texts:
From Core Java Volume I—Fundamentals, 9th Edition by Cay S. Horstmann (2012):

  The Java compiler itself is highly skilled in guessing the various meanings of the period character as separator between packages, subpackages, classes, inner classes, and methods and variables.

Here is what the thing that they're talking about in the excerpt looks like:

  package com.horstmann.corejava // an example of a Java package
  Employee.getSalary() // an example of a method call in Java

I asked my American friend why there was no article in front of separator and his answer was, first of all, that the sentence sounded completely fine to him and that you could put a definite article there, but you don't need to. As to why that was the case, no explanation followed.

Later on, he added that this is more like saying what the role is, not what the thing itself is. Alright, that makes total sense, but is there some sort of rule of thumb that can help you determine whether to use an article or leave it out altogether (whether we're talking about a role or not a role)? Obviously, the author could have gone with the "article" possibility (I don't see anything wrong with that), but he evidently didn't choose to go that way. There must have been something that prompted him to forgo sticking in an article. So, I'm really curious as to what was going on in his head at that moment and what exactly prompted him to make the decision that he made.

If you have anything to say about this grammar problem, please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas.


texts: "It takes a few years off from life" vs "It takes few years off your life"

texts:
We’ve all seen that happen: One person cannot seem to get the confi
  dence back after a layoff; another, persistently depressed, takes a
  few years off from life after her divorce.

It seems that the meaning of "takes a few years off from life" is negative here,although I don't understand the meaning exactly.
In the other hand, a similar phrase, that's mean:"It takes few years off your life" is posetive, and means " it  makes you look younger".

Based on what I said, Could you please tell me what's the meaning of "It takes a few years off from life" here?

The fuller text:

  But people who knew Claus better than I did thought of him not just as
  a great newsman but as a quintessential survivor, someone who had
  endured in an environment often hostile to talent. He had lived
  through at least three major changes in the magazine’s leadership,
  losing most of his best friends and colleagues on the way. At home,
  two of his children succumbed to incurable illnesses, and a third was
  killed in a traffi c accident. Despite all this—or maybe because of
  it—he milled around the newsroom day after day, mentoring the cub
  reporters, talking about the novels he was writing—always looking
  forward to what the future held for him. Why do some people suffer
  real hardships and not falter? Claus Schmidt could have reacted very
  differently. We’ve all seen that happen: One person cannot seem to get
  the confidence back after a layoff; another, persistently depressed,
  takes a few years off from life after her divorce. The question we would all like answered is, Why? What exactly is that quality of
  resilience that carries people through life?


texts:
At the moment, the country has no strategy on how to tackle this threatening problem.

Is it really necessary to use the preposition "on" in the bellow sentence? I have found plenty of sentences where "on" after "strategy" not to be used.


texts: Which preposition is used with "accommodating": to / for /?

texts:
Which is correct?

(... The people in the shop, they ...)

I guess they would be quite accommodating to an American tourist.
I guess they would be quite accommodating for an American tourist.
I guess they would be quite accommodating towards an American tourist.
... ?


texts:
I saw a guy who has purple eyes
I saw a guy who had purple eyes

The color of eyes would not change, but . .
Which sounds natural?


texts:
The attire don them as soldiers.
 Is it grammatically agreeable to make a sentence using the verb form of 'don'as mentioned above?


texts:
I read an English chapter in my school book and then as I was reading the stuff given after the chapter, I read this topic called 'Noticing discourse linkers and signallers' (I have attached the picture of the page I read).

I was able to understand what 'signallers' are but I was not able to even get a clue of what 'linkers' are. I did search it on the internet but I couldn't find a simple and understandable source. So, can anybody please explain this topic to me in as simple words and language as possible?

I will highly appreciate your efforts! :)


texts: Can ‘should’ be omitted, as in this case?

texts:
"What is all this?" demanded another voice peremptorily; and Mrs. Reed came along the corridor, her cap flying wide, her gown rustling stormily. "Abbot and Bessie, I believe I gave orders that Jane Eyre should be left in the red-room till I came to her myself."
  (Jane Eyre)

Can should be omitted, as in "The king commanded that all the people [should] be assembled at once."?


texts: why thinks with an s with it is important that

texts:
It is important to remember that Janine (think)
very differently from you. She may not agree to the changes you have made in
the organization of the company.

the answer is thinks why not think isn't it a case of  mandative subjunctive so the s should be taken off

https://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/subjunctiveexercise.htm


texts: An expression for venturing into an experiment with unknown consequences without much knowledge

texts: I'm looking for an expression for venturing into an experiment with unknown consequences without much knowledge. I vaguely remember there was something from ancient Greece or in Latin that was signifying that.


texts: Is it possible to make questions to these sentences?

texts:
1) This is my second stay here.

2) This is the second time I have been here.

3) This is our second lesson.

Are these possible and idiomatic/or passable?

1) Which number stay of yours is it?

2) What time is this you have been here?

3) What number lesson is this?


texts: What does "sweeping drive" mean in this context?

texts:
. . .and a few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track toward Hogwarts Castle. Through the gates, flanked with statues of winged boars, and up the sweeping drive the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale.

  Harry potter and the Goblet of Fire

What's the meaning of "sweeping drive" here? If the original sentence is "the carriages trundled up the sweeping drive,"(am I right?) is drive like a road or something? And I don't know what sweeping means here either.


texts:
A question about some phrases using "office":

out of office
out of the office
outside the office

Do they mean the same thing?


texts: Can Intransitive verbs such as "arrive" take objects?

texts:
I am learning English grammar. I am not a beginner and I am following an English grammar book to improve my grammar.
The book gives some examples of intransitive verbs (verbs that don't take any objects) like come, go, arrive.
An example is given below from the book

  We arrived at 11.

Now my question is: Isn't it confusing? I can say We arrived at the airport. or I came to school.

How can there be intransitive verbs or verbs that don't take objects?


texts:
The boy is the son of the man standing here.

In the above sentence we used the participle form 'standing' after the object instead of the noun.
Is the sentence correct? And if it is correct, what does it mean?


texts:
I think most of us can agree, English pronunciation vs spelling (vs conjugation) is strange:

Read (present tense)
Read (past tense)
Red (color)
Reed (plant)

contrast with

Lead (direct, present tense)
Led (direct, past tense)
Lead (the metal)

... however, I'm currently teaching Japanese students English, which generally makes no distinction between L and R-based sounds.  Is there any similar set(s) of words I could use as an example that would avoid this potential confusion?  I'm trying to make each sets' differences more obvious audibly.  Ideally, new sets have some similarity/difference in different conjugations of a verb (something irregular); I'm hoping for "related" results.  Probably, the stranger the better.
I speak (probably standard) North-West American English, if this makes a large difference.

EDIT:

To forestall too many questions about what sounds Japanese "natively" supports, here's the sounds usually used in transliteration to English.  Note that everything ends in a vowel (whose sounds are constant, and pronounced identically as in Spanish).  Not having a given sound doesn't mean it can't be heard - it just means that distinguishing between it and the "nearest neighbor" is difficult/impossible.  I probably only need to replace one set, so something without an L/R sound is what I'm looking for.


texts:
Imagine you a woman who is on her period time. Her menstruation has always been very painful. Which one of the following sentences would be idiomatically acceptable to indicate that the woman is having pain right now:

  I’ve got cramps because I’m having my period.
  I’ve got abdomen ache because I’m having my period.
  I have pain in my abdomen because I’m having my period.

I don't know if the mens. pain has something to do with abdomen in English logic at all or not, but it would be possible for us to say such a thing in our language.


texts: we did not know how many/defining clause

texts:
a. The novelist the number of whose published novels we did not know started speaking.
b. The novelist the number of novels published by whom we did not know started speaking.
c. The novelist the number of whose published novels was not known to us started speaking.
d. The novelist the number of novels published by whom was unknown to us started speaking.

There was a group of novelists. We did not know how many novels this one particular novelist had published. That was the novelist who started speaking. We are basically defining the novelist who started speaking. He was the one who had written a number of novels but we didn't know how many.
Are the sentences a-d grammatical? Do they break any rule of grammar? Would they ever be used? Are they comprehensible?
I don't think they are ungrammatical, but I suspect they are just too convoluted to be used.


texts:
I am wondering if a phrase "safe and sound" is used or at least can be used when it isn't referring to person. For example sentences

  They will do anything to keep their bonuses safe and sound!

  My feelings are safe and sound, don't you worry.

Are they correct? Thank you.


texts: Does "A is smaller than each of B and C" sound natural?

texts:
A, B, and C have different sizes. Specifically, A is smaller than B and is also smaller than C.  In this case, which sentence sounds most natural and accurate?:

  A is smaller than each of B and C.
  A is smaller than either B or C.
  A is smaller than B and C.


texts:
I'm looking for a term (preferably a short one and definitely a single word, if possible) that describes someone (or something) that brings bad news. I.e. someone whose sole (or at least main) purpose is to give others sad notifications, failure information, error messages etc.

No need to be colloquial. In fact, the more formal the better.

For instance, one who brings condolences would be condolencer or possibly regret expressor (yes, I'm perfectly aware those aren't proper words - I made them up right now with the purpose of conveying the intention of my question).


texts: Is 'temper' used sarcastically in "tempering justice"?

texts:
p 659, The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States,  edited by Kermit L. Hall, James W. Ely, Joel B. Grossman

  A complex, narcissistic bachelor, he was a priestly jurist whose support of African-Americans, aliens, criminals, dissenters, Jehovah's Witnesses, Native Americans, women, workers, and other outsiders evoked a pun: "tempering justice with Murphy " As he wrote in Falbo v. 'United States (1944), "The law knows no finer hour than when it cuts through formal concepts and transitory emotions to protect unpopular citizens ainst discrimination and persecution." (p. 561)

Google doesn't show the page number, Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices,  By Noah Feldman

  If as attorney general, Murphy sometimes seemed like an inquisitor, on the Supreme Court he emerged as a thoroughgoing liberal. Siding instinctively with the underdog, he would go on to write many dissents—one of them among the bravest in the history of the Supreme Court. The other justices found him a figure of fun—there he goes, they would say, "tempering justice with Murphy." Perhaps as a result of his colleagues' ribbing—and his own lack of interest in the technical side of the law—Murphy was deeply unhappy on the Supreme Court.

