texts:
I know that we should use the normal word order in embedded questions, for ex. 'I don' t know what she did', and with 'be'-'I don' t know where she is', and with subject questions 'I don' t know who said it'.

But what happens with subject questions using 'be'? For ex, if we want to use as an imbedded question this one: 'who is he?', 'what is this/it?', 'which one is he?'. Do we say 'I don' t know what this is/it is/which one he is'?. It sounds weird.
In the subject questions the question word is the subject, but is this the case in questions with 'be'? Are they subject questions or not? How to identify the subject in 'who is she?' ( she is my friend'/'my friend is she', regardless how strange this sounds).
Is there any difference in terms of finding the subject between 'who is he' and 'which one is he'. I've read something about using these structures in the future form, e. g. 'which one will it be' / 'which one will be it' to determine the subject. But does it work with 'who'?


texts: Is the term "uneducated musician" applicable to a musician who didn't study it?

texts:
When someone knows how to play an instrument (such as the guitar or the piano) but didn't study it at school and doesn't know how to read musical notes (e.g., Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney), then how is that person described in English?

Is it correct to call such a person an "uneducated musician"?


texts:
I have found it in this article.

  Maybe you're centered and at peace with yourself, secure that you have value to bring to the conversation. Or perhaps, you're lasering into an almost imperceptible social guffaw you committed, convinced that your conversation partner would rather undergo surgery of the Achilles tendon than talk to you.

Also I cannot understand the what commit a social guffaw mean. Could you explain that too?


texts:
In a book published by Merriam-Webster, the direct question When is she seeing them again? has been changed to a reported question as following:

He asked when she would be seeing them again.

My question is, why the present continuous in the direct question has been changed to would be + verb/ing in the reported question?


texts: "the beginning of waiting" or "the onset of waiting"?

texts:
Situation :
There is a girl who can't be together with her boyfriend because he is in army. And thinking of the moment that she has to let him go to army, can she say,

  That was the beginning of waiting for him.
  That was the onset of waiting for him.

Or are there any good expressions for the moment that someone start to wait for the other?


texts:
According to the Collins dictionary:

  If you trip when you are walking, you knock your foot against something and fall or nearly fall.

  Stumble: to trip or fall while walking or running.

They seems to be synonyms. Are there any differences?

Compare these two sentences below, I don't see much difference.

  He tripped and fell.
  He stumbled and fell.


texts: How to mention a formula idiomatically? a formula, a piece of formula, or something else?

texts:
In another post (singular or plural: "this kind of thing" or "this kind of things", when to use which?), I referred to this bunch as grammar formulas

"Although" + subject + verb, subject + verb
"Even though" + subject + verb, subject + verb

and each one of those as a formula.

How to mention each one of those idiomatically? a formula, a piece of formula, or something else?


texts: Does an adverb of frequency always have to be between the noun and verb?

texts:
For example take this sentence:

  If it's summer, then I sometimes like going to the beach.

But would this also be correct:

  If it's summer, then sometimes I like going to the beach.


texts: Does it make any difference if we leave out "over" in "He has gone over to London"?

texts:
What are the differences between

  He has gone over to London.

and

  He has gone to London.

I don't understand the differences these two sentences have.

Why in the first sentence is the word "over" used while in the other sentence it's not?


texts: How to ask a question correctly? Whose are these dictionaries?

texts:
Whose dictionaries these are?

or

  Whose dictionaries are these?

or

  Whose these dictionaries are?

I'm so confused


texts:
On the following video - what's the word on 22:15 after "The fifth record - the most beautiful..."?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0iaG0RN37k (Warning: the video contains language that some may find offensive)

Thank you.


texts:
What does flattened out mean here?

  Without warning, coming as complete and unexpected shock, she felt a pressure she had never imagined, as though she were being completely flattened out by an enormous steam roller. This was far worse than the nothingness had been; while she was nothing there was no need to breathe, but now her lungs were squeezed together so that although she was dying for want of air there was no way for her lungs to expand and contract, to take in the air that she must have to stay alive. . . She tried to gasp, but a paper doll can't grasp. She thought she was trying to think, but her flattened-out mind was as unable to function as her lungs; her thoughts were squashed along with the rest of her. Her heart tried to beat; it gave a knivelike, sidewise movement, but it could not expand.

  But then she seemed to hear a voice, or if not a voice, at least words, words flattened out like printed words on paper, "Oh, no! We can't stop here! This is a two-dimensional planet and the children can't manage here!"

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Chapter 5)


texts: What is a proper synonym for 'keep somebody/something away'?

texts:
What other verbs can be used in the following context instead of "keep ... away"?

If I study alone, I can keep myself away from potential distractions or interruptions from other students in the study group.


texts: Can "sequentially" be used to describe the order of arrangement?

texts:
I am trying to describe the situation shown in the image as simply as possible.

My example is as follows:

  A,B, and C are sequentially arranged from the wall.

Could you advise me on whether the word "sequentially" involves the positional order?


texts: Should the number of the object "colleges" follow the number of the subject?

texts:
In this sentence:

  We lost contact since we entered colleges.

Should "colleges" be in the plural form, since these two persons entered two different colleges?


texts: Why is it 'in the saddle' rather than 'on the saddle'?

texts:
I regularly hear the phrase 'in the saddle' but 'on the saddle' seems more appropriate as you are literally on top of it, (I'm using the original definition of literally there!).

I can sit in an armchair.
A baby can sit in a high chair.
I can sit in a car.

Up to this point, it seems that if the object you are sat in/on surrounds you in some way, then you must sit in it.

I can sit on a plane (at least I've never heard someone say "I'm sitting in a plane right now"!), which is weird because you're actually inside the plane!

But i can only sit on a sofa, no one ever sits in a sofa.

So what gives? Is it just the fact that one option sounds better than the other, or is there some deeper understanding of the English language that I am missing?


texts: May I use "wtf" with a non-question? -- "wtf I just watched."

texts:
I know that usually people write:

  "wtf did I just watch?"

But is "wtf I just watched" a correct English sentence as "I just watched" is a correct English sentence and adding wtf should not make such difference.


texts: "Go snorkeling at" vs "Go snorkeling to"

texts:
The question is:

Where can we go snorkeling and scuba diving in Malaysia?

Possible answers:

  We can go snorkeling and scuba diving to the pleasant beach resorts in Malaysia.
  We can go snorkeling and scuba diving at the pleasant beach resorts in Malaysia.

What preposition, 'to' or 'at', I should choose?


texts:
I've read that In order to is often followed by would in hypothetical sense.

Here are two sentences:

  In order to visit America, you would first need a visa.

  If you wanted to visit America, you would first need a visa.

Do these both sentence mean the same?

If they mean the same,

It could be:

In order to=If you wanted to

could you tell me what how should I understand it ?

My openion about this is  as follows:

  'In order to' is followed by 'would'.

  In order to do sth . .. . You/I/She/he would do sth. . . . .

here, 'In order to' means a purpose, purpose itself is hypothetical. That's why 'In order to' is followed by 'would', right?

For example: "In order to pass in first division, you would need to study hard."

In this sentence, In order to pass in first devision' is not planned, only imagained or hypothetical. That's why it follows 'would' , Right?


texts: What is the meaning of "behind logging in"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "behind logging in" in this line?

  – So someone inside u.D.S. Is suppressing information.

  — No. No, I don't think so. Honestly, I think they're just slow as ass. Ronnie, my idiot supervisor, told me that u.D.S. is behind logging in their property acquisitions.


texts: Are both sentences correct? Why? "I have never done any public speaking." vs "I never have any public speaking done. "

texts:
these are my following questions:
whether both sentences are correct and these two sentences can be substituted each other?
does the first sentence use a perfect tense and the phrase "any word speaking" is an object?
is the grammar structure of the second sentence a "subject + causative verb + object + verb (pest principle)"? (like the pattern as "I have my hair cut").
these two sentences just changed its word order, and then one uses perfect tense, the other is not?
thank you for your kindness solution.


texts: What does "Someone call the burn unit" mean?

texts:
Just saw this post on Imgur and I am not sure about the title.
Does that mean that the person has seen something that is really a sore to the eye
so he is asking others to call the burn unit to come and rescue him? I couldn't find a better context for this phrase.


texts:
"He was a leading spirit in the conference."
Does the statement infer that the subject was leading as if an influential or in a mere literal sense?


texts:
Can I use "tremendously" to indicate that the amount of research done in a
certain field has increased a lot like in the following sentence ?
"Smart grid research has increased tremendously in the last years, since it
has many applications to various problems in numerous areas."
Also, I'm not sure if "to" is the right preposition to use after the word "applications".
Thanks.


texts:
Should I use "as" or "when" in the sentence below? And if both are OK, what is the difference?
Making his way down the hallway, Kurt suddenly stops as/when he spots the name 'Paul Davis' on a door.
(Don't know if it changes anything, but Kurt wasn't looking for Paul Davis's office, he just came by and incidentally recognized the name on the door.)


texts: What do you think of it / How do you think of it?

texts:
[a] What’s the last film you saw?
[b] What do you think of the music?
[c] What do you think of it?
(Oxford University Press)

There’s no wondering in [a] why there needs to be what, not how. For what is raised from saw’s complement position. But it’s not clear for [b] and [c] for me. The two whats seem to have adverbial meaning, in what way. So I’m thinking about the possibility of what being replaced by how. But the website does not agree with my thought. Why is that?


texts:
The problem puzzling me:

1)

  " I consider him a good person "

or

  " I consider him as a good person"

2)

  " I was appointed  commander "

or

  " I was appointed as commander "


texts:
I read this sentence in CNNMoney.

"The Chinese firm expects to hire 400 American workers to run the refurbished factory, slated to open in late 2017."

If I rewrite the sentence to
"The Chinese firm expects to hire 400 American workers to run the refurbished factory, slated to be opened in late 2017.

Do both the sentences mean the same ?


texts: general questions version of "no such thing as"

texts:
The phrase "no such thing as" can be used to emphasize that something does not exist or is not possible.
In contrast, the expression "very much so" is an emphatic way of answering 'yes' to something or saying that it is true or correct.
Now I have two idioms to convey the ideas emphatically about something does exist or not.
How about asking general (yes/no) questions? Are there some similar phrases or idioms I could use for general questions?
Consider this one.

