demonstrative-Pronouns.htm

Thanks


texts: How to refer to the different types of first names of a person?

texts:
In Dutch (and other languages) people have have different types of first names. First, there is the Christian name or given name, which is the official name of a person and is used for official documents etc. Then there is the first name that is used on a regular basis. The literal translation of the Dutch word for that is 'calling name' (roepnaam). Finally there is the nickname that close friends and family use.

My sister's name is a typical example. Her given name ('birth name' in Dutch) is 'Elisa Hermina', the name used by everybody, however, is 'Lisette' and the name used by family and close friends is 'Jet'. They could of course also be the same.

For an English paper I am writing, I need to distingish between the names. Which words could I best use for each of the names?

I know 'calling name' is also used in english and also seems to have a similar meaning. Does it indeed have exactly the same meaning a the dutch roepnaam?


texts: What does the phrase "head down the rat's hole" mean here?

texts:
Here is a heading of a game app's description:

"Head down the rat's hole"

The game lets you live the life of a rat that lives in a beautiful village. The player interacts with the rat's friends and make new discoveries about their lives.

Does the phrase "head down" mean "move" here? Like "move to the rat's hole"? Being a non-native speaker, I find it difficult to figure out its idiomatic connotation, if there is any.

The interesting thing is that there is no second occurrence of the word "hole" in the said description.


texts:
I'd like to ask if there is a difference between these verbs in terms of meaning, formality etc. in the following sense. Can you change the words between the sentences so as to see if they are interchangeable, please.

To lie with

To be somebody’s duty or responsibility.(formal)

  It lies with you to accept or reject the proposals.

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/lie-with

To rest with

If it rests with somebody to do something, it is their responsibility to do it. (formal)

  It rests with management to justify their actions.

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/rest-with?q=rest++with


texts: Is the expression "Do without" commonly used?

texts:
I would like to say that a someone cannot leave something because he/she benefits from this something a lot. He/She mainly depends on them. What is the best word that describes it? Should I say "discontinue" or "do without" or something else?

For example:

  Humanity cannot do without technology.

  A father cannot do without his son. He really loves him.

  I can not do without my necklace. It's a gift from my best friend.

Is the expression "Do without" okay in those examples? Or should I use another idiom or word?


texts: What does "change them it does" here mean?

texts:
Highlight: Interactivity, hyperlinking, searchability, multimedia—all these qualities of the Net bring attractive benefits. Along with the unprecedented volume of information available online, they’re the main reasons that most of us are drawn to using the Net so much. We like to be able to switch between reading and listening and watching without having to get up and turn on another appliance or dig through a pile of magazines or disks. We like to be able to find and be transported instantly to relevant data—without having to sort through lots of extraneous stuff. We like to be in touch with friends, family members, and colleagues. We like to feel connected—and we hate to feel disconnected. The Internet doesn’t change our intellectual habits against our will. But change them it does.
—The Shallows

I figured it should read But it does change them. But isn't it contrary to the previous sentence The Internet doesn’t change our intellectual habits against our will ? one saying it doesn't change something but later saying it does change something?


texts: Finding and correct mistakes in the cleft sentence

texts:
SOURCE (one of dozens)

I have some confusion in this sentence:

  Rather, it is a complex art in that thoughts and idioms which have no obvious analogues from tongue to tongue - or words which have multiple meanings - must quickly be transformed in many a way that the message is clearly and accurately expressing to the listener.

I found some mistakes in this one, then I searched on the Net for the answers. The correct answers are "in that" -> "in which", "many" -> "such", "expressing" -> "expressed".

This is a cleft sentence, so its structure is "It is + N + that +....". And they also use a relative clause in this. I used to be taught that if we use "which", we have to put a preposition ahead it. And if we use "that", we have to put preposition behind. However, my teacher also says that we can only use "that" in the cleft sentence. Plus, they also have "such a way that" which means "so that", so I think "that" here is not used for the cleft sentence. Therefore, I was very confused and wondered why the correct answer was "in which".
Thanks in advance for any helps or advice.


texts:
In my country, we have two main kinds of teacher (not counting university lecturers) – primary school teachers and secondary school teachers. The latter kind are referred to as 'subject teachers' (albeit in my own language, obviously), because they have always specialised in a specific subject or set of subjects (as opposed to primary school teachers, who have studied all the subjects taught in primary school). My question is: can I use subject teacher for this, or does that refer to something else in English? If it does, is there another word you'd suggest I use instead?
Thank you!


texts: Using 'anyone' in affirmative contexts - Is "he just wanted to kill anyone" grammatical?

texts:
I've just stumbled across this article in the Japan Times:

  SAITAMA – Police, who are interrogating a 20-year-old college student from Saitama Prefecture on suspicion of stabbing to death a 21-year-old woman in the city of Iruma, in the same prefecture, revealed Friday that the suspect said that he “just wanted to kill anyone.”

And I'm wondering if "wanted to kill anyone" is correct (I'm not a native speaker, but "anyone" in place of "someone" feels odd to me).


texts:
Is there any difference in meaning of conform with and conform to?
Cambridge Dictionary does not seem to make any difference and gives both prepositions with "conform"

Before buying the baby's car seat , make sure that it conforms to the official safety standards.

I found a discussion on this site where native speakers say that there is a difference. One of the members says:

I feel a difference. "Conform to" suggests "obey", while "conform with" suggests "fit"

So if I use "conform with" in the sentence above, will it change the meaning?
In general, is there a difference in both prepositions or we can use them interchangeably?


texts:
The other contestants are so talented that I don't fancy his chances at all.