Do the above quotes suggest that Justice Murphy was liberal? If so, then doesn't the verb temper contradict his judicial liberalism? What did I misunderstand?


texts:
'In that year Mary Carson, although she was suffering from cancer, wrote a wonderful book of poetry.'

Identifying the clause constituent, is 'a wonderful book of poetry' here a complement or an object only? The clause adds to the meaning of the subject which makes it look like a complement, at the same time, it seems undeniably an object.
Which is correct?

Thanks!


texts:
I am really confused with the word order of English.

  How can you go to your sister's house this afternoon?

  How you can go to your sister's house this afternoon?

In the first sentence we put the auxiliary verb before the verb, while in the second sentence we use an auxiliary verb after verb.

On which occasion does one use the above two sentences.


texts: 'will' and 'be going to' which is correct?

texts:
I'm not a native-speaker, so sometimes future tense (be going to, will) is tricky to me.

a. If it rains this weekend, I'm gonna stay home.
b. If it rains this weekend, I will stay home.

c. If this happens again, they're gonna lose everything.
d. If this happens again, they will lose everything.

I wrote some sentences with be going to and will. So, which are correct in these sentences? All of them correct or interchangeable? Are some awkward?


texts:
Why is paper money considered fiat money?
  A dollar bill contains only about 3 cents worth of paper, printing inks, and other materials. Also, nowhere on paper is there any promise to redeem it for gold, silver, or anything else.

I am not sure what the latter half of the sentence means, but I think it means:

"People can't exchange paper money for gold, silver, or anything else."

And I guess to here is attached to promise, so it adds information to promise , so it should share the same function as relative clause?

If the above understanding is right, can I rephrase the sentence into:

  Nowhere on paper is there any promise which allows user to redeem it for gold, silver, or anything else.


texts:
What does the phrase “some claim” mean in this sentence?

  On Wednesday, teaching assistants in County Durham voted to strike after rejecting a pay deal some claim would see them lose up to 20% of their salary.

How to explain "some claim" in this sentence? Is "claim" countable or not? And what does the word "them" refers to?

I think "claim" refers to the right that teaching assistants would have. It's an uncountable word. But only in Oxford Dictionary can I find the uncountable explanation. Or maybe this sentence can be explained in terms of grammar? as an attributive clause?


texts: Could you please tell me if the second she in this sentence sounds natural or redundant?

texts:
Could you please explain to me if the second she in this sentence sounds natural or redundant and the reason behind your answer:

  She gets a sparkle in her eyes when she looks at you.


texts:
Do not need the article "the" before the word "songs"?

Here mean precisely the songs from this album and not any other.


texts: What's the function of cash-in-transit in the phrase cash-in-transit heists

texts:
What's the exact function of "cash-in-transit" here?
Grammar books say that

"a state-of-the-art computer" is the equal to "a computer which is the state of the art" and "state-of-the-art" is an adjective phrase.

So, with the same idea, can I claim that

"cash-in-transit" is an adjective phrase and "cash-in-transit heists" means "heists that are cash in transit"


texts:
If you could let me know what clause fits the situation: A wants to be with B after death; i.e. A wishes to be in heavens with B. This is for future and something that A is not certain about, whether he'll be able to be with B or not, he only can wish so during the life hence now what is the best:
a) I wish I could be with B in heavens.
b) I hope I will be  with B in heavens.
c) I wish I were with B in heavens.
d) I wish to be with B in heavens.
Note that the wish is possible to come true but is not certain to come true...


texts: Usage rule for verbs being used in singular and plural form after pronouns

texts:
If there is singular pronoun like it,   she/he ; the verb succeeding the pronoun should be singular form or plural. Is there any sentence construction rule?

  It gives you

  It give you

Also with  pronoun like they, that ; how it should be used

  They give you.

  They gives you


texts:
Are both sentences correct? If so, what is the difference?
My English books contain such examples. The first book was published in not English speaking country.

Whose pen is this? - This is my pen. It's red.

vs

Whose pen is this? - It is my pen. It's red.


texts: Correct word choice for "ups and downs" in a road

texts: Would using "peaks and valleys" be more correct or is there an appropriate word/term?


texts: past simple or present perfect for a past action with effect on present

texts:
Sorry for the late reply, I was away for the weekend, I saw you had already placed another order so I owe you the extra 7€ you've spent for the shipping, let me know if you want a refund

Could have I written spent instead of have spent, spent because the spending of money was in the past even if the money paid correspond to the money due now


texts: An expression for a person who is very good at sports

texts: Can I say this kind of person is a sporty genius?


texts:
Such reactions may appear as edema or inflammation at the injection site or cause a variety of manifestations elsewhere, such as redness of the skin, itching, conjunctivitis, rhinitis, swelling of the face (angioedema), the upper or (and) lower lip, cheeks, vocal cords, pharynx accompanied by difficulty of breathing or swallowing, urticaria, severe dyspnea, which may progress to anaphylactic shock.

Should there be a comma before "accompanied by"?

The Russian original uses "with" instead of "accompanied by", but I thought that might mean like "pharynx with difficulties of breathing", so I used "accompanied".

I think that if there was a full stop after "swallowing", a comma would have been okay; but with the list continuing, it might be better without one.


texts:
Imagine we are at a beach watching a boat coming, and when it is still far away from the beach, it sinks into the water without reaching the land. I want to tell my friend about it. How can I describe the situation? I am confused which tense to use: present or past?

  Example 1:

  A: The boat sank into the water before it reached the beach.

  Example 2:

  A: The boat sank into the water before it reaches the beach.

  Example 3:

  A: The boat sank into the water before it was able to reach the beach.


texts: using 'has' with 'since' in mixed tenses

texts:
Is it correct to use 'has' in below sentence? I think it should be ok as we have use 'since ...' but the whole sentence does not seem like correct to me...
Mike has loved his roommates since he started living with them.
Could you please help with this one?


texts: When choosing between past simple and present perfect does it matter how recently the action happened ? Or both of them can be used to talk about recent actions ?


texts: I didn’t get the meaning of this sentence ,would anybody help please?

texts: European leaders interpreted the result for a sign They hadn’t swung Swedish opinion supporting the Extensive endeavor to transform Europe into a cohesive and integrated drive.specifically the phrase “interpreted the result for a sign”is not intelligible to me .http://whatthezeus.com/money/in-a-referendum-sweden-resoundingly-reject-the-euro/?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&ad_title=Sweden+Surprises+EU+In+Referendum&origsrcname=World&utm_term=World&campaign=jsd000


texts: Should I say I've "been to" a place or "been there" a place?

texts:
I have been to California( I have visited California)
What's the most beautiful place you've ever visited?
What's the most beautiful place you've ever been there?
What's the most beautiful place you've ever been to?
Having taken into account the italic part, would you please throw a light on if the bold parts are correct?
Any help would be greatly appreciated


texts: Without (the / no article) air and water, living things could not survive

texts:
Could you please advise whether I should use definite article 'the' in the below sentence?

I'm helping my little sister with an exercise of filling suitable article(s) into the blank of the sentence:

  Without ______ (a / an / the / no article) ____ air and water, living things could not survive.

My sister and I both agree that we don't use indefinite articles 'a' or 'an' before uncountable nouns like 'air' and 'water'. However, we have different views about the use of 'the' or 'no article' in this sentence.

For me, no article is needed in the sentence because

  Rule #3 - All things or things in general: Use no article with plural count nouns or any noncount nouns used to mean all or in general.
  [...]
  Noncount nouns are those which usually cannot be counted. Following are some common examples:
  [...]
  - Certain food and drink items: [...] sugar, tea, water, wine, yogurt
  - Certain nonfood substances: air, cement, coal, dirt, [...]
  Source: https://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/grammar/articles.html

I showed her some example sentences:

  Without air there is no sound.
  Source:
  https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/01nov_ismsounds

  How many days can a human survive without water?
  Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-many-days-can-you-survive-without-water-2014-5

However, my sister thinks 'the' is needed in the sentence because

  The definite article is used in front of things generally regarded as unique:  The sun, the moon, the sea, the sky, the Arctic Circle, the environment, the capital, the air, the ground, etc.
  Source: http://www.davidappleyard.com/english/articles.htm

and she found some examples as well:

  Birds and insects could not fly without the air to support them. Without the air, humans would not be able to fly either.
  Source: http://www.scienceterrific.com/atmosphere_function.php

  We can’t survive for more than a few minutes without the air, so why isn’t the air as much a part of us as our legs or arms?
  Source: http://reasonandmeaning.com/category/anxiety-depression/

  To put into more simpler terms, if your body is dehydrated and you have just finished a tough gym session and have eaten a protein rich meal – without the water the protein will never get to the muscles and therefore never get repaired.
  Source: http://www.home2officewatercoolers.co.uk/why-its-vital-for-your-health-to-drink-water-at-work/


texts: Meaning difference between two sentences

texts:
Movies, paintings and music are all devices of interpretation.

Movies, paintings and music are all subject to interpretation.

Do both these sentences mean the same thing?
Are both of them grammatically correct?


texts: I watched an entire season together/in a row

texts:
If someone watches all the episodes of a season in a row, what will be a natural way to express this:

  I watched an entire season in a row.

  I watched an entire season together

What sounds natural "in a row" or "entire" with a season? And does "whole" instead of "entire" with "season" sound natural?

  I watched a whole season .......


texts: I am puzzled by a sentence from a game related article

texts:
I'm not sure about the bolded sentence,

  "Until we have hard data that the presence of loot boxes in a given title is negatively affecting sales and profitability, rather than just being a thing people talk about on the internet, we should not worry about messaging issues."

