texts: Simple past and past progressive exercises with the time clause: While

texts:
These are three exercises.
According to the page the correct answers have the form:

-While- -past progressive-, -past progressive-.

My answers were:

-While- -past progressive-, -simple past-.

Question: Are my answers grammatically correct?
Because I think both forms can be used to describe two events that occurred simultaneously.

While the children were sleeping, their parents watched TV.

  Correct is: While the children were sleeping, their parents were watching TV.

While Henry was having a drink at the bar, his wife swam in the sea.

  Correct is: While Henry was having a drink at the bar, his wife was swimming in the sea.

While he was taking a shower, his dogs ate his steaks.

  Correct is: While he was taking a shower, his dogs were eating his steaks.


texts: What is the difference between "relax" and "rest"?

texts:
Is there any difference between relax and rest? For example:

  I have been working really hard late, so I guess I might as well relax for a while.

  I have been working really hard late, so I guess I might as well rest for a while.

They sound the same to me, but I feel there is a different flavor of meaning between the two. If there isn't really any, then which one is more common?


texts: What does "some" refer to in this context?

texts:
And if there are shortcomings in the system of semi-direct democracy,
Switzerland has neither suffered anarchy, as some have feared from the
19th century up to our days, nor has it experienced the political
revolutions others had dreamed of.
- Swiss Democracy by Wolf Linder

I want to know what do some and others refer to in this context?
To some (and other) countries of some people?


texts:
The Department of  Commerce sums the payments (made to resources) to arrive at GDP in the form of compensation of employees, rents, profits, net interest, indirect taxes and depreciation.

I bracketed made to resources as I think it is a participle phrase and functions as a adjective (according to this site : http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/participlephrase.htm),
therefore can be ignored when understanding the function of to in the context.

And the to here doesn't seem to tell the purpose of sums the payments, so the only interpretation I can come up with is :

  The Department of Commerce sums the payments, and the payments arrive at GDP in the form of compensation of employees, rents, profits, net interest, indirect taxes and depreciation.

So the to in the original context probably acts as an object complement, the object being payments and to arrive at.. being the complement.
 (according to this site:  https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Object-Complements.htm)

Is my understanding of the meaning of the context and the function of to correct?


texts: "All leaves are cancelled." or "All leave is cancelled."?

texts: How do we use the word "leave" in a sentence? Is it ever pluralized? Is it correct to say "How many days leaves do you get per year?" or "How much leave do you get per year?"


texts:
I wrote:

  Your sentences are almost good, just tried to offer better alternatives.

To mean "I just tried". Does my sentence conveys the subject is "I" in spoken language?


texts:
Which one is grammatical?

  Note that we have previously discussed about this.

or

  Noted that we have previously discussed about this.

Note to Myself: First one is correct (by StoneyB)


texts: Which is the proper usage? "inure with" or "inure to"

texts:
For example, given the sentence:

  She's learned to deal with solving difficult problems at an early age

If I wanted to rephrase this using the word "inure", which of the following is correct?

  She's learned to inure with solving difficult problems at an early age.

or

  She's learned to inure to solving difficult problems at an early age.


texts:
Which should I use?

After Tom _______ the movie at the cinema, he decided to buy the book.

Had seen or has seen?

Thanks


texts: When to begin a sentence with "Therefore"

texts:
I know we can begin a sentence with Therefore. We can also use it after commas in a sentence.

For example, which is correct?

She had previous experience, therefore she seemed the best candidate.
She had previous experience. Therefore, she seemed the best candidate.

I myself feel when the first or second clause is long or when the subject is switched, using "therefore" at the beginning of sentence is better. Therefore, I think sentence #1 is better here because it uses the same subject and both sentences are short.


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct? Didn't in interrogative sentence

texts:
Did he did not see her?

The context was the man ignore a girl when they passed each other, and her friend commented on him.

The double "did" seems funny to me.


texts:
Context: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/794

  Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall forfeit to
  the United States irrespective of any provision of State law

What does it mean "State law" here?

Is it mean USA's law or it means law of country where person is situeted?


texts: Is that correct to say 'I might burn myself'?

texts:
As soon as I saw in movie this:

  I could burn myself.

A child was saying it.I wondered why not 'might' has been used.Ask a question,'Could I burn myself?' A 'could' denotes surety while a 'might' does exactly opposite.


texts:
I was writing an essay wherein I encountered the need of writing the description of a mirror. The mirror I want to describe is a normal mirror which isn't coloured, the simple one found at our home. So should I use the words "white glass" or "transparent glass" or some other alternative?
Specifically to mention, it is actually a piece of writing wherein I am developing a story plot of the story in a page's length. That part is include as part of the essay itself. So I was writing a fictional story, when I thought of describing a scene where there is a mention of a vintage mirror. I know that a "mirror" is a "mirror", which is very much understandable. But when you write a story, especially a fantasy fiction one at that, you usually tend to describe things in a classy and fictional way. Hence I wanted to include a description of the mirror in a rather explicit manner.


texts:
If some one loves a flower, of which just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars.

  Source: The Little Prince

What is 'which'? A flower?

And what does 'of' modify? I know 'of which' can be rephrased as in

  "He is her son, of which she's proud"

  "He is her son. She's proud of him"

But I can't find any verb to which I could put 'of'.


texts: How do I say something past/back in future?

texts:
I want to say something about future. But then, since that something does not exist, I want to refer it to the past! How do I say that?

  10 amazing futuristic things I wish were real or  10 amazing futuristic things I wish will be real

For example, I'm creating a hypothetical situation of having some unbelievable features in a smart gadget of future. Say -using a smartphone, you can disappear! Using a smartphone, you can actually shoot at someone. Using a smartphone, you can even fly!

How do I say that then?

  Three futuristic smartphone features I wish will be real ORThree futuristic smartphone features I wish were real OR Three futuristic smartphone features I wish will have been real


texts: Expressions used to boost someone's energy/enthusiasm in doing their work

texts:
Suppose you see someone you set to doing something are doing it half-heartedly, without much if any enthusiasm. What could be the expressions to boost their energy/enthusiasm?

Searching for the English equivalent, I came across the expression "take the gloves off", which, in my opinion, could work for the job  that doesn't need gloves to protect palms doing it.

Also I found the expression "pull up (one's) socks" which to me seems somewhat odd to use addressing to someone who's working barefooted and without socks on, say, standing in water doing their work.

In addition, I was thinking of "Roll up your  shirt-sleeves!", but again, one may do their work naked from the waist up.

So, are there English expressions, idiomatic or slang, with the same meaning but without mentioning any pieces of clothing?


texts:
Which of the following sentences are correct?

  I’ve been falling behind in my work.

  I’ve been falling behind with my work.

  I’ve been falling behind on my work.

I’ve seen all three sentences written in different places, so I’ve gotten a bit confused. Are they all acceptable? Is any one preferable over the others?


texts: Usage of a single "unbelievable" in informal text message

texts: When people say "Unbelievable" in texting, does it usually mean "Unbelievably good" or "Unbelievably bad" when the context is unclear?


texts: when I'm finished / when I finish / when I finish with it

texts:
Instead of

This is a good book. Would you like to read it when I'm finished?

could I say either of the following?

Would you like to read it when I finish?
Would you like to read it when I finish with it?


texts: Is the phrase "might have not been able to~" grammatically wrong? If it's wrong, why is that?


texts: The difference between 'few weeks' vs 'a few weeks'

texts:
I've been trying to find out the difference between 'few weeks' and ''a few weeks'. And here's a sentence written in my textbook.

  A memorable incident happend during my first few weeks.

it is more like putting emphasis on how soon it happened.

  A memorable incident happened during my first a few weeks.

But there's nothing emphasizing how soon the incident happened.

Am I right


texts: What does "held an edge" mean in this context?

texts:
"It's an environment like nothing I've ever seen," said Democratic nominee Gretchen Whitmer, a former legislative leader, who has held an edge in state public opinion surveys.

I think "held an edge" here means "had an edge". The last part is saying that the former legislative leader took the lead in state public opinion surveys.

But I'm not quite sure if my understanding is correct because I've never seen the phrase "hold an edge".

The full source.


texts: Can "roof" be used as a synonym for "ceiling"?

texts:
I think you use ceiling when you're inside the house and roof when you're outside? Maybe I'm wrong?

Example sentence:

  "I see," my wife said, addressing the ceiling.


texts: When someone is ordered by court to publish a statement saying that their earlier allegation is wrong (in slander cases), what do you call that?

texts: Does the person refute his earlier claim? Disown? Disclaim? Retract? What verbs could be used in that case? If I just look at the definitions, they all fit, but I doubt that I can use all or, maybe, even any of them in my circumstances.


texts:
From the Cambridge Dictionary

there's no such thing/person (as): used to say that something or someone does not exist

I've told you before, sweetie, there's no such thing as ghosts!

I understand the meaning and the usage of it.
Does the expression "no such thing as" have any antonyms?
In other words, does such an expression exist to convey the idea that something might exist?

I googled it but got nothing.
I tried "is there anything as" and the top hits are something like as adjective as ...
I also searched on the Collins dictionary and wordhippo but didn't find an answer yet.
Searching for "such a thing" on google books gets about 185,000 hits while the Merriam-Webster dictionary doesn't include it, which probably means it is not established yet.


texts: "Such a good day!" Is this gramatically correct? Is it a complete sentence?

texts:
"Such a good day!"
  "Such a bad question!"

● Are these gramatically correct?

● What about this:

  " Such a warm feeling reading this post! "

● I wonder whether they are complete sentences just like:

  "What a great shot!"
  "What a ridiculous example!"


texts:
I don't think Nikki would have hurt your feelings under/on purpose.

The key is under. Is it correct or is it a mistake in printing?


texts: are the "come up with" "produce" exchangeable?

texts:
I am wondering are the expression "come up with" and "produce" exchangeable?

this is an example from a post.

  To start, you need to let go of trying to “make yourself” come up with
  something creative

it seems that this sentence can be re-written as

  To start, you need to let go of trying to “make yourself” produce
  something creative


texts:
From the movie Goodfellas:

A woman shows her two friends her new home.

