texts:
Can anyone please tell me if expectation a countable or an uncountable noun in the following context? Because I think more is followed by plural countable nouns.

He had more expectation of his sister Matilda grieving for him, even though her previous admiration had been tainted and diminished in recent months.

I found the above sentence sentence on the Internet. Shouldn't the word "expectation" have been in plural.

We all have more expectation of death than of life.

This my own sentence. Is this correct?

My father had no more expectation of hearing that I was alive ; but he received my letter a few days before he left London.

Does "no more" means "anymore" in the above context? I mean does it mean "My father did not had any expectation anymore of hearing that I was alive......"

Adriana had no more expectation than Joshua did that her brother would allow Miranda to escape his protection.

I found this on the internet. I don't understand the meaning. Shouldn't the word "expectation " have been plural in the above sentence?


texts: Using Capital letter for a word in a sentence I want to put emphasis on?

texts:
I sometimes tend to use the Capital letter for some words in which I would want to give emphasis on.

For example

  Please deliver the Task on Time.

I am trying to catch the users attention on how important the task and time is.

Is this correct usage?


texts:
Can I use lend to mean something helps something? For example:

  Learning other languages lends to understanding your native one.


texts: The difference between ‘He had only been there for a few minutes’ and ‘He had been there only for a few minutes.’?

texts:
The difference between ‘He had only been there for a few minutes’ and ‘He had been there only for a few minutes.’ ?

The ‘only’ was put in different position.


texts: Is there anything wrong with this question?

texts:
Which of these do you think is considered the hardest programming language to master?

Is this question grammatically correct, Is there more simple ways to ask it?


texts: Where to put the word 'still' in the following sentence?

texts:
"On the item page, [still] there are [still] two different types of
  models".

Where should I put the word 'still' in this sentence? Intuitively I'll go for the first choice but I'm still not sure about it.


texts:
Using a case-based approach engages students in discussion of specific scenarios that resemble or typically are real-world examples. This method is learner-centered with intense interaction between participants as they build their knowledge and work together as a group to examine the case. The instructor's role is that of a facilitator while the students collaboratively analyze and address problems and resolve questions that have no single right answer.

I cannot make heads or tails of the bold part, especially Italic one.
 What does that of a something mean?


texts: "Could you tell me why you applied for this job?" or "Could you tell me why did you apply for this job?"

texts:
Choose the correct answer :

  Could you tell me why (you applied / did you apply) for this job?

personally , i would go for "did you apply"

however my textbook's answer is "you applied"

and it would be nice if someone can explain the difference between them

thanks in advance.


texts:
shell the ordinal number is used with possessive adjective without using of?. for instance

  my one friend leaves in Russia

instead

  one of my friends leaves in Russia.

what is make difference the above sentence.

Is there a difference when using a cardinal number with or without "of"? For instance:

  My one friend lives in Russia.

instead

  One of my friends lives in Russia.

What is the difference in meaning between the above sentences?


texts: Qualifiers controversy gramatical formula is not being satisfied

texts:
This controversy why is valid?

The Grammar Qualifier says the formula is qualifier + verb, exist a puzzling controverting case in the bold sentence below:
we regretted a bit does not comply with the formula because the verb regretted is first than the qualifier a bit
Examples complying with the formula:

I quite like that = qualifier + verb


texts:
Excerpted from The New Yorker:

  Eliot thought that a classic, in the strictest sense, was a work that apotheosized a great civilization at its zenith; so exacting (or, if you like, priggish) are his standards that literally the only writer to entirely fulfill them is Virgil.

Literally to me, the bolded sentence means a classic work makes a already at its peak(zenith) civilization become better to the god-level.

But if so then it doesn't make sense, it should mean making a not at its peak civilization to its peak form, but then the sentence should be "was a work that apotheosized a great civilisation to its zenith".

So what's the deal here?


texts: You were born in (the) winter: is the article necessary?

texts:
You were born in (the) winter.

I am interested in this particular case of using the article since someone's birth is often associated with a particular season of a particular year. Is the article necessary in such expressions? I'd like to have information on this case.


texts: Should I add "are" after Women in this sentence? Or adding "are" is redundant?

texts:
Original sentence:

Well-Off White men are 3 times more likely than women to get job Interviews

Edited one:

Well-Off White men are 3 times more likely than women are to get job Interviews

Adding "are" is redundant?


texts: Is it correct and natural to say "book someone in with a dentist" meaning to make an appointment for someone with a dentist?

texts:
Is it correct and natural to say book someone in with a dentist meaning to make an appointment for someone with a dentist? For example:

Remember that I booked you in with a dentist for tomorrow at 12 PM.

If it's not natural, what would you say to convey the message?


texts: A better word for trying/ doing something you are not good at yet

texts:
I'm not much of a writer , but I like to... ?

What would be the best suited and appropriate word here for immature writers who like to write a diary? Or who are passionate for improving their writing skills? It would probably be a word related to 'trying', something that would imply both that I am not fully skilled yet and I that I want to improve (and possibly learn by doing.)


texts:
From Wikipedia:

  The present perfect in English is used chiefly for completed past
   actions or events, when it is understood that it is the present result
   of the events that is focused upon, rather than the moment of
   completion.

I make an effort to explain it as following but not sure I am right.

The present perfect in English is used to express an action or event that happened in the past & completed at the present time, but we don't care the time that action / event is completed.


texts:
Frank had laughed out loud when he saw the portrait. A delicate Marie
  Villette Lameraux sat in front of a painted backdrop of Mount Olympus
  in some long-ago photographer’s studio, her girlish personage
  festooned with garlands from the swirling braids over her ears to the
  loopy ribbons draped between rosettes on her gown. She stared grimly
  at the camera.

from Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

I can't picture this sentence. I can understand that she is decorated with garlands but how? From the top of her ears to somewhere around the upper part of her dress?


texts: How to pronounce an English /t/ sound smoothly at the end of a word?

texts: I've heard people pronounce the /t/ at the end of a word smoothly and naturally, as in 'light', 'night',...But when i say that /t/ at the end, I feel like i'm making a another syllable /tə/. Any ideas?


texts:
I do understand the meaning of "if anything" in the context. I can understand each word individually.

Here is the text:

  In the past it was a common belief that snakes couldn't hear much, if anything, since they have no external ears and don't seem to respond much to noises. However, some scientific research refutes this common misconception.

I feel like the text is understandable without saying "if anything" so why does the writer put it in the text?


texts:
Tell me please which question is correct:

  What year did the song come out?

  In what year did the song come out?


texts: Using the word 'so' like a relative pronoun in its meaning

texts:
I came across the following sentence in a book:

  She could barely keep up with the gas station attendant's directions, he jabbered so.

According to the book, the sentence means that the woman couldn't keep up with the man's directions that he jabbered.

What I do not understand is why the word so is present there.  What kind of construct is used in this sentence?  Is this construct a formal one?

I would be grateful if you could help me with this question.


texts: Can someone please tell which one is right "He goes to school in Canada" or "He goes to a school in Canada"?

texts:
I'm not a native speaker and I've seen this question but couldn't answer it

Which one is right "He goes to school in Canada" or "He goes to a school in Canada"


texts:
I have an Adviser and I want to ask her a polite question. I need to ask her for an internship. This is what I wrote

  I would like to ask you if it is possible to secure me an internship with a software company. I will have like half a month free between the first semester and the second semester.
  These activities will increase my experience.
  I appreciate your help and support.

I feel like the sentence is not polite, I need to put a word (or any phrase) after the secure word so the sentence becomes more polite. Something like:

if it is possible to thankfully secure me but I don't know if that is correct in English.


texts:
Charlie is fighting Afghan war, But now Charlie is taking bath in tub & Joanne busy with touching her eyebrows.

  Joanne: Go fight this Afghan war and win it, Charlie. Everything
  possible is on the line, including your manhood.

  Charlie: Oh, I was afraid you were gonna say that. Well, I guess it
  ain't gonna be twice tonight.

  Joanne: Well, I guess somebody can't count.

What does Charlie referring by saying it word here?


texts: Is "aways" a misprint by EVE Online Customer Support?

texts:
We noticed that you have not yet logged in to EVE Online. You're just a few steps aways to get started in the world of wealth, power, adventure and opportunity that is New Eden!

EVE Online Customer Support sent me an email that has this text and I've never seen "just a few steps aways". Is it a misprint? Shouldn't it be "a few steps away"?


texts:
I want to go to Spain on a vacation with you.
  vs
  I want to go to Spain for a vacation with you.

What's the difference?

I know, FOR indicates purpose of going to Spain.
But here, is the use of ON appropriate?

What does, to Spain ON VACATION indicate?


texts:
Is 'The corridors flood with teenage noise, energy and emotion' a correct sentence?
I say this in a passage but I think the correct version will be 'The corridorrs are flooded with teenage noise, energy and emotion'


texts:
I posted a question today about "Have to / having to?"and I used the verb "find" in the progressive.:  I'm finding more and more that "having to" is also used instead of "have to".

Someone comments it's a "recency illusion" or a stereotypical characteristic of Indian English.
I'm not a native speaker of English, and I never have been in touch with Indian a bit.
I've been reading about stative verbs in the progressiveand I've seen and heard them not a few times in movies, dramas, novels, games, grammars,
most of which are put out in the U.S.A. or the U.K.,
so I thought it would be OK to use the special progressive use in proper contexts,
but now I think I'm missing something important, and I'm confused a lot.
If you know what it is, please tell me about it with good explanations and examples.
Now I'm going to show you some of the examples of the progressive with stative verbs that I've been collecting on my own for two years or so,
(quite a few of them from grammars, some from dramas, novels and stuff...)
and I want to know you native speakers' opinions on that.
If your views on the usage diverge a lot, I'm going to have to think about which side I'm on,and one of the two is preferred over the other, then I'll follow it.