  "That's hard to quantify but it's clearly an issue as it's getting coverage. Whether it's an issue for most or even the majority is not as relevant as it being a big issue for some I suppose.

  "The reactions to them seem to be based largely on how they are handled and whether the contents are game changing or just cosmetic."

from this article

Does "some" refer to the same meaning with the "most" and "the majority", indicating the size of a group of people? And in this context, does this sentence mean that this issue is not as important(or urgent) for the most or the majority of people than it is for only a small portion("some") of the people?

Or it means that the speaker is only implying that whether this issue is hot or not, it is, to the speaker himself, not that important?

I know this maybe complicated, for I'm not sure what this means, and I'm not making myself totally clear. And simply telling me what you're thinking of this sentence will do.


texts:
At @2:27 of this motivational video, Narrator narrates this lines:

Narrator: You had to give it to him. He had a plan. And it started
to make sense in a Tyler sort of way. No fear. No distractions. The
ability to let that which does not matter truly slide.

Is "give it to him" here mean punish/scold Tyler for motivating in wrong way?
Source: Fight Club 1999


texts: Is the sentence correct grammatically? If yes, Is it correct to place simple past(V2) or past participle(V3) form of verb after modals (can,could,will,would....). As per my understanding after modals the verb should be in its base form. But in the sentence"Users can sent alerts to police and trusted contacts in emergency", the verb is in its past form.


texts:
These two sentence are grammatically correct or not

He served the coffee black

He served the black coffee

What is difference in there meaning


texts: Is "unanimous consensus" correct phrase?

texts:
Is it OK to say:

  We can't reach a unanimous consensus on the issue.

Does unanimous consensus make sense? I know from the dictionary that unanimous collocates with agreement but I didn't find Unanimous consensus. Which one is better?

Unanimous consensus
Unanimous agreement


texts:
I wish to write a sentence and I have the three alternatives:

  I have three tables, one is black, one is green and one is blue
  I have three tables, one is black, other is green and another is blue.
  I have thee tables, one is black, the other is green and the other is blue.

Which one is it?


texts: Why "Lord of the Rings" instead of "Rings' Lord"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning?

Are Possessive ’s and of interchangeable?


texts: As suddenly as is the same as as soon as?

texts:
The fog lifts as suddenly as it had descended.

The sentence has been taken from a story. I think the verb "lifts" is incorrect. And I'd like to know whether "as suddenly as" is the same as "as soon as".


texts:
The wiktionary defines them as:

  campy:

  Characterized by camp or kitsch, especially when deliberate or intentional.

  corny:

  Insipid or trite.
  Hackneyed or excessively sentimental.

  cheesy:

  (informal) Overdramatic, excessively emotional or clichéd, trite, contrived.

So, there's a definite overlap between the three and I don't quite grasp the difference between them, maybe except campy not being linked to emotions.

Can you give me a good comparison between them, and e.g. examples when one would be applicable but the others not?


texts: What is the difference between kicking something and kicking out at something?

texts:
I kicked out at the dog.
I kicked the dog.

What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?


texts:
The truck driver accelerates toward the man. The man dives out of the
way to avoid the truck, which instead goes on to crash into a
tree.

Would you include "instead" as I have done or does it seem wrong to you?
(Note: The truck driver is deliberately trying to run the man over with his truck)


texts: Do I use 'was' or 'did' as an auxiliary in an interrogative clause?

texts:
Which is correct?

  Was the cheese taste delicious?

or

  Did the cheese taste delicious?

I know that we should use 'did' when we want to ask some question in the past simple form, but I'm not sure about this case. When we use "did" in this sentence, it sounds like supposition about cheese taste, but I need to ask straightly.

How to say it correctly?


texts: In German, we often use "Elfhundert" (literally, "eleven hundred") for 1100 or "neunzehnhundert" ("nineteen hundred") for 1900; but is this correct in English?


texts:
I came across this sentence while I reading some questions randomly. The question starts with this sentence:

This is a bit of a noob question so bear with me.

Obviously, the user wants to excuse that he is a beginner and he might say something non-sense.
But to say, 'bear with me' in the imperative, isn't the user bit rude?
I feel like he is ordering to bear his ignorance. But why do I have to?
Wouldn't he need to say 'please' to be more polite?

This is a bit of a noob question so bear with me, please.

Do I need to feel a bit uneasy?
Or is the original sentence acceptable as the internet culture?


texts: Artciles and prepositions in my thesis name

texts:
I would need to be sure that what I wrote is correct:

  SOLUTION FOR COMMUNICATION WITH PARALYZED PATIENTS BASED ON VOLUNTARY CHANGES OF
  THEIR PUPILLARY REFLEX.

Shouldn't it be "The solution"? If not, why?
Shouldn't it be "changes IN"? AFAIK, changes of sth is correct.

Does it make sense - voluntary change? What i mean is "a change induced by voluntary activity, such as imagery of something or performing a mental task")

Thank you very much


texts:
Source: Over 8,400 images from NASA's Moon missions are now on Flickr in high resolution

Example:

  "These images were processed for inclusion on our websites, including adjusting color and brightness levels, and reducing the images in size to about 1000 dpi (dots per inch) for the high-resolution versions." Because there was so much demand for higher-resolution versions, Teague decided to reprocess the entire set and upload them to Flickr magazine by magazine.

What do they exactly mean by magazine by magazine? Magazines are weekly or monthly publications with articles and illustrations dedicated to a particular theme. Examples include Vibe, National Geographic etc. I don't think NASA stores their photo material in the form of a magazine.


texts: Education is both teaching of skills and knowledge and building a good manner, behaviour and virtues

texts:
In German we have two words:
Erziehung - which means to raise somebody to be of good manner, to have values and virtues and to behave fittingly in one's social environment

and

Bildung - which are academic, intellectual skills, knowledge or practical, handcraft capabilities.

In English I found: education. teaching. upbringing, or to raise a child and parenting.

In English texts I often find that education is used for both “Erziehung“ and “Bildung“. Seems as in English “education“ is both, manners and skills.
This is more a question for educational professionals then for all-day language use.

Am I correct? Maybe this is a bit of hairsplitting, but in German it makes a difference if you are an “Erzieher“ (Erziehung) or a “Lehrer“ (Bildung). Maybe it is educator and teacher in English. But is “Education“ actually used for both?


texts:
I have a question about verb after "need".
Usually, we will add "to" between need and the verb, but sometimes I saw gerund after need. Are they different?

Here are the sentences I made, Please tell me which is correct and why.

  I don't need you answer my question.
  I don't need you answering my question.
  I don't need you to answer my question.

I heard second one from the movie.


texts:
What does 'in first for' mean in the following sentence?: (It's a news article title.)

  In first for UK, government clears Cuadrilla to frack shale gas site (Source: Reuters)

Now I presume that it roughly means that 'something has happened for the first time'.

But it's written in a strange way, and I can't find anything about 'in first for' on the internet, no dictionary has its meaning.


texts:
An example:

  US Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wants to make sure the Federal Communications Commission never interferes with "states' rights" to protect private Internet service providers from having to compete against municipal broadband networks.

From: http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/07/congresswoman-defends-states-rights-to-protect-isps-from-muni-competition

Looks like some kind of an abbreviation to me.


texts: Colloquial dropping of articles - is it grammatical?

texts:
There is a text:
"I was in the forest. Trees were dark"

If it is clear from a context what I refer to, I know native speakers tend to drop articles.

Does grammar allow it?


texts: I dont understand when to use the "cause" and the "causes". what is the difference? I am writing this book review, and really need some help with this. The sentence im struggling with is "In both situations there is a lack of resources which CAUSE people to die...".


texts: his feces eventually looks like shooting stars -- why not "his feces will eventually look like shooting stars"?

texts:
Source (YouTube video): Five Things That Happen to Astronaut's Body during Year in Space

Transcript (right at the beginning of the video):

  We're right over Australia and it’s the middle of the night there right now.
  Astronaut Scott Kelly is currently in the middle of his yearlong mission in space. Here are five incredible facts about his time on board the International Space Station.
  During the course of his stay, the astronaut's estimated 180 pounds of solid waste will be jettisoned and, upon reentering the atmosphere, burn up in a bright meteorite-like display. His feces eventually looks like shooting stars.

I showed this sentence (the entire paragraph, actually) to two native English speakers and they both said that the sentence sounded totally fine to them, but I still don't understand why this sentence is in the present simple tense. Isn't it something that will happen to his stool in the future since the narrator is talking about things that WILL happen to astronaut Scott Kelly and he even uses the future tense to say that? Plus, we have the word eventually there which almost always goes hand in hand with the modal will. To me, it sounds more natural to say: His feces will eventually look like shooting stars. Now, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this with some solid explanation to back them up.


texts: I've seen “over-preoccupation” in a paragraph and searched for the meaning, but I only came across results with "preoccupation" - without the "over".


texts: Is it correct to say my domestic name is?

texts:
A dear friend of mine is from Vietnam. In one of our conversations, I asked her whether I can call her "ABC", but she replied that is my domestic name.

Maybe what she meant by domestic name is the name that her family calls her by. I am wondering whether she is correct in her English when she used the words "my domestic name".


texts: "It is done" what is the sentence structure?

texts:
It is done

Is "done" in the above sentence an adjunctive or a verb?

Or is it a simple past tense in passive form. If so why "is" is used.

Please clarify what is the structure of the sentence. This sentence grammatically doesn't make sense to me in terms.


texts:
I am a bit confused about whether "grammar" is an indirect object or a noun. What is the word class of this word

  My students rightly expect me to research my grammar before I deliver the lesson.

My = adjective
rightly = adverb
me = object
 to=  preposition           research = verb           grammar =     ??????  deliver =  verb              the = definite article


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say
"Does my thinking correct?" and "Let we go?"?