  Woman: Four and a half months of dirt.

  One of her friends: It's so good.

  Woman: I did it. Do you love it?

  Her friend: Oh it's beautiful.

It seems "dirt" possibly means "hard work", but it doesn't have such a definition in dictionaries. The closest definition is "filth". Is "dirt" here a slang usage?


texts:
What is meant by this sentence? Leader is president or anything else?

... An English expedition arrived in Virginia in the year 1607. Captain Smith was among this group of a 104 settlers.
Their Leader who went by the grand title of the president kept the best provisions for himself....

from Pocahontas, the native American Princess Story. A


texts: Is it grammatically correct to use two past continuous tenses in a single sentence?

texts:
This question just suddenly somehow popped up in my mind.

Usually what I encountered in a sentence is in the pattern "past tense + past continuous"

E.g.:

  I was doing homework when my mum came back.

I would like to know whether it is grammatically okay to use two past continuous tenses in one sentence?

E.g.:

  I was laughing so hard when I was watching the video.


texts: Is this participial phrase a dangling participle?

texts:
From NPR News: North Korea Opens Marathon To All Runners,

  Lately we've heard about the wonders of basketball diplomacy. Running could be the next thing for North Korea. The Pyongyang Marathon celebrates the birth of the fearless leader who founded the country. For nearly three decades it's been for elite athletes only. Now North Korea's marathon is open to everyone. The runners start at Kim Il-sung Stadium and they end there too, offering no chance to run for the border.

The first time I listened to it, I didn't feel anything wrong. So, the meaning is not the problem. However, once I noted it down sentence by sentence, I got stuck on the last sentence, the part offering no chance ... . It made me question myself "'Who' is offering?" The runners? The Stadium? The ending there? Or the whole [The runners start ... end there too]?

Pedantically speaking, is the last sentence in the passage grammatical?
Is the participial phrase (offering no chance ...) an apposition?
Or is it a "dangling participle"?


texts: What do you call the voice-acting and motion-capture combined?

texts: So Ryan Reynold is Detective Pikachu in the upcoming Pokemon film, but he's not only voice-acting for Pikachu, but doing the motion capture. So what do you call the act of doing both? Is there a word for it?


texts: During your tour, you will see historic buildings.. or historical?

texts:
In the description of a guided tour across a city, what adjective should one pick:

  During your tour, you will see historic buildings

or

  During your tour, you will see historical buildings

Judging by this helpful explanation, one should opt for historic if the building is important in history, and for historical if the building is merely part of the city's history:

  The adjective historic means having importance in history or having influence on history.  The adjective historical means having taken place in history, from the past or pertaining to history.

Judging by Google, both adjectives are used, although historic seems to predominate.
Which of them is more appropriate in my case?


texts:
I have stumbled on two phrasal verbs which perhaps mean the same thing. However, I decided to make sure whether they are interchangeable or there is any issue that I need to bear in mind prior to using each case properly.
Get out:

If news or information gets out, people hear about it although someone is trying to keep it secret:

I don't want it to get out that I'm leaving before I've had a chance to tell Anthony.

Leak out:

If secret information leaks out, people find out about it.

Scenario:

I have to tell you something top-secret! As a dignitary you'd better know that they're planning a coup. Besides, by taking part in that convention you have endangered yourself. If I were you, I would definitely leave the country as soon as I could! Now, you should make a decision!
Anyway, I said my mind. You know the rest! Just be careful that this news doesn't.........

a. get out
b. leak out
To me, they both mean the same, just I am not quite sure aside from their interchangeability in this particular case, whether they convey the same level of formality or one is more formal than the other one.
I was wondering if you could give me a hand with this question.


texts: Use "him" or "her" in this sentence about a hypothetical gender switch?

texts:
What should I use in this sentence?

  If he were a girl, I would have kissed him/her.

Should I refer to the real gender of the person or the one I'm assuming the person to be and why?

Edit : Recent developments on this question has influenced me to start a bounty on the question. It's really confusing me as the answers are contradicting but still have credible sources to support them.


texts:
Susan is on vacation now.
Susan went on vacation last month.

What is the difference between "on vacation" and "go on vacation"?
Does the former mean Susan is off work, she might be at home or might be in a tourist site?
Does the latter mean Susan did not stay at home while she was on vacation?


texts:
It is best to have a duplicate immediately available.

Does it mean "It is best to use a duplicate immediately" or "It is best to have a duplicate which is readily available"?


texts: Would you tell me if I have used EMPHATIC ADVERB correctly?

texts:
Do you have your driving licence with yourself?

Do you have your driving licence with you?

Would you tell me which one is right?

Thanks in advanced


texts: What is the meaning of "that sorrel of yourn hadn't hurt himself

texts:
I'm reading O. Henry The Roads We Take, and there is the phrase, that doesn't make any sense for me.

  Shark Dodson got up and leaned against a tree. "I'd a good deal
  rather that sorrel of yourn hadn't hurt himself, Bob," he said ...


texts:
For example should I say:

  How should I use a definite article with directions

VS.

  How to use a definite article with directions

I think I have heard about the second one. It sounds general and I don't need to attach the question to myself. However it seems that it lacks the structure of question sentences.


texts: Plant is singular and complex is plural. How that can happen that they can come together

texts:
A product states it is enriched with "plant derived complex".

Here plant is singular and complex is plural. How that can happen?


texts: How do you interpret "is always being"? Is it grammatically correct to say?

texts:
How do you interpret "is always being"? Is it grammatically correct to say:

John is always being generous.
He is always being late.


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker so I wanted to ask about something that I always hear being said.

  The thing of somebody's.

Is this right? Shouldn't it be this way?

  Somebody's thing.

Or

  The thing of somebody.

Please answer because this is getting me confused.


texts:
It sound like the tutorial is saying (a video link with a time stamp)

  I know
  a lot of you guys also do not own your
  own home. so I thought I would actually
  key in in on what I did to solve my problem

a similar phrase is "key sth in", which means

  to put information into a computer, phone, or other machine using a keyboard or touchscreen

which does not apply that expression very well. So, what does "key in in" mean?


texts: What does this quote mean from Jane Eyre? "She regretted to be under the necessity of..."

texts:
Jane Eyre is a famous novel about a girl dealing with stuff like her aunt (Mrs. Reed) not liking her.

  Eliza, John, and Georgiana were now clustered round their mama in the drawing-room: she lay reclined on a sofa by the fireside, and with her darlings about her (for the time neither quarrelling nor crying) looked perfectly happy. Me, she had dispensed from joining the group; saying, "She regretted to be under the necessity of keeping me at a distance; but that until she heard from Bessie, and could discover by her own observation, that I was endeavouring in good earnest to acquire a more sociable and childlike disposition, a more attractive and sprightly manner-- something lighter, franker, more natural, as it were--she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for contented, happy, little children."

The highlighted part is what I'm struggling with.

To me it's quite a complicated sentence structure.

I think I understand parts of it in isolation, but when put together, those parts no longer make sense to me.

Let's start with

  She regretted

The aunt is speaking this line, so by "she" she means Jane of course (right?).

So it just means that "Jane regretted..."

  to be under the necessity of

≈ "to be forced to"?

  keeping me at a distance

≈ "staying away from me" (me=aunt)

This much is already too much for me so let's put em together. I'm now paraphrasing what I think it means so far:

"Jane doesn't like being forced to stay away form her aunt"

Is that right? It somehow doesn't sound like this would be correct because Jane doesn't like her aunt. Why would she not like staying away from her aunt? I feel like I'm missing something.

Anyways, moving on,

  ;but that until

I'll be honest, I'd never seen these 3 words in that order before. Funnily enough the first google result for it is also about this exact same quote. It says this just means "but until"

  she heard from Bessie, and could discover by her own observation, that

≈ "she heard from Bessie, and could see herself that"

Where "she" means Jane (right?)

  I was endeavouring in good earnest to

≈ "I really really really really want to.." (I=the aunt, right?)

  acquire a more sociable and childlike disposition

≈ "be more childlike"

  , a more attractive and sprightly manner

≈ "be more childlike" (different way of saying the same thing)

  --something lighter, franker, more natural, as it were--

≈ "be more childlike"

  she really must exclude me

≈ "Jane(?) excludes her aunt(?)"

  from privileges intended only for contented, happy, little children."

≈ "from things that only kids enjoy"

Let's put it all together again:

"Jane didn't like being away form her aunt, but when she saw/found out that her aunt really wants to be childlike, she put a stop to it."

...what!? I realize this is the Aunt's perspective. If this is correct it vaguely seems like a passive aggressive way of hating Jane, which actually would make sense... she does seem to hate Jane, but is my interpretation of the sentence actually correct? If not, could you put it into a simpler sentence similar to how I've tried to simplify it.


texts:
When to use system as countable-noun, and  when to use system as uncountable-noun?

for Example:
I wrote an article whose title is

  "an XXX analysis for state prediction of process complex system (systems?)"

Another example, in the article, I wrote

  "To predict the system state, XXX analysis is proposed to investigate the changing state of the system".

Is it correct thinking of the form of "system" or "systems"?

I am rather confused.


texts: SImple present answer for simple past question?

texts:
I read a book about the Taj Mahal. They have a question and an answer:

  What materials were used to make it?

  It is made of white marble.

I wonder if a simple present answer for a simple past question is correct or not? In my opinion, it's correct since the answer is a truth - Taj Mahal is made of white marble.

Hope to receive your answers.


texts: lower grades than her / lower grades than she did / lower grades than she got

texts:
When she was in college, she used to think she was better than those who got lower grades than her / got lower grades than she did / got lower grades than she got.

Are the three above phrases in bold possible in the context of the example?


texts: Reported speech: yesterday vs the day before

texts:
Is it always necessary to change the time word in Reported Speech? For example, if we have some additional information after time word we do need to change the time word? If we always need to do that, it means that the first sentence is not idiomatic, isn't it?

They said they hadn’t been doing their homework yesterday when their mother had come home.
They said they hadn’t been doing their homework the day before when their mother had come home.


texts: "There were only X and Y" or "There was only X and Y"?

texts:
What's the correct construction and why?