  It’s mattering more and more which university you get your degree at.
  She is not finding London totally easy.
  I’m finding (=discovering, realizing) that his problem is more complicated than I had expected.
  No, I’m sort of thinking that I’d like to try a bit higher level heel, anyway.
  I’m thinking that we should pay a short visit to Clara.
  One night in the middle of the night, I'm hearing dripping.
  How are you liking your new job?
  I was quite liking the performance until the first interval.
  Tim, are you wanting any fruit?
  It sounds that you're wanting to take care of yourself physically as well.
  The only thing I'm lacking is a wardrobe.
  He’s forgetting his French faster and faster.
  I'm already forgetting what I was taught this morning.
  You're forgetting that our resources are not unlimited.
  I’m forgetting that I promised to visit Smith this evening.
  The river is smelling particularly bad today.
  My scarf is no longer smelling of lavender.
  She’s looking much stronger this week.
  You’re looking more like a sleep dog than most sleep dogs.
  He’s looking worse and worse by the minute.
  Your soup is tasting better every day.
  That example is sounding less and less acceptable with each repetition.

 ※. What I'm asking you is as follows:
1. the validity of the expression "I'm finding more and more that..." in the context of the original post
2. whether or not stative verbs in the progressive is widely acceptable
    and questions about your opinions on that
    (As I already said, if most of you reject the usage like the examples, then I should avoid it.
     If most of you welcome it, I'll keep on with it.)


texts: "to be jealous" Vs. "to envy" - what is the difference?

texts:
What is the difference between "to be jealous" and "to envy"?
I always used both interchangeably but I was told that actually there is a difference between these two.

I opened the dictionary ("jealous" and "envy") and checked the definitions which each one of them looks correct also for the second word, and I still don't understand what is the difference between them in practical use.


texts: In a sentence, if I want to say "the items of my family and I ", can I say it in this way: my family and I's items or is the correct replacement "mine". Can an explanation to why "I's" is correct or incorrect be provided?


texts: What is the formal mode to say Hello in an mail?

texts:
With an example:

I want to write the mail an important person, with this form

Hello Satoshi.

Some text

Regards.

Vincent.

I want to say to the formal salute, or if I use the Hi/Hello don't is an error?


texts: What is the word for interior with a circle

texts: I'd like to know what is the word to describe the entire interior within a circle. Circle is for the boundary only and does not include the interior of it.


texts: A self-deprecating word for really white skin?

texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe really white skin, said by someone about him- or herself or other people at, say, the beach:

Irish girl sunbathing

As an example, in my mother tongue I would say something like "nuclear white" or "radioactive white" because of the way such a white seems to glow:

My cat is evolving

Do those expressions sound natural in English? What expression would you use in the following example?

  Wow, I really need to get tanned. I/I'm ______!


texts:
There is an idiom in Indian languages about forgetfullness.

  A shepherd keeps a baby lamb under his armpit and searches for it the whole village

Is there an equivalent and amusing idiom in English.?

I knowhis memory is like a sieve


texts: What does "the house Quidditch teams" mean?

texts:
Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters.  ... ...

I think the noun word 'house' is used to modify 'teams' in this case, otherwise it would have been written as something like: the house of Quidditch teams.

However, I don't know what it means in this context. I guess that the house teams mean the home teams, maybe? What does "the house Quidditch teams" exactly mean?


texts: it is the first time I [have driven/ drove] a car

texts:
I hope you guys are having a good time.

I know that The simple past or present perfect can be used for new or recent happenings. (in AmE)
For example, "I lost my key" and "I've lost my key"

On this point, say that you're having a driving lesson and this is your first time driving. Then, would you find this sentence totally fine in that situation? "It's the first time I drove a car."
I learned that we should say "it's the first time I've driven a car." there, but I'm really curious. thank you!


texts:
I came across a sentence like "The room looked a big mess." (Macmillan Dictionary)
"That looks an interesting book."  My understanding is that "look" of this usage comes with adjective and "look like" comes with noun.  Is there some omission of "like" here? Is this sentence structure common? Up to now I thought this structure was wrong, so I am very confused now.


texts:
For years between 30 to 39 AD you say: 30's
For years between 20 to 29 AD you say: 20's
For years between 10 to 19 AD you say: 10's
But what about the years between 0 to 9 AD?

Is it 0's?

Note: There are two entries in Wikipedia about 0s: 0s BC (The period between 9 BC and 1 BC) and 0s: about the first nine years of the AD/CE calendar era (AD 1–9)


texts: Are "father" and "farther" pronounced exactly the same in British English?

texts:
In American English, "farther" is differentiated from "father" by the middle R, but I am talking about the British English in which the R's are only pronounced before vowels because so many "British English" varieties do pronounce the R.
I checked the pronunciations of the word "father" and "farther" in some dictionaries and they suggest that they are pronounced the same.
Cambridge Dictionary gives /ˈfɑː.ðə/ for both "father" and "farther" in British English pronunciation. Also I can't differentiate between both of them when I listen to Cambridge pronunciations.
Do British people pronounce them exactly the same?


texts: Clarifying the following sentence of confusion using two alternating conjunctions and semicolon before and

texts:
Nearly 10 percent of readers came from Japan ; and Australia, India and France all contributed a significant readership as well.

Two questions, why did the writer use semicolon before “and”?

Secondly, what is the purpose of using two conjunctions “and, and”?


texts:
I have read multiple emails ended up with this sentence:

Please let me know if I can provide any further information!

Is this sentence appropriate in an email? For example:
Let's say that an employer is inquiring, by email, about some issues from an employee. The employee responded to the employer questions, then ended up his email saying "Please let me know if I can provide any further information!".

Here, given that the employer will, definitely, not feeling shy from the employee to ask again and again about some other issues. Is the usage of this sentence is appropriate, or it is a formal way to show politeness in an email.


texts:
Suppose that I wanted to borrow money from one of my friends. I went and saw him in his home. He has accepted my offer and has lent me the money I wanted. now I want to tell him:

  If you haven't lent me money, I would be very sad.

is the above tense correct or should I use past perfect?


texts:
Why is "are" used for the clubs and not "is" for singular?
Ex. Juventus ARE very good, Real madrid ARE nice

Why can't say "is" because that is singular?


texts:
Our life was fine until we experienced Rocky, the/a neighbour's dog that chases our cat.

Are the determiners always necessary to govern the connection of the noun phrase with the rest of the sentence in examples like these?

For, instance, this example sounds ok, may be spoken this way, but is missing the determiner.

Our life was fine until we experienced Rocky, bane of our existence. (missing the)

As opposed to this example where it just doesn't work.

Our life was fine until we experienced Rocky, dog that chases our cat.

I wasn't sure if the determiners are always necessary in phrases that sound ok without them,  or just for semantic clarity.


texts: Is it allowed to use stative verbs in their progressive form?

texts:
"How are you feeling today?"

  "Are you seeing him?"

  "I'm feeling well."

  "The car is standing in the garage."

Are those examples all grammatically false? If they are not, how can I determine if a stative verb may have a progressive form? Is there somewhere a list listing all those exceptions I could study?


texts:
The specific requirements differ for each of the distinct dye processing procedures and end uses. For example, the reduction of dye particle size during cake grinding does not require the dispersing agent to adsorb as strongly to the particles as is required when batch dyeing.

What is the subject of auxiliary verb "is" in "as is required when batch dyeing."? How to recognise this subject? Please tell me when this type of omission of subject occurs usually.


texts:
I’m wondering how to correctly mention things in a specific order along with related other things.
For example:

  I’ve bought oranges, apples and bananas from New York, Berlin and London respectively.

My goal is to explain to the reader that the the oranges were bought from New York and the apples from Berlin. Does the above sentence convey this? Are there other ways to express that?


texts: What is the meaning of "that" in "that excites me"?

texts:
I reach for my phone I don't know who to call. That excites me.

  There ain't enough time or days in a week. That excites me.

Source: Wake Up Alone lyrics

Does it mean that not knowing who to call and not having enough time excites her?

Or does it mean that she doesnt know the person that excites her and there isn't enough time which excites her?


texts: What's wrong with names like Toad, Kyle or Tucker?

texts:
Why does George Carlin have such a negative view of names like Toad, Kyle or Tucker?

Why are Johnny and Eddie 'real' names, but Kyle and Tucker are 'goofy'?


texts:
In this sentence

  ... but I’d rather focus on the future rather than what's been

we see "been" at the end, I would never think to make it that way, I would put "was".

  ... but I’d rather focus on the future rather than what was

Please explain?

Source.


texts: Can I say "they wanted me to fit in this world?" and "they wanted to fit me in this world"? Are they both correct?

texts: I feel like they are both correct in the speaking but  also feel like maybe one of them is incorrect grammatically because of the obeject pronoun. Is there a rule to object pronoun before or after verbs? I looked for it in the internet but all the articles are super especific and I can't understand it very well.


texts: When is "in finding" and "of finding" grammatical?

texts:
I heard that only the first is correct of the three:

  I am on the way to find you.

  I am on the way in finding you.

  I am on the way of finding you.

Then why is the following from Social Networks and Migration: Far West Nepalese Labour Migrants in Delhi by Susan Thieme, correct?

  However, such bonding social capital might be only useful in a limited
  way in finding a higher-skilled and better-paid job.

Or the following from The Way of Jesus: Living a Spiritual and Ethical Life by Jay Parini?

  It's a way of finding God within ourselves, the “paradise within" that
  Milton wrote about in Paradise Lost.


texts: Can infinitives replace gerunds after 'rather than'?

texts:
I learned from grammar books that rather than can be used both as a conjunction and as a preposition.
So can live replace living in the following sentence (A) like (B)? I think it can according to the grammar rule, but I'm not quite sure.

  (A) Rather than living in a typical modern apartment, they can have a
  living space that looks like a home from the 1970s or 80s.

or

  (B) Rather than live in a typical modern apartment, they can have a
  living space that looks like a home from the 1970s or 80s.


texts: Adjective after the object - "when I will go home I will find my parents sad"

texts:
I need a piece of advice. Look at this two sentences:

  I got a bad grade. As a consequence, when I will go home I will find my parents sad.

Vs

  I got a bad grade. As a consequence, when I will go home I will find my sad parents.