What does this sentence means and also give some examples on how and when to use this phrase in a sentence: fancy someone's chances.


texts: "I tried to make an order but couldn't pay because you*had not accepted paypal payment yet."

texts:
I tried to make an order but couldn't pay because you had not accepted paypal payment yet.

Will it be ok to use the present perfect or past simple. Is it possible to use yet with past simple?

I tried to make an order but couldn't pay because you did not accept paypal payment yet.


texts:
Whats the difference between these?

  I don't even know
  I even don't know
  Even I dont know

Edit: also this one too 4.i dont know even


texts: In LONGMAN dictionary, the pronunciation of the word elementary is /ˌeləˈmentəri/. However, I heard some people pronounced it like /ˌeləˈmentri/. How should I pronounce the word correctly?


texts: As for "beholder", first "e" is pronounced as schwa or i?

texts: I found beholder is pronounced like [bihóuldər] but I heard some speaker in the VOA pronounced it like [bəhóuldər]. Which one is right? Are native speakers confused with them?


texts: "I have to watch my friend playing/play chess."

texts: I was just making a joke about something and I said: "I have to watch my friend playing chess." is that correct or should I have used "play" instead of "playing"


texts: How to express that you reached a point in time, but the activity hasn't stopped?

texts:
A continued hiring B's services, twice a week, ...

The sentences could continue in a few ways:

... until reaching two months.

... to the point of reaching two months.

I'm not sure, though if these two options imply that the services halted.

Is that the case? If so, what are other suggestion that don't imply that the services ceased?


texts:
My question is about using "at the same time" in a sentence. Should we include the subject after "at the same time"? For example:

  The element is chosen in order to improve the method and at the same
  time, (it should) reduce the delay and prevent collision.

Should I include "it should" in the first sentence?

Is it also possible to write the sentence in this way:

  The element is chosen in order to improve the method while reducing the delay and preventing collision.

If so, which one is better?


texts: Too many "martial artists". How to cut them down?

texts:
I am editing a tag in Martial Arts SE. This tag is called "etiquette". Here is what I have written for the "Usage guidance (excerpt)":

Use this tag for questions about expected behavior, the correct code of conduct for different styles of martial arts, and communication among martial artists and that between martial artists and non-martial artists.

As you can see, the last bit in bold is a mess. I think that the general meaning is clear, but the repetition of "martial artists" is quite annoying.
Is there a way I can say the same thing without having to repeat "martial artists"?
Just to make this clear, "communication" here refers to that

among practitioners (within the group)
between practitioners and general people (between groups)


texts:
In text, all-caps has come to be understood as 'shouting'.

What's the meaning of has come to?

I'm pretty sure it means can in this contexts. If so, is there any difference between them?


texts:
Do you know who it could be? No? Does anybody else here have an/any idea about who it could be?
As you see it, could I use "an" instead of "any" if I want to imply that the speaker knows that the people he's talking to know who it is/could be and that they're lying by not saying anything?
And if so, would it be natural or would you still use "any"?


texts: What is generally understood by the expression "like peas in a pod" when said of people?

texts:
I have always understood "like peas in a pod", when said of people, to mean that they are very similar in appearance (or possibly in character), like

Alia and her sister are like peas in a pod! Are they twins? If they had on the same outfit I wouldn't know one from the other.

But in recent years I have noticed that my mum (who I presumably at least partly learned the phrase from), has often been using "like peas in a pod" to mean something like inseparable (similar to "joined at the hip", assuming I know the meaning of that phrase), like

Bukky and Cleo are like peas in a pod these days; I can't remember the last time I saw one without the other.

Are either or both of us losing our marbles using this phrase in an unusual way? Or are we both correct?


texts:
In our electron pump, when you turn the crank, one side gets a surplus of electrons, or a negative charge, and on the other side the atoms are missing said electrons, resulting in a positive charge.

The part in a bold font is confusing to me. I can't make grammatical sense of it. One side gets a surplus of electrons and the other side gets the atoms. How does are missing said electrons fit into the rest of the sentence?


texts: Internship, probation or training in an academic setting

texts: A translator have officially translated my non-English transcript to English. He has translated my training period "Probation". Is it correct in an academic setting? I read this in Wikipedia: "... students with unsatisfactory grades may also be placed on academic probation by their institution."


texts:
I was reading a Quora answer , which contained the following sentences :

  "Before I moved here in 2013, I read everything I  could lay my hands
  on about China, especially on the internet, and especially blogs
  written by people who had lived here or currently were."

While the sentences are clear and understandable, and my understanding of the sentences meant, by the time the writer were reading the blogs, the blog-writer were then living in China. Should the writer use "then" instead of "currently"?

I have a feeling "currently" can only work with present tense, am I wrong? Examples?

PS. the writer of the quoted sentences is an IELTS teacher, so I suppose he should be a master of grammar, and had reasons for his choice of words and right about them.


texts: Meaning of "If I could I would, but I can't, so I shan't"?

texts:
What is the meaning of this quotation of Sheldon Cooper:
Sheldon Cooper - "If I could I would, but I can't, so I shan't."

(Likely) source: https://youtu.be/baGAQuJO-cs


texts: Is there an idiom, word or phrase that means one or the other? By that, I mean, you can only choose between one or the other. You have two choices, not three or more. Just one or the other. I think neither-or is used, but I am wondering if there are more expression, word, etc.


texts: What's the better verb to use for New Year's resolution?

texts:
Do you say

My New Year's resolution always breaks in the first month, or always collapses in the first month?


texts: De-icing or combat icing in winter. "Snow" vocabulary

texts:
I'd like to learn some "ice and snow-related" vocabulary. I've marked bold the words I'm trying to think of. I'm not sure whether you face the same problem in places you live in, but still..