I am half convinced that "Let we go?" is correct, and if it is, what is the difference between it and "Let us go?"?


texts: Why "would" instead of "will" in this sentence?

texts:
The goal for these negotiations is to reach a mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution that would ensure Iranˈs nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful. (Source)

what does would imply here? If it implies future, why will has not been used?

A good link teaching would thoroughly would be really appreciated. Specially, distinguishing between the senses of would is not always easy.


texts: "She doing X and me doing Y" or "her doing x and me doing Y?"

texts:
What's the correct construction?

Example sentence:

  We sat silently in front of each other, she covering her belly and me covering my pants.


texts: Past simple vs present perfect vs present perfect

texts:
Can sb correct me, if I'm wrong:

She dated him. (it is incorrect to say like this in present simple,
because there is no particular time in the past?)
She has dated him.
(it happened somewhere in the past, it's her experience)
She has dated him for two years. (She is still dating him).

Cheers!


texts:
I have a hard time precisely understanding the definitions of "with" and "of" in both Cambridge and and Collins dictionaries.

Shall I use "Her eyes protruded with vengeful stare" or "Her eyes protruded of vengeful stare"?

I understand that "with" gives me the cause of the action, but I think that "of" might tell me the cause ever better, whilst "with" sounds more like "eyes" and "stare" both protruded, you know... out of the water after a dive.

Thanks.


texts: Can two prepositions be used if there are two verbs in one sentence?

texts:
Could you tell me which one is right?
If there is not any correct sentence, what would be the right sentence?
I do not really know how to write these kinds of sentences correctly.

  She gives and receives advice to and from them.
  She gives and receives advice from them.

And how about these?

  She sings when she goes to the place and comes from the place.
  She sings when she goes and comes from the place.
  She sings when she goes and comes to and from the place.
  She sings when she goes to and comes from the place.


texts: The meaning of the phrase “to stage a pot bust”

texts:
The bellow quotation is from Peter Benchley’s Jaws:

“…; when, very rarely, a couple of predators from Queens would lurk in the dark side streets and mug passersby; and when, about twice a month in a summer, enough evidence having accumulated, the police would feel obliged to stage a pot bust at one of the huge waterfront homes”.

I would like to know the meaning of the phrase “to stage a pot bust”.

All that I could find about the verb “to stage” in Merriam-Webster Dictionary, please see # 2.

Regarding “pot bust”, anything on the internet is related to marijuana.

Would you please explain the meaning of the phrase: “to stage a pot bust”?


texts: 'get up to speed with' or 'get up to speed on'

texts:
A) We work to ensure that our technical staff are up to speed on new technologies.

  B) We work to ensure that our technical staff are up to speed with new technologies.

  C) We work to ensure that our technical staff are up to date on new technologies.

  D) We work to ensure that our technical staff are up to date with new technologies.

I saw all the four usages, maybe in my imagination, thus getting confused. Which one is the most appropriate?


texts: London's topology school or London Topology school?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  London's topology school
  London Topology school

My question contains two facts:

Should I write topology with the capital letter?
Should I put 's ?


texts:
In my university application essay, I would like to indicate that by getting admission into the university, I'll "gain access" to the university's rich cultures and traditions, which are over a hundred years old.

"Gain access" sounds overtly technical than the friendly tone I need. I thought of words like "inherit" but I don't think they fit the case here, because just by getting admitted to the university I'm not going to literally "own" all of their traditions ^_^

What's a good word in this case? Thanks!


texts: Is the sentence "I'm an American by birth." correct? My teacher told me we cannot say "an American".


texts: "They've raised their hand" vs "They've raised their hands"?

texts:
Consider these two phrases:

  “They've raised their hand”
  “They've raised their hands”

Does object have to agree with subject? To make the question more clear, let's assume all of them have raised their right hand/hands(?). Now we have five people and five raised hands.

I've changed the original question which used idiom "to show one's true colors" as example, which was giving the idea that my question was about usage of the specified idiom. I apologize for my poor choice of example.


texts: Shouting/ shouted with happiness, William celebrated his chance to interview

texts:
As I was studying on participles I came across the following sentence.

  Shouting with happiness, William celebrated his chance to interview at SunTrust.

I know the participle phrase in the sentence modifies the William so the sentence is grammatically correct and what I understand from the sentence is that William shouted with happiness (first) and then celebrated his chance to interview.But even though he shouted first , I think, celebration and shouting may overlaps in terms of time also.But I am not certain about it.

My question is that what would the sentence imply if I changed present participles with past participles as the following:

  Shouted with happiness, William celebrated his chance to interview at
  SunTrust.

Would it change the order of the actions or interval between the actions or stress on them?


texts: "Membership **to** physics-related entities"?

texts:
This is a question that cropped-up while John Doe was preparing the English version of his CV. He wanted to include a section wherein he was to list some of the physics societies to which he belongs. He decided to title the section something like

Membership to physics-related entities

The question is this: does the phrase "membership to" sound awkward to you? If so, what would you have written therein instead? Membership of physics-related entities?


texts: Which of the following is grammatically correct?

texts:
Talking on the phone or Talking on phone.
Do they have different nuances? If so, then which one should be used when and under what circumstances?


texts:
1) We don't consider this film suitable for young children (LongMan)

  Could it be -- We don't regard this film as a suitable film for young children

  2) She is considered to be one of the finest pianist of her generation

  Could it be -- She is widely regarded as the finest pianist of her generation

  3) I am seriously considered resigning (it seems can't be written with regard)

  4) She stood back and regarded him coldly

According to LongMan:

Regard is thinking about someone in a particular way.

Consider is to think about something carefully before making decision.

I wrote this paragraph:

  While such features can be used to classify the page elements into "content" and "noise", they may not be applicable to all elements of the page. To illustrate this, suppose we want to eliminate the navigation bar from the page sidebar. We may create a rule in which the link density is employed to distinguish such a part, but when this rule is applied to the page, all such elements are removed regardless of their locations in the page, even if they are within the main content (e.g. Table of Contents). However, if the user was able to specify the context in which a rule must be applied (e.g. the page sidebar), then before removing such an element, context would be regarded.

Could it be considered in replace of regarded? Are they the same?

However, sometimes in the articles I confuse them and need a rule of thumb for that. (Now, it seems making decision is a key)


texts: I'm happy to learn from someone that they have the possibility to return home to their family they haven't seen for so long. Should I say "I'm glad (that) you return to your family!" or " I'm glad (that) you're returning home to your family!" Is "that" necessary? Is "return home to your family" said?


texts: What is "thirteen twenty-fourth" in a company's share?

texts:
English is not my mother tongue and when I was reading a book written in English, I've come across this sentence:

I own thirteen twenty-fourth shares in Crptipa Mining Corporation

I didn't understand how many shares the speaker owns.
It's from "The Liar's Key" by Mark Lawrence.


texts: Why does the author define music as 'a very small word'?

texts:
Why does the author define music as 'a very small word' even though it encompasses something that takes as many forms as there are cultural or subcultural identities?

‘Music’ is a very small word to encompass something that takes as many
forms as there are cultural or subcultural identities. And like all
small words, it brings a danger with it. When we speak of ‘music’, we
are easily led to believe that there is something that corresponds
to that word—something out there, so to speak, just waiting for us to
give it a name. But when we speak of music we are really talking about
a multiplicity of activities and experiences. It is only the fact that
we call them all ‘music’ that makes it seem obvious that they belong
together. There are cultures which don’t have a word for ‘music’ in
the way that English does—so that music isn’t distinguished from what
we would call dance or theater.

Music: A Very Short Introduction


texts:
I need to offer some advice about how a friend of mine can learn a new language effectively. Does the following sound correct?

Make sure you choose a well-guided course book with clear and understandable explanations.


texts:
In a series I heard the statement below. It praises a person as an attractive spouse to be picked by an upcoming politician. However, the speaker compares said person as contrasted by a blue collar worker making his living with manual labor and living far less than wealthy.

  Your blood was blue. Mayflower blue. D.A.R. blue.

I understand what the person tries to say but I notice that, according to my knowledge, it's an oxymoron. The refugees on the ship were anything but royal. Those were religious deviants (by the regime's standards, of course) and mostly poor, definitely commons. The American Revolution, which I assume it's a reference to, can't, by the very definition of the USA, be royal in any sense (as it's established in the constitution).

Has the speaker made a logical poof or am I unaware of additional meanings of the term "blue blood"? Or perhaps I'm mistaken regarding the historical aspects of the referred to events?


texts:
He was laying on the floor and watched the TV.

(Body on top and back on bottom)

  He is watching the TV upside down

his sister told me.

Can I use upside down for the posture below?


texts:
If you're chanting someone's name again and again to support them, do you chant "on them" or "for them" or is "chanting" not used in that way?
The crowd started chanting his name.
The crowd were still chanting on/for him.


texts: Is there a wordfor when someone is telling you to do something when it is obvious that you were going to do said thing anyway

texts:
I had a room mate who would always tell me to do stuff like clean the kitchen after I use it, or clean up after I spilled something. It was obvious in each situation that I was going to do said thing anyway.
Is there a specific word or phrase for such behavior? Other than "bossy".


texts: The difference between "last year" and "the last year" in context

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

  Last year was tough, but somehow we managed to pull through it.

  The last year was tough, but somehow we managed to pull though it.


texts: Is the phrase "one too many times" an adverb? If it is, what kind of adverb is it?

texts:
If "one too many times" is an adverb
What kind of adveb is "one too many times"?


texts: What does “white and pink” mean here? Is it like “black and white” as in “I have a cat. Its color is black and white” or are they actually two colors?


texts:
I came across a question called "question about that-clause" (M. Swan- Practical English Usage). What I wish to understand is what kind of meaning these questions express. For instance, what are the differences between

  What did you say you wanted for Christmas.

and

  What did you want for Christmas?


texts:
Is it possible to make the first sentence in a different way like the second one?