Now, to my non native ear, the first sentence is better because moving the adjective "sad" after "my parents" gives the idea that my parents became sad because of my bad grade. Whereas, the second sentence fails to accomodate for this particular circumstance, and it seems that my parents are always sad.

What's your take on this?


texts: What does the sentence "The collective noun is a terror of tyrannosaurs" mean?

texts:
The following is the opening line of an article titled Researchers find first sign that tyrannosaurs hunted in packs:

  The collective noun is a terror of tyrannosaurs: a pack of the prehistoric predators, moving and hunting in numbers, for prey that faced the fight of its life.

What does the first sentence "The collective noun is a terror of tyrannosaurs" mean? I know what a collective noun is. But, how can "a terror of tyrannosaurs" be a collective noun?

Later in the article, the word "terror" is mentioned again.

  The footprints were so well-preserved that even the contours of the animals' skin were visible. "You start wondering what it would have been like to have been there when the tracks were made. The word is terror. I wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley at night," McCrea said.

I guess this may be a clue.


texts:
If I want to apply for access to files on network in office, Can I say:

  please help open access to the document folder , address//……,

I mean, is the phrase "open access to something" is correct?


texts: Why is the present continuous tense used in "I have not found my ring yet"?

texts:
When I was doing an exercise on tenses, I found this sentence:

  I have not found my ring yet which I lost at the party yesterday.

My question is why we used present perfect? I asked some people and they told me that because of the word "yet", we used present perfect. But I need a reason, which leads me to better understanding of how to use tenses rightly. I think that it's better to use present continuous because the person who is lost his ring is keep looking for it, and the action is continuing, How much is that correct?


texts: Why did the author use "do not" in which should have been "will not"?

texts:
I do not invoke religion to defend beard, but, attempt to remove many misconceptions that the author seems to be having regarding beard.

Should it be "do not" or "will not"? It implies the forthcoming writing which she was to write (future). What is the meaning of "do not" here?

I think "do not" is for state verbs like "think", "dismiss": mental exertion. "Do not" cannot be used for future stuff. Like "I do not go there" etc... "I do not think so" seems correct.


texts:
I've always thought about why some people say, for example:

  I like this web browser better than the other one.

When they probably should say:

  I like this web browser more than the other one.

I don't see how people can like one thing better than another, but maybe better really means more? I don't know.


texts:
I am going to go to London on the 1st of October.

On the one hand the sentence seems to be correct. On the other hand it sounds very strange 'going to go'.

  I am going to London on the 1st of October.

The alternative mentioned above sounds much more common. But is there a rule, which allows you to skip 'go' if you use giong-to-future?


texts: Is it possible to say "Later I didn't hear anything for a long time."?

texts:
"We talked on the phone several times. Later I didn't hear anything for a long time, so I figured she didn't need my help anymore."

Can I use "later" instead of eg. "after that"? And would it be natural?


texts:
Painting involves a fixed perspective and a form of rational thinking that engages sight.

or

  Painting involves a fixed perspective and a form of rational thinking that engage sight.

or

  Painting involves a fixed perspective and a form of rational thinking, that engage sight.

Should the verb be singular after "that"? But it is both the perspective and thinking that engage with sight, so shouldn't the verb after that be singular?


texts: What does "scout the idea" mean in this context?

texts:
In Frederick Douglass's "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?", he states,

  "I scout the idea that the question of the constitutionality or
  unconstitutionality of slavery is not a question for the people. I hold that every American
  citizen has a fight to form an opinion of the constitution, and to propagate that opinion,
  and to use all honorable means to make his opinion the prevailing one."

None of the dictionary definitions of "scout" that I found seem to be straightforwardly applicable, so
I'm having trouble parsing these lines. The phrase

  "the question of the constitutionality or unconstitutionality of slavery is not a question for the people"

seems to contradict the idea that

  "every American citizen has a fight to form an opinion of the constitution, and to propagate that opinion".

How should "scout the idea" be interpreted?

Is he considering the idea and then rejecting it? Or is he testing out the idea, describing it to his audience, and in the process making some distinction between a question for the people and a question for the individual? Something else?

Edit: After some searching, I found that in a different speech, Douglass states

  Now, the Fugitive Slave Act notoriously violates both these provisions at once. It scouts the idea of a trial by jury.

and in another,

  I deny and utterly scout the idea, that there is now, properly speaking, any such thing as a negro problem before the American people.

Which makes me think that "scout" is being used in a negative sense--perhaps something along the lines of "reject"?

I'm still unsure about the specific meaning of "scout" intended here, however.


texts: What is the use of letter "Q" instead we can spell using letter "C" or "K"

texts:
This morning my son asked me the following question that I was unable to answer:

What is the point of the letter Q? Why can't we just always use C or K instead?
For example, "Question" sounds like "Kwestion" and "Queue" & "Cue" both sound the same.

This question might be little stupid, but I would much appreciate it if anyone can come up with a good answer.


texts: She doesn’t have any brothers or sisters. (with "any" and without)

texts:
Am I right that the first sentence is more common than the second one?
As I understand, the first sentence has more emotional emphasis, isn't it?

She doesn’t have any brothers or sisters.

She doesn’t have brothers or sisters.


texts:
what pronoun substitutes the noun -person- for this sentence, please:

ie: when a person sees something, x[the person] should call the police.


texts: What is the difference between "sort of" and "a little" in spoken English？

texts:
Is there any difference between the two following sentences?

  I’m sort of worried about Jenny.
  I’m a little worried about Jenny.

What I found is sort of is mainly used in spoken English, and a little is not. They both have the meaning to some degree. Are they interchangeable when they both have this meaning in spoken English?


texts:
"The giraffe ear is fell off."

my son told me.

One of the ear of giraffe wall sticker is fell off.

What do we say for this? The rest (giraffe's body) is still sticking on the wall.

Only part of its ear is dropping.


texts: what is the difference between "You could have experience in a bakery" and "You could have experience in bakery"

texts:
I was reading my previous question last night:
Should you use present or past tense when telling people about your work experience?

And I saw Jay write this:

  You could have experience "in a bakery", as opposed to "in bakery"

I would like to know whether these two sentences have different meaning:

  You could have experience "in a bakery"

  You could have experience "in bakery".

if yes, could you tell me why please?


texts: What is the difference between "talk to" and "talk with"?

texts: Does the  meaning of "talk to" and "talk with" relate to their one-side or two-side conversation?


texts:
Recently I have seen a sentence in a chat room. Which is as below:

  Are you saying I've answered your that question by ....

Is the above sentence right? If yes, Please explain the construction of such sentences with example.

Source:

  And are you saying I've answered your that question by chat.stackexchange.com/… message.


texts: Which of the revisions of "Yesterday I went to the wedding of a daughter of my husband's brother." is grammatically correct?

texts:
My friend asked me to rephrase this sentence.

  Yesterday I went to the wedding of a daughter of my husband's brother.

I came up with these:

  a.) Yesterday I went to my husband's brother's daughter's wedding.

  b.) I went to my husband's brother's daughter's wedding yesterday.

  c.) I went to the wedding of my husband's brother's daughter yesterday.

  d.) I went to one of my husband's brother's daughter's wedding yesterday.

  e.) I went to my husband's niece's wedding yesterday.

  f.) I went to my niece's wedding yesterday.

I do not know why but only e.) and f.) sound okay to me. The others although I think they are grammatical, sound so OFF because of the possessive nouns:/

Thank you for the help in advance :)


texts:
I am confused about using the future tense of the word 'put' in a plural sentence.

Which is correct:

  A: Value the ones who puts it back.

or:

  B: Value the ones who put it back.


texts: How to express (in)equality just like a native

texts:
I would like to say...

  My Mom did not get angry as much as my Dad did.

...but I want the sentence to also convey that I had expected my Mom to be more angry (not less) than my Dad.

How can I say this in natural English?


texts: Difference between “he kissed me” and “he had kissed me”

texts:
I believe, I understand what is difference between the past simple tense and the past perfect tense. As per my knowledge, we use the past perfect tense to show the much old action in the past when two actions happened at the same time in the past.

  Let me tell you with the example:

  I went to his home but he had already left home.

I have asked this because I have been reading a novel (Bad for You) for the last ten days. In the novel, the writer used (sometimes it is completely unnecessary as per my opinion, I think she could use the past simple tense instead of the past perfect tense) the past perfect tense a lot, so it has been making me confused sometimes.

I have posted a paragraph from the novel and I also rewrote the same paragraph. Please check the paragraph which I have written and let me know that it (the paragraph I have written) makes sense or not?

  Bad for You

  When he had walked me to my door, he had kissed me. Like before, it
  had felt good, and the closeness had been nice. His taste was warm,
  and the gentle touches of his tongue against mine had been exciting. I
  had been happy to stand outside and kiss him for hours. But Linc had
  ended the kiss and then let out a deep breath before kissing me on the
  forehead and saying goodnight.

By me

  When he had walked me to my door, he kissed me. Like before, it felt
  good, and the closeness had been nice. His taste was warm, and the
  gentle touches of his tongue against mine had been exciting. I had
  been happy to stand outside and kiss him for hours. …


texts:
What are the differences between "boxer", "trunk", and "brief"?

Here is the sentence:

  I'm not a fan of long boxers, I prefer trunks or briefs.


texts: Why did we use a semi-colon instead of a comma?

texts:
This comes from The Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald:

  All I know is that I stood spellbound in his high-ceilinged studio
  room, with its north-facing windows in front of the heavy mahogany
  bureau at which Michael said he no longer worked because the room was
  so cold, even in midsummer; and that, while we talked of the
  difficulty of heating old houses, a strange feeling came upon me, as
  if it were not he who had abandoned that place of work but I, as if
  the spectacles cases, letters and writing materials that had evidently
  lain untouched for months in the soft north light had once been my
  spectacle cases, my letters and my writing materials.

I have no idea why a semi-colon is used. We usually use it when a dot is appropriate, but in this case it's not, because it's connected to the very first statement, and thus is not an independent clause.


texts: "Work in a power plant", "work on a power plant" or "work at a power plant"?

texts:
Which preposition do I use if I want to say that someone's work place is a power plant? For example:

  I work in a power plant.