  In my city every winter streets get covered with ice and snow, and special snow-clearing cars/vehicles (?) appear in the streets to remove ice, or do de-icing, or combat icing as it becomes slippery. To remove the ice they use some reagent, road salt or.. what would you call it? And what is a slippery part of a road is called? Black ice or something different? Meaning it's dangerous not only for cars but also people (pedestrians).


texts: I wonder if "defer" can be used in such a way: "We defer this discussion to the last section (of this paper)", for example. My hesitation came from that search results did not give similar usage.


texts:
Example:

  In the second example using the char pointer, we still have the string constant, requiring 5 bytes of storage, but we do not have to reserve another 5 bytes of storage for an array to which this constant can be copied. There is no char array. Therefore, the string data storage requirements of this program are half that of the previous program. Of course, the pointer itself requires 2 bytes of storage, but this still represents a savings of 3 bytes.

Do you think that kind of usage of the word savings is grammatically correct? If you try and look up the word savings in the dictionary, nowhere will there be a mention that savings can be used as a singular noun. What gives?


texts:
What does the word "as" describe in the following sentence?

  As I was about to get out of bed, I heard a noise coming from the kitchen downstairs.

Does "as" imply simultaneous short actions?
Is "as" just background information?
Can "while" be used instead?


texts: 'it + be + noun phrase + relative clause' : Is this pattern always a restrictive clause?

texts:
John , who was injured , left the field.
It was John who was injured , not Brown (This is a restrictive clause, because there is no comma after John)

Question 1: In the second sentence: Can we use a comma after John, as non-restrictive relative clause?
Question 2. Or when a relative clause is used with 'It' to emphasize the noun (John), is the relative clause considered as a restrictive relative clause?

More examples: 3 .It was England which Brown lives in.
4. It was in 1993 that it happened.


texts:
I was practicing IELTS tests and got this one:

  The accident has a ... effect on her.

Effective
Focusing
Total
Wide

I was thinking "wide" is the correct choice here, but it was "total" instead.

I can't understand why. I searched Google for "have a total effect on somebody" and found nothing.

The test question is from the "adjectives" section of the Android app called IELTS Test Pro 2018 that has the text IELTS and a green arrow pointing upward on its icon.


texts: Free as in "free speech", not as in "free beer"

texts:
Free software is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of free as in free speech, not as in free beer.  — Richard Stallman

Translating free to my language (Ukrainian), generates a huge variety of different terms, including (I apologize for my lame translation back to English) independent, unleashed, loose, at no cost (of manufacture), at no price (for a buyer), at no extra fees/taxes, useless, fired (from a job), or done (completed a work).

What is actually the difference between the two meanings in the phrase above, and how should I understand the term of "free software"?

I'm aware you can't fire a beer from a job, :) but there are still too many overlapping meanings.


texts: Is there any difference between "pour drinks" and "pour out drinks"?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference between pour drinks and pour out drinks? For example:

Could you pour (out) drinks while I serve the snacks


texts:
When you eat cookies or biscuits and at the same time drink water or coke, you may notice that the flour of the cookies is mixed with water to form a sticky substance like mud that sticks to your teeth, which makes you uncomfortable.
You can use a toothpick or a string of dental floss to get the the sticky flour off the teeth, but most people don't bother to do that. Instead, you may use your tongue to do that.
Is it correct to say "wriggle your tongue on your teeth to get the sticky flour off"?


texts:
What is the correct way to highlight that the action was done for sure?

I did wrote that document
I did write that document

The options are similar to how we highlight action in present: we say "I do work!" But I'm not sure how to say it in the past.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I've been learning English with the Friends TV show and in one of the episodes Monica says about a 'slumber' party and what they have for it - cookies dough, twister, trashy magazines. I was wondering why she says it using 'to get' like 'We got some trashy magazines, we got cookie dough, we got Twister.'? Is it maybe another way of saying 'have got', so she could mean - 'We've got trashy magazines etc.'?

Thanks for any help.


texts: a family of birds “rule” our skies or “rules” our skies?

texts:
I came across this sentence this morning:

  A family of bald eagles rules our skies and patrols the lake.

I wonder why the author didn't use "rule" and "patrol"? Doesn't "a family of birds" mean more than 2 birds?


texts: Usage of "Would it be" vs "Will it be" vs "Is it"

texts:
Would it be ok if I look at the sun wearing sunglasses?

  Is it ok if I look at the sun wearing sunglasses?

Which one is correct?


texts:
1. Veronica takes a lot of time.

2. Let Veronica take her time.

Could you guys help me with the grammar rule involved while deciding why we'll use the verb 'take' and not 'takes' in the second sentence?


texts:
How to ask "If you have any problem then ask me" in polite manner.

While discussing problem with my brother in chat, he most of the times ask me how you get to the solution and then I have to explain each step. And in between he keep on asking me questions. This was about chat so there is no problem.

Now if I'm writing a mail, what I do is I write the solution to the problem and ask him that 'if you have any problem then ask me'.

He is my brother so he understands but if I do same with with any professor then that will be a trouble for me.

Please help me with some phrases which means "if you have any problem then ask me" but in polite manner.


texts:
Do both sentences mean the same?  I am asking about BrE.

"We don't often try to make this dish".
2."We try not to make this dish often"


texts: Correctness of "It is rarely that + [clause]"?

texts:
It is rarely that police arrest people without adequate suspicion.

I suppose it means that:

  The police rarely arrest people without adequate suspicion.

but I couldn't find this in my grammar book.

Is this sentence pattern possible?


texts:
I read the sentence like 'On the grounds behind the castle they have hunting.'
What is the meaning of 'have' in this sentence?
Maybe, it means 'On the grounds behind the castle they have been hunting.'or
'On the grounds behind the castle they are hunting.'?


texts: Correct usage of 'later/late' in sentence

texts:
Which one is grammatically right?