"The/That" modifies the noun so as to mean "the noun of
which we were aware"
"The/That" modifies the noun so as to mean "the noun which
we were aware of"

Are there any differences in meaning even in nuance?


texts: Do "especially" and "particularly" mean the same in the following situation? Which is more natural?

texts:
His hands were chilly and slippery ... especially/particularly slippery.

Do slippery mean the same as particularly in this sentence?

To my ears, "especially" implies that there are two items and that one of them has more weight or is more noticeable than the other. "Particularly" implies that the characteristic is odd in a negative way.

So, to me, "especially" makes more sense. But perhaps I'm wrong?


texts: What is the right position of emphasis adverbs in a short answer?

texts:
Consider the simple question

  Are you trying to tell me, …?

and its short answer

  I am.

What is the correct way to emphasise this answer with an adverb, like

  I am precisely. or I precisely am.

Both possibilities sound equally weird to me. The first sentence seems incomplete to me, instead

  I am precisely trying to.

would sound more correct but loses its terseness. The second sentence feels a bit odd but follows the same pattern as “I certainly will.” which is definitely a correct answer to a question “Are you going to …”.

I hope someone can shed some light here!


texts: Valid transformation of “the US has used prosecutions against Credit Suisse AG and UBS AG to glean information on Americans hiding overseas accounts”?

texts:
The following excerpts are taken from Offshore Crackdown Kicks Off With 30% Penalties for Banks: Taxes:

The Internal Revenue Service is about to get an unprecedented look at bank accounts and investments U.S. citizens hold abroad, through a law that is making it harder to hide assets from the tax collector.
[. . .]
What led to the 2010 Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or Fatca, was the inability of federal tax authorities to obtain clear information about financial accounts that U.S. citizens have outside the country. That’s especially important for the U.S., because unlike many other countries, it taxes citizens on their worldwide income regardless of where they actually live.
[. . .]
Even without Fatca in place, the U.S. has used prosecutions against Credit Suisse AG and UBS AG to glean information on Americans hiding overseas accounts.
Prosecutors have charged more than 70 U.S. taxpayers and three dozen bankers, lawyers and advisers in their crackdown on offshore tax evasion. Those charged include H. Ty Warner, the billionaire creator of Beanie Babies plush toys; Igor Olenicoff, a billionaire real estate developer; and Brad Birkenfeld, a former UBS AG banker who blew the whistle on the bank.

. . .the U.S. has used prosecutions against Credit Suisse AG and UBS AG to concealing information on Americans hiding overseas accounts.

. . .the U.S. has used prosecutions against Credit Suisse AG and UBS AG to for concealing information on Americans hiding overseas accounts.

. . .the U.S. has used prosecutions against Credit Suisse AG and UBS AG not to conceal information on Americans hiding overseas accounts.

. . .the U.S. has used prosecutions against Credit Suisse AG and UBS AG to provide information on Americans hiding overseas accounts.

The above four examples show different ways I modified the original sentence. I am wondering if these modifications are valid and convey a meaning similar to the original sentence.
To put it another way, I changed the original sentence in such a way that Credit Suisse AG and UBS AG could act as the subject of conceal/provide information. Do these examples grammatically and semantically serve my purpose?


texts: Is it correct to say "he called her near"? Meaning, "he called her, asking her to come near". I did find some results on google, but not enough to remove any doubt. Typing "called her near" I got 47500 hits, but then browsing through the pages they shrank to only 46!


texts: 'it is not a [noun]' vs 'it is no [noun]'

texts:
How do I know when to say "it is not a [noun]" and when to say "it is no [noun]"?
I've heard both, but I have never been able to get the difference between the two.
Here is one example:

Nevertheless, their resemblance goes well beyond just outward
appearance and is even greater when you consider their personal
characters. Their progress patterns in studying languages is no
exception – as both like to memorize words and short phrases, both
pay a lot of attention to pronunciation during the first 3 months and
both become focused on grammar only in the 9th month into learning.


texts:
(1) I haven't met Jack for at least twenty years. Yesterday, I received his photo in my email. I don't remember how he looked when he was youngers. (my original example)
(2) I haven't met Jack for at least twenty years. Yesterday, I received his photo in my email. I don't remember his younger face.
(3) I haven't met Jack for at least twenty years. Yesterday, I received his photo in my email. I don't remember his younger looks.
I want to replace the highlighted words in (1) with a shorter phrase. Do "younger face" and "younger looks" work?


texts: "Next to the table were (laying) two old chairs and some books."

texts:
Next to the table were two old chairs and some books.

or

Next to the table were laying two old chairs and some books.

Which one is correct?


texts:
It's for the 8th episode of the 4th season of Better Call Saul. The context is James and Kim wins a court case by trickery.

Kim: The phones were genius.
James: [IN NORMAL VOICE] The phones?
Kim: Yeah.
James: Well, the phones were a touch.
This was all you, start to finish.
Bank shot off the judge.


texts: When to use 'which' or 'in which' or 'that' (as relative pronouns)?

texts:
I am confused about when to use:  'which' vs 'in which' vs or 'that'?

Would you please explain it as a writing rule? Here I have an example:

  Authors reported shortened growth period and slower radial growth rate for low soil water potential which is directly attributed to the decrease in water potential, rather than to the constraints on carbon availability.


texts: How come is that possible? vs. How come that is possible?

texts:
I've asked a question on HOW COME and found out that a question like "How come that it is possible?" is more like a dialectal variation or an older form that few people consider as natural.

Now, I've got another question.. What's the difference between these two sentences below?

  a. How come is that possible? / b. How come that is possible?

As far as I know, HOW COME requires its following sentence not to be inverted, while WHY necessitates the inversion. The sentence as in (a) thus confuses me now.

Is there any difference in usage between the two sentences?
Thank you in advance.


texts: Which the meaning of "Not for a long time yet" is correct?

texts:
I came across this conversation "Are we going out now?" "Not for a long time yet".

When I asked some persons the meaning "Not for a long time yet", one say it means "We are not going out yet. It will be a long time before we go out.", and one say it means "We won't be leaving for a while."

They say "We aren't going out now" but the term is different like "for a long time" and " not for a long time(for a while). Which is correct? Or do "for a long time" and "for a while" mean the same term?


texts: Is dressed as a clown the same as dressed like a clown?

texts: When you say he is dressed as a clown, you mean he is actually wearing a clown costume.   Can you say he is dressed like a clown when you would like to express his clothing somewhat reminds you of  clown costumes?   Or, do they both mean the same?  Could you help me clarify it?  Thank you always.


texts: Abigail is amazing Slang english american?

texts:
okay while I read Urban Dictionary I saw this Slang: Abigail and its description is:

  Abigail
  A Best Friend who understand everything about everyone, the most amazing person you'll ever come across, beautiful funny, talented, clever. Gets on with everyone yet chooses to have the weirdest people as best friends because deep down she is a insane crazy child! Secretly has alot of problems that she doesnt want anyone to know but ends up telling some one or another because her best friend knows her too well. She is very strong and would rather see others happy than be happy herself. Happiest when singing or acting and playing the piano. And All Round Amazing Person...

I can understand this slang could I use when a girl is cool,beautiful funny,talented,etc?

for example could I say some this way:

my friend is funny she says some funny everyday she is abigail this way is correct?

Abigail - Urban Dictionary


texts: Often hear it in connection to LGBT. Can anyone please explain what it means? I get the original version: "love is love" but I don't understand the syntax of  Lin-Manuel Miranda's poem.


texts: what does it mean by "lie to something"?

texts:
Please take a look at this sentence:
It lies to the northwest of Continental Europe.
(source: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Great_Britain

I used to think that we would only put prepositions like "in" or "on" with the verb "lie" (For example: "India lies on the Indian Plate.", "The antipodes of the Chatham Islands lie in France."), so when I came across this sentence I checked my dictionaries at hand, but I couldn't find any information about this particular usage.

Is it really correct to write or say that something "lies to something"? (I do not have in mind the kind of sentence constructions like "you lie to me".)and,
if it is correct, what exactly is the difference between "lie to", "lie in" and "lie on"?


texts:
I have two methods. Each one of them, due to its main idea, requires a specific type of estimation strategy. I would like to say that using a correct English sentence.

  The estimation strategy of method A is strategy 1, while it is strategy 2 in method B, due to the main idea of each method.

or

  The estimation strategy of method A is strategy 1, while it is strategy 2 in method B, based on the main idea of each method.

Which one explains my point of view correctly?


texts:
Let's say there is a president of a country who was at the international meeting and he accepted to participate in some kind of expensive project.
Commenting his action, can I construct something like "taking on obligations on sth"

  ...taking on such obligations on the poor country is irresponsible.


texts: "develop awareness of", "develop an awareness of" or "develop the awareness of"?

texts:
Tell me please if I should use any article before the word awareness in the following sentence.

  Many don't realise that they arch their lambar spine during the squat, so it is crucial to develop (an/the) awareness of it to avoid injury.

I lean towards the use of the, but I heard natives say it with a and without any article.


texts:
I wrote the following text:

  A restaurant has a fixed number of chairs. If they set/arrange them around tables with 7 capacity (put them in groups of 7), no chair is extra. If they set them around tables with 4 capacity, 2 chair is extra. If they set them around tables with 3 capacity, 1 chair is extra. How many numbers smaller than 1000 are there for the number of chairs of the restaurant?

First, I would like to know is set...around correct and common for chairs around a table? could I use arrange?

Then I don't know the related words for groups with a certain capacity, and also the words for what remains after arranging objects in groups.

Could you rewrite the text above containing idiomatic words for such a scenario?


texts: what is the exact meaning of the word "pleasures" in this context?

texts:
There are many incidental pleasures in David Seidler's screenplay. On being thanked for some small service, Logue asks: "What are friends for?" "I wouldn't know," snaps the duke. After watching the newsreel of the coronation, the new royal family finds itself mesmerised by the sight of Hitler at Nuremberg. "What's he saying?" asks one of his daughters. "I don't know, but he seems to be saying it rather well," says the new king thoughtfully.