There really is no such thing as a totally risk-free industry. src

To make it a general sentence, I might say

Is there really such thing as a totally risk-free industry?

Does it sounds idiomatic? Could it be more idiomatic?

Thanks to @epl, I see the weirdness. Cambridge justifies your definition of the word "idiom". However, merriam-webster considers it an idiom.


texts: What is the difference of "committee" and "commission"?

texts: They are similar in meanings and they may be interchangeable? Because they both mean the body that exists for long-term or short term tasks or purposes, formed with professional or non-professional people. It is hard for users to decide which one to be used in a particular context.


texts:
I have a question about a possible error in this phrase:

  Vacant judgeship as affecting proceedings

Even taking into account the fact that the phrase is a title and therefore the rules of block English should apply, the part "as affecting" seems a bit off.  I a have feeling that it should be "as affects", and the the title should instead read:

  Vacant judgeship as affects proceedings

What do native speakers think?  Should it be "as affects" or "as affecting"?


texts: Why do you say "People Management" ("people" is plural) but not "Person Management" ("person" is singular)?

texts: When it comes to a noun + noun compound, the former is usually in its singular form. But why do you say "people management", not "person management"? If this is about managing a group of people, not a single person, then why you say "animal management", not "animals management"?


texts:
I'm very confused about the use of proper in this paragraph:
"In the Introduction, we saw how a number of Neolithic cultures interacted
to produce a set of characteristics—“Longshan culture”—that was broadly
shared across the northern and southern parts of China Proper." (China: A History volume 1, Harold M. Tanner, page 47)
Could you give an explanation and some examples?


texts: What do you call a person who easily communicates with others?

texts:
I mean the type of person who likes to communicate with others and does so easily, and joins group activities easily.
Could one call him a "social person"?

For example: "I'm a social person"

Someone was using it in a discussion, but I was not sure if it was correct.


texts: Is "cops" (= police) a slang/derogatory term?

texts:
So, I was with a friend getting Starbucks. While talking to him I used the term "cops" . A customer waiting for their coffee said

"We don't say 'cops' honey, it's disrespectful." Looked at my university hoodie and said "Oh, look you go to [ ... ], a young educated man like you should refrain from such profanity ..."

Either I have been oblivious to the word's impropriety, or I got Karen-ed.
Is "cops" a derogatory term or slang? Does it have a negative connotation? If so, why and since when?
There is some evidence that suggests some actually do find it derogatory.

Vocabulary.com says "Cop is an informal, somewhat derogatory word for a police officer." "... uncomplimentary terms for a policeman."

Collins dictionary says "cop" is slang (both in BrE and AmE). Merriam-Webster, Lexico, Macmillan, and Cambridge does not consider it slang but just informal.
There is a thread on Quora about this: Is cop a derogatory term?

If the term is disrespectful, why do reputable news journals use it? Use of the term "cop/s" in authoritative sources:

When Cops Aren’t on the Beat - Wall Street Journal
Some good news, finally, for cops: you can go back to eating ... - The Guardian
CPD seeks to fire 3 cops for uses of force  ... - Chicago Tribune
Toronto cops recover two stolen vehicles ... - Toronto Sun
These Senators Want To Force Tech Firms To Give The Cops Keys To Our Encrypted Data. - Forbes

 Our conversation was on "burglary" and had nothing to do with the current events.

I would like to clarify a few things. Most of us are able to distinguish between a rude person and someone who is just dirty. By definition (Wiki), a Karen is the latter.
Calling a stranger "honey" to correct their usage of a word (or to impose their own preferred word) is not respectful. Making snide remarks and doing a patronizing "shoulder-rub" is not respectful. This person's attitude was downright condescending.


texts:
Well, it seems a bit weird, but I want to know whether following sentences is allowable to use in a informal context.

He was alive, and a great hero.

Tom is alive and an amazing player.


texts: Can anyone please help me to explain this sentence "I think going only one day would be plenty.'

texts:
I am a ESL student. I have just been in US about one year.

Sometime i got stuck when I communicate with me classmates in class. I texted my classmate to invited her go to an event at school with me, but i did not get her meaning from her text.

Can anyone please help me to explain this sentence?

  I think going only one day would be plenty

What does she mean? Does she want to go with me or not?

Thanks for helping me and forgiving me with my bad english.


texts: Is this a subject-verb agreement mistake in a well-known newspaper?

texts:
The Guardian: We've built good relationships with people's families, which really help us to develop a true sense of person-centred support.

I believe that it should be "which really helps us"...because the subject is the idea of "building good relationships with people's families" and this should be treated a singular idea. Let me know whether I am wrong or not.


texts: Is idiomatic to say 'whose object are "you"'?

texts:
In one of my posts (whose object are "you"?) I said

  whose object are "you"

I understand that in the sentence "I need to speak to all of you for a few minutes", "you" is an object of a word or a phrase, but I don't know what that word or phrase is, so I asked

  whose object are "you" in this case?

I remember "whose" is usually used with people, so, is idiomatic to say 'whose object are "you"'? If not, how do I ask that question more idiomatically?


texts:
What genetic modification seeks to do is modify crops in a more planned way than is possible by merely selecting healthier seeds or by producing hybrids of successful plants.

It seems that there are two verbs connected - is and modify - isn't the word to missing in front of the word modify?

What are the rules to emit one if this is grammatically correct?


texts:
He goes to Delhi every week so that he could see his Mother.

My friends and people here said that it’s wrong and we should use “can” instead of could, as “could” is used in past forms and the given sentence is in present form (he goes to Delhi is present tense).
But I have learnt that could is used in 1) Past for of can 2)Present real possibilities (like, “It could be sam” means it is possible that it is sam) 3) Hypothetical conditions
So my doubt is , Can’t we use “could” in the sense of real possibility in present instead of the past tense, like “He goes to Delhi every week so that it’s possible for him to see his Mom”?


texts: Do we say "to look at yourself or your reflection in a mirror, on a shiny surface, on water, etc"?

texts:
In the movie "White Chamber", the man said "Look at yourselves in the mirror." (see the script)

But many native speakers say that  we have to say  "Look at your reflection in the mirror, glass, marble, etc." (source)

In the dictionary

  reflection

  (also British English, old-fashioned reflexion)

  [countable] an image in a mirror, on a shiny surface, on water, etc.

  He admired his reflection in the mirror.

I think British people may say "Look at your reflection in the mirror, etc!" and American people may say "Look at yourself in the mirror, etc!" because I remember that the Michel Jackson song "Man in the Mirror" has this line "Take a look at yourself, and then make a change" (see the Lyric).

Do we say "to look at yourself or your reflection in a mirror, etc"?

One more, we say "to look at yourself or your reflection in a mirror", but which prepositions do we use for other surfaces such as glass or marble?

Do we say "to look at yourself or your reflection on / in glass, marble, water"?


texts:
I was reading about the Edwards v Canada (AG) case on Wikipedia, and in the petition put forward by her and the other famous five to the federal government I read the following sentence:

I. Is power vested in the Governor-General in Council of Canada, or the Parliament of Canada, or either of them, to appoint a female to the Senate of Canada?

My question is this; does the clause "or either of them" contribute anything to the sentence?
I was wondering if it might be meaning "both" in this instance, but at least according to this site, which was one of the top results on Google when trying to find out if that is a valid use, "it means (...) one or the other, but not both of them simultaneously"


texts: What does it mean to "owe someone a quarter"?

texts:
I was watching an episode of the TV series  Once upon a time, and Regina says "I owe someone a quarter."

Anyone know what this means?


texts: Is it possible to switch the word 'there' with object of preposition?

texts:
I am a newbie at this forum. Recently I found a sentence exactly as below:

  On the bottom of the MetroCard are three arrows and little white letters that say "Insert this way/This side facing you."

This sentence is correct, but I do not understand why.

I thought an object of preposition can never be a subject. The object of preposition in the sentence is on the bottom of the MetroCard.

I thought if we add "there" just after the object of preposition above, the sentence would be correct.

May I know some grammar rules regarding this?


texts:
I often use the words amid/amidst instead of among/amongst and instead of between or surrounded by, but I could never understand it's meaning "in the middle of" as Cambridge dictionary and Oxford dictionary tell us that it has this meaning.

Examples that they provide still carry the meanings of "among/surrounded by".

Our dream home, set amid magnificent rolling countryside.
On the floor, amid mounds of books, were two small envelopes.

I also know that amid/amidst have meanings "during/with the accompaniment of/In an atmosphere or against a background of/through" but I almost never hear this word used with those meaning.


texts: "could" is used for past ability or ability now(or future)?

texts:
Social media services also enabled people to publicize their views on new songs, list their new favorite bands in their social media bios, and argue over new music endlessly on message boards. The result was that critics now could access the opinions of the masses on a particular album before writing their reviews.

I know "could" have two meaning:  1. ability past, 2. ability now or future
I wonder what the "could" above means.


texts:
Some dictionaries say that the word "story" as a general noun means "past, past event, part of what was before". Does it mean we can use it abstractly to mean "history, what is past" without an article?
For instance:

Those ideas are story now.

Edit: I did a Google search and Google books check but didn't find any relevant examples of such usage, still I am eager to know if it is anyway possible to use "story" in place of "history" to describe something which is now past.


texts: "I want to tell my friend" vs. "I want to tell TO my friend"

texts:
I am not sure about the adding of the preposition in the following case:

  "I want to tell my friend that I appreciate her."

  "I want to tell TO my friend that I apreciate her."

Which one is correct?


texts: Favorite Vintage Life Photo's / Favorite Vintage Life's Photos

texts:
I have a title that I need help with. I have a community on G+ called The Vintage Life where members show photographs of the past. I created a collection of my favorite pictures from there, and called it
Favorite Vintage Life Photo's. The caption under the title tells everyone that these are pictures from The Vintage Life Community.