If you had been any later than 6 p.m., you would have missed the train.
If you had been any late than 6 p.m., you would have missed the train.

If both of these are wrong, then how should I say it?


texts:
Who pays for that?

  Who does pay for that?

What is the difference between these two sentences? Are both grammatically correct?


texts: What are the rules for adverbs of frequency- placement

texts:
(ignoring the "I am + adverb" exception in this question)

Compare the sentences:

She often plays football

with

She plays football every day

(not, as is a common mistake, she plays every day football)

When thinking about why this is the correct form, at first I thought multi-word adverbs of frequency have different rules to single word, however consider:

She hardly ever plays basketball

So then I thought maybe it's indefinite (often, sometimes, hardly ever, a lot etc.) and definite (every day, weekly, yearly, on tuesdays) But consider this:

She plays football a lot

(not she a lot plays football)

so what is the rule here that determines whether the frequency word/phrase can go before the verb or not?

Thanks in advance

(full disclosure, I'm a relatively new English teacher not a student, and I'm tearing my hair out trying to find some resource that goes into this distinction.  I know that, as a native speaker who was never taught any grammar in school, I need to build my grammar knowledge and I'm trying hard!)


texts:
Uhm, I came across this phrase when I was reading a story. I think "only" is used as an adjective here, but I haven't seen it before. I think it should have been followed by a noun , am I right? If this phrase is correct, please tell me about the usage of "only" in the following sentence:

  "Being by himself was the only time when he felt he was being honest with the people around him, and then it was only because, of course, there weren't any."


texts: Meaning of "dug-in" and usage of "off" in this sentence

texts:
The following quote is from a transcript of NBC Meet the Press interview talking about president Trump that he wanted to turn over the vote result:

And, you know, we've heard from a number of officials that the president is not necessarily fully dug-in privately on his belief that this is something that he can actually turn around. But he's fundraising off of this.

Could anybody tell me (1) the meaning of "dug-in" and (2) the usage of "off" here? I'm a English beginner, and it would be greatly helpful if you give me a little more details.


texts: "The man with short black hair" vs. "He with short black hair"

texts:
The man with short black hair is giving a presentation.
  He with short black hair is giving a presentation.

Is it okay to say "He with ~"? I've never heard that "He with ~"


texts: Usage of "other" with "except for" and "apart from"

texts:
Should I use other in the following sentence with except for and apart from?

Except for/apart from myself, There are four (other) people in my family.


texts: Why do we find "Succumbed to death" instead of 'succumbed to injuries/diseases'?

texts:
Elderly woman succumbed to injuries...

is common to describe that the woman died because of the injuries.
Cambridge Dictionary's style is to highlight (boldface) the proper prepositions that a particular word in concern takes.
Say - succumbed (verb) which means to 'die'

Thousands of cows have succumbed to the disease in the past few months.

Cows died because of the disease. So, it is - succumbed to + the reason of death
But then, I see many headlines that read 'succumbed to death'.  And they mean that someone 'died'.
My question is - what does 'succumbed to death' mean? Just 'death' (then why use 'succumbed to') or 'death because of' (but then, succumbed to [reason (and not the word 'death')] is expected)!


texts: "If you could sign up for my website, it would be great."

texts:
I have some vague queries about 2nd conditional sentence structure.

If you could sign up for my website, it would be great.

Is this a sort of 2nd conditional sentence that assumes an unlikely situation?

If you enjoyed my video, please subscribe to my channel.

I know that a 2nd conditional structure is "if + past tense verb, ~" and it supposes a situation that is unlikely to happen. But, it seems that this example doesn't suppose an unlikely situation although it has a 2nd conditional structure. It's very confusing for me.


texts: The use of "by (verb)-ing" to state a reason

texts:
Great good luck sometimes touches a person at least once. It touched me. A book he wrote became a best-seller in 16 countries. I bought a house on the beach. My dream had come true.

These sentences are taken from "Dreams Do Come True" by Jim Bishop.

Someone asked me a question concerning it. The question is as "Why did the boy become rich?" If I answer this question by using "by verb-ing" in the following way, is it acceptable or grammatical ?

  Ans: The boy became rich by writing a book which became a best-seller in 16 countries.


texts:
They backed out of the deal the day before they were due to sign the contract.
  They backed out of the deal before the day they were due to sign the contract.

What is the difference in meaning between these sentences?


texts: Is it okay to start a sentence or a clause with "a few times"?

texts:
Is it okay to start a sentence or a clause with "a few times" or should I rather move it to the end of it?

For example should I say:

  A few times I had her stand at the wall, but she never took that as a
  kind of punishment and often treated that as fun, instead.

or:

  I had her stand at the wall a few times, but she never took that as a
  kind of punishment and often treated that as fun, instead.

?


texts:
I want to know when I should use How many of...  over How many...
I have seen both of them, but don't know how the grammar works behind

e.g.:

How many of them do you know?

How many languages do you speak?


texts: Is the phrase "fill up" in the sentence correct?

texts:
The company has to come up with a new set of guidelines or rules [ to cover / to fill up ] what is not mentioned in the established code of conduct.

Which of the two sounds correct?  I thought about the phrases like "to counteract", "to balance out," and "to deal with" as well.   But I still can't figure out which one is grammatically correct.

Could you help me clarify it?  Thank you always.


texts: How to understand "When we aren't looking for pictures of kittens"?

texts:
Source:

  When we aren't looking for pictures of kittens on the internet,
  internals developers are nearly always looking for ways to improve
  PHP, a few developers have a focus on performance.