I understand the whole idea of this part of the review, but i'm not sure about the meaning of the word "pleasures".


texts:
Friend: John, can you come to the party tonight?

John: Sorry, no. I could come, but my mum is very ill and I have to take care of her.

John: Sorry, no. I could've come, but my mum is very ill and I have to take care of her.

John: Sorry, no. I would come, but my mum is very ill and I have to take care of her.

John: Sorry, no. I would've come, but my mum is very ill and I have to take care of her.

Q: Can I use the word "but" in this way with the modal verbs "could" and "would" to completely negate what has been said in the previous clause, instead of using any conditional markers like "if", "provided that", "otherwise" etc?


texts: The sentence, containing going to + infinitive construction, without context

texts:
Consider the following sentence without context:

  You are going to wash my socks.

I think that this sentence has the sense as command to wash speaker's socks.

But can it be interpreted in another meaning? That is, intention of wash speaker's socks.


texts:
My website ranking suddenly dropped from the top 10 to 1000.

My website ranking dropped abruptly.

How do I use abruptly in the sentence above?
I want to describe how the rank dropped suddenly from a high rank to a low rank.


texts: "This work presented the computer program X" vs. "This report presented the computer program X"

texts:
I am reading a report that presents the computer program X. The author is a student who designed and implemented this program during his M.S.

At the beginning of the last section, the author wrote "This work presented the computer program X". Is that turn of phrase correct? Shouldn't it be replaced by "This report presented the computer program X" or something similar?

Title of the report: Program X: An end-to-end approach to unveil salient features from massive signal data sets.


texts:
Is this sentence correct:
"It is not the words that angered me as much as the way you used them".

I want to mean that I got angry more because of the way you used the words than the words themselves.

Actually while asking it I came across one more problem.
 "Do I need to use get with angry? or is angry a verb?" For example:

I angered or I got angry.
Which one of the above is correct?

Earlier I used to use the latter one (get angry) but once I came across a news published in hindustan times (an Indian daily) in which the former one(angered) was used. I cannot provide a link to the news since the news is a couple of day old and  I don't have the edition.


texts:
I want to ask someone what they heard about my country; whether it's positive things or negative things.
Can I say "What image do you have about my country?"


texts: What is the difference between "Could I have this... " and "Can I have this... "?

texts:
I was thinking about the sentence "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" after listening the song "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" by Enrique Iglesias.

And I'm confused is this sentence gives a same meaning like "Can I Have This Kiss Forever". If not what is the difference between "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" and "Can I Have This Kiss Forever"?

Someone may think this question as a duplicate one, but I didn't find answer for my question by another question.
Edit: At most questions about Could/Can they give some idea about Could/Can but not about the meaning difference of the above sentences.


texts:
Oblivion is a 2013 post-apocalyptic science fiction film based on Joseph Kosinski's unpublished graphic novel of the same name. It stars Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, and Olga Kurylenko. The film was released in the U.S. on April 19, 2013. According to Kosinski, Oblivion pays homage to science fiction films of the 1970s.
Plot (spoiler!)

In 2077, Earth has been ravaged from war sixty years prior with an
extraterrestrial attacker. The Moon was destroyed, causing earthquakes
and tsunamis, while humans allegedly used nuclear weapons for a costly
victory.
Humanity is now relocating to Saturn's moon Titan via the
"Tet", a large tetrahedron-shaped space station. On Earth, Tech 49
Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and his partner and lover Victoria "Vika"
Olsen (Andrea Riseborough) are among the few humans left on Earth.
Stationed at Tower 49 in former northeastern United States, they are
instructed by mission controller Sally (Melissa Leo) to protect the
gigantic offshore fusion energy generators, which are generating power
for the colonists on Titan, from attacks by Scavs, a small force of
marauding aliens who remained on Earth. The generators are protected
by both Drones and Jack's regular reconnaissance from his ship.
Despite having had a memory wipe, Jack experiences visions of being on
the observation deck of the Empire State Building before the war with
an unknown woman. When not on patrol, Jack secretly spends time at a
small lake-side house he has built.

There is a scene in which Jack secretly deviates from the mission and re-routes to his lake-side house, reading books, playing basketball and listening to music down there.
Before he sleeps on the grass, he speaks to himself, "I'm gonna miss this place. It would have been great."
What is this "It would have been great"?
Does he suggest that it would have been great if he could go and leave there at will?
If so, why not say "it would be great"?


texts:
YouTube video (just click the link and it will automatically fast-forward to the right time mark for you which is located at about 12 minutes 36 seconds)

Transcript:

  Of, now, fundamental interest to us is such a program as I have here. Consider this block of wood.

I don't understand why he calls that piece of demonstration equipment a program. The word simply doesn't have such meaning.

Still picture from the video:


texts:
Cow = Beef
Pig = Pork
Sheep = Mutton
Chicken = Chicken
Fish = Fish

Why aren't there separate "meat words" for chicken and/or fish?


texts: The meaning of "up" in the phrase "up in London"

texts:
He'd been to a lecture the previous night up in London.

I looked it up in a dictionary. 'Up' as adverb has many meanings. Would you tell me if the meaning I chose is applied to the sentence?

From Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary:

chiefly British : to or at a more important place (such as a large city or university)
He went up to London.
Their daughter is up at Oxford.


texts: Am I using "and so are" correctly in this sentence?

texts: Our world is constantly changing and so are people.


texts: Is it OK to use single quotation marks around a business name?

texts:
I'm currently in the process of writing a written piece/assignment for university as a contrast and compare piece and was curious as to if using single quotation marks around a business name for example,

  Following the events occurring at a recent convention 'Nintendo Of America' released a new game for the switch.

In the original brief I was given it had referred to the games using single quotes around them. I wonder if the quotes were also necessary for the name of the business. The written format being used throughout is that of an article.


texts:
The house is not only wives but husbands too, the children are not only mothers, fathers too.
The house is not only of wives but husbands too, the children are not only of mothers, fathers too.


texts: what does this underlined sentence in below picture mean?

texts: what did the professor do for the student? I do not follow it.


texts:
What are the rules of parallelism? I've been reading a lot about it since yesterday and all I encounter is "They must have the same grammatical form"? What does this exactly mean?

I know how to make parallel sentences with gerunds. The things get trickier when it comes to using modifiers.

For example:

  I love using the phone that you bought me and the computer.

On the left side of the conjunction there is a noun phrase that consists of an article + noun + another modifier and on the right side there is an article + noun.

They are both noun phrases but the first one has additional modifier. Is that still considered a parallel sentence?

Another example:

  I like to swim and to feel good.

Here on the right side of the conjunction there is an infinitive and on the left side there is an infinitive + complement? Is that parallel?


texts: Is it correct to say "the margin of differences"?

texts:
There are some instances of decrease in the average temperature of some place.

I need to cast doubt on the significance of the decrease.

can I say:

  The margin of the differences may not be notable.


texts: She ran ....the path and .... the steps and .... her house

texts:
She ran ______ the path and ______ the steps and ______ her house.

options:

a) from/into/into

b) along/towards/into

c) along/up/into

d) by/on/into

e) in/next to/near

MyApproach:

I am confused between b) and c)

Reason: In the second fill up I think towards should be there because it indicates in the direction of which correlates with the sentence

I found the meaning of up also that correlates in the sentence is:

  "from a lower to a higher point on (something); upward along: she climbed up a flight of steps."

Can Anyone guide me how to approach the problem?


texts: Can "degringolade of something" mean a period of downfall in this context?

texts:
It is a phase of human life that may lead, as I am trying to show,
either to a new way of life for our species or else to a longer or
briefer dégringolade of violence, misery, destruction, death and the
extinction of mankind.

The new world order by H.G. Wells
I wan to understand the word degringolade in this context. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary the word is synonym with "downfall":

a rapid decline or deterioration (as in strength, position, or condition) : downfall

But I get confused.
Does the author means: the downfall of violence? like there will be no violence?
Or a period of downfall that there is violence and misery in it?


texts:
I'm writing a report for school, and I'm wondering if I should say:

  the gas form of oxygen

or:

  the gaseous form of oxygen

Which one would be the better choice and why?


texts: What does 'going out of this collar' mean?

texts:
'For Christ sake's James! You're making bloody hard going out of this collar!'

[Transcript from Episode 1 - SOURCE around 65 or so lines down from the top.]

This is from The Crown on Netflix, I was wondering what it might mean, I googled it and nothing of help came up.

It sounds really awkward as well, don't know if this is dated usage or something else.

Context: Location: UK, Time: 1947 London.

The king is getting his collar done up by his butler(James), and the King is getting annoyed at James because he's taking too long or something. It's hard to describe and I can't find any clips of the moment, sorry.

EDIT: Found a clip,
here it is. - Time-stamp: 1:00


texts:
I know both versions are used, but are they interchangable? If not, when do we use which one? Let's take this sentence:

  A sudden growth of child's popularity might be disturbing for their emotional development.

  A sudden growth in child's popularity might be disturbing for their emotional development.


texts:
Recently I had to write an application letter, and when my teacher examined it; he marked the following sentence as incorrect (because of the supposedly wrong usage of 'supplement')

  I would like to supplement my theoretical knowledge with practical knowledge, in accordance with your motto: 'learning by doing'.

I couldn't find supplement as a verb in my Dutch-English dictionairy, but various sources online say it can also be used as a verb. In this case, was I wrong? And if so, what would be the appropriate verb?


texts: Are the second commas in the two given sentences necessary?

texts:
Well, now that I'm here (,) that's hardly going to be a problem.

Actually, come to think of it now (,) you could've done that.

Here, are the commas in brackets necessary? Are both the sentences grammatically correct with or without the second commas?


texts:
Please tell me what is meant by 'as foul as it has been' below

Please tell me what is meant by the underlined part

The English air is as foul as it has been at any point since my childhood. It is as if the sewers have burst.