My problem is, I could have thought incorrectly that 's after photo meant the collection of pictures belong to the community, possessive. Please tell me if this is correct or not, and how best to state this title.


texts: Diffrence Had broken and had been broken

texts:
“The report said that the Schaku coupler had broken and this led to the derailment, resulting in the death of my son and injuries to several others,“

Ref. link:  http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31821&articlexml=Case-against-CR-officers-for-death-due-to-05102015009015

As per my knowledge above sentence should be in past perfect as passive voice i.e. should be use coupler had been broken.

My explanation:

If we use only had then it mean coupler must have broken by itself which is not possible. some doer has to be there to broke it.

Another E.g.
He had broken my Toy, which angered me a lot

And if we use had been Then it mean coupler must have broken by someone. It may have broken by miscreant or climate like overheating etc. It should be passive voice.

Another E.g.
My toy had been broken by him, which angered me a lot

If boken is used as adjective then it should be was broken

Or
It should be like

“The report said that the Schaku had broken coupler and this led to the derailment, resulting in the death of my son and injuries to several others,“

Please help


texts: What is the usage of 'half-way' and 'underway'?

texts:
How have you done with your project?

1) I have done half-way.

2) I am half-way.

3) It is underway.

Are these three answers all correct?


texts:
Should I choose Passive or Active form of the verb here?

  In fact, a pool of melted water ____________ (FORM) at the North Pole
  every year now since 2002.

I guess, a pool can't form itself, so Passive should be used. However, according to the keys, the answer is 'has formed'.

I would be very happy if someone shed some light on this.


texts: Why is the following sentence grammatically incorrect?

texts:
I learned English in school, but I forgot most of it.

So, this is a question that I saw and the correct answer is "I learned English in school, but I have forgotten most of it." However, I do not understand why the former sentence is grammatically incorrect. I tried searching for it, but I could not find it or understand. Someone has asked this as a fill in the blanks on this site but I am looking for the reason and not a yes/no type answer.


texts:
I've konwn that 'potential' is uncountable noun so far. But i saw one vedio named Vox channel which said

  "In any human endeavor, There is a potential for error"

In that sentence, potential is used as countable noun, right?

I don't know which is correct. I want you, experts to help me know it correctly. Thanks.!

Plus, i don't think they had a mistake. Because they said "a potential" in the vedio and they made a subtitle on screen at the same time....


texts: I wonder if the sentence after the comma is complete or not and am having a problem of translating it

texts:
Hume was tireless, his ponderous public style betraying a quicksilver ability to analyse the issues.

I found this sentence on some website. I'm afraid there are more contexts other than this sentence.
I'm having a problem of translating the sentence after comma:

his ponderous public style betraying a quicksilver ability to analyse the issues.

is that sentence regarded as a complete sentence? if so, what sentence structure is this called? it seems like "betraying" is serving as verb but why is it in the form of present participle?


texts: Which is correct in sentence: "The cooking soup" or "The soup cooking"?

texts:
The cooking soup on the stove got burnt.
  The soup cooking on the stove got burnt.

I think in the first there must be 'cooked' in the place of 'cooking'.

Please explain the difference in meanings of these sentences.


texts: What is the adjective for each of "upheaval" and "debacle"?

texts:
I know some words have their own adjective, and some can be constructed by adding the suffixes like "some", "ic", etc. But how can we mint a neologism, i.e. an adjective, for each of "upheaval" and "debacle"?
I don't desire to exercise its synonym, namely cataclysmic, devastating, etc.


texts: How much vocabulary should be studied a day?

texts: And not only vocabulary. What is the amount of daily  study material for  an advanced learner of English?


texts: Can someone help me out the correct form of been here?

texts:
I just got back from a test I am having doubt over two multiple choice questions.

  They _____ playing at that time.

Shall be playing or are playing?

  He _____ newspaper for living

Has been selling or sold?

I ticked shall be playing and sold respectively.


texts:
His potential and versatility were there for everyone to see

or

His potential and versatility was there for everyone to see?

And why?


texts:
The voice actors voiced over the puppets as they moved their mouths.

I feel it's not the correct phrasal verb, but I can't think of a way to correctly express this.


texts: Meaning of the phrase 'pitching black ropes'

texts:
I was reading 'Shutter Island' by Dennis Lehane and I stumbled at this phrase:

  Later, he got sick, repeatedly and violently, pitching black ropes of it over the side of his father's boat and into the sea.

You can see the sentence in context in an excerpt from Newsweek

I can't understand what 'pitching black ropes' means. Can some shed some light on it?


texts: A brick made a dent in the hood of the car

texts:
I was wondering if you could tell me if the bold part of the following sentence seem to be redundant or somehow weird and unnatural to you or not:

  A brick fell down from a building and made a dent in the hood of the car.


texts:
I don't know who this is
I don't know who is this

Though I know the first one is more acceptable, especially grammatically, eventually, I want to raise the following question:
We could use the second one in especial situation, that is:
When we are going to emphasis the who, so we use the second one, if so, would you show me it in a vivd way?
Any help would be appreciated


texts:
On the internet I read the word friends have many meaning.

  I am friends with my last schoolmate from university.

  I have got five friends from Indonesia.

  Those people are friends of Lord Voldemort.

The first form is a verb, the second is plural noun and the third is plural noun too.

Am I right?

What is different between nouns members of and friends of? Do we use the first word only with things and the second word with people?

Can I say:

  I am a member of British parliament.

  I am  friends of British parliament.


texts:
What if fungus gets growing on your toes.

  What if fungus gets to grow ...

Which one is correct to ask someone if they may get the disease?
What does #2 mean?


texts:
Which word should be in the blank?

are or were?

I thought it should be 'were' but other teachers said that it should be 'are' because of the word 'recent'.

Almost all the shops located in this shopping centre _____ closed during the recent New Year period.


texts: Can I say "oddly many" to mean "an odd number of"?

texts:
Is it correct or natural to say "There are oddly many cars" to mean "There are an odd number of cars"?

Most dictionaries explain "oddly" as "in a weird way". If I say "There are oddly many cars", would this be misinterpreted as "It is odd that there are so many cars"?


texts: Following is a question from an exercise on active-passive.I am confused between the options because of the clause 'picking up a gun'. Please explain how it should be accounted for in passive voice construction of the sentence.Not sure but somehow I think   the answer should be (2) but it is given as (3) in the answer key.I want a detailed explanation.Please.


texts:
Now I'm trying to write songs and from time to time comes the moment when I always regret myself about why I didn't continued with proper learning.
Here´s my question:

Since we met each other
Was never hard the score to guess
You were my #1 crush
And it seems i was your perfect catch

(can it be possible this way of writing? or has to be "was never hard to guess the score")


texts:
The senior Conservative declared in the new register of MPs’ interests that he will be paid £6,300 for eight hours of work at Investcorp each month, or £788 an hour.

The whole sentence is shown above and what has made me confused is in the new register of MPs' interests. As far as I can tell, it is indicating for MPs' goods, but I can't confirm if I have the right understanding.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/this-former-defence-secretary-is-being-paid-ps788-an-hour?bftwuk&utm_term=4ldqpgm


texts:
Imagine a new model is derived for a physical phenomenon and consider the following sentence:

  A new formulation is derived for the phenomenon of X.

Is there any formal or technical word for "new"?


texts:
What do you call a verb after adding the endings -or, -ant, -ent, or -er to it? The new word refers to the thing or the person who did the verb. Should I call it adjective or participle or what?

Consult --> Consultant

Assist --> Assistant

Study --> Student

Create --> Creator

Work  --> Worker

Play --> Player

Write --> Writer

Maybe: be --> beings


texts:
Someone breaks some bad news to you. You are taken aback, and you say "I don't know how to feel about this".

My question is, should it be "I don't know how to feel about this (one)",or should it be "I don't know what to feel about this (one)"?


texts: Is "to" the better preposition than "for" in this sentence?

texts:
A sentence on this page strikes me as odd as I am checking dictionaries

  ‘An alien life form has arrived to earth and is jumping from body to body, killing everything in its path and stealing anything it cares to.’

Shouldn't "care to" be part of "care to do"? I guess the author is saying "... stealing everything it cares to steal." But doesn't it strike you as stilted? I thought a better version of the sentence should replace "care to" with "care for", because people care to do things and people care for things.

  ‘An alien life form has arrived to earth and is jumping from body to body, killing everything in its path and stealing anything it cares for.’

Is the original sentence completely fine and my version wrong?


texts:
Hi please check my wording below.

  I like their step-by-step investing method. If they go big and it
  doesn't catch then it would turn to a disaster"

Does it sound natural?

Thanks in advance.


texts: How to figure out whether Infinitive is being used to express cause or purpose

texts:
"He wept to see the desolation caused by the flood". Literally, this line seems making sense that he wept in order to see.

While it actually makes sense that he wept when he saw desolation.

How to decide when infinitive is expressing purpose(like,he came to see him) and when expressing cause(what above line actually means).


texts:
Which one is correct "cost" or "costed"

The website, englisch-hilfen, says that the word "cost" does not change in three different tense form (past, present, and past participle). However, the dictionary has used the word "have costed" in their explanation. So which one is correct?


texts: usage of themselves and reflexive pronouns

texts:
How are these sentences different in meaning ? Please explain me.I am very  confused with it.

They themselves cooked a meal.
They cooked themselves a meal.
They cooked a meal themselves.


texts: "Two double bacon cheeseburgers" or "two bacon double cheeseburgers"?

texts: I guess "bacon" acts like an adjective here, or, more correctly, it's probably an attributive. So which order is correct? I tried googling; "two bacon double cheeseburgers" yielded more results (28 800 000 vs 9 060 000). Nevertheless, I am so curious I wish to know which grammar rule applies here. One minor problem is that electronic translators (machines) sometimes treat the word "double" in "two bacon double cheeseburgers" as a verb. It's obviously wrong, of course.


texts:
Can we use the modal verb "could" to give permission?

For example:

  Mr A: Could I take your car?

  Mr B: Yes you could.


texts:
Leaving out the "subject" at the beginning of a sentence? I think this mostly concerns spoken English!
Is this considered grammar correct or just a phenomenon that occurs in intimate conversational spoken English?

For example:

  Hey, why are you examining the book?
  (I am) Trying to figure out what to do with it.

Or:

  How are the apples? Have you tried them already?
  (They are) Quite good! Really!