  I work on a power plant.

  I work at a power plant.


texts: Looking for a word to sum up the process

texts: I am looking for a word which would sum up this process - you have a plain backyard, and you place there a table and chairs, build a playground for children and plant some flowers. And now comes the word: the backyard is ..... (facilitated?).


texts:
I'm study English today and I have a question about the sentence

I have one attempt

Is it correct to say?

I have an attempt

However, when I use one or a/an?


texts:
please correct my writing:

Last week I visited a hotel named Taj near MumbaI. The surroundings of the hotel were very nice as well as its food. I tasted Biriyani there for the first time. That is/was the best food I have ever eaten.

I think "is" is correct as the food is still my favorite food. And if I used "That was the best food I had ever eaten", it meant I might have eaten a better food than that. Could native speakers please answer this?

Note that I have never tasted better food than that since.


texts: There's 'NO' my wallet - Is it right grammatically?

texts:
Here's the context.
I have gone on a trip and am staying at a hotel. I just used the swimming-pool and came back to my room. And I found out that I've left my wallet there. I asked the front desk to check if my wallet is there. In this situation, I'd like to say like this.

If there is not any wallet there, let me know.

if there is not my wallet there, let me know.

if there's no wallet there, let me know.

I'm comfortable saying #1, 2, 3. Then how about this?

If there's no my wallet there, let me know.

It's awkward because 'no' represents 'not any'. I would say #1 instead of #4. Am I right?


texts: When do you use articles in front of collective nouns?

texts:
Which of the below is correct?

  You are a member of staff at the taxi office.

  You are a member of  the staff at the taxi office.


texts: "Could" in the context of giving an offer

texts:
Practical English Usage 124.5    offers

  We  often use can when we offer to do things for people.

    Can I carry your bag? (= Would you like me to ...) ~ Oh, thank you.

    I can baby-sit for you this evening if you like. ~  No,  it's all
    right, thanks.

  Could is possible if we want an offer to sound less definite.

    I could mend your bicycle for you,  if that would help.

PEU says could makes an offer sound less definite, but in which way? Does it mean that the speaker is not quite willing to help, or he is not confident in his ability to deal with the trouble, or he is just showing politeness as he doesn't know whether his addressee really needs help, or any of them depending on the context?

I know could sounds more polite than can when used to make a request, which is borrowed from the hypothetical use of can, but I'm wondering if I can say "Could I carry your bag?" or "Could I mend your bicycle for you?" to make my offer sound more polite.


texts: The use of the verb "control" in the context

texts:
Tell me please if the use of control sounds perfectly natural in the following sentence?

  Some parents tend to control their children too much.

What I mean by that is that some parents tend to control every aspect of their children. If it doesn't sound natural, what would a native English speaker say?


texts: Should "I am going to do sth" be repeated?

texts:
I am puzzled. Which is the correct variant?

"I am going to do my homework, and I am going to play a game of chess with my neighbour."
"I am going to do my homework and play a game of chess with my neighbour".

Maybe, in the first sentence, we mean a sequence of actions, and in the second sentence we mean that the person is going to do his homework and play chess simultaneously? Sorry, I tried to find the answer but I failed.


texts:
I, personally, always use "myself":

A person such as myself.

But are the other three correct and if they are then are they Br.E or Am.E?

A person such as I am.
A person such as I.
A person such as me.

With he, she, it, we, they, you is it all the same?


texts: What is the verb for pushing, shoving plants so as to create a path

texts:
By shoving and pushing I don't mean shove it just to have it bounce back, but cracking and cutting down plants. I am not sure how to say this, let me just give you and example:

  The airplane flew through the jungle and ___ the plants and foliage
  with its sonic boom, forming a permanent path through the jungle.

People also do this with a machete, like in the following example:

  The guide ___ the thick foliage with a machete allowing the tourists
  to walk with more ease.


texts: Using "no longer" with future events: simple, progressive, or passive?

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

Simple: You will no longer work your Friday shift.
Progressive: You will be no longer working your Friday shift.
Passive: You will no longer be worked your Friday shift.


texts: How to answer 'how much cream/sugar do you want?' when ordering coffee?

texts: Usually, I help myself with cream and sugar when I was ordering coffee in my university's cafe. But I was really confused what unit should I use to describe the amount that I need when I am asked.


texts: How to understand the phrase "stand to gain"?

texts:
Australia could stand to gain from Canada's decision. The country
  unveiled in 2012 its Significant Investor visa program to allow
  immigrants a residency visa if they invested 5 million
  Australian dollars (US$4.5 million) into a local business or
  approved managed funds. So far, the program attracted 601
  applicants, of which 91% were Chinese nationals.

After I look up dictionaries, different explanations confused me. So I want to know the exact meaning of it.


texts:
What's the difference between the two?

Example sentence:

  It wasn't until she bumped into a man that her head came back (up).

When I searched for "her head came back" on Google Books, I got both usages.

Note: I searched for "come back up" on Google, but I couldn't find any definition.


texts: Why didn't use "BE"verb in this sentence

texts:
1 : He always find 'It hard to get up'
2 : our company tried the videoconferencing technology, but found 'It too inconvenience'
3 : Some manager find 'It difficult to delegate'
I think after 'It' in this sentences need to "BE"verb like "He always find It (is) hard to get up"
But There isn't any Verb
I really have been wondering while i'm studying English
But My country Teacher have just one answer " It's just an adjective phrase so Just memorize it."
But i can't understand with just Memorizing


texts:
That said, so long as China's unusually high savings rate
  persists-about 40% of GDP compared with less than 10% in the U.S.-so
  too will large surpluses recur in its current account.

How to understand the sentence? What is the function and usage of "too" here?


texts: Is there any difference between "cold wave", "cold spell" and "cold snap"

texts:
I found that those three are all frequently used as I've searched each of them in NYT site. I wonder what's the difference among them in usage.

The examples are as below.

Cold spell:

Although this cold spell would not have been unusual before global warming, it is now a relatively rare event in any one region.
That first cold spell of the season always feels especially harsh.
How do you feel about the frigid cold spell gripping North America?

Cold snap:

With climate change warming the Arctic air, researchers say, cold snaps are getting warmer. The recent spell of cold was an outlier.
While temperatures across the country on Monday will remain below zero, the cold snap will start to break during the day Tuesday.
Slippery conditions as cold snap ends in most of Finland

Cold wave

The severest cold wave of this Winter is being experienced.
More than 270 people have died from a month-old cold wave in northern India
This warmth came despite a significant January cold wave in the eastern United States that brought copious snowfall to several regions.


texts: With whom used on things instead of persons

texts:
My native language is German. I always want to say something like:

  I have this function with whom I can do this or that

is this actually possible to say?

I always thought that with whom can just be used with persons.


texts:
There's been a murder in the scaffolding nearby my apartment.

There's been a murder in the scaffolding near my apartment.

Are both of them grammatically correct?
Do they mean the same?


texts: Meaning "scheming for the masses" in song the Thunder?

texts:
What is the meaning of "scheming" in the Imagine Dragons' song "Thunder"? The song is about the singer whose dreams about being a musical celebrity have been oppressed in his childhood.

I would guess "scheming for the masses" means in the context something like "I was planning big concerts" or "I was being formed to be a rock star" but I'm not really sure.

  Kids were laughing in my classes

  While I was scheming for the masses

  Who do you think you are?

  Dreaming 'bout being a big star


texts: Is the word tumultuous can be used in metaphorical way

texts:
Consider somebody, a woman, is going to get married soon.

  They were tumultuous days and she had eclectic emotions lately about
  will having leave her family and the city where she has been living
  all her life.

( I know .."will having leave her family.." part is probably grammatically wrong but I could not join the sentences properly.I mean here " she will have to leave and knows that")


texts:
Here's a sentence.

  Feeling flushed is such a natural response to sudden self-consciousness that if it weren't part of an emotionally crippling experience, it could almost be overlooked.

and can I rewrite like the following?

  Feeling flushed is so natural a response to sudden self-consciousness that if it weren't part of an emotionally crippling experience, it could almost be overlooked.


texts:
And the investments and efforts that we will be making in 2016 and 2017 will mean savings of  15-16 million.
  And the investments and efforts that we will be making in 2016 and 2017 will mean a saving of  15-16 million.

I have seen for the most time savings, but I am wondering here "a saving of" could be better since it is one saving.


texts:
When I asked the driver/ to come with me to the temple/ he had been reluctant./ No error.

I think instead of 'had been', there should be 'was'. Even the answer key points that the error is in the 'he had been reluctant' part. But I am not sure why exactly is 'had been' wrong.

If we replace the first part with 'when I had asked the driver', would that make 'had been' in the third part correct?


texts:
In a village at the edge of the rainforest, the skilled and nimble fingers of an old woman bend fabric and straw into graceful baskets. The baskets are the perfect size to hold papayas, but they also held centuries of craft and tribal identity...

a) no change
b) they would also hold
c) they would have also held
d) they are also holding

I had found this problem quite hard because in my opinion, all of the answer choices are rather awkward. In the end I ended up choosing B because although the "would" bothered me, I had thought "they also hold" is fine. However, it turns out that D) is correct. Could someone help me understand this better, though?


texts: How to say that I have done something in importance order in English?

texts:
Is my sentence correct :

I put the files based on their importance in the attached folder.

The file structure should be something like that :

1- First file (Most important)

2- Second File ( Second most important)

3- Third File (Third most important)


texts:
Example sentence using "in this way":

  Kathy finished watering her plants and set down the hose. In this way, the hose would be  close by for next time.

In this example, the phrase "in this way" is used. It is implied that Kathy desired the  results described in the second sentence. She wants the hose close by. However, it isn't a  very strong desire. If her husband comes and stores the hose, she will just get it out again.

I am wondering if we substitute "in doing so" or "in such a way that" with "in this way", how would the meaning differ?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Along with the letter was his promise that he would visit me this coming Christmas.