Does the above mean that the English air has never been this foul as it is now since the author's childhood or Does it mean the English air is as foul now as it has been since he was born?

Thank you.


texts:
Due to his outstanding knowledge in the field we were able to use Mr. Bean as a senior developer in international projects.

Is “use” the correct word here? I'm afraid it might sound a bit as if Mr. Bean were an object rather than a person. Would you rather use something like “employ”?


texts: Beginning a sentence with "encouraged" and the antecedent of "their"

texts:
William had no girlfriends in high school, and his mother once sat him down at the table in her spotless kitchen and asked if he was gay. She said it would be fine with her. She loved him unconditionally, and they would figure out a way to tell his father. But William wasn’t gay. He was just absurdly, painfully in love with Bridey Taylor, who leaned on the piano and sang while he played, and he had no way of telling her. He was too shy to pursue other girls, even when the payoff seemed either likely or worth the agony. But he didn’t tell his mother that. It was too humiliating. He just stammered an unconvincing denial.
Other boys asked Bridey out, and William suffered through it. She viewed them with amusement, but she accepted most invitations. Encouraged, in their junior year William decided to ask her to the winter formal. He was getting ready, vibrating with anticipation, when Bridey told him that a tennis-playing senior named Monty had invited her.

What does encouraged here mean? Also is it passive or adjective?
Who is the word their referring to? William? Other students? Or William and Bridey?

Thank you a thousand times over.


texts: How do I hyphenate things like 'then-British Prime Minister'?

texts: What if a prefix is added not to just one word but to a multi-word phrase? What should I do in terms of hyphen(s) and blank(s)? 'Then-British Prime Minister'? 'Then British Prime Minister'?


texts: Why do Russian names transliterated into English have unpronounceable 'k's before 'h's (e.g. 'Mikhail' instead of just 'Mihail')?

texts: Why can't it be just 'Mihail'? I guess the 'k' is inserted to ensure correct pronunciation, but I don't see how 'Mikhail' and 'Mihail' are pronounced differently.


texts: At which point does mispronunciation become accent?

texts:
A while back, when I was talking to one friend of mine (we are both English language learners), he "mispronounced" a word so I pointed it out. He responses with something like "Well, I think that's my accent. People from China just talk like that."
That kind of makes sense, because people from different ethnic groups (California v.s.Florida v.s. India) must have a lot of differences in their pronunciation, but that's definitely not mispronunciation. This makes me wonder at which point mispronunciation becomes your accent. I appreciate thoughts from both those who use English as a first and as a second language. (<-- I'm certain I skewed up the grammer of the previous sentense; could someone fix it for me?)
I need to know this because certain vocals in English are really hard to make for me. If that's just part of my accent then I might as well just keep it.


texts:
A paragraph from a ACT reading test:

Within the blue bracket that I marked, what does hearing function here? Gerund? so what goes before "was" is a long subject?  But that does not seem to make any sense. Participle? I can not find the independent clause.


texts: Will it be incorrect if I pluralize 'mouse' to 'mouses' when it's of a computer?

texts:
We all know that mouse is mice when pluralized. But I wanted to instruct my fellow mate to replace mouses as they weren't working.

The mouse there is of a computer.

I think it's a computer product and therefore may not follow the rules of English. Rather, it would be 'mouses' only.


texts: Usage of "Trying" in a sentence to declare an attempt + will

texts:
I was going to move to a new house and I told my colleague that "during the weekend, I was trying to move to my new place", he responded by saying "trying? So are you moving or not?". Both of us are not native English speakers!! So, I wanted to ask if what I said is correct or should have rather said "I am moving" instead of "I am trying to move"?

To add, what does "trying" signifies in the following sentences:

I am trying to listen to the radio.
I am trying to work on my essay.

Does it mean that "I am willing or wanting" or does it mean "I am actively doing something"? Thank you !!


texts:
Is there any adverb in the below sentences?

Here in this link, it says other adverbs can be used in similar constructions with various effects.

  He is liable to get in trouble.
  She is certain to do well in college.

But I don't know what word/phrase is the adverb here. I can identify "liable" & "certain" as adjectives - but can't guess which one is adverb that web page was referring to.


texts: What are vocabulary relating to "umbrella"?

texts:
um‧brel‧la /ʌmˈbrelə/ ●●● S3 noun [countable]      1 Image of umbrellaan object that you use to protect yourself against rain or hot
  sun. It consists of a circular folding frame covered in cloth →
  parasol

  It started to rain, so Tricia stopped to put up her umbrella.

  I spent the day on the beach, lying under a beach umbrella,
  reading.

Look at the picture, the woman is pushing the umbrella open or make it open or make it extend. So, how do we say it?

"She is putting up her umbrella"?

But some American speakers say "to open an umbrella" is more common

Now, look at this picture. The umbrella was already opened & she is holding it. What should we say?

"She is covering herself with her umbrella" or "She is hiding herself under her umbrella"? Which is more idiomatic?


texts:
I've come up with these sentences :

  do or make these updates

.
And I don't know which one to choose.
Any explanation will be really appreciated on why I should use one over the other.


texts: What verb form should come after "ALREADY", "Present" or "Past Participle"?

texts:
What is the correct verb form to use with the word "already"? Should I use the present form of the verb or past participle form of the verb?
Example:

Already share your video in my Facebook.
Already shared your video in my Facebook.

Which one is correct?


texts:
It is from this video. It is at 28 second.

  Fiction often treats good and evil as uncrossing opposites.


texts: Do all idioms have an origin/story behind them?

texts:
Do all idioms have a story or an origin where they came from? An example of what I mean is the origin of "mad as a hatter" provided by this site:

  While “hatter” refers to Lewis Carroll’s
  Mad Hatter character in Alice in Wonderland, the expression has its
  origins in the effects of the chronic mercury poisoning commonly
  experienced by 18th and 19th century hat manufacturers owing to the
  use of mercurous nitrate in felt hats. “Mad as a March hare” comes
  from the behaviour of hares during the breeding season, when they run
  and leap about the fields.

and an example of what I mean as a story (turn a blind eye):

  Interestingly, this expression is said to have arisen as a result of
  the famous English naval hero Admiral Horatio Nelson, who, during the
  Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, is alleged to have deliberately raised
  his telescope to his blind eye, thus ensuring that he would not see
  any signal from his superior giving him discretion to withdraw from
  the battle.


texts: 'I brought them at my home' or 'I brought them to my home'?

texts: I want to know which preoposition should I use before the word 'home'.


texts: loose, untaxed cigarettes -- what does "loose" mean in this context?

texts:
Example with a context:

  The shooting comes at a tense time. Police in New York are being criticized for their tactics following the chokehold death of Eric Garner, who was stopped by police on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. Amateur video captured an officer wrapping his arm around Garner's neck and wrestling him to the ground. Garner was heard gasping, "I can't breathe" before he loses consciousness and later dies.

What does loose cigarettes really mean?


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

texts:
This is the context:

  The anthropic principle says something very interesting about our position in the
  universe. Since the Enlightenment, science has deprived human beings of their
  special status in this universe. Copernicus showed us that we are no longer at the
  physical center of the universe. Rather, the Earth is simply an average planet circling
  some insignificant star. Darwin took away the status of humans as the most important
  creatures in the animal world. For him, a human being was simply one of many
  creatures that sprang from random mutations. And finally, it was Freud45 who took
  away reason’s status as a uniquely human ability and showed that it is simply a
  handmaiden to the mysterious animalistic subconscious. By incorporating all these
  findings, science has come to accept something termed the principle of mediocrity or
  the Copernican principle that says that what we observe in the universe is not special
  in any sense. We are a typical species on an ordinary planet spinning around a
  commonplace sun in a usual galaxy. There is nothing special about us.
  That is, until now. In a sense, the anthropic principle has returned humans to the
  center of the universe. The Copernican principle has proved to be wrong. The very
  fact that intelligent human beings exist places restrictions on the type of universe we
  live in.
  The Outer Limits of Reason: What Science, Mathematics, and Logic Cannot Tell Us
  by Noson S. Yanofsky

Can anyone tell me what is the meaning of "until now"? because it appears it does not have a meaning as: so far, thus far and etc...


texts:
We sometimes use our eye(s) to draw someone's attention towards something being done or spoken to show as if we don't like it either, or as a taunt, saying:

'Ugh! Just look at this man! What he is saying is!'

What is the particular verb for this action?
To give an optic gesture???


texts: What does "new technology–based solutions" mean?

texts:
New technology–based solutions

Does it mean

Solutions that are based on new technology

or

New solutions that are based on technology?

I think it can read as both.


texts:
Regarding the following verbs/phrases, which ones mean "this is my strong believe" and which ones mean "this is my understanding of the situations"?

I feel
I can see
I am convinced


texts: Is the verb "to compare" used correctly in this sentence?

texts:
I have posted a question on Stack Overflow about a curious usage of the verb "to compare" in a paper I read:

  The expression a <=> b returns an object that compares <0 if a < b,
  compares >0 if a > b, and compares ==0 if a and b are
  equal/equivalent.

Translation

The expression blah-blah returns an object that compares less than zero if blah-blah...

Does this sentence make sense in English? Is this grammatically correct? Is this some grammar variant used by programmers? Can you change the verb "to compare" in the quoted text with something else while preserving the original meaning?


texts:
I'd like to know whether "of" or "on" should be used in the following in a restaurant setting:

  Do you offer free refills of / on coffee?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
Hey can someone help me to explain what does "anything less than whole” in this poem by Rupi Kaur mean?

  i had to leave
  i was tired of
  allowing you to
  make me feel
  anything less
  than whole


texts: "In what sense": "in what way" or "what does it mean"?

texts:
I have asked an Isreali guy "You said the video was compelling. In what sense?" He said, "emotionally and in that it points out the problems with these laws."

Here I suppose the "in what sense" was interpreted as "in what way".