Unfortunately I cannot give sources where I've met such constructions but I can obviously tell you that I've heard them in movies and TV series!

I have analysed the E.L.U. question concerning "Conversational Deletion" and can't understand whether it is considered less formal or not proper English? Can it be used outside spoken English?


texts: What is the difference in meaning betweee the structure "not...or," "neither...nor, " and "not...nor/neither"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between the following sentences?

  My tablet isn't good or bad.

  My tablet is neither good nor bad.

  My tablet isn't good, nor is it bad.

  My tablet isn't good neither is it bad.

I cannot see any difference, but it feels to me that the third and the forth sentences sound more emphatic. If all the senteces have exactly the same meaning, then which ones are more formal?


texts: What Does "Hanging a Magpie on a Hedge" Mean?

texts:
I recently heard Roger Waters say "it's a bit like hanging a magpie on a hedge" on the news, but I cannot seem to find any information as to what it means.
You can check out the interview here.


texts: I'd rather stay than go/to go/going home?

texts:
Despite being reasonably fluent in English, I have no intuition for what's correct here:

  I'd rather stay than go home.

  I'd rather stay than to go home.

  I'd rather stay than going home.

All three sound natural to me. Could you explain which variants are actually correct and point me to the relevant grammar rules? If more than one are correct, could you also comment on the nuances between them?


texts: Why is there a pronunciation difference between “break” and “break”fast?

texts: I found that break sounds like brake and breakfast uses e in bed vowel. I couldn’t find out why they sounds different.


texts: Is there a verb for "created" but for policies?

texts:
Is there a verb for "created", but for policies? I am not sure, but "created" doesn't sound right when used with policies, so I thought of "came up", but it's too informal, so I am not sure if there's a proper verb for it.

For example:

  The economic policy was ___ by the current chief economist of the
  World Bank.

Written sounds off too, because I want to say "created, imagined", but all these verbs also seems to be inappropriate with the word "policy".


texts: Help understanding how "but" fits in a long sentence "...similar parameters as our sun but being five times more variable..."

texts:
This is my first question on this site.
If you could, please help me learning English.

I am struggling to understand following sentence.

  Finding such stars with very similar parameters as our sun but being five times more variable was surprising"

Source → https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/study-suggests-sun-less-active-than-similar-stars/5404915.html

In my understanding,
1. "Finding〜variable" are subject section.
2. "was"  is verb.
3. "surprising" is complement.

I already translated this sentence to my native language Japanese,
but the subject section is TOO long to understand smoothly!

Why can the word "but" be there in the subject section?
For me, the position of "but" is unnatural.

So please give me examples of paraphrase related from the sentence.

thank you for your time.　arigato!!


texts:
I'm creating a folder in my computer where I will add modifications that I will make to a software I'm writing. The point is that I will only put changes to a specific feature of my software into it and only changes that will add new functionalities. I'm looking for a concise folder name for this.

I would give the folder a name similar to <feature-name>_<added-things>, but I would like to use one single word instead of "added things".


texts: How to use relative words instead of absolute words

texts:
I am trying to describe the above drawing.  My examples are as follows:

  A bank and a hospital are respectively located at distances of 5km
  and 8km from ends, closer thereto, of a road.
  A bank and a hospital are respectively located at distances of 5km
      and 8km from their respective closer ends of a road.

Are my examples are understandable? I would like to describe using relative words such as closer rather than absolute words such as the left end and the right end.

CLARIFICATION
In a comment made below, the OP said

  "the resilient devices 118a and 118b are spaced at a distance D from the respective nearer end of the coil" I have found this sentence in a patent document. Is this sentence grammatically correct? My second example is similar to this


texts:
What exactly "a man apart" mean, or when is this formula used?

I know that there is a movie with "A man apart" in its title, but I have the feeling that it can be used in some situations, maybe when somebydy is left alone in a hard situation?


texts: Meaning of "As" in the sentence, "As is usual in this kind of movie,~"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "As" in the sentence, "As is usual in this kind of movie, good triumphs over evil in the end" ?

Dose "As" is the subject in the sentence, "As is usual in this kind of movie" ?

Does "As" mean "it" ?


texts: Place vs. position when talking about work

texts:
"John has been offered a place/position at Leeds University".

"Kate applied for a place/position last month".

I thought 'position' should be used in the second sentence and both options were right in the first one. Am I wrong? What is the difference between 'position' and 'place'?


texts: What does "You must long for the next life" means?

texts:
This is a phrase from the new episode of TV show Game of Thrones. Some context: Jaime Lannister (a knight) is speaking with High Sparrow (a priest) during funeral ceremony. They don't like each other.

  High Sparrow said:
  Do you know why we use these stones? To remind us not to fear death. We close our eyes on this world and open them on the next.

  Jaime answered:
  You must long for the next life.

I don't understand, what does it means. Is it an idiom (the whole phrase) or just special meaning of "must long"? Does it mean threat or insult or anything else?


texts:
I am looking for very clear written instructions for a 7-year-old person or anyone who can read. The instructions are about putting away legos and throwing away trash bits left on the floor. I am looking for step-by-step instructions that are also natural and common. Below are what I've come up with.

Putting away legos:

  First, gather up the lego blocks into a pile in front of you using
  both hands. Next, cup the palms of your hands and while keeping them
  on the floor, draw them together simultaneously picking the blocks off
  the floor. Then, carry the blocks over to the box and drop them
  inside.

Throwing away trash:

  Sweep all the trash bits with (the edges of) your palms and make a
  small pile. Next, grab them off the floor, holding them in your fists.
  Lastly, throw them into the bin.

I know these are not the most common sets of instructions. Please, give feedback. Are there any commonly used vocabulary verbs for such specific actions?


texts:
Source: C++ Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 2nd Edition by Mark Lee

Example:

  The main operation of the computer is executing these instructions. Fetch the next instruction. Execute it. Fetch the next instruction. Execute it. Over and over again. Except this all happens very fast. A 1 GHz CPU can execute one billion instructions per second! Nothing to shake a stick at (though I’m not sure why one would want to shake a stick at things... the motivation seems to be lacking).

If you've got more of something than you can shake a stick at, then you have a lot of it. That's the original expression. Obviously, a billion instructions per second is a whooping number. You sure can try and connect the two ideas—the idiom about having a large quantity of something and the fact that most computers run billions of operations per second these days, but to be perfectly honest I'm not exactly sure where the author is going with his joke (he intentionally distorts the original expression) which is apparently a play on this idiom. Any idea?


texts: Moving present participle within sentence

texts:
The latest major stampede occurred in 2006 killing at least 346 and injuring 289 people.

This sentence is a citation from news.I tried to alter the sentence as below.

  The latest major stampede killing at least 346 and injuring 289 people occurred in 2006.

So, what kind of differences can you recognize between these two sentences in terms of both grammar aspect and meaning aspect?


texts:
What is the meaning of "My luck precedes me" in below paragraph?
Would you like to buy flowers? Yes, how about the red rose. Sure, there you go sir. Thank You. As soon as he touched the roses, the flowers immediately withered. I should I have known. Hey, nothing, just a little sprinkle of water. Give it to me. As soon as she touched it, the flowers immediately blossomed again. Oh no. Not again. Give it to me. Here you go. Oh, you know just let it be. I don't deserve flowers. My luck precedes me.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIhQCow8CIo
Above line starts at 7:47


texts: 100, 200, 300... Are these "numbers in the hundreds"?

texts:
Let's say you were in a casino or something.

You want to bet 140 dollars, but they only accept 100, 200, 300, 400, and so on.

If I say, "The wager can only be in the hundreds", would that make sense?

Is there any other way to say it? I feel like I should use the word "minimum unit" or just "unit".


texts: Connectors and joint sentences elements that can add some information to the mentioned ideas

texts:
Please have a look on the following example of mine and let me know whether my conclusion is correct or I have to know something else about this specific topic:

The library on 5th Avenue in New York City is one of the best places to do research.  ……………… it has hundreds of the most respected magazines and journals in the world.

a) moreover
b) furthermore
c) in addition
d) additionally
e) as well as that
f) on top of that
g) besides

For me all of these adverbs can be used in the blank above and they all add new information to what is already known and consequently can easily be swapped everywhere.
In summary, for me:

1) All these adverbs mean the same.
2a) Moreover = Furthermore = In addition = Additionally  ==>  All are formal and can be swapped with each other everywhere freely
2b) As well as that = On top of that = Besides  ==>  All are informal and can be swapped with each other everywhere freely (therefore cannot be used e.g. in a business formal letter.)


texts: Subject -Verb- Object , sentence structure

texts:
He seemed to know that the teacher was planning to resign.

He is the subject,and seemed is the verb , and to know is the object. Is this correct?

And what about the clause "that the teacher was planning to resign."

I understand it is a object behind the transitive verb "know",

but then the structure would be S V O O.

Or is the entire "to know that the teacher was planning to resign" an object,making it S V O?

  I appreciate your telling me this.

A similar question confuses me,

I:subject, appreciate:verb , your telling:object,

what about "me" and "this", it seems like an S V O O O structure, but such pattern doesn't exit in grammar.

Or is the "your telling me this" the object of the verb "appreciate"?

And how can the " your telling me this" be grammatically explained.
Is it an object comprised of " Gerund verb + two objects" ?


texts:
But he looked at Algund and Andróg, and he said: ‘Home, do you say? Tall and cold stand the Mountains of Shadow between. Behind them are the people of Uldor, and about them the legions of Angband. If such things do not daunt you, seven times seven men, then I may lead you homewards. But how far, before we die?’

from The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

Does it mean just 49 men? It feels rather awkward to me and seems not to make natural connection within the sentence.


texts: What is an equivalent expression for "having the moon across" (Italian)?

texts:
When somebody is nervous, or easily irritable, in Italian you would say avere la luna di traverso which Google Translate translates with "have the moon across." (It seems Google Translate gives the literal translation, rather than an equivalent expression.)

I looked for any expression using moon, but I found is over the moon which has the opposite meaning of what I am trying to say, and moon used as verb, in phrases similar to "lying in bed eating candy, mooning around" for which I cannot say if it is said in a positive way, or a negative way.