Example sentence:

  Since there was/were only a couple and two families, she had the freedom to choose her seat.


texts: Idiom for the situation 'when people call it a big mistake but it actually is a small one"

texts:
I want an idiom for a situation like this:

  when I do a small mistake and people start telling other people that I have done a big mistake when the mistake is really small.


texts: Can I use 'in' instead of 'at'? -- "I have more books in my house."

texts:
I am learning English using the Duolingo English course, one of correct solution was

  I have more books at my house.

Can I use

  I have more books in my house.

If it is OK, what is the difference between both?


texts: Should there be a comma between a shape adjective and color adjective?

texts:
Example:

A tall(,) green pole.

This site says that cumulative adjectives don't need comma.
In my example, "tall" describes shape, and "green" describes color. So they are cumulative adjectives.
But this site says that "tall" and "green" are equivalent and coordinate adjectives ...
I'm confused. Should there be a comma or not?


texts:
If we started a sentence with "but", should we use word order of main or subordinate clause?

  ... But can the above mentioned technique be also used in this situation? ...

or

  ... But can be the above mentioned technique also used in this situation? ...


texts: The carrier 'is also contracting as agent for the stevedore that these provisions should apply to the stevedore'

texts:
O'Sullivan & Hilliard's The Law of Contract (2018 8 ed). p 131.

  6.27 A particular form of collateral contract has been developed in the context of carriage of
  goods to allow C to take the benefit of an exclusion clause in the A–B contract. While
  Scruttons  confirmed that the first limb of the privity rule covers exclusion clauses, Lord

p 132.

  Reid suggested that had the following conditions been satisfied, C might have been able
  to establish a contract between A and C (recall that in Scruttons, C, the stevedore, was attempting
  to rely upon a clause limiting liability in the contract between A, the consignee
  and B, the carrier):

    I can see a possibility of success of the agency argument if

    (first) the bill of lading makes
    it clear that the stevedore is intended to be protected by the provisions in it which limit
    liability,

    (second) the bill of lading makes it clear that the carrier, in addition to contracting
    for these provisions on his own behalf, is also contracting as agent for the stevedore that
    these provisions should apply to the stevedore,

    (third) the carrier has authority from the
    stevedore to do that, or perhaps later ratification by the stevedore would suffice, and

    (four)
    that any difficulties about consideration moving from the stevedore were overcome.

1. Why's there no article between as and agent?

2. Is the use of that correct? To what main clause does it apply?


texts: Meaning of "exposures" in relation to (currency) investment

texts:
"In fact, it is Trump that poses the immediate risk to the GBP/USD rather than
  Brexit talks," Razaqzada said. "Although the cable is weak at the time of this
  writing, it could very easily bounce back as speculators reduce their long
  exposures to the dollar ahead of Trump’s speech."

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pound-pushed-lower-as-scottish-referendum-worries-emerge-2017-02-27

Does it mean "interest", I wonder?


texts: "Her computer is crashed." or " Her computer crashed

texts:
The following are examples on "Problems at home and work" from English Vocabulary in use book.

  The washing machine is broken.
  Her computer crashed.

Both broken and crashed are adjectives. so when and why do we used adjective with linking verb (is)? and when don't we?

Can we say:

  The washing machine broke.
  Her computer is crashed.


texts: Usage of 'the city of [Name the city]' or just '[Name the city]'

texts:
I'm trying to translate in English the part of address related to the name of the city. Which variant is correct?

1 - the city of Samara
2 - Samara


texts:
A couple of hours back, my friend said to me, "you had me believing in the divine compensation."

It still confuses me that why should it not have been like this: you made me believe in the divine compensation.

Is the former correct? How?  Had me believing seems odd to me. Please, help.


texts: I do not know whether the usage of outright is correct. Not having found this structure on Google search engine, I'm curious about it.


texts: Can a question begin with the word "must"?

texts:
Let's take the affirmative sentence: Peter must go there.
Can I ask such a question: "Must Peter go there?"
Or only "Does Peter have to go there?" is correct?


texts: How to determine use of "ever" word at this question?

texts:
Native speakers sometime use ever word and I cannot understand why it is used in the question.

For instance:

  When am I ever going to use this?

I wonder that what does the speaker specify with using of ever word in the questions above?


texts: What's the meaning of "Make a play for it"?

texts:
I checked the phrase in Cambridge Dictionary and it means

  "to try to get something, or start a relationship with someone, sometimes by using a plan"  but I don't now what the meaning is in this case.So,

Could you please explain what the meaning of "Make a play for it" is in this text?

The full text is:

  That evening, Shawn saddled a new horse, a copper-coated mare, for the
  first time. She was ready for a short ride, Shawn said, so we mounted, him
  on the mare, me on Bud. We made it about half a mile up the mountain,
  moving deliberately so as not to frighten the horses, winding our way
  through the wheat fields. Then I did something foolish. I got too close to
  the mare. She didn’t like having the gelding behind her, and with no
  warning she leapt forward, thrusting her weight onto her front legs, and
  with her hind legs kicked Bud full in the chest.
  Bud went berserk.
  I’d been tying a knot in my reins to make them more secure and didn’t
  have a firm hold. Bud gave a tremendous jolt, then began to buck, throwing
  his body in tight circles. The reins flew over his head. I gripped the saddle
  horn and squeezed my thighs together, curving my legs around his bulging
  belly. Before I could get my bearings, Bud took off at a dead run straight up
  a ravine, bucking now and then but running, always running. My foot
  slipped through a stirrup up to my calf...My instincts told me to let go of the saddle horn—the only thing keeping
  me on the horse. If I let go I’d fall, but I’d have a precious moment to reach
  for the flapping reins or try to yank my calf from the stirrup. Make a play
  for it, my instincts screamed.
  Those instincts were my guardians. They had saved me before, guiding
  my movements on a dozen bucking horses, telling me when to cling to the
  saddle and when to pitch myself clear of pounding hooves. They were the
  same instincts that, years before, had prompted me to hoist myself from
  the scrap bin when Dad was dumping it, because they had understood, even
  if I had not, that it was better to fall from that great height rather than hope
  Dad would intervene. All my life those instincts had been instructing me in
  this single doctrine—that the odds are better if you rely only on yourself.
  Bud reared, thrusting his head so high I thought he might tumble
  backward. He landed hard and bucked. I tightened my grip on the horn,
  making a decision, based on another kind of instinct, not to surrender my
  hold.
  Educated by Tara Westover


texts: Do I need "where" in the following sentence?

texts:
He was sleeping in the same bed (where) his girlfriend had died last
  year.

Both versions sound okay to me. Is "where" necessary or unnecessary? Why?


texts: Is the following usage of "neither" correct?

texts:
Who had started the washing machine?

  A thief?

  No, one wouldn't barge into her apartment just to do her laundry.

  Could it be John?

  Neither. He would have called her before coming here.

Is the usage of neither correct here? Why or why not?


texts: What does it mean by this sentence: He is confronted in his subzero lab by.....?

texts:
Source

  He is confronted in his subzero lab by Roy and Leon, the latter of
  whom rips open Chew's thermal coat to make it easier for Roy to
  interrogate him.

What does it mean by this highlighted sentence?


texts: im kinda particular person = i'm picky person ? Is it the same thing?

texts:
As you see in the title , are they same meaning ?
İ want to describe a person who choose very elobaretly and fastidiously. I mean the person doen't like everything. He just looks the perfect sitation. "Can i say, He is kind of particular person". OR also can i say "He is picky person."


texts: Questions in reported speech from direct speech

texts:
Direct speech:

  Do you love me?

Reported speech:

  She asked if I loved her?

Or

  She asked did I love her?

Please let me know, which one is a correct answer? Or both are fine.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Introducing someone who has more than two duties

texts:
I am looking for words or idioms. I want to say something like this:

  "I won't let you see my grave," Tom, enemy as well as a friend, said.

(So, Tom is my enemy. At the same time, he is my friend.)


texts:
I have to do this task, choose which sentences could be completed with an adverbial expression and which are ungrammatical when an adverbial expression is added.
What do you think, is it possible to use the present simple with "since"? For example, I have this sentence:

  Deputy chief constable fights against crime since he was first appointed.

Is it grammatical to put "since" here?


texts: Shouldn't "Wednesday last" be "last Wednesday"?

texts:
In the following sentence

I have not seen him since Wednesday last.

How is last used?
I think it should be

I have not seen him since last Wednesday.


texts: What does the use and meaning of You's in song 'No more "I love you's"'?

texts:
I listened this song written by  David Edward & Daniel Freeman. I like that song but I didn't get complete meaning as I don't know the use of "You's" in lyrics.
Lyrics is as below:

  I used to be lunatic from the gracious days
      I used to be woebegone and so restless nights
      My aching heart would bleed for you to see
      Oh but now
      (I don't find myself bouncing round whistling
      and fortunes to make me cry)
      No more "I love you's"
      The language is leaving me
      No more "I love you's"
      Changes are shifting outside the word
      (The lover speaks about the monsters)
      I used to have demons in my room at night
      Desire,despair,desire,so many monsters
      Oh but now
      (I don't find myself bouncing round whistling
      and fortunes to make me cry)

  No more "I love you's"
      The language is leaving me
      No more "I love you's"
      The language is leaving me in silence
      No more "I love you's"
      Changes are shifting outside the word


texts: Using repetitive "and" or "or" to relate sentences

texts:
It seems I have problem in using "and". I don't know its proper usage and sometimes my sentences get too long with many "and" between. (however here I used it deliberately)

for example I want to say:

  We avoid using absolute paths and rely more on the relative paths and the node attributes to locate an anchor node

Was my usage of "and" natural in the sentence above?

How can I rearrange such sentences and say less "and"?

and

Sometimes I have the problem with "or" too

  A context can starts from an anchor node and expand to its descendants
  or its following nodes or it can include the parent and ancestors of a
  node

How can I say it with less "and" and "or"?


texts: What are nouns like "fish" and "craft" called?

texts:
From this question: Why is 'aircrafts' bad English, while 'crafts' is okay?