In this sentence, I am wondering whether the "promise" was written in the "letter" or not?


texts: "Only a few minutes separate me from..." A common sentence-structure

texts:
I want to rephrase a sentence so it fits the common sentence-structure (I assume it is common), and that's exactly the problem, it seems that I can't recall what that structure is, precisely.

The sentence:

  Only a few minutes separate me from knowing the truth.

Or

  What separates me from knowing the truth is just a few minutes.

How can it be rephrased so it expresses its meaning completely and greatly? (No harm if you help me in expressing it more dramatically too.)


texts:
We say "I put phone on to charge". So can removing the charging point that's connected to the phone (USB) be called:

  I took my phone off charge.  (Opposite to "I put my phone on charge")


texts: According to Oxford dictionary “after” means following another period of time or behind and many others. So “after you” should be meant behind you or you should go later or let us go first then your turn. I'm actually confused?


texts: What's the word to specify a certain longitudinal position in a long street or park?

texts:
When I tried to invite people to the park in the image I wanted to meet around the area where Babelsberger Strasse ends, anywhere within the red ellipse. As you can see, the park is a West-East band of green; I wasn't sure where exactly we would find a pick-nick spot but people should not look for us far away from a line formed by an imagined extension of Babelsberger Strasse through the park.

In German I would say "[in] Höhe Babelsberger Strasse"; this is a use of "Höhe" which is not related to altitude. It is also used with respect to landmarks in a long road, like "the store is on main street [English term for "Höhe" here] of the fountain". It's not exactly "where the fountain is", that would be too specific.

With respect to suggestions in comments (thanks!): It is also not necessarily "near" the fountain because it could be on the other side of, say, the Champs Elysées. This as well as "at the end of" is in case of the pick-nick location too specific on the North-South axis (namely too North). The location may be farther away from the end of the street in the southern direction than westerly or easterly.

Is there a term I can use for a somewhat more vague location which is defined only in one dimension relative to a landmark?


texts: “has the same colour” vs “is the same colour”

texts:
Am I right both sentences are correct and usable?

  Andy’s car has the same colour as Laura’s car.

  Andy’s car is the same colour as Laura’s car.

TIA


texts: Is Witches' Hammer or Witchhammer understood as idiom by English speaker?

texts:
"Kladivo na čarodějnice" (in czech) or "Malleus Maleficarumis" (in
latin) is a title of czech novel translated as Witches' Hammer or Witchhammer.
Hammer on Witches is the name of book (manual) used in this novel to seek out and eradicate witches.

Is the phrase "Witchhammer" understood by native English speaker as phrase with hidden meaning?

For example like hidden meaning when we imagine the situation of two guys listening radio news on politics and one guy say to another: "This senator speaks again in Orwellian language?" (hint of 1984 book - angsoc, face-crime, double-think etc.)

  Orwellian language - not telling the TRUE names

  Kladivo na čarodějnice - to use effective handbook (full of effective and cruel methods) for solving the problem ruthlessly


texts:
In a sentence like "What did John eat and Mary prepare?", the auxiliary verb "did" is "shared" between both conjuncts.
My question is whether it is grammatical to use an auxiliary verb in each conjunct, like: "What did John eat and did Mary prepare?". Is that possible? What would be its meaning?


texts:
What is the meaning of:

  What is it in me....(ex.what is it in me that is holding me back)


texts: Question about meaning of "would" in this context

texts:
I was so stunned by her sudden change of mood that I couldn’t process her words. I just stood there staring at her. She swung her schoolbag as if she were about to hit me on the head with it, but changed her mind and ran off toward her entrance. I went home, crying. I cried on and off for the rest of the day. My grandmother and then my mother kept asking me what was wrong, but I wouldn’t say. I didn’t really understand it myself. Perhaps what I was feeling was shame -- not just the mortification of having made the wrong assumption about Tania’s father but the deeper, sickening humiliation of being excluded from the élite group of children.

Why did the writer use the word would here? When she says but I wouldn't say, does it mean that she was reluctant and not eager to say? or does it mean that it was her habit not to say why she would cry on different occasions?


texts:
I am interested in how to use the verb read in the meaning "understand".
The situation: co-workers discuss internal instructions announced and published by the management not long ago.

A: How do you read their instructions?

How is it read in your opinion?

B: I barely understand what they want from us.

Which of them is idiomatic, more preferable and correct?

If someone asks these above questions, does it mean that the answerer will mention only the way he understands something (very good, not well, barely understand), but he will not explain what he understands from the instructions?


texts: "be one hundred percent on board" what does it mean?

texts:
My mother wasn’t one hundred percent on board.

Is this a proverb?

The full text is:

  “Yes, we did argue that night, but it was nothing serious. Just a bit
  of tension, wedding jitters, you know? She was finding it stressful.”
  “She was finding what stressful, exactly?” “The wedding preparations.
  Dealing with my family. They can be a bit . . . difficult.
  Intimidating.” “Your family wasn’t happy about the wedding?” “I
  wouldn’t say that, exactly.” He looks away. “My mother wasn’t one
  hundred percent on board, but I loved Dana. And she knew I was going
  to marry her.”


texts:
Which one is correct?
1 How many such people do you know?
2 How many of such people do you know?
I have come across both versions. I still don't know which one is correct.


texts: Turning an affirmative statement into a question

texts:
Are the budget airlines in a different strategic group than the major
  network airlines?

Is it a correct sentence? If I rewrite this sentence in an affirmative form, it could be

  The budget airlines are in a different strategic group than the major network airlines.

But my question is about after linking verb are (before preposition in) whether something is required or not?

My question is about whether something is required between the words are and in. If I say:

  I'm better at English than Karim.

that would be a correct sentence. But if I say

  I'm _______ at English than Karim

then a question arises:

  I'm ... what? ... at English than Karim.

Something, I mean an adjective (like better), is required between am and at.


texts: Word order Q : between two sentences, which one sounds more accurate? (Or is none of them right?)

texts:
So I can use 7 words among those below and each one of them only once without chaning its form as it is presented here.

[ frequency / take / regular / make / its /reflect / availability / will / place / amount / than / often / fluently / exactly / recognize / accessible / retrieval/ +more ]

"Metaphorically speaking, human memory is like a public library that organizes its book according to their predicted popularity. Frequently checked out books, that is, popular books, will be made available in special spaces near the entrance of library to make it easy for members to find them. In contrast, less popular books, the ones rarely checked out in the past, will be placed in the back of the library. Because the environment is thus reflected in our memory, we can use our memory to make inferences about the environment.
*We can infer, for example, that the more often one encounters a piece of information, the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ *."

Here are the two answers I came up with  : ........

more its accessible availability will take place.
more its frequency will make retrieval accessible.


texts: In Spanish when it comes to answer the questions written in a book as well as filling in the blanks inside that same book we use the Spanish equivalent for the English verb answer. I mean you do answer the questions whether they are written or spoken but I am not sure if one could "answer a book". You do the exercises inside the book, you fill in the blanks using a pen or a pencil but, is there any special word or phrasal verb used to talk about filling-in  the blanks inside a book?.


texts:
He was in the midst of a rampage, trashing the office.

What could a stronger word for "trashing" be that could fit in the above sentence?

Or could I just add "completely" before "trashing"?

How about "completely destroying" would that work?


texts:
Question 1:

  When dark clouds touch each other in the sky when it's about to rain and
  the whole sky lights up, does the sky start lightning or does it
  start thundering?

Question 2:

  When a bolt of electricity suddenly hits the ground and makes a huge
  deep noise, do you say A lightning bolt just struck the ground or
  A thunderbolt just struck the ground?

I did a quick research on Google images, and it shows that lightning and thundering are the same things. This is confusing even in my native tongue (Portuguese). We also have different words for describing what happens to the sky when it rains, but people mix them up all the time.


texts: If "Olympics" is singular, why does it use "were"?

texts:
Source

  But the Olympics were really only a staging post in a much more
  fundamental reshaping of the Chinese capital.

On blog.esllibrary.com, I found "Olympics" is a singular:

  Decision time:

  We at ESL Library decided to go with “the Olympics” + singular verb and “the Olympic Games” + plural verb. Basically, “the Olympics” is a collective noun like team or United States, and usually takes a singular verb. “Games,” on the other hand, is a plural noun that should take a plural verb. It’s possible to consider “the Olympic Games” as a collective noun, but “the Olympic Games is...” just doesn’t sound right to me. “The Olympic Games are...” sounds much better!


texts: What do we call for the people who made a difference

texts:
I am looking for the exact term for the man who made a difference.
Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!


texts: What difference would it make by changing the forms of a verb?

texts:
My teacher said a sentence:

  The distance between the transmit and the receive antenna is kept small.

I believe the verbs in bold have been used as adjectives here(nominalized). What difference would it make if I say the same sentence as

  The distance between the transmitting and the receiving antenna is kept small.

  The distance between the transmitter and the receiver antenna is kept small.


texts:
His voice cracked with the strain, and they stood looking at each other in the whiteness and the emptiness, and Harry felt they were as insignificant as insects beneath that wide sky.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I only found "crack under the strain". Is there any difference between "crack under the strain" and "crack with the strain"?


texts:
I wonder to use present or past in this case?

If I want to explain to someone and describe the problem.

1/ My car has a problem always that why I can't come on time to work.

2/ My car had a problem always that why I can't come on time to work.


texts:
"Something is scheduled starting AS OF tomorrow". Is this the correct usage? I do not like the sound of it. What would a native speaker use in this situation?

Thank you.


texts:
Is The key to -ing followed by to or -ing?

Example:

  The key to winning is to practice/practicing


texts:
My question is about the location of "before" and "by".
I am not sure which one should be close to "learn".

  Chinese people are trying to learn their babies' gender by looking at the calendar before they are born.

My intended meaning is:

  Chinese people are trying to learn their babies' gender by looking at the calendar. When are they trying to learn it? Before they(their babies) are born.

So, which one is better?

  1-) Chinese people are trying to learn their babies' gender by looking at the calendar before they are born.

or

  2-) Chinese people are trying to learn their babies' gender before they are born by looking at the calendar.