Another, similar expression used in Italian is avere un diavolo per capello, which Google Translate translates as "have a devil for hair."

Is there an equivalent expression I could use in this case?


texts:
Which sentence is best in english ?

Context: I'm asking a question to a friend about what I should take with me for my next holiday.

Do you recommend to take warm clothes?
Do you recommend to take warm clothes to me?
Do you recommend to me to take warm clothes?


texts: Is electro-resuscitate a word? Can it be used?

texts:
I thought I would find the word in the dictionary. However, after doing a Google search I found out I was wrong.

The term electro-resuscitation has been used though:

  ... Giovanni Aldini, Professor of Physics at Bolognia, gave public
  demonstrations of electro-resuscitation ...

Sources.

Is electro-resuscitate a word? Would it okay to use it in writing?

The context is informal/literary writing. Here's an example:

  She was like a patient being electro-resucitated multiple times.


texts: Does "on the weekend" mean "this weekend"? or "every weekend"?

texts:
I don't mind working on the weekend.

Does "on the weekend" mean "this weekend" or "every weekend"?


texts: Is there any difference between "hostess" and "stewardess"?

texts:
I was wondering when I should use these words: 'hostess', 'air hostess', 'stewardess' and 'flight attendant'. What are the differences between them?

Some examples:

  One of the conference hostesses was very young.

  That's why I also want to study several languages, to become an air hostess.

  She worked as an airline stewardess.

Which should I use in each case?

Should I use "hostess" or "stewardess" for the people who help at conferences?


texts: What exactly is meant by "Ladles and Jellyspoons"

texts:
I see this salutation, "Ladles and Jellyspoons", in many places, including here.

What exactly is meant by this phrase? How did it start to be used?


texts: using of "GIVE" to turn a verb into a noun

texts:
Please attention to the below examples, firstly:

1-You can give me a hand,
2- Would you mind giving these plates a wipe?

We can paraphrase the above sentence as:
1- You can hand me,
2- would you mind wiping these plates?

I found the second example from here: "Would you mind ___ these plates a wipe [...]?" Why is the answer "giving"?
And, I am not sure about veracity of the first example.

Now my question is we can add "give" to every sentence and turn the verb of that sentence to a noun?


texts:
If I encountered a friend in a meeting and he said:"I thought you said you couldn't come to the meeting." Can I response him(1) "Oh, no I can." Or I should say(2) "Oh, yes I can"

I thought what my friend said is not a tag question, and in Chinese, I can say "Oh no, I can" which literally means I didn't say that, and I can come here for the meeting. And I know if the sentence A goes like this "You couldn't come to the meeting, could you?", which is a tag question then the answer should be "Oh, yes I can."

So, which reply is the most appropriate one in this situation?


texts:
This is carried out according to the course and wale quality of the fabric to be knitted by the knitting machine.

We could write fabric is knitted/fabric will be knitted/fabric can be knitted. But here, in the sentence stated above, fabric to be knitted has been used? Would anybody like to tell me when to be+past participle is used instead of auxiliary verbs+past participle?


texts:
Russia is the northernmost large and populous country in the world; much of it is cold and/or dry.

Although it is a very simple sentence, I am at my wit's end with the phrase northernmost large and populous. Russia is without a doubt the northenmost country; and it is also the largest country in the world but what does it mean northernmost large and populous? Is northenmost in this sentence adjective or adverb?


texts: What is the difference between is+ Noun or is +of + Noun

texts:
I am confuse below sentence,
Is it right in subject place " the people is of importance" or " the people is importance.


texts: What's the difference between 'got stolen' and 'was stolen'?

texts: Is there any difference between 'got stolen' and 'was stolen'?


texts: What is this type of road called in English?

texts:
I’m looking for a word or a phrase for describing this kind of road which usually is constructed in the mountain areas, but not only:

image a representative sample from Google images, query = transfagarasan

In my language we call this serpentine a word used as a noun (not adjective) to describe its shape.

If I wanted to write an article about this road, a road constructed in the mountains provided with many turns and angles like in the above link, which word would be more appropriate to use?


texts: Answering questions end with the word "right"

texts:
If one says

  You don't know that, do you?

I can answer

  Yes, I do. = Yes, I know.

  No, I don't. = No, I don't know.

But what if that one says

  You don't know that, right?

What should I answer?

  Right, I don't know.

  Yes, you're right.

  Yes, I don't know like you said.

  No, I don't know.


texts: What is the grammatical form of the sentence after the word "paradox"

texts:
This is a sentence on the book "1100 Words You Need to Know" Week 1 Day 3. I can understand the meaning of the sentence perfectly but the sentence structure and grammatical rules are a bit weird for me after the word paradox.

Sylvia regularly took a crowded subway train to work during rush hour, so she found it to be a "paradox" one hot, steamy Tuesday to easily find a seat in a car that was nearly empty.

When we say "she found it to be a", we must use a noun or a noun phrase after "a" but is "paradox one hot, steamy Tuesday to easily find a seat in a car that was nearly empty" a noun phrase?
Shouldn't we say instead "she found it a paradox that in a hot, steamy Tuesday she could find a seat in a car that was nearly empty"?
----Edit ( I write the full text below. It may help )

Sylvia regularly took a crowded subway train to work during rush hour,
so she found it to be a paradox one hot, steamy Tuesday to easily find
a seat in a car that was nearly empty. She wondered how, in the realm
of possibilities, this could be; how often in the annals of subway
history had there been such a fortunate occurrence? To compound the
puzzle, looking out the window she could see many commuters busily
racing on the platform to fill other cars. It was not until she saw
the sign on the door that she realized, with a tinge of resignation,
why she had been so “lucky” this morning: “We apologize, but the air
conditioning is not working in this car.”


texts: Usage of mixed conditionals - past/present

texts:
The thing I don't understand about mixed conditionals is this example from my book:

  A. “If Anna were here, she would've known what to do.” (but Anna's not here, so she can't help us.)

It says before that that mixed conditionals, where there is this type: Past simple - would + have + past participle, usage is: unreal present situations, usually imaginary permanent states, which could have had some consequences in the past.

In my language, you cannot possibly have some present situation that had / can have consequences in the past. How is this possible?

Can someone simplify the usage?

I have these questions:

  B. If you (wear) a beard all the time, they (not recognize) you without it.

I believe it should sound like this:

  If you wore a beard all the time, they wouldn't have recognized you without it.

Just because it sounds natural, but not because it might be correct. Can someone explain the usage listed above (in B)? What I'm thinking is: if you wore a beard—that's imaginary, not real now—they wouldn't have recognized you without it; meaning that in the past it could've had some consequences if you did and were like this like you are today. (Which you aren't actually.)

  C. If the Earth (stop), everything (be) changed in the world.

I believe that this is the answer:

  If the Earth had stopped, everything would be changed in the world.

but why wouldn't it be this?:

  If the Earth stopped, everything would have been changed.?

If it stopped, it's not moving, then this could've caused changes in the past?

  D. She (win) the beauty pageant if she (wear) different clothes.

This is my answer:

  She would win the beauty pageant if she had worn different clothes.

Because here we have some past event—wearing different clothes—which causes the victory ... and she would've just won it - but she didn't, because she hadn't worn different clothes. They are probably talking about it after but near the end of that competition.

Were these right explanations? If someone could, please summarize the usage of these 2 mixed conditionals (past simple - would + perfect infinitive, and past perfect - would + infinitive).

EDIT: I found another sentence I'm not sure about - it says I should comment on it (in mixed conditionals, only the 2 types I listed above):

  E. They are injured because they were driving very quickly.

I'd say here:

  If they hadn't driven (or maybe "been driving") very quickly, they wouldn't be injured.

Because it's a past event... but when I think about it, even though it's obviously not a "permanent state", but you could say:

  If they didn't drive very quickly, they wouldn't have been injured.

I really can't tell the difference when I look at the usage box in my book.


texts:
This is not the same as the other topics.

  "I don't want to be a part of THE GROUP who damages/damage the reputation of their own company."

What you are trying to say is, you don't want to include yourself in THE GROUP who damages/damages a company's reputation?

What is the correct verb here?


texts: I won't be able to go in front of her again

texts:
A child ran away from his house, because he felt that his parents were being a bit hard on him.( He was immature). Actually his parents were trying to protect him. So, when that boy realized that he felt guilty, do he said:

  I'll never be able to go in front of her again.

Is the use of "go in front of" natural? He says that he can never face his mom again.


texts: ownership vs own: How to use the in a sentence as to one complementing the other?

texts:
Scenario:

I posted a photo on FB and someone asked me if the photo was taken by me. But the photo was copied from the web and I am not the one who captured it. So does my following sentence make some sense.

I do not own the ownership of the capture that you mentioned?

What is the difference between the words Own and Ownership?


texts: What does "dreaming of houses uncluttered by reality" mean?

texts:
For this text:

  dreaming of houses uncluttered by reality, by half a lifetime of memories, perhaps.----

What does this mean? Does it mean:

The one who was leafing through Country Living Magazine was dreaming of houses uncluttered  which the one has no such houses so uncluttered in the one's reality  and perhaps the one has no such houses so uncluttered in the one's half a lifetime of memories.

Or can i understand the sentence in this way:

In the one's reality and perhaps in the one's half a lifetime of memories , the one's house is cluttered up with many things, and this provokes the person to dream of houses uncluttered which are in the Country Living Magazine actually.

The context is :

  Boy-blue and girl-pink. Through the kitchen double-doors I watch you eating supper – carrot and coriander soup – and leafing through Country Living Magazine, dreaming of houses uncluttered by reality, by half a lifetime of memories, perhaps. But my, how well you look. White hair endows you with the demeanour of a friendly witch.

Excerpted from David Mitchell's novel "The Gardener" partly:

  Satin white, Persian purple, oil-paint yellow. When I planted these birches they were broomstick-height, and now look at them. They tap our bedroom window on stormy nights. Hyacinths on (what I fondly call) my rockery. Boy-blue and girl-pink. Through the kitchen double-doors I watch you eating supper – carrot and coriander soup – and leafing through Country Living Magazine, dreaming of houses uncluttered by reality, by half a lifetime of memories, perhaps. But my, how well you look. White hair endows you with the demeanour of a friendly witch. Our geriatric radio – a wedding-present from my brother – is twittering away to itself.


texts: Next to something in size (phrase meaning) in the sentence

texts:
The two cities which are next to Kuala lampur in size are Tretes and Seleta.