What those words (like "fish") have in common is they have two different plural forms: for example, "fish" has "fish" and "fishes". "Craft" has "craft" and "crafts". Rather than I'm worried about how to use those different forms, I just want to know what those kind of words are called.


texts:
Should "at" or "to" be used in the following sentence?

  You can send me an email with any inquiries to: email@website.com.

or

  You can send me an email with any inquiries at: email@website.com.

Why is one sentence is most correct?


texts: What does "get your hands wet" mean in the context of programming? How can I use this phrase properly?

texts:
A lot of programmers/software engineers tell new guys "get your hands wet".

What does that mean?

Does that mean "do it yourself"?

This book says

  Before you get your hands wet trying your first Java program, you need to learn some basic concepts ...

it seems that "get your hands wet" means write some code personally?

is it a verb? how can I use this phrase properly?


texts: Negation and ambiguity which leads to two interpretations "I don’t run fast like him"

texts: Can I don’t run fast like him mean he runs fast and he doesn’t run fast both? It’s very confusing to me.


texts: Since shows continuity and is it used only in perfect continuous tense?

texts:
1.Two hours have passed since he fell asleep.
  2. He has eaten nothing since yesterday.

Regarding the usage of since, as far as  I know below are the only points:

It shows the continuity of the task.
It is used in the perfect continuous tenses.
It is used in the form : has/have/had  been + first form of verb + ing + since.

My query is :

Neither of the above sentence is in perfect continuous tense but still since has been used there?

Suggestions please.  Please let me know if I am missing any rule of since.


texts:
What do we call a man who begins a family. Do we call him an antecedent or great-grand father or ancestor, a lineal antecedent? Or what?
Such as, there is a family Richard. Now, the family got its roots from a man's offspring, Richard. What would we call Richard?


texts: How should proper nouns from another dialect be handled?

texts:
When creating something in formal English, how should proper nouns from another dialect be treated?

For example, if you were writing in Australian English, how would you refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Pearl Harbor? If you were writing in American English, how would you refer to the Australian Centre for Astrobiology?


texts:
I am familiar with the usual usage of "look to sb to do sth" but in the following sentences, the meaning does not make sense to me:

'I will no longer be a suppliant for knowledge which the gods
withhold. Let them look to it that they do me no wrong. I will do my
duty as best I can and if I err upon their own heads be it!'

It sounds weird to me because those (gods) referred to are also the object of the phrase (that they do me no wrong..).
A small side-question, the last sentence, does it mean the following: "if I err, in their eyes/in their view, then so be it!"


texts:
"You are more concerned about the means rather than the ends."

What does the sentence means?


texts: I'm writing a text and I'm wondering if I can change "The week before, we had gone to a British Palace" by "The week before, we were gone to a British Palace". It seems to me that "were gone" cannot be followed by something, right? Plus, I think "we were gone" means disappear.


texts: Is a comma required after "Researchers"?

texts:
Sentence:

  Researchers Sprecher and Regan 1996, found that males typically feel more positively about losing their virginity because it removes an undesired stigma.

Do we require a comma after 'Researchers'?


texts: Always HAD high hopes or should it be always have high hopes?

texts:
Why is that people use ''had'' instead of ''have'' when it is still happening at present.

  Example 1: the song ''High Hopes'' (by Panic At The Disco) it has a lyric line that says:

  ''always had high hopes..."

  Example 2: "He already had developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the English language"

  And so on...

My point here is, it is still happening at present, that, it should be ''always have high hopes'' and ''he already have developed an encyclopedic knowledge...''. Furthermore, is this an exception to the grammar rules?


texts: What does "scrap" mean in "“father had taught them to do: drive semis, weld, scrap.” - book “Educated” by Tara Westover?

texts:
In the book “Educated” by Tara Westover, chapter 5, what does scrap mean in the following?

Tony and Shawn had left the mountain, but they’d left to do what my father had taught them to do: drive semis, weld, scrap.


texts: Changing the word order changes the meaning?

texts:
I read these sentences recently in a book. What is the difference between these two sentences?

  I had my car cleaned.

and

  I had cleaned my car.

The book gave two different meanings.

How would you describe the difference between these two sentences?


texts:
I watched a video on youtube. Its title was:

  Is Andy Smarter Than a Child Genius?

I think it should be: Is Andy Smarter Than a Genius Child?

So, why the adjective comes after the noun "Child"?

Will that make a difference in meaning?


texts: How do "a little", "a little bit", and "some" modify meaning?

texts:
How do the determiners: some, a little and a little bit change the meanings of the sentences below?

I can speak some English.
I can speak a little English.
I can speak a little bit of English.


texts: Types of verbs in main clause and relative clause

texts:
I am a bit confused about verbs in a main clause and verbs in a relative clause. Do these verbs need to be in a same form (present tense/past tense)?

Case 1

I am the student who met you yesterday.

or

I was the student who met you yesterday.

Case 2

He is one of the teachers who taught me English.

or

He was one of the teachers who taught me English.

Can someone please explain to me when is the right time to use each sentence or is it necessary for these verbs to be in a same form?


texts:
We all know that the aim of the reported speech is to repeat what was exactly said.

When the question begins with a question word (which, who, why, ...) we start our clause with it.  Here are my examples:

If this is the quote:

  Sara: 'Why were you absent?'

Then this is the reported speech:

  Sara asks why I was absent.

If we start with this quote:

  Paul: 'Which book is your favourite?'

The reported speech will be:

  Paul asks which book is my favourite.

But I think it is not a clause because we repeated the question. I think the sentence should be:

  Paul asks which my favourite book is.

Which one is correct?


texts: What does "It has been five years since Peter worked here" mean?

texts:
Does it mean "Peter has been working here for five consecutive years"
 ?

Or does it mean "Peter hasn't worked here for five years. Somehow, he quit five
 years ago.?

What makes me confused is this following sentence in the same structure.

  It has been five years since Peter died here.

Does it mean "Peter has been dead here for five consecutive years" ?

Or does it mean "Peter hasn't died here for five years"?


texts: “I have to” = “I must”, in the negative form

texts:
“I have to go” = “I must go”. But, in the negative form?

I know we can say “I don’t have to go”.

But, can we also say, particularly in British English, “I haven’t got to go”?

Does this construction tend to be limited to the meaning of “possess”, as in “I haven’t got a pen”?

Thank you.


texts:
In heist-comedy movie, Logan Lucky (2017), Purple Lady is getting her hair care from Millie, then
Jimmy arrived for Millie:

Purple Lady: You should pay your bills. Everyone  needs a cell phone.
Jimmy: But I don't like 'em.
Purple Lady: You one of them Unabomber types?

What does "Unabomber types" mean?


texts: The structure and meaning of "How far along have you gotten?"

texts:
I was wondering what the structure and meaning of "How far along have you gotten?" in the following sentences are:

  You were looking at variations in climate in the Grant City area,
  right? How far along have you gotten?

I searched the dictionary, but I cannot find an appropriate answer.


texts: Error spotting : For so many years (a)/ it is almost his habit (b)/ to go to the bed at 10 pm daily. (c)/ No error. (d)

texts:
For so many years (a)/ it is almost his habit (b)/ to go to the bed at 10 pm daily. (c)/ No error. (d)

According to my book the correction to above sentence is to remove the before bed in part C but isn't the part B also wrong ? Correct form should be it has been as in part A we are given a period of time so doesn't it make sense to use present perfect here ?


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "splash back up"

texts:
I have found it in Crash Course Astronomy, episode 12 (The sentence is at about from 6th minute and 30th second to 7th minute)

  Craters are pretty diverse. Some are small and others are huge, dozens kilometers across and more, punctuated with a central peak, a mountain that formed in the middle as material from the gigantic impact that formed it splashed back up in the middle.

I am aware of the all meaning of "splash" but I cannot picture something splashing back up. What is the role of the prepositions "back" and "up" in there?


texts: Horse light/heavy [drain / strain / labour / weight]?

texts:
Is this a thing in english? I'm trying to express that there are different conditions for horses under light/medium/heavy stress as well as when a horse is calm?

I don't know how to say this but basically the horse has either a lot of work out (training, running around, racing, jumping ...)

The translator gives me all kidns of options as well as a dictionary but I don't know what to use in this case?

Or perhaps something completely different?

Thank you very much.

EDIT: Clarification - Can I say: This treatment is good for horses under/at [light/heavy/...] load? Do I use under or at and do I use load or is there a better way to describe this for a sport horse (by load I mean how much the horse trains and does exercises and racing) not a horse physically pulling a cart or something.


texts:
Rocking a massive clock around his neck, he puts most rappers to shame.

He is now set to be released from category prison in Suffolk, to a bail hostel after Christmas.

Is the part after comma a noun phrase? How would you class the first example too?

And are these all comma splices ?*

I've reorganzied the team, now it's just a question of picking up from where we left off

She was a huge star, now she lives a normal life.

“She has an attitude” you've heard someone say, generally meaning that the person is negative or disagreeable or just has a bad outlook on life.

Not here for the alcohol, here to see an amazing band.


texts:
I know that the word "who" can both refer to a singular or a plural noun. The thing that makes me confused is the word "you" in the following sentences. Should it be followed by a singular or a plural verb? Haven't had any luck in searching for the precise answer. Thank you!