In the first sentence, "before they are born" seems to refer to "looking", not "learn". But I want it to refer to "learn", not "looking".

In the second sentence, "by looking" seems to refer to "are born" and of course, it is not my intended meaning.

Finally, which one is better? I think that they are both correct.


texts: A comparison between the words "revolting", "repugnant" and

texts:
Please help me to find the best words (possibly interchangeable synonyms) from among the words in the list bellow:

11 million people were killed during the Holocaust. This has been one of the most ......... actions of all time.

Explanation: I need one or more adjectives from my listed ones which directly indicate "a feeling of strong dislike and hate, but not 'horror'; just 'hate'".
-1- disgusting
-2- revolting
-3- repulsive
-4- repugnant
For me 'disgusting' and 'revolting' mean the same and mean 'something nauseating". But what I'm going to use here has nothing to do with 'the feeling of nausea'! I'm going to imply a feeling of 'strong dislike and hate' when you see or hear or somehow come across such a seen or such an event. I think both "repulsive and "repugnant" imply exactly the same meaning in my question.
Do you confirm me?


texts: Why do we say and write 'Babylon', but 'Tower of Babel'?

texts: The English name of ancient Mesopotamian city is Babylon. However, the name of tower is The Tower of Babel. Is there a difference between Babylon and Babel? Why aren't the words identical?


texts:
Is "using" a preposition?
For example:
I fight using my sword.
or
I write using the keyboard.

Is it a preposition or it's something else?


texts: Why does "to have a prayer" refer to chance?

texts:
1) With an injured ankle, he doesn't have a prayer of winning the race.

  2) [from Seinfeld, "The Boyfriend"]

  -- Sometimes I've given my number out to guys and it takes them a month to call.

  -- Ha!  If he's calling in a month, he's got a prayer!

Why does "to have a prayer" mean "to have a chance"? As I see it, if someone is praying for you, you have more chances to succeed (in the religious sense) because God is being asked for it. And if nobody is praying (asking God) for you, there is less chance.


texts: Could we say "honorable mentioned" to express "I have got honorable mention"?

texts: When I wrote my CV, I found that I would like to say "Honorable Mention at Mathematical Contest in Modeling", but I put on "Honorable Mentioned" instead. After searching on the internet I found no one use this pair of words. Now I am wondering if writting "Honorable Mentioned" is plausible?


texts: All of your doubt will suddenly go away / goes away?

texts:
"All of your doubt will suddenly go away when..."

"All of your doubt will suddenly goes away when..."

Go away or goes away?
Which sentence is grammatically right?


texts: The verb to be (intransitive or transitive)

texts:
As far as I know, to be - is intransitive. But how does it happen that it takes a pronoun in the objective form?
This creature can be any one. It can be you, him, her.
Or are they not subjects? I mean you, him, her.
PS: Sorry, I confused the word "subjects" with "objects".


texts:
What does "back off on" mean in the following sentence?

  Stop eating bread, flour products, back off on eating a
  lot of protein.

Does "back off on eating a lot of protein" mean "eat a lot of protein"?
or does "back off on eating a lot of protein" mean "do not eat a lot of protein"?


texts:
The original text:

  Recently some studies were made in the behaviour of mice when exposed to more than a certain degree of density, frustration, and noise, and the mice just became deranged.

Is it supposed to be something like this?

  Recently some studies were made in the behaviour of mice. When exposed
  to more than a certain degree of density, frustration, and noise, the
  mice just became deranged.


texts:
Does "lap" here mean "to wash or move in small waves with a light, slapping or splashing sound"?

It wasn’t long into the pandemic before Simon Carley realized we had an evidence problem. It was early 2020, and COVID-19 infections were starting to lap at the shores of the United Kingdom, where Carley is an emergency-medicine doctor at hospitals in Manchester.

Source: Nature     How COVID broke the evidence pipeline


texts:
I learnt "creepy" is feeling unease or scared, but it's not considered rude to say creepy at someone?

In my language, when people felt scared about something in horror, we use a word close to "eerie" but for bugs which feels uncomfortable to see,
or person who acts strange, or a stalker, we use a word similar to "ew" and it's rude because it expresses a feeling disgust about the person.

In English, when people say "He is creepy!" or "You are creepy!", it's not rude? Not including of disgust like "ew"? It's just like "Your act is scary"? I know "you are disgusting" is rude and showing strong disgust, but "creepy" for bugs or weird people, it also has nuance of disgust? and rude?


texts: What part of speech is "submitted" in this sentence?

texts: In the phrase "The manuscript shall be submitted" I believe that "shall" is a an auxiliary, modal verb, and the word "be" is the main verb, bit what is the word "submitted".  Is "submitted" an adjective describing the manuscript?


texts: 'Alone', 'on one's own' and 'by oneself'

texts:
I was wondering if the following sentence mean the same:

  1. I like to be alone most of the time.
  2. I like to be on my own most of the time.
  3. I like to be by myself most of the time.


texts:
I am trying to decide if I should use the phrase "have a strong" or "am familiar" in the following sentence.

In addition to web development skills, I have a strong familiarity with learning management systems.

In addition to web development skills, I am familiar with learning management systems.


texts:
Question one:
Are the following sentences correct? And why?
Statement A:
After storms is not necessarily a bright sky. (I think it will be correct only by inserting there between storms and is)

It seems correct to say:
 Statement B:
After storm comes a bright sky.
( to sound more idiomatic, I believe the subject and object should be reversed into: a bright sky comes after storm)

If only statement B is the correct one, this makes a huge difference between copular verb is and come.

If my assumption is not all nonsense, what's the reason beneath this difference? And what the grammar point I should seek references from? Thanks.

Question 2:
Which one is correct?

Not always rainbow will follow the rain.
Not always will rainbow follow the rain.
It is not always that rainbow will follow the rain.
Not always there is rainbow following the rain.
Not always is there rainbow following the rain.

I'd say among the 5 sentences above, sentences 2, 3, and 5 are rather correct.
And if indeed the rest two are wrongly constructed sentences, why? Thanks.


texts: Which 'article' to use when we refer to a common person every time in the same passage?

texts:
I know a rule:

  I found a pen. The pen was broken.

When I introduce a pen, for the first time, it takes the indefinite article and once, it's introduced, I can proceed with the definite one.

Well, but while writing an essay on, say, on a student (any student), which article would go throughout the essay?

Example:

  The two main entities of any classroom teaching are a student and a teacher. While a/the student serves as an audience, a/the teacher is a performer. Whenever a/the student asks a/the teacher on any subject, they are bound to answer.

Though I have introduced a student and a teacher, I don't want to get specific. Throughout the paragraph, I want to talk about any student, any teacher, randomly and not specific. Even further, what about the entire essay? Wherever I mention student/teacher which article should I put? Mind it, I don't want to be specific, each time I want to talk on random/any student/teacher.

Maybe, the last paragraph would be...

  A/the student's performance depends on their own capabilities, learning curves, and top of all a/the teacher's support.

Now, that is the last paragraph...would 'a' work? I don't want the. Would it be incorrect?


texts: use of could / would - correct the sentence - I like that piece of furniture. I wish it could fit in my apartment

texts:
I like that piece of furniture. I wish it could fit in my apartment.

  Options: -

  was able to fit
  might
  would

My answer: I like that piece of furniture. I wish it would fit in my apartment.

Correct answer: I like that piece of furniture. I wish it was able to fit in my apartment.

My doubt - What is the difference? The way I see it - I feel both are correct!

use of would & could: both are done to report a past conversation. The way I see it, the entire sentence was in the past and I feel "both" are correct.

I don't understand is how can "would" be incorrect here. And even if it is incorrect, isn't "could" already the correct use then?

How are "would" & "could" both incorrect here?

EDIT -

I checked on a few "grammar checking" websites - the use of both could & would don't show any errors. Though, use of "was able to" was correctly shown as -

"I like that piece of furniture. I wish it was able to fit into my apartment"


texts:
He loved painting and writing, ___ he chose to become an engineer.

for
so
therefore
yet

I am stuck here because I think option 2. works if that is civil or architectural engineering. And I think option 4. works because writing is not related to engineering.


texts: "Having been named" is past perfect passive

texts:
Here is a question for the GMAT exam:

  Having been named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, the asteroid named Ida in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, was discovered in 1884

For those of you unfamiliar with the test, basically you are given a short statement with some underlined part. You have to decide if you keep the underlined part as is (option A) or if you substitute it with one out of 4 options (options B,C,D,E).

Here the whole statement is underlined

Now in the solution, it says that the "keep it" option (option A) is wrong because

  Opening with a past perfect passive verb, Having been named, this version of the sentene illogically suggests that being named for a mythological nymph preceded the discovery of Ida

My question is: why "Having been named" is a past perfect passive?
The past perfect (active) should be formed by:
Subject + had + past participle
And thus the passive one:
Subject + had + been + past participle

So what tense is Having been named really if it is not a past perfect passive?


texts:
"In one of the photos he took then, there is a young woman who has (...?) on her face".

I found myself in a problem when I want to name this specific jewelry (that falls on the cheeks) in order to maximize the description in words. Maybe in English people would use borrowed words (such as Indian) to describe it?

In the Chinese site that I found it (it's translated by machine probably) it's described as: "Chran New Sexy Women Multi Layer Tassel Head Chain Headdress Jewelry Forehead Headband Eye Cover Face Mask Body Jewelry".


texts: “Put my privacy in public” VS. “Share my private information”

texts:
Today while I’m was writing, i wrote a sentence such as:

  The internet has a negative side because **it can put your privacy in public.

My native English native teacher corrected me by saying that

  “it can share your private information publicly”
  And she added that: “we cannot put privacy in public”.

1) What does it make the expression wrong of putting the privacy in public?

2) for me as a non-native English speaker, let’s say, i want to make my own expression in English, is it going to be impossible?