Please explain 'next to something in size' meaning to me.


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "there was no one home" in this passage?

texts:
Those who knew him in childhood remembered a lively, outgoing
  personality. Yet as time went by, while his music retained a boyish
  sparkle and vigour, he personally became more withdrawn and
  introspective as he dedicated his energies exclusively to composing
  and writing learned treatises. As one close friend put it: “His heart
  and soul were in the harpsichord; once he had shut its lid, there was
  no one home.”

  Jean-Philippe Rameau: A Life

What is the meaning of 'there was no one home'? Shutting his mouth? secluding himself at the corner? retiring into his inner shell? No social contact?


texts: Can we begin a question with "To" or "From"?

texts:
Please consider the following questions.

  From which shed should I take it?

  To which house should I send it?

  From which printer is it being printed?

Are they correct?


texts: What is the difference between ‘wake up’ and ‘wake’?

texts:
My wife was asleep, and I woke up her.
  My wife was asleep, and I woke her.

What is the difference?


texts:
does "are often too important to be neglected by wiser portion of mankind" means that the wiser portion don't disregard them?

  Many sensible readers, we fear, will think we owe them an apology for
  opening our columns to a controversy on such a subject as Spiritualism
  and thus treating as an open or debatable question what should rather
  be dismissed at once as either an imposture or a delusion. But even an
  imposture may call for unmasking, and popular delusions howeverabsurd,
  are often too important to be neglected by the wiser portion of
  mankind . Is there, in reality, anything, as lawyers would say, to go
  to a jury with? Well, on the one hand, we have abundance of alleged
  experience which can hardly be called evidence, and a few depositions
  of a more notable and impressive character. On the other hand, we have
  many accounts of convicted impostors, and many authentic reports of
  precisely such disappointments or discoveries as we should be led to
  expect.

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


texts: How natural is this practice of omitting the subject in speech?

texts:
A movie clip of the movie 'Justice League' starts with this monologue by Bruce Wayne:

  I believe there is a stranger (1) comes to this village from the sea (2) comes in the winter when the people are hungry (3) brings fish. He comes on the king tide. That was last night.

First, please listen to the clip to see if you can hear any sound in (1), (2) and/or (3). If not, please answer the questions below.

There's a pause in (1), (2) and (3). Is "He" omitted from all of these?

  I believe there is a stranger. He comes to this village from the sea. He comes in the winter when the people are hungry. He brings fish. He comes on the king tide. That was last night.

Or is "who" omitted from (1) and "he" from (2) and (3)?

  I believe there is a stranger who comes to this village from the sea. He comes in the winter when the people are hungry. He brings fish. He comes on the king tide. That was last night.

In any case, how natural is this practice of omitting the subject of a clause -- be it "he" or "who" -- in speech?


texts:
Consider

  In Baku many modern architectures attract your attention, like the special building which was made by Zaha Hadid.

I feel in the above sentence, one should say "a special building", though if we omit "special", "the building" is also correct. Is this any creditable? If yes, why?

To me using "the special building" to refer to a specific building seems odd. I can imagine "the building made by ..." to mean a specific building. "the red building" to point to a famous red building in Baku, but when it comes to "special", my mind requests an "a", because first "special" is not like "red" a specific and noticeable attribute for the hearer. I can imagine the hearer asks "Which special building", "How special", but with "a special building" I just say there is a special building (in some ways) there made by Hadid.


texts: Question about [them] or [their] being...?

texts:
From an article of The Daily Mail (2007):

  [...] first immigrants from Jamaica [...]
  There should have been no question about their being admitted

Why does one/the text use their instead of them?

If you google for "no question about you being", you find 3.1 million search results, whereas "no quesiton about your being" only yields 849.000.

Are both forms correct?


texts:
I sometimes hear non-natives say "Whose ever" instead of "Who's ever". Then maybe they confuse it with "Whoever's"?

Where could this come from and is it any way correct?

You can take whose ever/who's ever/whoever's seat you want.


texts: 'The boy told us that he is sitting for an examination next Monday.' - Is the present continuous tense "is sitting" suitable to use in this case?

texts:
This is a question related to reported speech from my English exercise book:

  Choose the best answer A, B, C or D to complete the following sentences:
  The boy told us that he _____ for an examination next Monday.
  A. sits
  B. sat
  C. is sitting
  D. has sat

Because the examination will happen in the future time (next Monday), I can easily ignore option B (sat) and D (has sat). Also, I think option A (sits) may be fine because it talks about an event which is fixed, as in this example:

  She has a yoga class tomorrow morning.
  Source: http://www.ef.com/english-resources/english-grammar/simple-present-future-events/

How about option C (is sitting)? From my English grammar book, I know the present continuous tense can be used to talk about future plans or arrangements, but I just feel weird to use "is sitting" in this case. Does it sound natural to you?


texts: use of a, the or nothing while describing a routine

texts:
I have a sentence, describing a general situation, but i am confused about the usage of a, the or nothing in this context.

So in an experiment subjects answer a series of choice questions, in each question they make a choice between two options. If a subject chooses option 1, the second option will be changed in the next question.

I am confused because, here the routine or the rule described is valid for all subjects in the experiment, not for a particular subject. But also I state a special case to describe the rule, I mention about a hypothetical subject who chooses option 1. But the rule is valid for all subjects.

Should I use a, the or nothing?
Thank you in advance


texts:
Robots are predictable in their work.

In this sentence , what does "predictable"  mean?
Does it mean, robots can predict what will happen
in their work or we can predict the conditions of robots while they are working?


texts:
'get to' means 'have to' or 'have got to'. And I learned that after 'get to', there should be infinitive, but I saw a sentence which is showing 'get to + ~ing' form, so I don't know how to translate it.

Here is the example. (from 'Baker's blue-jay yarn' by Mark Twain)

I've noticed a good deal, and there's no bird, or cow, or anything that uses as good grammar as a blue-jay. You may say a cat uses good grammar. Well, a cat does - but you let a cat get excited once; you let a cat get to pulling fur with another cat on a shed, nights, and you'll hear grammar that will give you the lockjaw.


texts: Asking 'the pleasure of your company' in an invitation

texts:
This is a great site - I would happily pay for this advice. I must fess up and say I am a native English speaker (albeit an Irish one) but I'm running into trouble wording a party invitation.

Is it correct to ask the pleasure of your company? - My husband doesn't seem to like 'requesting' this.

  Cathie Godwin and Vincent Clancy
  were married on May 21 2013.

  We ask the pleasure of your company
   at ____ on Saturday, ____ 2014  to celebrate
   cocktails  6.30pm, dinner and dancing.

  r.s.v.p. to _____  by St. Patricks Day


texts: "Once every second" vs. "Once per second" vs. "Once each second. "

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

Once every second
Once per second
Once each second

Example of use:

  You may only do something once per second.


texts:
I have a clarification during my writing in expressing an activity. The sentence would be  "sea-shells and conches getting sedimented in that shore usually". I am unsure that the word sediment used sounds natural at this context.

I am also into similar situations in choosing words to the context. Is there a way / reference  to deal such issues?


texts: Using definitive article with an algorithm name

texts:
Assume there is a well know algorithm known as XX. When I refer to it as in the following example, should I use the article or not?

  In this example, we assume a hybrid-mode using XX algorithm

Or,

  In this example, we assume a hybrid-mode using the XX algorithm


texts: What is different between look, see and watch

texts:
I have confusion about following words because it's Gujarati meaning for all are same. What is actual difference between following words

Look,
See,
Watch

If possible then explain with example.


texts: Shall I use 'in' or 'on' or 'during the course'?

texts:
I want to refer to an online open course, is it correct to say

  Communism was introduced in/on/during the course

Which one in your opinion is better?


texts: Should I say "I don't know nothing" or "I know nothing"?

texts:
Which of the following is correct?

"I don't know nothing"

or

"I know nothing"?

The context:

Question: Do you know who told him this thing?
Answer: No, I don't know nothing about that.


texts:
Look at the example below

  The patient had died before the doctor came.

My teacher tells me that we use past perfect only when there are two events in order. The more past takes perfect form and less past takes simple past form. Like in this example the death of patient happened before Hence it is more past --> Past Perfect form. The arrival of the doctor happens later. So, it takes simple past.

Is there any instance when we use past perfect  in a sentence to describe one event? Or do we always need two events?


texts: The most natural ways to invite a person somewhere

texts:
Which one of the following sentences sounds more natural to you native speakers if you want to invite someone to a cinema:

  -1- What is your opinion about going to the movie theater?

  -2- What do you think about going to the movie theater?

  -3- What do you think of going to the movie theater?

  -4- How do you like going to the movie theater?

  -5- How do you feel about going to the movie theater?

  -6- How about going to the movie theater?

Here I found their hierarchical usage, but I doubt which one is used in this specific sentence by a native.


texts:
Background: In psychology, there are two classification methods of emotion (discrete classification and continuous classification), since emotion are universal of human being. But in the study of attitude, we could not classfy attitudes in the way of classifying emotion, since different countries owns its unique attitude categories.

Now here are the questions:

Should I insert a comma before "since" in the sentence below?
Should I use the term "emotion" or "emotions"?
Is there anything not idiomatic in the sentence below?

This is the example sentence:

  However, it is hard to use the classification methods of the researches for emotions to study attitudes since attitudes relate closely to cultures, which may differ a lot across cultures.


texts: Singular vs. plural verb form for an and-compound subject

texts:
If the subject is an and-compound like "cat and dog", then some languages put the verb into the plural form:

  The cat and the dog are hungry.

Other languages take the quantity of the last element in the and-compound:

  The cat and the dog is hungry.

  The cat and all dogs are hungry.

What's the rule in English?