Who among you watch this show?
Who among you watches this show?


texts:
There was an unearthly quality to the atmosphere inside the Frieze New York art fair, like the air in a plane—still but pressurized, with an unsettling hum—when the fiction writer Ottessa Moshfegh visited to speak about her work one afternoon in May. “I hate this fair already,” she said when she walked in, handing her ticket to a very tall, very pale man dressed entirely in black lace. Almost immediately, she was lost in the labyrinth of works for sale: Takashi Murakami’s lurid blond plastic milkmaids with long legs and erect nipples; the words “any messages?” spelled out in neon tubing. It was like an enactment of the world inhabited by the protagonist of Moshfegh’s forthcoming novel, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” who works at a gallery in Chelsea, amid objects like a quarter-million-dollar “pair of toy monkeys made using human pubic hair,” with camera penises poking out from their fur. “Did I do this?” Moshfegh said, only half kidding. She sometimes gets the sense that she has the power to conjure reality through her writing.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/09/ottessa-moshfeghs-otherworldly-fiction

When she says “Did I do this?” It is not clear what the text is talking about. I don’t think she was talking about Murakami work. If I want to translate it does not make sense. Of course she is not taking about the art gallery that happened in her forthcoming book.


texts: What's meant here by "feel it ..... to"?

texts:
In "The Quick One" by G. K. Chesterton, the author was describing a situation in which, Mr. Jukes, a magnificent big, beaming man, with an equally big and beaming tie-pin, make a funny of someone who went to a bar counter to ask for a glass of milk, saying:

The commercial travellers, though a kindly race, emitted involuntary noises of pain; a murmur of suppressed jests was heard, as ‘Shun the bowl,’ or ‘Better bring out the cow’. But the magnificent Mr Jukes, feeling it due to his wealth and tie-pin to produce more refined humour, fanned himself as one about to faint, and said pathetically: ‘They know they can knock me down with a feather. They know a breath will blow me away. They know my doctor says I’m not to have these shocks. And they come and drink cold milk in cold blood, before my very eyes.’

I can't get the meaning of "feel it ... to" nor the link between his wealth & tie-pin and this behavior?
Does it means that "he felt that his wealth and elegant appearance forced him to produce ....."


texts:
I heard this sentence and wondering what does book mean?

  Let's book! police is comming...

I looked into a dictionary but didn't find an appropriate meaning for book in the sentence above but i can guess it means leaving a place.

How commonly is used book in this way?
Is it a informal word or formal?
Is it old-fashioned?


texts:
Is there any difference between the two?

Example:

  You don't like to see others suffering, except (if) they're
  suffering for you.

If the version with or without the if the correct one?


texts:
How to ask person A and send the result to person B after consulting with Person A?

I would like to tell to person A:

  I will consult with person B and send to you the result for references.

Is my sentences correct?


texts: Meaning of "But what time through the heart and through the brain God hath transfixed us" in a poem by Elizabeth Browning

texts:
"Discontent" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

  Light human nature is too lightly tost
  And ruffled without cause, complaining on—
  Restless with rest, until, being overthrown,
  It learneth to lie quiet. Let a frost
  Or a small wasp have crept to the inner-most
  Of our ripe peach, or let the wilful sun
  Shine westward of our window,—straight we run
  A furlong's sigh as if the world were lost.
  But what time through the heart and through the brain
  God hath transfixed us,—we, so moved before,
  Attain to a calm. Ay, shouldering weights of pain,
  We anchor in deep waters, safe from shore,
  And hear submissive o'er the stormy main
  God's chartered judgments walk for evermore.

What is the meaning of the phrase in bold? It's hard to understand..

"But since the moment when God has transfixed us through the heart and brain"? Does it mean "since the moment we started to believe in God"?


texts: Demonstratives and pronouns in reported speech

texts:
Example #1:

Direct speech: Tom says, "We shall discuss this tomorrow."
Book answer: He said that we should discuss it tomorrow.

Example #2:

Direct speech: Tom shows me two bullets. Tom says, "I found these embedded in the paneling."
Book answer: He said that he found them embedded in the paneling.

I think in the former (example #1) there should be that instead of it, and in the latter (example #2) there should be those instead of them. Because these changed into those and this changed into that when we changed direct speech into indirect speech.
Am I right?


texts: First two lines of Khalid - reasons song

texts: The lines are: Evade my intellect ; Feed into my introspect. I understand what evade, feed and introspect mean. But I don't understand what he's trying to say with those complete sentences in sense of English.


texts: With respect to injustices of which one is a victim,  or other unhappy events that happened to oneself, what is the adjective for "being able to let it go and not let it eat at oneself"?


texts:
Wealthy London homeowners planning to dig underground extensions
  beneath their properties will be hit by Britain's first "basement tax"
  in a fresh crackdown on so-called iceberg homes.

  Under new rules enforced by Westminster yesterday, residents will have
  to pay an average of £8,000 to get planning permission for basement
  extensions,

Why does the writer say Wealthy London homeowners not the Wealthy London homeowners ?

In my thinking the writer is speaking about a specific group of people; he doesn't speak about all people but only the  wealthy, and even not all the wealthy but those who live in London and who are homeowners who are planning to dig underground extensions).
This makes me think that the writer intended to make the sentence more and more specific.

Also, why doesn't he  say Under the new rules enforced by Westminster yesterday because he speaks about specific rules that enforced by a specific city in a specific day. Thank you.


texts: Phrases or expressions indicating movement to someone's location?

texts:
I'm looking for phrases that can used in spoken English in the following context:

You are talking with someone over the phone and want to inform them that you are going/will be going to their location and they can expect to see you shortly. Also, does it make any difference if the distance is short or long? If it does, I'm looking for a phrase that can be used for short distances, meaning that, say, you and the other person are NOT in 2 different cities.


texts:
I came across this sentence:

  I have zero friends

Why the plurality? Seems pretty counterintuitive to me. Is there a general grammar rule behind it?


texts: Alternative ways for expressing a narrow victory

texts:
I am a Czech interpreter working with English. Just recently during a conference a "funny" guy tried to use elaborative Czech idiom with a twist. We often say to win by breast instead of win by a nose. He said:

  We won by breast of a Korean woman.

It sounds terrible on an official conference but we are in the Czech Republic, the me too movement still has a long way to go.

He insisted on me translating for him. Is there any way to use win by a nose with a twist? Let me know please. Thanks.


texts: I suppose everyone has at least heard of the slangy terms handjob & blowjob, both relating to sexual activities. However, the other day I was watching the TV show Friends and I heard the term boob job referring to getting breast implants. I wondered if the same would apply to a woman who'd like to get implants on her buttocks, perhaps buttjob, or something along those lines—— but all I could find was more sexual insinuations about that term as well. Don't get me wrong, I don't have my mind in the gutter here, but why is it that the term boob job seems to have no sexual insinuation if it's formed the same way as the other three? I understand that handjob & blowjob wouldn't convey the idea of getting implants in one's body, but at least buttjob or assjob could work the same way boob job does.


texts: Placement of "easily" (adverb of manner)

texts:
A college student asks his girlfriend to help him working on his homework;
then the girlfriend will naturally answer:

  You can get it done easily. Why ask for help?

or:

  You should easily get it done, Why ask for help?

Which one would a native speaker rather use?


texts:
In an exercise book for college students, the teacher asked the students to combine the following sentence using a relative pronoun:

  Shakespeare was a famous writer. He wrote great plays.

The teacher's answer was as follows:

  Shakespeare was a famous writer who wrote great plays.

lsn't it better to combine the sentence as follows?

  Shakespeare, who wrote great plays, was a famous writer.


texts:
When to use "bum someone out"
And when to use "annoy someone"

I have searched the meaning of both the phrase on the internet but I am little confused when to use "bum someone out" . I know a little about the usage of "annoy someone" but I am confused when to use "bum someone out" instead of "annoy someone"

I think "to annoy someone" means to irritate someone and "bum someone out" means to irritate someone, bore someone and a kind of ruin someone's fun (means rain on someones parade).

And I also feel that "bum someone out" is of higher degree and quite more effective or kind of more offensive.


texts: What is a term or phrase used to describe the evil reflection of a good hero: the relationship between Neo and Agent Smith?

texts:
Specifically, I am trying to describe Agent Smith from the film The Matrix and his relationship to Neo. Agent Smith seems to be the anti-christ to the christ-like figure Neo. They are both very powerful; neither can entirely defeat the other. Their missions and beliefs are completely opposite. Neo cares for humanity; Smith hates it. Neo is selfless; Smith is completely selfish. etc..

I have some ideas: antithesis, the polar opposite, dark shadow..


texts:
This is definitely described as '2 triangles.'

I don't know how to describe this. Should I describe it as '1 square with a slash'? I think 'two triangles' is inappropriate.


texts:
There is a verb "to uphold", which I think means "to support", "to sustain".

But I didn't find an instance where the verb "to downhold" would be used. Is it a non-existing word? There is a questionable entry for the noun, but I'm not sure it's being used either.


texts:
Which one is preferable?

  The appointments were contained in a decree signed on January

or

  The appointments were contained inside a decree signed on January

Do I say in a decree or inside a decree?


texts:
Change the voice of "That too many cooks spoil the broth is known to all."

Which is correct

  All know that too many cooks spoil the broth

OR

  All know that the broth is spoilt by too many cooks


texts: Reported speech with pronouns 'I' and 'he/she'

texts:
I was wondering if I could use 'reported speech' grammar when I want to report what I said in the past.for instance,
*first:
present:
me:we have not met each other.
person A:yes, you are right
later:
me:I told you we have not met or we had not met
which one is correct have not or had not?
*second
present:
person A:they called me today and said if I don't take my parcel,they would send it back.
person B:really?
later:
me:person A said if he doesn't or didn't take his parcel,they would send it back.
which one is correct doesn't or didn't?
I appreciate your help.


texts: Is 'would be waiting' possible in this sentence?

texts:
When I arrive at the airport tomorrow, my whole family _____ for me.

A. are waiting
B. was waiting
C. will be waiting
D. would be waiting

The answer  is 'c'. Ok I understand that. But I wonder why D is wrong? In our country (non native) somtimes it is difficult to understand the concepts of 'will, would' or 'can, could'.

Would or Could is the past form of the modal verb 'will, can' but sometimes these words are used in past tense, present tense, even future tense. Very confusing for non navtive.

Of course I choiced 'c' for the answer but I wonder why not 'd'? For example I'm sure that my family will come tomorrow, in this case the answer is c, but my family is busy nowadays so, I'm not sure that my family will come or my family will not come. In this case could I use 'd'? I'm confusing.

Why can't 'd' be the answer? what is 'd' wrong?


texts:
I understand the meaning of the following sentence roughly, but not of 'spinning away'.

The president’s crew has spent a day spinning away undemocratic attempts to prevent thousands of votes from being tallied.

In my dictionary it means 'run' as an intransitive verb phrase like 'Time spins away' but this doesn't make sense in the above because of 'undemocratic attempts' which looks like an object of 'spinning off'. So I disassemble the sentence.