How to understand "When we aren't looking for pictures of kittens" here?


texts: usage of personal pronoun in "not only--but also"

texts:
Not only his friends but also John did not attend his classes.
  Not only his friends but also John did not attend their classes.

Which personal pronoun is suitable, his or their?


texts: Is there a specific poetry technique to refer to font types?

texts:
Source

What I mean is a part of the poetry that is in block letters or in italics or in bold to emphasise something. Is there a particular terminology that I can refer this as? An example:

                  When Mom won the
Luck's-A-Fortch Tricky-Tune Quiz she took him shopping
in the good-as-new station-wagon (£ 495 dep. at Reno's).
Beep, beep. WALK. DON'T WALK. TURN
LEFT. NO PARKING. WAIT HERE. NO
SMOKING. KEEP CLEAR/OUT/OFF GRASS. NO
BREATHING EXCEPT BY ORDER. BEWARE OF
THIS. WATCH OUT FOR THAT. My god (beep)
the congestion here just gets (beep)
worse every day, now what the (beep beep) does
that idiot think he's doing (beep beep and BEEP).

Stanza 3 of enter without so much as knocking by Bruce Dawe.


texts: In sushi restaurants, what do you call the one taking reservations?

texts: When we go into a sushi restaurant, there is (1) one who takes reservations - when the restaurant is not quite a big one, this one will be (2) the manager or its proprietor. What do you call this persons, (1) and (2), respectively in English? (For (2), some places call them just 'manager,' and some places call them according to their ranks, gwa-jang (section chief), bu-jang (department head) in my country.)


texts: What does the noun phrase "diverse employees" mean?

texts:
According to dictionaries, "diverse" means including people from various backgrounds. So, a "diverse workforce" makes perfect sense to me because the adjective here describes a noun that represents the whole of a group (workforce).
But in the case of "diverse employees," the adjective modifies individual constituents (employees), which is a bit weird, isn't it? Is  this usage widely accepted?
In my observation, American people apparently apply this usage, to practically mean everybody but heterosexual white men--women in general, ethnic minorities, LGBT people, etc.--in a politically correct way.
Do people from Britain and other English-speaking countries use "diverse" in this particular sense?

I am only interested in the usage of the adjective "diverse," not in politically, morally, ethically correct ideals, which are, of course an important thing, though.
To make the usage of "diverse" in question clear, I would like to introduce as an example the following sentence, which is in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Diverse employees encounter health and safety concerns, increased household responsibilities, loneliness, and stifled career progression
more often than nondiverse employees.


texts: What does "on her would-be destroyer" mean?

texts: In "By her own quick-wittedness and adroitness she had turned the tables on her would-be destroyer", what does "on her would-be destroyer" mean? It is from And Then There Were None.


texts: Grammatical status of the phrase "the length of the path we had climbed"

texts:
I followed him down the path that wound this way and that, three
  times the length of the path we had climbed.

I analyzed this sentence grammatically:

I is the subject
followed is a verb
him is the object
down the path this way and that is an object modifier or complement
(don't know which)
three times is a quantifier and noun

But could not understand the grammatical status of "the the length of the path we had climbed."


texts: What does "against the use of something" exactly mean in phrase

texts:
What does "against the use of something" exactly mean in this phrase:

  Dell posted an advisory against the use of Raid5 in any configuration…

Does it mean ‘not to use’ or ‘upon the use of?


texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences?

If he asked me, I would/'d stay.
If he had/'d asked me, I would/'d have stayed.

I think they both are conveying the same meaning, That is a counterfactual condition in the past.
Source: Textbook (Commom mistakes in English, Longman)


texts: "between close contacts" and "during close contacts"

texts:
https://youtu.be/1APwq1df6Mw?t=30

In the above video, the following is said.

  This is the reason person to person spread is happening mainly between close contacts.

I thought between close contacts means time intervals between a close contact and another one. Such as, "I had a close contact with a person. After that, I got virus somewhere. Then I had a close contact with another person."

Is it right to say during close contacts instead?


texts: Using gerund vs using "that + verb" or to-infinitive

texts:
Comparing the two sentences:

  This can help you in learning English.

vs

  This can help you to learn English.

Or in scientific writing

  The system process A to obtain B containing C.

vs

  This system process A to obtain B that contains C.

My understanding is that both first version (with gerund) are preferred. Is it because the sentence already containing a verb, therefore gerund form is preferred to prevent two verbs in one sentence together, or is there other rule that helps to identify this? Are there any exceptions?


texts: emotional sounding boards -- what does this mean?

texts:
Example with a context:

  James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise, appearing in numerous television episodes, films, books, comics, and video games. As the captain of the starship USS Enterprise, Kirk leads his crew as they explore "where no man has gone before". Often, the characters of Spock and Leonard McCoy act as his logical and emotional sounding boards, respectively.

I'm not really sure how to understand boards in this Wiki article. A board is usually a group of people within an organization that convene to make important decisions. Not sure if that has anything to do with what they are talking about in the article. Any idea?


texts: Is there any difference between "go to the city centre" and "go into the city centre"?

texts:
Is there any difference between go to the city centre and go into the city centre? For example:

  I am going to go to the city centre tonight.

  I am going to go into the city centre tonight.

By the way is it idiomatic to just say to/into the centre? For example:

  Would you like to go to/into the centre tomorrow?


texts: What's the name for a podium with numbers?

texts: I don't know what this is called. Is it a podium?


texts:
Carl Jung asks a question to Otto grass.

  Carl: So you're not a believer in monogamy?

  Otto: For a neurotic like myself I can't possibly imagine a more
  stressful concept.

Is Otto grass saying indirectly don't believe in monogamy?


texts:
(With reference to a poll.)