I came across this sentence:

  Component properties and logic maps directly into HTML attributes and the browser's event system.

suggesting the "quantity of the last element"-rule.


texts: Imagine you see, for example, 5 tables in front of you and one pen on one of them. What would you say in this case? "I see a pen on a table" or "I see a pen on the table"? What's the difference if there are different possible ways to say this?


texts: Understanding when -ing is a gerund or an adjective

texts:
A possible first step in developing a nonsexist vocabulary with which to analyze the works of the nineteenth-century writer Elizabeth Gaskell would be to stop referring to her as “Mrs. Gaskell.”

How does one pin point that the "in developing" used here is not a gerund. Any guidelines to locating an adjective phrase?


texts: Ask/tell straight up/to his face/off/out something: most usual vs. most intense etc.?

texts:
The following are example sentences and comments extracted from the Merriam Learners' entry for the adverb straight :

  1 — She walked straight up to him and slapped him in the face. [in a
  straight or direct way] 2 — She told him straight to his face that
  she hated him. [in a straight or direct way] 3 — (informal) Straight
  up, what did you really pay for the tickets? [in an honest and direct
  way] 4 — I told him straight off that I wouldn't help him. [US, inf.; without del. or hesitation : immediately] 5 — I
  asked him straight out if he was doing drugs. [informal, in a very
  direct way]

Can't straight up (1) be used after verbs like ask/tell (2,4,5), as opposed to before some direct speech/interrogative construction (3)? Does the adjectival use for the drinks (not mixed) preclude using this?
With such verbs (ask/tell), is straight to his face (2) the most usual and non
familiar way of saying someone is being direct in context?
Is it accurate that asking/telling straight out yields the most powerful (direct) "intensification"; does each component (up/to his face/off/out; prepositions?) carry a significantly different intensity or cue which the native speaker picking up generally or is it register which is the key difference with straight here?


texts:
At first I thought it is "at the beach" then after a quick Google search I found out that it is flat out "on the beach". However, I have found one instance where a woman, presumably a native speaker, uses "at the beach". I have not done a thorough search to check for more.

What I want to know is whether you consider "at the beach" wrong, or acceptable but uncommon? I am asking you because the Google ngram viewer shows a slightly growing trend of using "at the beach" since around 1947.


texts: What does descending mean in this context?

texts:
The following part is extracted from the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_flexors#Hip

It is about muscles which flexes the hip, and the muscles are listed below. And it says muscles are listed "in descending order of importance to the action".

Does it mean that iliopsoas muscle is the major muscle involving to flex hip and the  muscle which applies lowest effort is Gracilis from the list. Does my interpretation correct?

"Hip:

The hip flexors are (in descending order of importance to the action of flexing the hip joint):

Collectively known as the iliopsoas or inner hip muscles:

Psoas major

Iliacus muscle

Anterior compartment of thigh:

Rectus femoris (part of the quadriceps muscle group)

Sartorius

One of the gluteal muscles:

Tensor fasciae latae

Medial compartment of thigh:

Pectineus

Adductor longus

Adductor brevis

Gracilis

Without the iliopsoas muscles, flexion in sitting position is not possible across the horizontal plane"


texts: can't believe one's eyes or couldn't believe one's eyes

texts:
I  **can't believe my eyes when I see that my parents have bought me a new car!

  I *couldn't believe my eyes when I see that my parents have bought me a new car!

Which is better, can't or couldn't?
I prefer ''couldn't' as it is impossible for not believing one's own eyes?


texts: Can the adjectivized nouns have a plural form?

texts:
Good day! Explain it to me please:)

Is is right to say:

Five-storeys houses

or

Five-storey houses?

Thanks a lot!


texts:
How would you normally ask someone for opening the doors/windows in a an area (like your home or an office)
to let the fresh air flows in and fill the area with oxygen-rich air?

How about the satate when you are suffering a bad smell within a place and you're going to evacuate the unpleasent air and replace it with a fresh one?

In both above-mentioned cases we would probabely say:

  Open the windows please. Let's the room be aerated.

But I don't know whether this translation is a natural way to say it. Please let me know about it and the way I have to imply this message.


texts: Asking for changing the air flow (straighten or tilt)

texts:
In a car, we can change the direction of the air flow. If the flow of the air is in the direction of the person and the person starts feeling cold, and wants the direction of the air flow to be changed,  what will be a natural way to describe that?

  Can you please tilt the air flow?

  Can you straighten the air flow?

(Depending on where you're sitting)

And if someone is feeling hot and wants the flow of air to be in his direction, what will be a natural way to describe it?

  Can you please straighten the air flow?
  (If you're sitting straighten direction of  the air flow)

  Can you please tilt the air flow?
  (If you're sitting in diagonal direction to the air flow?

Or simply:

  Can you turn the air flow in my direction?

Do all of the sentences above sound natural?


texts: What is the difference between treble and triple?

texts:
size of the workforce has been trebled.
size of the workforce has been tripled.

Can they be used interchangeably?Is this an English versus American thing?

I saw trebled used in this article.


texts: What is the correct answer - "Opening" or "Open"?

texts:
In the proofreading part of my test paper, I wrote

  "Opening at the same time as the school, the library is an important place."

But the answer was

  "Open at the same time as the school, the library is an important place."

Is my answer wrong? I learnt to use gerunds at the beginning of the sentence, so I am so confused by this question. Can someone help me? Do native speakers of English accept my answer?


texts:
In the following sentence, can  commas be left out?

  Latin, still taught in many parts of the world, is a dead language.


texts: Word that is equivalent to "easily sexually-swayed pushovers"

texts: I looked over the Internet for a word that describes a man that is easily swayed and driven by women and their desires but I couldn't find one. I hope that you would be of help. Even if it's a phrase..


texts: Writing like an Arbitrator or Mediator - How would I search for that?

texts:
User Jasper's instructive comment under How to phrase a follow-up question politely, if there's evasion? motivated this question:

  Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People addresses many similar topics. (Unfortunately, I don't think it addresses this exact topic.) The best editions of the book were published before he died in 1955.

I was wondering if there other reputable books or references on the subject of writing politely or cordially, but with conviction and effect.

What's this subject or practice or method called, so that I can try searching?


texts:
Which word is more suitable for formal conversations when we try to say that the food or liquid that was in our stomach comes up and out of our mouth in polite way without sounding too technical ?

and which one mostly is used by doctors ( more techinal) ?


texts:
Can "get" be used as a verb of perception? If it is not a verb of perception, what is the meaning of the usage below?

  We got you coming into Vegas for two days when she died. ( Detectives say this to a suspect because the detectives have evidence)

and

  I got 2 guys on motorbikes coming your way. ( A group of soldiers about to start a operation and the lookout saying this to the rest of the group)


texts: What's the acceptable short name for the place where cars are normally repaired?

texts:
What's the most common name for the place where cars can be repaired?
Looking at the parallel article on English Wikipedia shows me that this place called "An automobile repair shop" but I believe that nobody is really says this very long name because it isn't comfortable. The article denotes that it is also known regionally as a garage or a workshop. So I understand that it depends on regions.

What's the most acceptable short name for this place? (In the UK and in the USA as well)


texts: Can I use "over to John" when I want to say "now it is John's turn to speak"?

texts:
During our conference calls, I keep using the phrase "..and now I give/yield the floor to.." but that sounds to me a bit "formal". I know I could also say "...so now I hand you over to John".
Could I just say "and now, over to John"?
What other alternatives would be acceptable in this context?


texts: "This raining is falling hard" would it be wrong? or how does it feels for you

texts:
I know it is commonly said "This rain is falling hard" but I am working in a poem and "This raining is falling hard" fits perfect with all the metrics and the entire story.
But since I'm not a native speaker, does it feels odd like that? Would it really bother you if you listen to it? Would it feel like a foreigner is saying it, or would just feel poetical?
How would you feel it? Would you say it if you were in a specific country?
Or simply get rid and just go with "this rain is falling hard"


texts: How to write general words in a set with a more specific instance of the general word?

texts:
SPSS 20, Eviews 7, and Minitab 16 software were used for analyzing results obtained for the study.

Or

  Software of SPSS 20, Eviews 7, and Minitab 16 were used for analyzing results obtained for the study.

How should I bring a general term e.g. software with a specific term e.g. SPSS in a sentence. And how would the arrangement be if there's more than one specific word, e.g. SPSS, Eviews, and Minitab?

This question might be generalized to States of California, Pennsylvania, and Michigan or California, Pennsylvania, and Michigan states.  Also names of seas, rivers, lakes, etc. What is the general rule when bringing a specific instance along with a general term in terms of precedence?


texts:
Well, she ain't no John Wilkes Booth. But may be you might of heard tell 'bout the price on her head.

This is a quote from QT's movie the Hateful Eight. I am aware that this is not supposed to be a standard English but the passage in bold is even in this respect a little bit weird. Can you tell me why is "of" before "heard", why is the verb "tell" used there?


texts: What is the meaning of "object" in this context?

texts:
This is the context:

  The
  subtle assumption we made is that for every description there is a set of elements that
  have the objects described. This works most but not all of the time. For example, if I
  think of the property of red, then I can form the set of all red things. With a
  description of pink Cadillacs there is a set of pink Cadillacs. But the description
  “does not contain itself” cannot correspond to a set of things that does not contain
  itself. This will lead to a contradiction. We must be careful.

What is the meaning of "objects described"?


texts: What does 'come at' mean in this sentence?

texts:
"We prize most those which are hardest to come at."

In the above sentence, "come at" is translated to the meaning of "gain" in korean("얻다").

(That sentence is one of example sentences in English-korean dictionary in korean portal site.)

Do native English speakers understand "come at" like that too?
I can't understand well how "come at" which consist of verb(come) and preposition(at) can mean "gain".
And I also wonder if "come at" in that sentence is literary expression or antiquated expression.


texts: What is the meaning of "a not-so-subtle-dig"?

texts:
Would somebody clarify the meaning of "a not-so-subtle dig" in this text?