The president's crew has spent a day doing something.

The president's crew was spinning away undemocratic attempts.

If so does 'spin away' mean 'try something urgently' which is not in my any dictionaries?


texts: Should I use "or" or "and" in negative questions?

texts:
When a sentence is in the negative form and the speaker wants to list several things, "or" should be used. For example,

She doesn't like math or languages. (She doesn't like math. And she doesn't like languages.)

I don't want a car or a bike. (I don't want a car. And I don't want a bike.)

How about negative questions? Should I use "and" or "or"?
I want to imply that: He is immune to a cough. And he is also immune to a fever.

Isn't he immune to a cough and/or a fever?

I want to imply that: She is interested in math. And she is also interested in languages.

Isn't she interested in math and/or languages?


texts: Meaning of "...if holding" in relation to certificates

texts:
I was reading the Admission Information for Postgraduate Programs at Beihang University when, in the Required Documents section, I found:

  TOEFL, IELTS or HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) test results, or English and
  Chinese proficiency certificates, if holding.

What's the meaning of this? I'm guessing I should provide the certificates only if I have those.

Could someone please confirm?


texts: which one is more appropriate when talking about a near future? "at the end" or "by the end"

texts:
I am learning this course

  Hello everyone. Welcome to the second lecture for CS230. as I said
  earlier, you can go to menti.com from your smartphones or your
  computers and enter this code 84 5709 we will use this tool for
  interactive questions during the lecture  and we will also use it to
  track attendance. I'll add it at the end of the lecture, but if you
  have time do it now.

The lecturer is saying

  I'll add it at the end of the lecture.

this is a near future that is going to be happen.

in this context, "at the end" or "by the end", which one is more appropriate?


texts: Question about the diffrence between "something" and "anything" in the context below

texts:
Do you have something to eat?
Do you have anything to eat?

What is the difference in their meaning? Even slight difference.


texts: How do you determine when to say "drive down there/here", and "drive up there/here", or "I'm shooting down the street", as opposed to "shooting up the street". Or, "What the hell is going on up in here?" and "What the hell is going on down in here?" When do you use up and down to refer to the direction of a place?


texts:
Student to his teacher:

  "I want to re-test the Maths exam !"

Teacher whispered to the Student:

  " I advise you to go back on your words."

Np. Actually the Student got full mark in the Exam.

( go back on your words)
Is this idiom used properly here? If not, what can I say instead of it ?


texts: In 'book a table for two', can 'for two' be interpreted as an adjunct?

texts:
[i] Inside, a room had been turned into a grotto with a table for two … (COCA)
  [ii]  He takes a seat at a table for two… (COCA)
  [iii] I'd like to book a table for two. (Naver.com)

In the first and second examples, for two seems like to modify the previous noun phrase. But for the third, it’s not clear to me. It’s ambiguous whether it would be a modifier for the previous noun phrase or an adjunct/adverb for book. At first I read it as the latter. Do I have to correct my interpretation? Or can I keep it a right one?


texts: I was listening a popular youtube video Steve Jobs insult and when one of the audience said to Steve, you are a bright and influential man, Jobs said “here it comes” Why he is saying here it comes ? What is the meaning and why audience is laughing ?


texts:
Is there an intransitive verb that means "withdraw money"? I am looking for either an intransitive verb that means "withdraw money" or a transitive verb that means "withdraw money" that doesn't have the word "money" or any equivalent thereof as an object.

For example:

  Your company ___ your credit card, because of the cost you've incurred
  during your work.


texts:
This theological conception of experience is echoed in a 1918 letter to Scholem, in which Benjamin states that all ethics need a foundation in metaphysics, in order to understand "the absolute divine context of order, whose highest sphere is doctrine and whose embodiment and first cause is God."

I would like to ask a question regarding the use of "in order to" in the above adverbial clause of purpose. I was thought that "in order to" is possible to use only in the case when the subjects of the main and subordinate clause are the same. In my clause it would mean that the subject is "all ethics", which I find a little bit odd. Is it really so? I think that more meaningful would be when "we" (or "people") being the subject of the subordinate sentence. But this would demand a different conjunction…


texts: How can I combine the two sentences given below?

texts:
When will he come? Tell me.

Is it correct to say, "tell me when he will come?"

Does it mean the same if I say: 'tell me when he comes' and 'tell me at what time he comes.

Imagine that I am a senior officer who wants to keep track of the time employees arrive for work and there is a guy who I suspect to arrive late for work. So I ask a colleague to inform me of the time of his arrival. Can I say,"tell me at what time he comes today."? Will it make a difference if we leave out the word 'today'?


texts: Problem comprehending “push the relatively small, for example the impact of the munition megaton class”

texts:
Example:

  "Geologists believe that the Yellowstone supervolcano could explode at any moment. There are signs of growing activity there. Therefore it suffices to push the relatively small, for example the impact of the munition megaton class to initiate an eruption. The consequences will be catastrophic for the United States, a country just disappears," he said, according to a translation by Sydney Morning Herald.

I don't think I can make grammatical sense of that part on my own. Please help.


texts:
They heat the water to make the tea hot, then they put ice in it to make it cold, then they put lemon in it to make it sour, and then they put sugar in it to make it sweet. Go figure.

The sentence is from the dictionary. I vaguely understand the meaning which can be expressed differently depending on the situation. "Weird". I would like to know about the grammatical structure of this idiom. I think it's imperative with two infinitives but I still have doubts.


texts:
The song "Sing for the moment" by Eminem.

  Idolize they favorite rappers and know all they songs

The song "Scars to your beautiful" by Alessia Cara.

  She don't see her perfect, she don't understand she's worth it

So, my point is why are those forms used here and in many songs? I saw other words that are irregular. Is that only because they would sound nice in songs?
Can we use them in everyday speech?


texts: Exclusion in formation of comparative statements

texts:
I was going through the topic "formation of comparative and superlative".

The rule says

  When two objects are compared with each other, the latter term of comparison must exclude the former, as in "Iron is more useful than any other metal". If we say "Iron is more useful than any metal", that is the same thing as saying
  "Iron is more useful than iron", since iron is itself a metal.

I am finding difficulty to relate the rule with example.


texts:
The sentence is:

  Inside the hollowed interior laid a small package wrapped in wax paper

It is a SAT question and you have to decide whether laid is correct or not. The options where:

A) no change
B) lying
C) lay
D) lain

None of these seem correct. I would have chosen "lied" if I wasn't given options. The answer is C. Could someone tell me why C is the answer?


texts:
In "The Gita according to Gandhi" p.9:

  "while the wolf-bellied Brhima of dread deeds sounded his great conch
  Paundra."

I'm not sure of the meaning of "dread deeds", would it be : "the wolf-bellied Brhima of greatly feared actions" ?

→ According to http://www.asitis.com/1/15.html an in-context translation could be made as "the voracious eater and performer of Herculean tasks"

We might translate "dread deeds" as "(performances) (regarded with great awe)"


texts: In syntax, why cannot we say things like "he took walked at the park"? but can say "he took a walk at the park"?

texts:
In syntax, why cannot we say things like

  "he took walked at the park"?

but can say things like

  "he took a walk at the park"?


texts:
The sentences below are describing how a certain event will happen on Friday, and I'm very excited.

  I can't wait to Friday comes.

  I can't wait for Friday comes.

  I can't wait till Friday.

Which one is correct and what is the difference between them?


texts:
The book Dynamics Of Life: Interplay of people, places and events by Patricia Tuaweri says,

  Life is all about relationships. This is because it is not good for people to be alone. God made it in such a way that everybody comes through somebody. Not only do we come through somebody, we are also guided by somebody of some people.

what does "come through" mean here?


texts:
Do we say something for affect or effect?

For instance, if I give the description of a round ball, it seems that the word round is redundant; however, I have chosen to combine those words "for affect/effect"?

In researching this, all I could find is the usual definitions of affect and effect: affect is a verb and effect is a noun; however, in with my understanding of English, it seems that they can be used interchangeably in the aforementioned phrase?


texts:
I'd like to know that if there any tense called future passive infinitive like past passive infinitive. If so, could you give some examples?

Past passive infinitive examples:

  1. I'm happy to have been invited

  2. It was appeared to have been won the match.


texts: I don't understand the following sentence of structure

texts:
He never cared for sleeping, not when there were people he could talk to.

In the sentence, after comma, "not when" is to me quite unusual. Would you give me a comment and the other usage?


texts: "Apparel" is countable or uncountable noun?

texts:
In OxfordDictionary,

  Apparel: Clothing (Source)

Can I say "I want to buy many apparels" or "I want to buy much apparel"?


texts: Past perfect continuous - Positive, Negative and Question sentences

texts:
What is wrong with these sentences in past perfect continuous? If so, how should this be corrected?

Both Samantha and Sarah had been waiting all day for a friend
arrived.
Both Samantha and Sarah had not been waiting all day for a
friend arrived.
Had both Samantha and Sarah been waiting all day for
a friend arrived?

This is indeed an exercise question, but could not find the right answer.


texts: The structure of "have one's heart set on something" idiom is strange for me. Isn't "heart" the object? So why it is not as "have set one's heart on something"?


texts: One that converses is a "conversOR" or "conversER"?

texts:
If I want to nounify the verb to converse, meaning one that involves in the act of conversation, I naturally tend to say speaker or talker. What if I actually want to keep the stem of the verb?

Would it be converser or conversor?


texts: A word for a ship that's not sunk but stranded on a coast. Let's say the hull of a ship got struck by a rock and there's a huge hole in the ship and the ship is stranded as a result. Is there a word to describe such ships? I recall there was one, but I can't remember what it was oddly enough.


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct? "To confirm that they gave me the wrong item I checked the box that I have already thrown in the trash."

texts: I sent a report yesterday about the wrong item that I received online and now I'm kinda anxious about my grammar. Thank you in advance.


texts: Do "fat" and "that" sound the same in the Cockney Accent?

texts: I have watched a video about the Cockney Accent, and the Cockney Accent, "th" is not pronounced, but it's pronounced "v" or "f". I think that they sound the same. So do "fat" and "that" sound the same in the Cockney Accent?


texts: Checking correctness of "Books is not my thing."

texts:
Is it correct to say:

  Books is not my thing.