  He got ten times as many as negative votes as positive ones.

Have I framed this sentence correctly?


texts:
He is not to be blamed for he is in no way connected with it?

or

  He is not to be blamed for he is in no way connected to it?

When should we use with and when to?


texts: What is the meaning of 'scrummed with' in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:

  Ask any lexicographer who has been at this gig for a while what word had them hunched over their cubicle at 6:00 p.m. on a Friday, hands clutched to their temples, the office copy of Quirk open on their desk while the night janitor loudly scrummed with the big recycling bin, and the answer will not be a polysyllabic hummer like "sesquipedalian."

I am not able to figure out what the word 'scrummed' mean in this context. Most of the dictionaries say that it is mostly used in the context of rugby game meaning 'jostling'. Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
Is "however" placed naturally here?
I don't see any of that. The only thing I do see however is a bag that looks suspiciously identical to the one I gave you for your birthday last year.


texts:
I am having following construction,

  The extraction of outline becomes very difficult if there are
  very short boundary edges where very few laser points reside.

I feel it is possible to omit the words "there are" from the above sentence. is that so?


texts: Is there any difference between "content" and "willing"? If there is a difference, I would like to know in what context would you use the word "content" instead of using the word "willing"?


texts: Looking for a formal word has the same meaning of "well done"

texts:
I once heard a friend say a word to a friend who had just had a new born baby. As I looked it up in the dictionary, I found its meaning equals "well done, nice job or praise someone for their nicely done job", but it's a formal word, like Congratulations, or my Condolences.

Unfortunately, now I've forgotten the word, I hope that someone here might help me, thanks in advance!


texts:
I want to emphasize how often I played basketball in the past. So,

I would play basketball more often than anything else.

I would play basketball more often than whichever I did.

I would play basketball more often than whatever I did.

I would play basketball more often than I did anything.

Which one is the best choice? What would you choose? If the others are not correct, what is the reason?


texts: How many types of cells are there vs How many types of cell there are

texts:
If I want to ask about the number of the cells' type, what is the correct way for that?

  a) How many types of cells are there?

  b) How many types of cells there are?


texts:
Please tell me which one is correct:

  1. What's important is that our clienteles are happy with our service.

  2. What's important is that our clientele is happy with our service.


texts:
I plan to publish by doing MS with thesis to get a feel of research.

How can I convey this without sounding informal. Is this already formal for a statement of purpose for a graduate school?


texts: What does "jumper" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I was actually looking into the meaning of the word run-up after seeing this question. Well after seeing Michael's comment actually, but yeah.
When I Googled the word, I got the following result:

the period preceding a notable event.
"a programme aimed at lowering unemployment in the run-up to the next election"

an act of running briefly to gain momentum before performing a jump in athletics, bowling in cricket, etc.
"high jumper Steve Smith will use his shortened five-stride run-up"

...and many more.

Now I fairly understood which meaning of run-up was intended in that question. However, the second entry shows this sentence where the phrase "high jumper" is used. Now I looked into the what the word jumper means here, but could not deduce my observations. Jumper has following entries in the Sports category meanings on Google:

a person or animal that jumps.
"the horse should be a better jumper this season"
Basketball - another term for jump shot.

Now I really can't understand which meaning is intended in this context. Steve Smith doesn't jump while batting, I mean that's kind of weird. He isn't playing Basketball either.
Is it referring to the motion of him coming forward to hit the ball, like players do when they hit a six (they come considerably away from the stumps to hit the ball)? Also I would appreciate if someone gave me the word for the above described motion (coming forward to hit the ball in cricket), I believe it has a term.


texts: Use of "take a course of action to somebody"

texts:
The screenshot is taken from Riddick 2013:

Usually we would say take something concrete to sombody, like taking a cake, gift.. to somebody. We could also say take somebody a cake, gift, etc.

But in this context, this bounty hunter intends to take a 'hunt' to Riddick. Would it be OK to say "We'll take him the hunt by day"?

Let's generalize this use. In some other conceivable contexts, could we say "we'll take the punishment/demoralization/fishing to him"?


texts: Sarcastic Idioms for being slow to notice something

texts:
The scenario:
The power was out but it came back up. However, a friend or family member noticed that late and said:

Oh, the power is back up!

You noticed that long before they did (sometimes because it is obvious). You want to comment on/about their late notice sarcastically with something like:

What? You've been sleeping?
Good morning! (as if they have just woken up)

What idioms that you natives use in such a situation? Of course the sarcastic ones!
Edit:Could this idiom also be used?
Wonders never cease! and Will wonders never Cease!
Prov. What an amazing thing has happened! (Said when something very surprising happens. Somewhat ironic; can imply that the surprising thing should have happened before, but did not.)
Fred: Hi, honey. I cleaned the kitchen for you. Ellen: Wonders never cease! Jill: Did you hear? The company is allowing us to take a holiday tomorrow. Jane: Wonders never cease! Not only was my plane on time, the airline also delivered my luggage safely. Will wonders never cease?


texts: What does "channel someone's voices" mean?

texts:
I’ve found that I can repeat participant quotes and “channel” their
  voices years after a research session is over.

I found the definition below for the verb Channel:

  to allow a spirit to come into your body and speak through you, or to
  tell people a message that you have received in this way.

But I don't know if the meaning is correct or not.

So, could you please explain it to me?