Well if it’s impossible, then everything, including the words together compound-words, collocations, should me something i already read from a native English-speaker’s paper or books. Otherwise, I cannot express anything i have in my mind. For instance:

If I didn’t hear English speakers saying, or  English speakers writing “we share private information publicly” instead of saying “put my privacy in public”, then my ability would be forever limited of expressing myself. (Advice)

Note:The second point of my question is sort of off-topic. However, you answer to it makes a difference.


texts:
Good cry - is it an idiom? If so.. what does it really, mean? For example:

  Your letter certainly caused me to have my first good cry.

What is the meaning of good cry in this sentence?


texts:
From the movie Jurassic World (2015).

Two boys wandered off into a restricted area for tourists to take a closer look at other dinosaur species that live in the park. While they're out there, their aunt, who's the president of the park, is ringing alarm bells at the control room to find them. Here's the two boys' short conversation:

  — Great idea.
  — No! We're gonna get arrested. They'll shave our heads, and we're
  gonna have to make root beer in the toilet.
  — What are you talking about?

What's that he saying about making root beer in the toilet? I don't understand.


texts: What is the difference between “nope” and “no”?

texts:
What is the difference caused by using “nope” instead of ”no”?

Is it used because “nope” sounds better and not straight like “no”? In some situations, it feels like nope is better to use than no even though it adds 2 more characters. What is the reason why many use it?


texts: How to say to end a topic that I have no idea to say

texts: Sometimes when I was talking with people, suddenly I have no idea what to say to move on. At this moment, what can I say to end the topic and restart a new one?


texts: Question about meaning of "That's slang for hair and makeup, spanx, just a touch of bee pollen"

texts:
Here  is the sentence I don't understand easily. I can't get it the second sentence. It looks like joke but not sure.

  Please, no pics or autographs until I go through the works. That's slang for
  hair and makeup, spanx, just a touch of bee pollen.

Could you help me?


texts: a practical way to write words in a Phonetic transcription

texts:
We've started learning about IPA Phonetic this year. And we shall have an exam next week.

And since English isn't my first language, or even second , I don't really know the pronunciation of many words.

So I'll be grateful If someone can lead me to a way in which I can transcribe words when I don't know the correct pronunciation.


texts: Whether the word "yourself" is used as an object pronoun or not?

texts:
You'll have to explain yourself more clearly.

In this sentence, I'd like to know whether the word "yourself" is used as an object pronoun or not. Thanks in advance.


texts: Can ‘went to see’ be changed into ‘ went and see’?

texts:
We went to see a film.

We went and see a film.

We went and saw a film.

Is the second sentence right or the third?


texts: Dizziness occurred right after I~ VS Dizziness happened VS Dizziness developed

texts:
Not in written english but in casual conversation,
which one is the most natural one to native?


texts: To say that I did something with a software: in [SW Name] / on [SW Name]

texts: I drew it on AutoCAD or I drew it in Matlab.


texts: Can you hear the song "Live To Rise" right(ly) the first time?

texts:
I am not a native English speaker, but watching movies and TV shows is not a problem for me. (Well, at least most of them.) However, I just have seen the ending of "The Avengers" on HBO, and this line bugged me since I couldn't make sense of it.

I heard it the first time like this ...

Like a sone we will live to rise
Like a sone we will live and die
[again] ignite again
Like a sone we will live to rise
again, ... again

Perhaps because I happen to know the word "sone" (a loudness unit), I heard it that way. But since it didn't make sense, I tried again. This time I was able to find it on YouTube. (I just learned to know its title Live To Rise during the search.)

This is fun, since this time I heard it like this,

Like the song we will live to rise
Like the song we will live and die
[again] ignite again
Like the song we will live to rise
again, ... again

This time I can hear the "th" sound. Thanks to my headphone. Though I was still unsure what that [again] actually was, it didn't really matter. The matter was that I got confused, trying to think which song that line meant.

Finally, I gave up. I looked for its lyric and once I found it, I laughed out loud.

I have never expected an American to say the word "sun" so close to "sone" or "song" this much. (Though I might, if I expected to hear an English accent, where the word "all" would sound closer to "owl" to my ears.)

My question is: would a typical native English speaker hear it rightly the first time?


texts: Something should be protected by something else

texts:
How do you interpret this sentence:

  Any change to EEPROM in the field should be protected by transactions."

We must protect EEPROM and prevent transactions to change it.

or

Transactions must protect EEPROM and prevent changing it (by something!)


texts: I have seen pepole saying 'station is next but one'.can we write that 'station is one next.i can remember i heard it but i am not sure.i have search the google but did not find any answer


texts:
It was not possible for me to realize the performance with the musicians present.

Can I say musician present or in the presence of the musicians


texts:
I have a sentence

When tourists visit Australia?

Now, my question is - do I need to put "do" in it?

When do tourists visit Australia?

I don't know why, but the first one seems more natural to me.
Thanks!


texts: Using "That" and "This" as Adjective Intensifiers

texts:
He's this smart?
  He's that smart?

I'm having trouble identifying the usage of "this" and "that" in the above sentences. Can anyone explain the grammar behind the sentences and give similar example sentences?

Am I correct in assuming that they are adjective intensifiers?


texts:
I was reading this question and it reminded me of a word (I've forgotten now) which was the opposite of that question i.e. a word in which the letter V is pronounced /f/. I racked my brain for about an hour but to no avail. I can't come up with it and there are thousands of words that have V, so Googling didn't help either.
As far as I remember, the V in this word is in an unstressed syllable (it also has a variant pronunciation with /v/).
Does anyone know the word I'm talking about?


texts:
In a poem could any of the three adjectives below be used to describe a light (of a star, a lighthouse, a lamp, etc) that is weak and distant and which you can barely see:

Faltering

Timorous

Wavering


texts: What is the essential different between 'Kingdom' and 'Empire'?

texts: I get difficulty to understand between the two English words, 'kingdom' and 'empire'. Sometimes I read/heard is said Russian Empire, Roman Empire, Byzantium Empire, British Empire. But we all know the British is associated to kingdom, The United Kingdom (UK), and we all know that the man who is reign in British is called king. In another side, we also heard/read said Kingdom of Heaven, (ancient) Israeli Kingdom, Spanish Kingdom, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), etc. There are another non-English natural such as sultanate, emirate, sheikh, etc. But for now, we leave it. Focus only with the two native English words, the 'kingdom' and 'empire'. What is/are their different?


texts: Is the sentence natural with the tense used?

texts:
Context: Ted is speeding around in his car inside a parking garage where the exits are blocked. There are some bad guys there too, who are shooting at him. Ted is on the phone with his friends, Tom and Mike.
Tom and Mike: Ted, what's happening? What's happening? Are you okay?
All they hear is Ted screaming and shots being fired as he speeds around in the parking garage trying to escape the bad guys.
My question is about the highlighted part. Is the sentence completely natural with the tense used? Or should I go with: ...Ted's screams and gunshots...


texts: what's the meaning of 【catch basins】right here?

texts:
I just not sure about the sentence below, which I read in an online article discussing the American atheists:

"The shift away from any dominance of any one religion is good for a secular society whose government is structured to discourage 【catch basins】 of power from buliding up and spilling over into people's private lives."

So what does 【catch basins】mean in this context? Thanks!


texts:
In the texteditor vim, people use the y-key to copy something, it stands for yank.
I am curious: Why can yank have the meaning of copy?


texts:
Martyrs create faith, faith does not create martyrs. (LINK)

Is there a word expressing a contrast in two parallels statements, the second of which reverses the order of items in the first?


texts: Does it make sense to say "they didn't make it overnight" in the below sentence?

texts:
There are many people who make a lot of money per month but they
didn't make it overnight!

Is that correct to say: they didn't make it overnight?
or maybe i can say:
They haven't reached there overnight
or
They haven't made it overnight


texts: Laugh out loud (lol) vs Laughing my ass off (lmao)

texts:
I know that lol means laugh out loud, and lmao is laughing my ass off, but in what context(s) would I use these, and what are their fundamental differences?
Also, I talk with a lot of people (mostly teenagers) who use these acronyms, and if I think something that they say is funny, which one should I use?
I found after googling this that lmao is a stronger version of lol, but it does not say when or how to use them. Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Meaning of "Athena could eat properly – But Athena went on spooning up her soup"

texts:
Vicki had never seen anything like Dexter at table. She was disgusted,
and ashamed for him. He gripped the spoon so that the whole handle
vanished in his paw; he bent over the bowl and slurped so loudly that he
seemed not to be using the spoon at all, but to be transferring the food from
bowl to mouth by suction alone. Athena could eat properly– why didn’t she
correct him in private? But Athena went on spooning up her soup, glancing
from time to time at the children, and spread around her a shy, attentive
calm which even Elizabeth, to whom Dexter’s table manners were merely
one more avenue to her complicated memories of his family, found
soothing and agreeable.

Does "Athena could eat properly" mean "If Athena ate she could eat properly"?
Does "why she did not correct him in private?" mean "Why she did not correct him before when just she and Dexter were at home"?
Does "But Athena went on spooning up her soup" mean:

she ate with her spoon?

she just was stirring her soup?

Source: The Children's Bach by Helen Garner


texts: "Could have" = "would possibly have" here?

texts:
The following parts are taken from Michael Swan's, Practical English Usage (hereafter PEU):

  259.2  could have ... and might have ...

  We can use could have + past participle to mean 'would have been able to .. .',
  and might have + past participle to mean 'would perhaps have ... ' or 'would
  possibly have .. .'.

    Example A: If he'd run a bit faster,  he could have won.

    Example B: If I hadn't been so  tired, I might have realised what was happening.

  But in 122.7 could have ...

  We use this structure to talk about unrealised past ability or opportunities
  - to say that somebody was able to do something, but did not try to do it; or
  that something was possible, but did not happen.

    Example C: I could have married anybody I wanted to.

    Example D: I was so angry I could have killed her!

    Example E: Why did you jump out of the window? You could have hurt yourself.

    Example F: I could have won the race if I hadn't fallen.

Sometimes I feel it a little difficult to decide, for a given context, which of the following meanings of "could have" is being used:

'would perhaps have ...'
'would have been able to...'
'would have been allowed to... '
'would have the opportunity to ...'