I know I could also say I don't like books or I'm not interested in them, But, If I wanna say this way, Can I say this? Or I should say:

  Books are not my things.

Please clear this doubt!


texts: Intuition vs insight vs instinct vs gut feeling vs sixth sense?

texts:
Do all of these mean almost a same feeling? If yes, can we also add"suspicion" to this list,as also having same meaning as those in title

If not, please kindly explain in simple words with examples, meaning of each term. As i am not a native English and i tried to Google but confused and feel these terms are very much related if not having same meaning


texts:
In school I learned that unreleased final consonant sounds b,d,d,k,p,t.

My question is what  does unreleased  mean?

Example:

  He played well and ran fast.

My teacher said the "st" in "fast" is unreleased. He said it's because it is joined; so how do I know if the last letters in a word are joined and when they are unreleased?
Simply, my question is how do I know if the word has an unreleased final consonant? How do I know what are they?


texts:
"He's based in UK, but originally from Russia"

Is the quoted sentence a valid one? Can I use this to introduce someone who lives in UK but grew up in Russia?


texts: " 'Low' back pain" vs. " 'Lower' back pain"

texts:
I wonder which form(s) are correct amongst the following:

"Low back pain"
"Lower back pain"

I have read both forms, are they both correct and synonymous?

Examples:

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/lower-back-pain/lower-back-pain-symptoms-and-causes :

  Lower Back Pain Symptoms and Causes

http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptom-checker/low-back-pain-adult/related-factors/itt-20009075

  Find possible causes of low back pain based on specific factor.


texts: "something that you wear on your hands in the winter that rhymes with kittens"

texts:
Can anyone tell me which sentence below is correct?

I'm thinking of something that you wear on your hands in the winter that rhymes with kittens.

v.s

I'm thinking of something that you wear on your hands and rhymes with kittens in the winter.

I doubted the first sentence because "that rhymes with kittens" should modify the word"something". However, it was placed after "winter" , which I feel it is incorrect.
I wrote the second sentence and am not sure if it is correct.


texts: When drawing 2D, its two lines are connected / joined/ combined?

texts:
When drawing two lines that makes 2D (two dimensional), these are connected / joined/ combined / verb else?

I would like to say that when we draw two lines (in two directions) and we connect (?) them together, we get two dimensional body.


texts:
I've seen these sentences :

  There goes the train!

  There goes Peter!

  Here comes Peter!

But

  There he goes!

  Here he comes!

Why is there a subject-verb inversion when the subject is not a personal pronoun? Is there any grammatical rule?


texts: Phrase for "something is like in the books"

texts:
I am looking for phrase which expresses that a certain thing just like you heard it in class, or red it in a book, it is the typical example for a certain thing.
For example an apple is a fruit, when you say "fruit", for lots of people apple will come to mind. So for a fruit apple is this phrase.


texts:
Since my question actually is about stating the correct words, it needs to communicate by an example.
Suppose I am elected as the president of America now. One day, my mother comes and knocks my door and says "Hey! Our neighbour is here to see you and spend some time with you. Come out!".
Since I think I am a very important person, I get angry, and I want to convey to my mom that she must not allow everyone to visit me. What should I say?
I need something like this in meaning:

I don't want any random person to be able to see me, mom.

I myself have come to this:

I don't want anyone to be able to see me.

And I know it's wrong. (just in case to be more clear)


texts: Meaning of "Protect the valley something, something, something, something alive!"

texts:
This sentence is from the theme song of an animated series called Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness. You can find it on YouTube.

I found this question here: "A little something something"? but I don't think that the meanings listed there fit in the song. This Wiktionary entry and this Urban Dictionary entry didn't help either.

However, this Urban Dictionary entry might fit in the lyrics:

  "Something something" means that whatever the person is talking about
  isn't worth clarifying.

I also found a TV special of Family Guy called "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" which is a parody of Star Wars. But I don't think that the songwriter wanted listeners to think that the series is made up of repeated ideas and things not worth mentioning. I can't think of another meaning, though.

Any ideas?


texts: the use of "would have to + V1" is correct?

texts:
To make a curry, they would have to buy meat and fish, gather vegetables, and get some ghee.
In the sentence, is the use of "would have to + V1" correct? Thanks a lot.


texts: How should I find the correct subject in (who) questions?

texts:
I am confused to ascertain the correct subject in the questions, look at the following sentences:

Who are those men?
     (v) (---s---)

Who is  at the door?
 (s) (v)

The form of questions is the same, I cannot understand what caused the difference.


texts: Is it grammatical to use "hugged" in the following way?

texts:
She chewed the corner of her hugged pillow.

In this sentence hugged pillow means the same as the pillow she was hugging.

Is using hugged in this way grammatical or commonplace?


texts:
ODO: require something of = Regard an action, ability, or quality as due from (someone) by virtue of their position

'of' in phrasal verbs, still confuses me. 1. Which ODO definition applies?

2. What are the similarities and differences between 'require from' vs 'require of'?

Please tell me if this example is irrelevant; I am asking in general and not only about this usage, but why not 'require of'? Source: Thomas Jefferson to Robert R. Livingston, 18 April 1802

  ...but writing by mr Dupont [de Nemours], I need use no cypher. I require from him to put this into your own & no other hand, let the delay occasioned by that be what it will.


texts: "Do pole vault" or "perform pole vault"?

texts:
Could tell me which verb do you use with the sport of pole vault: do or perform? For example:

Person A: Do you do any sports?
Person B: Yes, I do/perform pole vault.

Interestingly, there is no results on Ngram Viewer for either. What do you say then?


texts: I want to get the meaning of the phrase 'fell flat to elicit a reply'

texts: What does the phrase 'my email fell flat to elicit a response from you' exactly mean? Does it convey from any angle a sense of bad usage?


texts:
initailizer: something that I have defined in my algorithm to start the calculation.

What is correct is calculated or are calculated?

  In the next request the next  and  after next stops of the initailizer stop are found and the distance from the user's current location to these two points is calculated.


texts: Is there any situation where we can use the preposition "in" before a bus?

texts:
I always use the preposition on before a bus. But today when I was reading a novel (The Bridge Across Forever) I noticed the writer used the preposition in before a bus so I got confused and landed here to get some help on it.

  A still from the novel-

  No sooner had I fallen asleep in the bus?

I guess, I know why the writer used the preposition in before the bus but I just want to make sure that my point is correct. I thought, experts could help me in a much better way so I landed here.


texts:
Does the idiom tar and feather only apply to human? Would it sound awkward to the native English speakers if the idiom is used in the context of the following sentence?

The contradictory pieces of testimonies tar and feather the prosecution's evidence against the accused.

Based on the below definition of the idiom, the usage appears applicable to human.
Tar and Feather


texts:
Imagine, a decision is made. It was made no more than 1 hour ago.

What are all possible ways to refer to it if we want to use 'last hour'?

last hour decision
decision of last hour
I assume, 'decision in last hour' isn't correct because it means something else ?

Is 1 and 2 correct ?


texts:
I have a table showing who (among a group of people) attended a series of meetings occuring on different days. It goes like this:

  Person's name: date 1: date 2, etc.

  Jack: ✓: x, etc.

Some people have the phrase "tenure over" hanging in front of their names under certain dates instead of a check or X mark. What does it mean?


texts: How is "I saw him going toward that room." understood?

texts:
Imagine that the police is looking for witnesses to a killing, and they ask me if I saw a person. After I say I saw him, I am asked where I saw him and, being close the place where I saw him, I say "I saw him going toward that room."

How would the sentence be normally understood?

I saw him while I was going toward that room.
I saw him, and he was going toward that room.


texts: Most of the new graduates ........ to do master degree

texts:
Which one(s) of the following words would be appropriate to state that there is trend  among new graduates that they prefer to do master degree because of competing job market these days. They think it is reasonable, not because they like it or creating a habit.

  Nowadays, most of the new graduates  ........ to do master degree for
  better prospects in  their later lives.

have a tendency / tend to

incline to

prone to

show a proclivity to

succumb to

or any other word


texts:
Each conjunctive adverb has an individual meaning; thus, you should use whichever one fits the sense of the sentence you are writing.

The source website
Can I write these independent sentences separately by replacing semicolon with dot?
Is it only about to show how sentences are very closely related? Because "thus" already links these two sentences and there's no need to use semicolon.


texts: What is the difference between these definitions?

texts:
I have found three definitions which could be defined as killer of animals or dealing with killing of animals, but I don't get the point of difference between them

slaughter - killing (animals) for food (noun)

butcher - a person who slaughters and cuts up animals for food

cutter - a person or thing that cuts something (I had been told that it could be defined as slaughter too)

question:

  What is the difference between these definitions in terms of occupation related to killing animals?


texts: "First year" vs. "the first year" in context

texts:
Do I have to use the before first year? In the 14th episode of the 9th season of the Walking Dead it was dropped. Here is the context:

Judith: But she was a bad person.
They all were.
It's why you did what you did.
Michonne: All this time, I thought you didn't remember.
I hoped you didn't.
And you... You never said anything
after that first year.

I don't understand why the was omitted there.


texts: start with 'the' or start without article

texts:
In the beginning of a speech:-

The school holidays are fast approaching and I am sure all of you parents out there are worried about how to occupy your children.

vs

School holidays ...

Which sentence is grammatical?


texts: What to write here: Rock or Rocked or Have Rocked

texts:
I have come across this headline on newspaper "Clashes rock downtown."
Since it's a finished action a day before. How come the editor has used present tense. Please clarify.


texts: Is there any difference between timed interval and time interval?

texts: For instance, 'a ramp-like increase (or decrease) of neural activity that peaks at the end of a timed interval'. Can I repace 'timed interval' with 'time interval' without changing the original meaning?


texts: I’m very misunderstanding about present perfect and present perfect continuous

texts:
In this case, what tense I should use?

I have usually learned English for three hours before going to bed since 3 years ago.