The fuller text is:

  As we complete our research, we transcribe the session in full. This
  time-consuming effort is critical, because it embeds the participants’
  collective voice in our heads. As we play, type, pause, and rewind our
  recordings, we begin to quite literally think from the perspective of
  the participant. I’ve found that I can repeat participant quotes and
  “channel” their voices years after a research session is over. We
  distribute the transcriptions into thousands of individual utterances,
  and then we post the utterances all over our war room.

http://www.jonkolko.com/writingEmpatheticProcess.php


texts: In our language we use an idiom If we want to request someone for doing something. And literal translation of that idiom into English would be "Put your hands together before someone"(put hands together to make a request), but in English it means Clapping for someone. Is there any idiom which means "Request someone"?


texts: What's the meaning of "chopped the bill off to fight"?

texts:
I'm reading "The Old Man and The Sea" a novel by Ernest Hemingway. There is small paragraph that I don't understand completely because of that statement "chopped the bill off to fight". I quote that paragraph below to give more context.

He liked to think of the fish and what he could do to a shark if he were swimming free. I should have chopped the bill off to fight them with, he thought. But there was no hatchet and then there was no knife.

What does it mean in this context? Is it an idiom? I couldn't find adequate description in dictionary.


texts:
Can I say

  The man who is tall, his name is John, his grand-father died two years ago.

To first point him out and then add extra information?


texts:
It seems that I have misunderstood "logic" and its associated parts of speech!
I think "logical" and "illogical" has some specific usages which is not associated with the words like "reasonable" or "rational"! (I have always used them as synoymous words.)

I wonder if you could help me to discover my possible missing points. I have made up a scenario! I need to know if using the word "logical" sounds idiomatic in my example or not? If not, then why?

Scenario:

Please assume that a student has missed several seasons in a course and after a while, he/she starts to attend their classes. When the teacher asks them aboutvthe reason of their absence for that long time, they just try to make up some fake reasons, but the teacher immediately notices that they are bringing up some implausible excuses to "justify themselves". As for this case and based on what you mentioned being "illegal" or "immoral", the teacher should be able to say some sentences using the "justification" family words like:

  — This is not a logical justification.
  — Your reasoning is not logical!

Note: let's say the student had raised some unreasonable and irrational excuses which did not sound logical to the teacher.


texts:
I saw the sentence here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqkQMVIoUeg

And the sentence comes at around 10:00

  They found that people claiming 75-plus-hour work weeks were off
  by about 25 hours.

As far as I know, "off" can mean "away from a place" or "away from work". But does it mean "people claiming 75-plus-hour work weeks" actually only "work 50 hours per week"?

I would like to know if anyone could help me understand the sentence (and why audience in that video laugh).


texts: Which is correct *is; is being; was /were*?

texts:
A complete sentence:
If only Anny [is; is being; was / were] a bit more reliable. Then we wouldn't have to wonder if the job is being done correctly.


texts: My dream is to become a dentist or My future dream is to become a dentist

texts:
I was told that "future dream" is fine but for me the first one sounds fine because whenever we dream for something good to happen,it normally indicates "in the future".

For example: I want to become a Doctor. Here it is clearly indicating about the future then why "My future dream" is correct ? I don't know for sure whether it is correct or not.


texts:
I have a question about using "as much [...] as", because I can't figure out how much is supposed to go inside the brackets.

I'm wearing sun screen to cover up as much [surface sun rays might hit] as possible."
I'm covering up with sun screen as much [area sun rays might hit] as possible."

Well, I'm not sure if these examples make sense, but these are what I told my friends this morning. With longer sentences, I'm just not sure how much information I should insert inside the brackets.
I guess phrases like "I'll eat 'as much as' possible" or "I'll clean up 'as much as' I can" are simple enough since I don't really have to put anything inside the brackets.


texts: What adjective would describe the idea of 'embeded in the core principles of'?

texts:
In this sentence for examle, 'Taking responsibility for one's own actions is ·embeded in the core principles of· this particular society.', what adjective would best substitute 'embeded in the core principles of'?

I could think of 'characteristic of', but it does not seem to convey the idea of an 'absolutely necessary requirement'.


texts: Reported Speech (When 2 tenses in one sentence)

texts:
If there are 2 different tenses in Direct Speech, how can we convert the sentence into Reported Speech?
Ex : D.S -> Ravi said " My aunty was washing her clothes when she slipped on the wet floor"
Ans 1
R.S - Ravi said that his aunty had been washing her clothes when she had slipped on the wet floor.
Ans 2
R.S - Ravi said that his aunty had been washing her clothes when she slipped on the wet floor.
What is the correct answer from above two?


texts: Glanced over her shoulder around the restaurant

texts:
She glanced over her shoulder around the restaurant.

Does the sentence make sense if she's sitting with her back to the rest of the restaurant? Is it possible to glance over your own shoulder around a place?


texts:
I actually have two questions:

1-
How can I say this in one sentence: "I am bad, love me as I am"? I was thinking about "Love me the way I am bad" or "Love me as I am bad" but I don't feel they are correct.

2-
I want to say everybody likes good people. Is it correct to say "Everybody loves the good"?


texts: The meaning of pass over in this sentence

texts:
I am having difficulty understanding the meaning of "passed over" in this sentence. and not sure who's doing the action of "passing over"? Can I get a little help please? thanks.

"Burden of Truth is a legal drama starring Kristin Kreuk as a big city
lawyer passed over for partnership who returns to her hometown to take
on what she thinks is a simple case, only to find herself in a fight
for justice for a group of sick girls."


texts:
From the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:

  "That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.
    "Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, (1) shaking the letter open with one hand and (2) glancing at it..."Let me see it!"
   demanded Dudley.  "OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry
   and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall,
   (3) slamming the kitchen door behind them.

Participial phrases (1) and (2) seem to happen at the same time as the main clause. But (3) seems to happen after the main clause. Is it right?


texts: Is there any rule for making a made-up verb into passive voice and past tense?

texts:
Suppose I make my own word (as a verb) to use in a specific community such as game.
How should I make it in passive voice and in past tense?