  "Super UHD TV" is of course a not-so-subtle dig at Samsung’s "SUHD TV"

And in context with the paragraph where it orginated:

  Jumping to LCDs, LG has chosen to name its high-end models “Super UHD TVs”. This is of course a not-so-subtle dig at Samsung who has chosen “SUHD” as the marketing name for its high-end LCDs. So what does “Super UHD TV” entail exactly? LG says that it a moniker for 4K LCD combined with quantum dot technology. The latter is used to expand the color gamut for better colors. The three UH95, UH85 and UH77 models all support Dolby Vision and HDR10. LG’s new high-end LCDs are not “UHD Premium” certified like Samsung’s new high-end LCD but they hope that customers will value Dolby Vision more.


texts: How to leave out the verb in this sentence

texts:
I wrote:

  Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter and certain options are provided for the user to proceed.

Can I say it like these:

  Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter and certain options for the user to proceed.

  Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter accompanied by certain options for the user to proceed.

More context:

  Through this tool, students are presented with spoken words, which they are asked to spell using the computer keyboard. Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter and certain options for the user to proceed.


texts: Can a 'valetudinarian' be a 'valetudinarian'?

texts:
The perplexity occurred as it has two meanings but if I read between the lines, they are contradictory to each other! (Let's not touch adjectives of this, they are even more confusing!)

  valetudinarian (n; #1): a person who is or believes himself to be chronically sick; invalid

And the next meaning is...

  valetudinarian (n; #2): a person excessively worried (anxious?) about the state of his health; [hypochondriac -omitting this as this is the medical term and being a healthcare provider, and though it's close, I feel it does not exactly represents our word in concern.].

Now, if Jack is too conscious, worried or anxious about his health, he's less likely to contract diseases. We often say, he's, though over, health conscious. On the other hand, the first meaning says that if you are a valetudinarian, you are chronically sick (one of the meanings).

If you worry too much for your health, it is actually to prevent valetudinarianism, isn't it?

How come a valetudinarian (#2) person can be a valetudinarian (#1).


texts:
Passage excerpt from a TOEFL question:

  "... These laws are universal in their application, regardless of cultural beliefs, geography, or climate. If pots have no bottoms or have large openings in their sides, they could hardly be considered containers in any traditional sense. Since the laws of physics, not some arbitrary decision, have determined the general form of applied-art objects, they follow basic patterns, so much so that functional forms can vary only within certain limits."

  The word "they" in the passage refers to:

  applied-art objects
  the laws of physics
  containers
  the sides of pots

According to this site, the correct answer is:

  follow basic patterns => applied-art objects

I would like to know why the correct answer to that question is No.1


texts:
Crossing one’s fingers serves as protection from bad luck or from the penalties associated with lying. Thus, when people wish for good luck, they cross their fingers, and when they wish not to be held accountable for a lie, they cross their fingers and hide their arms behind their backs to not let on that they are lying.

How to understand the phrase in bold in other words and the whole last sentence?


texts: What does "anything of war" mean in this context?

texts:
In 1914 hardly anyone in Europe or America below the age of fifty had
seen anything of war in his own country.

- The New World Order by H.G. Wells
What does anything of war mean in this context?
I have two version:

Anything like war
Anything related to war

Which version is correct?


texts: How "current passing through a conductor" and "current passed through a conductor" differ?

texts:
As far as I searched, the verb "pass" can be used transitively or intransitively.  So I think the following two sentences are possible:

  Current passes through a conductor.
  Current is passed through a
  conductor.

I think the sentences 1 and 2 have a slight difference in meaning.  My question is that is a difference between "current passing through a conductor" and "current passed through a conductor" equivalent to the difference between the sentences 1 and 2?


texts:
I would like to ask which one is the appropriate grammar for using "starting soon" or "started soon".

For example:

  The commissioning will be starting soon.

Is this right or wrong?


texts:
I have a question.

Restrict to do something and restrict from doing something have the same meaning?

for example,

I am restricted to smoke one cigarette one day
I am restricted from smoking one cigarette one day.

Are those sentences the same meaning or not?

I just had an argument with my colleague over this topic.

I think restricted to do something and restricted from doing something
are different. please help.


texts: Resonate - a word you could use with people

texts:
I realised I have been using word "resonate" a lot lately but mostly in regards to people. For example:

  I noticed I resonate with the type of people who _____ the most.

For some reason I decided to check The Free Dictionary for the definition that reads:

  To exhibit or produce resonance or resonant effects.
  To evoke a feeling of shared emotion or belief: "Bethune projected a strong presence of achievement and pride that resonated among African Americans" (Audrey Thomas McCluskey).
  To correspond closely or harmoniously: "Symbolism matters, especially if the symbols resonate with the larger message" (William Greider).

As you can see there is no mention of people and when I asked my friends (US), they said they would never use it in regards to a person.

Is there anything that I can replace it with? I don't want to get into a bad habit if the usage is incorrect.

I'm looking for something on the same "sophistication level" unlike
to get on well or connect well with.


texts: How many hyphens do I need when I add '-based' to a noun phrase?

texts:
Markov chain-based or Markov-chain-based?

The full sentence:

  It resembles black-hat SEO and its Markov chain-based keyword stuffing
  techniques.

What is the rule?


texts: How to avoid using "he", "she" repeatedly in sentence sequences?

texts:
When you start a sentence sequence, for example with "he", would It be correct if I construct the sentences as following:

  He started walking down the road. Took a sigh. Was amazed with the beauty of the sky.

I know that I could construct the sentences like below, if I am not wrong:

  He started walking down the road, took a sigh, was amazed with the beauty of the sky.

But I don't want to use lots of commas. In my opinion even if the way I build the sentence is wrong, people wouldn't find it absurd, am I right?

Please don't give me alternatives of the sentences. I just want to know about the exact example I gave.


texts:
A piece of fruit and a cup of coffee are ( good / suitable )for me.

I think both are possible but I'm not sure.

Are both of them possible?


texts: "People in sneakers are fast out of desperation, not wealth." What does it mean?

texts:
I came across a sentence from an old New Yorker article:

  The New Yorker, August 7, 1978 P. 18

  Illustrated talk story about gauging people's income by their shoes and how fast they walk. Writer's observations were inspired by a young millionaire whom he followed up Fifth Ave. and lost because the tycoon walked twice as fast as anybody else. In the area around Broadway and 72nd St. writer sees a girl in saddle shoes who probably gets money from home, an old man shuffling along on Social Security, a woman in gold high heels with an estimated 5-figure income. Sandals are low-income. People in sneakers are fast out of desperation, not wealth.

Does the adverb fast mean firmly here? I can't understand what the sentence means. People in sneakers are firmly out of desperation? What is not wealth?


texts:
I could be run over by a bus tomorrow.

I could be hit by lightning.

I could die tomorrow.

Can I replace the "could"s with "might"s in the examples above with no change in meanings?


texts: What does the phrase "rolling down" mean in context?

texts:
I am not sure what "rolling down" means in the phrase "flight was rolling down the runway."  The word roll means "move somewhere by turning over and over or from side to side", which impresses me as "unsteady flying, dangerous" and I guess it might have been "spiralling down", which is safe.
What does "roll down" mean here?

Duncan Clark’s flight was rolling down the runway in Paris in late October when President Emmanuel Macron announced a second national lockdown in France. The country had nearly 50,000 new Covid-19 infections that day. The United States had almost 100,000.

Source:  NYTimes  In a Topsy-Turvy Pandemic World, China Offers Its Version of Freedom


texts: Sorry, I didn't recognize "you", or "your voice"?

texts:
Someone calls you on the phone, but you don't know who they are. The conversation goes like:

Caller: "GIBBERISH... GIBBERISH... GIBBERISH..."

You: "Um.. Who am I speaking with, please?"

Caller: "It's ThisGuyWhoseVoiceYouShouldHaveRecognized..."

Should your response be:

  "Oh, hi! Sorry, I didn't recognize YOU."

Or

  "Oh, hi! Sorry I didn't recognize YOUR VOICE."

Could the former be used in a phone conversation at all?

Does it not sound like that you don't recognize them/they're importance/their existence?

Please also let me know if you'd go with an alternative phrase to begin with, and if you could give two examples, one polite/formal and one for casual situations.


texts: "Not one for" something (e.g., social pleasantries)

texts:
Not one for social pleasantries, the chief of staff would brusquely ask his subordinates anything he wanted, even coffee.

What does it mean?


texts: Converting impersonal constructions to modal sentences

texts:
In these examples:

  It is required that we file taxes.
  It is crucial for my friend to be here.
  It is possible that humans are on the edge of breathtaking discoveries..

How can I convert these impersonal constructions so that it doesn't start with a dummy pronoun?


texts: Is there any difference in the emotional intensity by saying "I would like to", and "I would love to"?

texts:
I heard that there is a delicate difference between "I would like to" and " I would love to."

Could you please tell me the difference in meaning between "I would like to" and " I would love to"?


texts: How to consider the example of a word's usage 'repeating' its own meaning?

texts:
I was to put this question months back but was not getting a proper example. Now, I have one in my hand!

I had observed it many times that dictionaries give examples of words' usages. But at times, they repeat the meaning of the word that the word already talks about.

The simplest example is that I often tell my students that you should not add about after discuss. Consider that about is already included in discuss. So, Let's discuss the proejct and not Let's discuss about the project.

Well, but today, I was going through the samples of draught and the original question popped up in my mind!

  draught: [countable] a flow of cool air in a room or other confined space

Then, the example follows...

  A cold draught of air blew in from the open window.

Indeed, it's redundant! Why mention 'cold'; why mention 'air' when you already have in the definition.

In my opinion, the sample should be like...

  A draught blew in from the open window.

Why? Because just like discuss includes 'about', draught includes cold and air both.

Question: How to take these samples? And based on this, how to take those all examples that repeat the meaning of the words that they have already in their definition!


texts:
I was forbidden to make such requests.

I feel that this is not English. But how can I express that somebody said that I am not authorized for this action?


texts:
They seemed a nice couple.

They seemed to be a nice couple.

They seemed like a nice couple.

Are they all correct?


texts:
I was doing 'articles' exercise on the web. I found this sentence,

  Ben has a terrible headache.

Why 'a' is used here. The terrible headache is not a countable noun. Thus, 'a' should not be used here. I feel the correct sentence is "Ben has terrible headache." However, the correct answer is the following: "Ben has a terrible headache."

I am confused. Please do help me.

Can I say, "I had headache."?