Or

I have usually been learning English for three hours before going to bed since 3 years ago.


texts:
I have read a similar sentence to my provided example below somewhere (maybe with a little bit different phrasing.)

  He was blasphemous to Bible and I think, irrespective of being religious or not, he has offended the sanctity of an entire nation.

However, as you can see within the link, the verb "offend" has nothing to do with using offensive remarks or actions; while the word "insult" exactly refers to this sense.

I was wondering whether they are interchangeable in this particular example or there have different shades of meaning.

P.S. Personally, I would say that "insulting somebody" sounds to be an intentional action to me, while "offending someone" is often something unintentional. Also, I think "offending" is something more in common use; but after all, I cannot figure out why the word "offend" had been used within my mentioned sentence (as I've already brought up my reasons!)?

Please kindly enlighten me.


texts: Can I remove the "that" in "Test that it works"?

texts:
I read other questions like When can I omit "that" in a sentence?, but my knowledge of English's grammar is lacking and I couldn't apply the rules explained there to this specific case.

Is "Test it works" correct? Or should it be "Test that it works"?


texts:
In Book Mathematics for Computer Science:

  I think, therefore I am. However, with just a few more lines of argument in this vein, Descartes goes on to conclude that there is an infinitely beneficent God.

It says that Descartes goes .... Shouldn't it be Descartes went?
Is this a grammar error or some kind of special usage?


texts: Article usage- A tablet, cellphone, [...] and a piece of paper IS/ARE on the table

texts:
What is the correct usage of article if different objects are stated in a group in a sentence. Particularly:

  There IS/ARE a tablet, a cellphone, a ball pen, a reading glass, a cup of coffee and a piece of paper on the table.

Or

  There IS/ARE a tablet, cellphone, ball pen, reading glass, cup of coffee and a piece of paper on the table.

Do I have to repeat them again and again or not? Especially if they are all singular.


texts:
I've read about the usage of finished as an adjective and have a question about it. Does the sentence

  I'm finished

express completely the same meaning as the sentence

  I'm ready


texts:
If I want to let a customer know that their company can only buy spare parts from us, and put this information into documents.  Which of my sentences below would be correct? Or are there other ways to express it still using the words exclusive or exclusively?

The sentences I have in my mind are:

  All spare parts shall be exclusive from [our company name].
  All spare parts shall be bought exclusively from [our company name].
  All spare parts shall be provided exclusively by [our company name].
  All spare parts shall be bought/provided exclusively by/from [our company name].


texts: what is the meaning of this sentence and what is the verbs?

texts:
I am confused with the sentence below, I can't understand it grammatically. Can you please tell me about the meaning of it? Why does it have 3 verbs?

  It is understood no complaint has been received from either woman and none of those involved is suspended.

Reference: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/none


texts:
Thanks a lot.

Is "Thanks" a verb or a noun? If it is a noun, how can "a lot" behind it modify "thanks"? If it is a verb, why is there an "s" at the end of the word?


texts: Difference between "did you go" and "have you been to"

texts:
How can I ask someone if I want to know whether they went to some place?
Which of the two sentences is correct? And is there a difference between the two?

"Did you go to ABC before?" "Have you been to ABC before?".


texts:
Would someone please explain me in which context I'd use the phrasal verb bugged out?

I've heard this expression once, but I couldn't understand its meaning as it seemed out of context.


texts: Which word would be a good replacement for "office" in this text?

texts:
This is a literal transcription of a text in Portuguese:

  The judge understood that the sergeant could not be found guilty of things that he was obliged to do in the exercise of his office.

Is the word "office" used correctly in this context, meaning the job done by a military person, or there is a better or more appropriate word to use instead?


texts: When change is transitive and in which situations intransitive

texts:
I'm not sure when exactly the verb "change" can be passive or not. With googling, I figured out that it could not be passive when you are talking about a change happening in someone's appearance, otherwise it could be. Am I correct?
And what about this sentence?

Teenagers behaviour would be changed by hormonal imbalance.

Or

Teenagers behaviour would change by hormonal imbalance.


texts: Difficulty understanding word "nominally" in a specific sentence

texts:
The sentence is: The device will transmit a message at a rate nominally set at 1hz.
According to google the definition of nominally is: "in name only; officially though perhaps not in reality." So, would the sentence given in my example be saying that the message rate might be "1hz". Therefore, "1hz" is just being used as a placeholder "value/name"?


texts:
Is it correct to use the same like this:

  Undefined symbols of library1 and library2 are the same.

I mean that both libraries have the same undefined symbols.


texts: Tell me what "to think that what" is in following sentence.

texts:
Please tell me what "to think that what" is in following sentence. I haven't ever seen this phrase. What is this? And what it means? I don't require exact answer. Any help is appreciated.

"And it's kind of extraordinary to think that what, if we came here next year, we're not gonna hear this sound at all? You're gonna have to come back in 13 years. "

Sited from The Code episode 1 "Magic Number".


texts: What is expeditionary affairs in this context?

texts:
So it seemed to us. It was an agreeable and therefore a readily
acceptable idea. We imagined the Franco-German War of
1870-71 and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 were the final
conflicts between Great Powers, that now there was a Balance
of Power sufficiently stable to make further major warfare
impracticable. A Triple Alliance faced a Dual Alliance and
neither had much reason for attacking the other. We believed
war was shrinking to mere expeditionary affairs on the
outskirts of our civilisation, a sort of frontier police business.

-The New World Order by HH. G. WELLS
I do not understand what did the author mean by "expeditionary affairs" and "frontier police business".
According to Cambridge dictionary "expeditionary unit" means :

a group of soldiers sent to another country to fight in a war

And about "frontier police" I am confused.
As a verb police is (Cambridge dictionary): to control or guard a public event or area by using members of the police or a similar force.
But also it has a meaning as a noun. I don't know which one to choose.


texts:
I have to tell someone to take a flyover, rather than the road that is besides it to avoid the traffic.

Should I say "Go over the flyover"? This can also mean go to the other side of the flyover.

Could anyone please explain this?


texts: '...late night' vs. '...late at night' vs '... late in night'

texts:
Is there any difference?

  Yes, on 23rd, I was working late night (Example is here)

over

  Yes, on 23rd, I was working late at night (Example is here)

over

  Yes, on 23rd, I was working late in night (Example is here though it's a verdict by someone)

To me, the second one seems better but other two don't seem utterly incorrect. Guide me please.

Note: I don't want to get into the nuance of office environment. For that sake, the question can be...

  Yes, on 23rd, I was [any verb+ing] late night.


texts:
In The Invisible Man,

  "...Millie, her lymphatic aid, had been brisked up a bit by a few deftly chosen expressions of contempt..."

Learner's dictionary defines lymphatic as an adjective of lymph which is itself only defined as a medical term only.

What does the lymphatic aid mean?


texts:
I have been wondering about this question for a long time but I was hesitant to ask as it seemed a very small one. But I must ask it now:

Is the verb To be linking verb or auxiliary verb(helping verb)?

I think it can be used in both ways but when I went through the internet it says to be is always a linking verb(they're even called true linking verb). Could you please shed some light on it?
For example:

He is a teacher (is- linking verb)
He is working now (is- auxiliary verb)


texts:
  He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.

     "You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.
    Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life –– and yet –– he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.

    "Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Profes-sor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what (1) I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry –– I mean, the night my parents died (2)."
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

I guess what (1) is a complementizer that moved forth from for's complement. And it’s the pronoun referring to what happened the night my parents died (2), or short form of this. Is this a proper parsing?


texts: In which conditions does the format 'if' + I (pronoun) + was' work?

texts:
This sentence uses were and is fine.

"Should I tell her my feelings?" ~ "I wouldn't if I were you."

But then, in a conference, I'm telling my friend...

"If I was sick, I'd have surely gone by now."

Bon Jovi has the whole song on it - "If I was your mother."
My homework: I went through the selected answer here  but, to be frank, I'm not utterly satisfied. Similarly, I read StoneyB's answer but he straightforwardly suggests using were in conditional events.
I think this question will have specific discussion about it and thus I'm posting it for the sake of clarity.


texts: What is the difference between "percent" and "percentages"?

texts:
I don't know what the difference between "percent" and "percentage" is.
Do they mean two different things and do they have different uses?
I would like to know what kind of situations each word would be used in.
It will be helpful if you could provide some examples. Thank you.


texts:
I sent my wife to company.

We were arrived the company.

A car was stopped in front of us. So I have to stop right after it.

My wife wanted to get out of the car.

"Wait. I move the car front a bit." as the car has gone, I wanted to move my car to front a bit.

Does it sound natural?


texts: Using "only because" in a different way?

texts:
1- The squad is only on night shift because they disobeyed a
  direct order to save me.

I saw this sentence above but it seems kind of unusual to me. I would say it this way:

  2- The squad is on night shift only because they disobeyed a
  direct order to save me.

Do they mean the same thing? Is there a difference between them? Using "only" in that position can imply different things I think. (I am talking about the position of "only" in sentence 1)


texts: How do I correct the following sentence, "When I was speeding out of control I couldn't brake" (ice skating)?

texts: I was told that I shouldn't use the verb brake when I'm talking about ice skates. However, I'm not sure what an appropriate substitute would be (I can't find a similar verb that conveys an equal message). Does a verb exist so that it doesn't change the format of the sentence?


texts: Using the verb "prefer" with the "perfect gerund"

texts:
Is it OK to use prefer with the perfect gerund?

I would prefer having travelled by car last month.

I would prefer having been watching TV for the last twenty minutes.


texts: Can 'endear' be used for inanimate objects?

texts: Can "endear" be used for a country or some other inanimate object? For example is 'I have come to endear my country.' correct?


texts: Which article to be used in the following sentence?

texts:
Can anyone help me with the use of article in the below sentence.

I am ______ monarch of all I survey.

If possible even reason out why it is used.


texts:
What is the word for silently trying to understand a person from his/her talk, and his/her mental situation behind his/her action or talk?

Say for example I was talking to a old friend, I met after a long time. But she was not talking truth, that was evident from her talk. I tried to understood why without asking her, and also tried to understand what was truly behind all her talking?