For example:

A game has an action that is a made-up word (verb) called "saf".

It is used like this.

Present: "I saf him in the eye."

So, what should the word be like in passive voice and in past tense?

Please give me the correct solution in general so that I can use it for other words like this.


texts:
I'm trying to write a paragraph in present continuous tense. Are these sentences correct?

Should I use the past simple in stop working?

  The bell is ringing. We stop working. We are very happy because we made a lot of beautiful products in Art class.


texts: Is the phrase "to comb a bed hair" common/idiomatic?

texts:
I thought phrases like "to comb a bedhair" or "to press down a bed hair" was quite common.

But Google tells me the opposite. It shows zero results.

If those phrases aren't common, what are their grammatical/idiomatic equivalents?


texts: Are the prepositions "of", "on" and "about" interchangeable when used after the noun "idea"?

texts:
Could you tell me if the prepositions of, on and about interchangeable when used after the noun idea? For example:

The boss has a new idea of how to improve the working conditions at the office.
The boss has a new idea on how to improve the working conditions at the office.
The boss has a new idea about how to improve the working conditions at the office.


texts: Why is it that a noun can be added with -ed?

texts:
The question is raised from the viewpoint of a foreign language learner.

-ed is known to be added to a verb to mean past tense or past participle, but some phrases like four-legged animals, winged birds, are in the form of noun+-ed, why is it so? What is the logic behind such a structure?


texts: What's the meaning of "for" and "of" in this sentence?

texts:
This is the first paragraph of the novel Bones in London by Edgar Wallace: “There was a slump in the shipping market, and men who were otherwise decent citizens wailed for one hour of glorious war, when Kenyon Line Deferred had stood at 88 1/2, and even so poor an organization as Siddons Steam Packets Line had been marketable at 3 3/8.”

(The story takes place after WWI. During the war, business was doing great and stock kept rising, but right alfter the war, the market slumped and businessmen were upset.)

I'm confused about "wailed for one hour of glorious war" in the sentence, especially the meaning of "for" and "of" in there. Does that mean the decent citizens cried for another glorious war, even if it would only last for an hour, during this time stock price would rise again? Or does this mean they complained about the late war for a long time? Or is there any more reasonable explanations for that?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
What's the correct sentence in the below two?

  If you fed up, let's call it a day.
  If you are fed up, let's call it a day.


texts: What is 'would stop its deployment' here?

texts:
In a blog of the NYT, I can't understand the last part of this paragraph:

  On Monday, the Chinese government-run English-language China Daily called THAAD a serious regional security threat, and said that "a sanctions package that is sufficient for Pyongyang to reevaluate its nuclear program," would stop its deployment.

Is it a continuation of the sentence written in an inverted comma? What is the exact meaning of the last phrase in this context?


texts: "What to do on top of" or "what to do on the top of"?

texts:
Example:

  I had to find something to keep myself
  busy. But what to do on (the) top of a mountain?

Is "on top of a mountain" or "on the top of a mountain"? right choice? Why?


texts: Can "english learning" be paraphrased with "of" preposition?

texts:
1?) Scheduled session of learning of english. 2?) Scheduled session of learning english. I guess I understand that in sentences there would be "learning english", because there would be subjects, but what about different from sentences constructions with subjectless action concepts, concepts names or terms, and planned sessions or actions, suggestions?

Other frameworks realizations without that paraphrasing (that is needed): A) To do list (as list with points or array elements of actions for doing): 1) english learning;
B) What I found in a book in it's table of contents: "Choosing Levels of English" (it seems strange without "of" after the gerund)
C) I'm gonna do english learning now!;
D) Get english learning with fun!

I just have not seen anything about usage of such constructions with gerunds and "of" preposition and related to gerunds concepts, and with either options of paraphrasing I feel uncertainty and strangeness in rightness of grammar

Simplification: I'm asking what option of paraphrasing that and generally all similar gerund constructions (not in talking, but as scheduled note or concept or scientific term) would be correct, with one "of" preposition (like "learning of english") or without (like just "learning english"). I could not find anything about it and I always feel wrongness with either option


texts: We are discussing useful things. We are discussing on useful things

texts:
We are discussing useful things .We are discussing on useful things.
Which is the correct answer? Can we use the "on"here?


texts: Can 'one' be used as a gender neutral third person pronoun to refer to God?

texts:
If one doesn't wish to refer to God as 'he' or 'she', can one use the gender neutral pronoun 'one' to refer to God in third person --- for example:

"God should do whatever one wants".

"Since it is God rather than humankind who is the Creator of everything, it is up to God to decide by what codes of conduct one wishes humanity at large to stand by".


texts: "some of its usages includes ..." vs "some of its usages include ..."

texts:
When should I use

  "some of its usages includes ..."

and when I should use

  "some of its usages include: ...".

I have googled both, and it seems both are in use.


texts: "I tend to make it about me" - What does this phrase mean?

texts:
I know I tend to make it about me
  I know you never get just what you see
  But I will never bore you, ba-a-by
  And there's a lot of lame guys out there
  And when we had that fight out in the rain
  You ran after me and called my name
  I never want to see you walk away
  And there's a lot of lame guys out there

"I know I tend to make it about me" - What does it mean?


texts: What does 'recent phone numbers' mean in this sentence?

texts:
In addition to displaying recent phone numbers, the new IF20 mobile phone shows the temperature, the  time, and the user's location on a map.

At first I've just thought that 'phone numbers'(전화번호) means just numbers which I can call literally, but translation says that 'phone numbers' in this sentence means 'call log'(통화 기록).

So I was wondering if 'phone numbers' can mean 'call log' in certain context.

thank you in advance!