I'm also not sure if could have can also mean "would possibly have". No grammar books explictly confirm this. Maybe the bold section in 122.7 suggests this (but I am not quite sure). So can I make the following substitutions (SUB) -- taken from the PEU text referenced above -- or would they change the original meaning or create an ambiguity?

EXAMPLE B ORIG: If I hadn't been so tired, I might have realised what was happening.
EXAMPLE B SUB: If I hadn't been so tired, I could have realized what was happening.
EXAMPLE E ORIG: Why did you jump out of the window? You could have hurt yourself.
EXAMPLE E SUB1: Why did you jump out of the window? You would possibly have hurt yourself.
EXAMPLE E SUB2: Why did you jump out of the window? You might have hurt yourself.
EXAMPLE F ORIG: I could have won the race if I hadn't fallen.
EXAMPLE F SUB: I would possibly have won the race if I hadn't fallen.


texts: What is the difference between “unacademic” and “nonacademic”?

texts:
Both the words mean "not academic," but is there any difference between unacademic, and nonacademic?
Is there any phrase where one of the words should be used instead of the other?


texts: What does the "at any level" refer to or imply? Any level of what? Level of road? Level of driving?

texts:
So today we want to talk about the subject of defensive driving. And the way I define defensive driving is, the ability to develop the proper driving habits, so that we can compensate for pretty much anything that goes on out on the roadways and that we can avoid a crash at any level.

And could you also please paraphrase the whole text in simple English?


texts:
We just totally forget about Tyler's whole murder-suicide thing while we watch another file cabinet slip out the side of the building and the drawers roll open midair, reams of white paper caught in the updraft and carried off on the wind.

Source: Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

Just cannot get the meaning of this part, "the drawers roll open midair".
I have problem with understanding what role played  the word, "open" here?
Is it phrasal verb, "roll open" or open should be connected with "midair"?


texts: When is the -ING form not used in the Present Perfect (Passive voice)

texts:
Is using the present participle compulsory in the structure have/has been?

I once read a sentence

  The work has been completed flawlessly by her.

I understand that we use have/has been + present participle to express actions that went on in the past and were completed in the present.

I would like to know when I should use 'have/has been' without the present participle (-ING form).


texts:
I'm a French native speaker and I would like to know if "your" should be repeated as in the following example:

  I translate your document, your ad, your website.

Could we simply say:

  I translate your document, ad and website.

What would be the impact of both sentences?
Are both forms grammatically correct?

Thanking you in advance for your help, Ophelie


texts: What does "Like anyone, they varied." mean? (from Primer movie script)

texts:
I'm translating Primer to Hebrew subtitles, but I just can't understand how to express this sentence. I'm not sure what it means in its context. Here it is:

  Meticulous, yes. Methodical. Educated.
  They were these things.
  Nothing extreme. Like anyone, they varied.
  There were days of mistakes
  and laziness and infighting.                                                                  And there were days, good days,
  when by anyone's judgment...
  they would have to be considered clever.

Can anyone please try to explain it to me, or give another sentence with the same meaning?


texts: Could you explain the conditional sentence Type 2 of this sentence "If I told you that I lived in Russia, you wouldn't believe it"

texts:
Ok,

  Conditional sentence type 2 refers to an unlikely or
  hypothetical condition and its probable result. These sentences are
  not based on the actual situation. In type 2 conditional sentences,
  the time is now or any time and the situation is hypothetical.

  EXAMPLES

  If the weather wasn't so bad, we would go to the park. (But the
  weather is bad so we can't go.)

  If I was the Queen of England, I would give everyone a chicken. (But I
  am not the Queen.)

  If you really loved me, you would buy me a diamond ring.

  If I knew where she lived, I would go and see her.

But what about this sentence "If I told you that I lived in Russia, you wouldn't believe it."

How to explain it under the rule of conditional sentence type 2?

I suspect conditional sentence type 2 can be used to express other things not just "hypothetical situations".


texts:
I hope you sent or have sent the right book .

I used past simple because before replying to them I received this email"Your order was sent yesterday" so I am wondering if they sent the right book. I think past simple is better because the action, at the time of my reply, is completed and belongs to the past.

But would it change if the email received was  "Your order has been sent" could I use in this case present perfect

May be both are ok


texts: I ask my teacher is it right to say "it is a brain" or "this is a brain"? He answer me you can say both and I search google and found the same answer that both are correct. But I have some cockroaches in my brain that it should not be this and it at the same time.


texts:
I know how to use "ask of" in many cases. But I have encountered a sentence, that for me it is wrong. But, since i am not a native English speaker I can not be sure.

  Implement an application allowing parents to ask questions of school personnel.

What this sentence "means", is that, an application will be implemented that will allow parents ask questions to school personnel, for example about how to help their children with homework and such.

I didn't write it, a native English speaker did, and he said it is a nuance of English, related with "ask of".
But when I read it, I feel it means that the parents will be able to ask questions about school personnel.

I would really appreciate it if you could tell me if this is the correct usage and why.


texts:
My English is excellent, but I'd like to know whether this is grammatically correct, especially in a formal situation. My slang/day-to-day English is excellent, but I don't know if this would be grammatically correct for writing a novel or a formal e-mail.

Would it be grammatically correct to say, for example:

  "He is older than me by one year."

rather than:

  "He is one year older than me."

Are both correct, grammatically?


texts: Is it acceptable to rewrite the sentence in 'it-cleft'?

texts:
Is it acceptable to rewrite the folowing sentence in 'it-cleft'?

  The workers haven't had a holiday for ages.
  It is for ages that the workers haven't had a holiday.


texts: Why so many –ing nouns (present participles) do not take the definite article “the”?

texts:
For example we do not say:

  I look forward to the seeing you, or in the doing so.

But sometimes we say:

  In the beginning, in the fighting, the ruling, etc.

As such, is there any different rule concerning the –ing nouns or they should follow the same rules as the common nouns do?


texts:
Sentences:

  1) Thus, each student defines how he or she wants his or her stay at the residence hall to be like and adapts it to his or her needs

  (Thus, each student defines how he or she wants his or her to stay at the residence hall to be like and adapts it to his or her needs)

.

  2) She wants revenge

  (She wants to revenge)

.

  3) She wants me dead

  (She wants me to dead / to be dead)

Link#1 Link#2 Link#3

Question:

  Should they add a preposition 'to' after the verb 'want'?


texts: Which article to use if there are multiple winners?

texts:
Consider the following scenario. There are two shops that are closest to my home: ShopA and ShopB. In other words, both shops are at the same distance and closer than any other shops in the town.

Which of the following statements is/are correct:

ShopA is the closest shop from my home.
ShopA is a closest shop from my home.

The first statement seems right to hear. However, there are two closest shops, so the second statement also seems correct. Which statement is correct grammatically?


texts: Is the use of "mistake" or "make mistake" or "do mistake" appropriate in the following sentence?

texts:
The following sentences sound the same to me. Do you see the mistake in it?

I always make mistakes when doing grammar exercises/answering questions;;
I always do mistakes when doing grammar exercises/answering questions;
I always mistake when doing grammar exercises/answering questions.


texts: what "bend the hostile environment of Mars for human habitation" means?

texts:
I found out this phrase in the TEDx talk "Let's not use Mars as a backup planet". As I was searching in the dictionaries, I understood the basic meaning of the verb which is "make curved" but I didn't found the figurative meaning.
Any comment would be useful.


texts:
How can I say correctly that one day I will be a famous pianist and I will earn money by playing the piano?

“I will be playing the piano one day and I will be getting money from it.”

what is the correct future tense?
can I say “from it”?
and actually can I say that this way? - would it be better to say “I will get paid for it.” ....I would like to express that I won’t be just paid as for job but I would be paid fortune because I will be good as a Ray Charles.


texts:
There is also an archaic use of shall in an open protasis, still found in some legal language: If the tenant shall at any time fail to keep the demised premises as aforesaid the landlord may do all things necessary to effect or maintain such insurance. Shall fail here is semantically indistinguishable from fails; this use of shall is comparable to that of should in [28iv].(The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, p195)

Even though the book says the use of shall in the example is comparable to that of should in [28iv] below, I suspect there might be a typo: [28iv] for [28v]. For the example and [28v] have a similarity in that they get protases. Is it a typo or is there anything for me to know better?

  [28iv] It’s surprising that he should have been so late. [emotive]
  [28v] If you should experience any difficulty, please let me know. [conditional]


texts: Whether it is grammatical - Now he wished he could have had longer alone with Katerina

texts:
I got this sentence -

  Now he wished he could have had longer alone with Katerina.

Context -
He was talking with Katrina, after some time his brother came. And he wished this (the quoted sentence).

I understand the meaning of this sentence, and the structure is also not new to me. It's familiar. But now today when I read this sentence I started to analyze the structure of this sentence.

I was initially more confused about the usage and meaning of "had" in this sentence, but they were nicely explained in answers and comments.

After that I started to think about this sentence, and came to know my real confusion is about whether this sentence is grammatical or not. If it is please explain how and even if it's not please tell me how.


texts: What is the right article in self-description?

texts:
If I want to introduce myself to people who don't know me at all, which article should I be using or none? Example:

John Doe - The Passionate Entrepreneur OR
John Doe - A Passionate Entrepreneur OR
John Doe - Passionate Entrepreneur


texts:
I am confused about the meaning of "middle upper arm". Is it:

the "middle part of the upper arm", or
the "upper part of the middle arm"?


texts: Could have vs could in an example (single event vs longer time period)

texts:
I would like to know whether I get it right:

  The siblings lived with abusive parents. They could run away anytime if they
  wanted.

Would this be correct if I mean this as their ability over the years? Or "could have run away" is required to?

I ask as I have seen the following sentences:

  He could start a business in the nineties.
  EDIT: Fixed a typo

Which native speakers told me it is correct as it refers to a longer period and thus ability or possibility that he had.


texts: What does it mean "can/cannot be willed away"?

texts:
The urge to return is too strong. It cannot be willed away.

I saw these lines while I was watching the TV series. I couldn't find it in the dictionary.