However, when I saw the definition of "as in", I saw the following:
As in: (idiomatic, conjunctive) In the sense of.

E.g. "bow" as in the weapon, not the front of a ship

Here I think "in the sense of" is like "having the meaning of", although I am not sure.

And so when I asked "in what sense", what I meant was, "what do you mean by using that word" "what does the word that you used mean?"

So what's the correct understanding of "in what sense" "in the sense of"? Does it mean "in what way", "what does it mean", or both?

Sorry if this sounds a bit complicated.


texts:
ELIZABETH:

  First off, I just want to tell you that I think that people are the most important aspect of a company. That's why I'd you to head up our new intern program.

I wonder what is the meaning of "I'd you". Dictionaries and searching in the internet couldn't help me. I guess it is probably the short form of "I would like you". Am I right? If I am right, is that short form usage common in spoken English?


texts:
As a native speaker, which of the following sentences flows?

  I would get this done by him.

  I would have him do it.

I've seriously never read the first one in any literature piece. Therefore, I feel that native speakers prefer the second one, or else there should be some usages of the first one.


texts: How can I ask a follow-up question, that assumes there is a possible positive answer to the first question?

texts:
For example:

  "Is there any way to do something? (in that case/ assuming there is
  / other), how is it done?"

Which is the best or more common way to express that assumption?


texts: What do you call a situation that can end very well or very badly?

texts:
I am not sure if there's a word for this, but if there isn't, it would be really useful if we had a word for it since I can see many situation where the word would be used.

For example, let's look at this example sentence:

  I just want to roll the dice, because this is a ___ and I am a
  gambling person. I am all in!


texts: How to use the verb "to be" correct in its infinitive form?

texts:
The verb "to be" is very confusing for me. I am not a native speaker and I want to use it correctly. I know that "is, am, are, was and were" are diffetrent forms of the verb "to be". I know how to use these forms, when building up a sentence. I am confused in cases when "to be" is used in its basic (infinitive) form as shown in the example below.

  "This will continue to be such in the future".

From the context, I can understand the meaning. My question is when I should  use "to be" in its infinitive form like in the example above. I searched for various online resources but all of them are talking only about "is, am, are, was and were" forms. Could you please tell me what resource I should try yet?


texts: “ . . . [N]ot . . . “ in Sentences, Phrases(?)?

texts:
“There should be so much more, not of orange, of words . . . “

  “ . . . further out than you thought
  And not waving but drowning. . . . “

May you call these adverbial phrases? Or, may you call them parenthetical?


texts: How to pronounce grades in US and UK schools?

texts: Grades in school reports are expressed through letters followed or not by a sign like "plus" or "minus". Please how do you pronounce grades like A+ or A-, B+ or C-? I have also heard the phrase "straight A", what does it mean?


texts:
Suppose my teacher gives Me and my friend homework. After completing the homework, my friend comes to my house to be sure if he has done his homework correctly or not. He asks me "have I completed my homework correctly?" It seems to me that there is something wrong with his homework. Can I reply "No, I think you may have/might have made a mistake."

'May' or 'might': Which one is correct in the given context? I think both are correct but "might" expresses less probability. I am not sure.


texts: What do you call the front windshield/view of a car?

texts:
What do you call the front section that a car driver stares at while driving? I am not necessarily thinking about the front windshield, but the part the driver stares at while driving.

For example:

  The car was filled with junk so that the driver could only see a part
  of the windshield.

I am trying to replace the bolded part.


texts:
Have to write sentence in which I encourage someone to keep improving. Is this the right way to say it

  Keep doing whatever you're doing until you have achieved better
  results still.

or should I say

  Keep doing whatever you're doing until you achieve better results
  still.

Thanks.


texts: Is there anything missing in this sentence?

texts:
The Bolded part of this sentence is confusing and I suppose it is a mistake:

  Governments have the right – and the duty - especially in a crisis, to inform their nationals of the difficult circumstances, or even the dangers they may encounter during their travels abroad; it is their responsibility however to issue such information without prejudicing in an unjustified or exaggerated manner the tourism industry of the host countries and the interests of their own operators; the contents of travel advisories should therefore be discussed beforehand with the authorities of the host countries and the professionals concerned; recommendations formulated should be strictly proportionate to the gravity of the situations encountered and confined to the geographical areas where the insecurity has arisen; such advisories should be qualified or cancelled as soon as a return to normality permits; Source

My problem is with the part * the tourism industry of the host countries and the interests of their own operator*. It is a complete Noun Phrase which seems to lack something preceding it. I feel the writer has missed it. What do you think?


texts:
I was wondering if the indefinite article "a" is necessary in the following sentences, whereas the noun "sweat" in an uncountable word.

I broke out in a cold sweat from pain.

I broke out in a sweat from embarrassment.

Please kindly clarify the reason why this article is used along with the noun "sweat".


texts:
I thought we need "the" before the word most.
Such as in:

  She is the most beautiful girl.

But, I came across this sentence:

  Most incredible is how many Islamic scholars have popped up over the past few years.

Why isn't there "the" before the word "most" ? I know "the" is not needed if the word afterward is an adverb as in:

I like it most.

However, "incredible" isn't being used as an adverb here.


texts:
What would be the parts of speech of the bold words  :

(i) He goes to London  .

(ii) He knows  better  .

(iii) There is lack of knowledge  .

(iv) Look before you leap  .

MY WORK :

(i) Adjective  :  because it states the destination of verb goes  .

(ii) Adverb  :  because it decorates the verb , not the noun .

(iii) I have no idea regarding it  .... But I think it's adjective.

(iv) I think it's a conjunction  .

Are my reasonings correct  ?


texts:
The need to set up / a good library in the locality / has been in the minds of people / for some time now .

Please explain


texts:
Which option fits best the sentence or is the question ambiguous?

  Their flight was ..... by bad weather.

  postponed
  held back
  delayed
  suspended

For me, 4 is the least possible option but Google searches came up with all of them. Even if only one of them is correct for this sentence, could you explain when I should prefer one to another?


texts:
I need to tell my son that if he hits the wall with hammer, wall will get broken.. How do I say this to my son

If you hit hard wall will break
If you hit hard wall will be broken
If you hit hard wall will get broken..

Which one is more appropriate in the above three sentences..


texts: What are the differences between "does exhibit" and "exhibits"?

texts:
In a paper I am reading, the author wrote as "The problem does exhibit the property, ..."
However, I learned that exhibit is a verb, so I think that "The problem exhibits the property, ..." is correct. What is different between them?

In a similar way, I saw "do exist" instead of just "exist" many time.


texts: Explaining something using second person point of view

texts:
I am going to take the IELTS exam and if an examiner asks me:

"- Why exercise is important?"

Is it correct to answer:

"- It is important because it's good for your health"

or should i say:

"- It is important because it's good for people's health"


texts: "I would say..." vs. "I believe that..."

texts:
Please consider the conversation below:

  Questioner: "Does Catholic Church teach that we will love everyone equally when we are in heaven?"
  Answerer: "Since the Church teaches that God loves everyone equally, and that we will love 'like God' once we are in heaven, I would say that the answer is 'yes'."

Does the sentence "I would say that the answer is 'yes'" shown in above conversation have the same meaning as the sentence "I believe that the answer is 'yes'"?


texts: The antonym of 'simplicity' is not exactly what I'm looking for

texts:
Today is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi a man known for his simplicity. He refrained from any luxury or comfort. He was a true leader and exactly opposite to today's politicians and so called leaders. I am in search of an antonym to describe these false leaders.

  Mahatma was known for his simplicity, today's politicians are known for ____________?

I tried finding the antonym but ended up with words like difficulties, complexities... and so on. You know that's not what I'm looking for. I mean simplicity in living, whereas the thesaurus considers a simple thing to to be in opposition to a complex thing.


texts: "I think we're going to have to be chessmen" - what does "be going to" mean here?

texts:
They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly –– the towering white chessmen had no faces.
  "Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.
  "It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."
  Behind the white pieces they could see another door.
  "How?" said Hermione nervously.
  "I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."
  He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.
  "Do we –– er –– have to join you to get across?"
  The black knight nodded.
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is the auxiliary are going to used to soften the meaning of have to?


texts:
Are these three sentences all correct and have the same meaning?

  1) This quantity can be calculated by using equation
  (1).

  2) This quantity can be calculated by equation (1).

  3) This quantity can be calculated using equation (1).


texts: Meaning of 'state of affairs' in the context?

texts:
I was reading Times Of India editorial and ecountered the line:
 "However a series of developments have triggered anxiety on the state of affairs in the defence establishment currently, for reasons that go beyond corruption (but which may well be related to corruption)."

The article is read from 'Cleanup needed: Tyagi’s arrest should trigger systematic reform of the defence establishmen', dated 12 Dec, 2016(IST).
What is the meaning of state of affairs in this?


texts:
You probably --------------------( not imagine) where I ----------------(write) you from
answer  don't imagine am writing I was just  wondering if "won't imagine "can fit to because she can only imagine once she has received the letter. So for me it is a future time .
http://olmo.pntic.mec.es/~renciso/ejercicios_1/tiempos%20verbales_gapfilling_1.htm EXERCICE 2
In the  exercice 3 I think there is a mistake "she has left school.She has left school in july" . I am sure it should be left as july is certainly finished and the period is precised


texts:
When watching movies I often heard the women in the movies said "I like him to get down on me". So,

What does "get down on someone" mean?


texts: What does "hit the data" and "hit a question" mean?

texts:
Both sentences were found in the context of academic research. The full sentences would be

  looking for as much data as possible around the world and trying to hit it as hardly as I can

  It provides an opportunity to hit this question much more hard.


texts: Are present simple and present perfect interchangeable?(about habits)

texts:
I wonder if in this context pr. simple and pr. perfect simple are interchangeable:

  He has played the saxophone every night.
  He plays the saxophone every night.

If they aren't interchangeable, could you explain me, what's the difference between the information they give us?