texts: An adjective for an event that happened in a night dream

texts:
Provided that the noun "dream" may mean both images and emotions occurring during sleep and imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake, what adjective would unambiguously modify an event that took place in a night dream?

For example, last night I saw a dream where I was drinking Vodka and playing backgammon with Boris Yeltsin at my kitchen table.

How can this game (or any other event such as encouter, wedding, fight, etc.) be modified in a sigle collocation of an adjective and a noun?

Such adjectives I could think of as dreamful (full of dreams), dreamlike (resembling a dream), dreamed (imagined or hoped for) definitely don't match the idea,

Since in Russian (my native language) there is no adjective for this, and the idea is usually expressed by what may be translated into English as "the game from the dream", I wonder if there's one in English.

In addition, the example sentence might read something like this:

  After sending you the message where I had told you about my [the
  requested adjective] encounter with Boris Yeltsin at the buss stop,
  next time I saw him in my dream was at a mobile juice-bar—he was
  sipping tomato juice from a schooner.


texts:
In formal applications it is quite obvious:

  Kindly grant me three days of leave and oblige.

Can I write it simply as:

  Kindly oblige me with three days of leave.

(As we have the construction--

oblige somebody with something

eg. Could you oblige me with a paper and a pen.)

Anyway, can I use three days' leave instead of three days of leave?

Thank you in anticipation.


texts:
What's the correct phrase?

Example:

  She wants to marry a guy with brains.

Or

  She wants to marry a guy having brains.


texts: what is omitted after 'with' in 'to begin with' & 'get it over with'?

texts:
I thought prepositions always have a noun after itself. But these two doesn't.

  To begin/start with,......

  let's just get this over with.

why nothing is after the preposition?


texts:
In drama movie Bombshell (2019), from office, Lilly Balin contacts Megyn Kelly, who was watching her
husband playing tennis:

Lily Balin: It's a zoo here. The phone's ringing off the hook.
Megyn Kelly: Anyone care he called me a bimbo?
Not really. He tweeted the GQ photo. And?
(Camera focus on Donald Trump tweet)
Lilly Balin: Torn.

What does "Torn" mean?


texts: Submission of an article from the XXX Medical 'Center' to a journal that requires British spelling

texts:
I am editing a scientific paper that specifies British spelling. But the name of the author's research institute is The XXX Center for Medical Research.
Should I change this to Centre?


texts: Shall I use continuous tense for both action in this sentence?

texts:
Is it correct to write:

I hope, my name, when you are reading it, will ring a bell.

Or should I write:

I hope my name, when you are reading it will be  ringing a bell.

Is it correct to use continuous tense for both the actions? I think the first one is better but don't know why. (may be because it is the first action)


texts: "I invite you for / to coffee" is correct?

texts: If I'm inviting a person to drink coffe with me, then can I say "I invite you for / to coffe" or should I add a noun or a verb such as "I invite you for drinking coffee" / "I invite you to drink coffee"?


texts: Meaning of 'modal' in modal ‘argument from contingency’

texts:
Like most arguments for the existence of God, the cosmological argument exists in several
  forms; two are discussed here: the temporal, kalam cosmological argument (i.e. the fi rst
  cause argument), and the modal ‘argument from contingency’. The main distinguishing
  feature between these two arguments is the way in which they evade an initial objection
  to the argument.
  (Source: ‘The cosmological argument’ by Tim Holt, www.philosophyofreligion.info )

Source: p 116, Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law, Mark Shepherd

  From the link above: 1. Relating to mode or form as opposed to substance.

The abstractness confuses me, so I tried to continue to the definitions of 'mode' and 'form'. Yet they are also abstract and too numerous for me to determine the best fit. Please explain the steps or thought processes, so that I can try to resolve this myself in the future?


texts: A sly expression for a 'one day chance meeting'

texts:
Considering a situation where I once met a guy just for a day and we somehow developed a bond due to the circumstances we were in—helping each other and sharing mutual ideas... but never remained in touch after that and
now out of nowhere we meet again? To answer the curious people but not wanting to expound upon it, I wan't to escape the question
..with a mischievous one liner which would leave the people wondering what must have happened?
Also it should not give a wrong implication.
Something like 'we have a history' or 'we go way back' sort of expressions. But I can't use them due to this link:  Meaning of 'We have a history'.

I'm considering

  We've had a good time together.

But that would mean 'had a good time' for more than a day.

I'm counting on you experts to provide me with suitable expressions to clear out this 'one day chance meeting of good memories' situation.
I appreciate any help.


texts:
So，as the little prince described it to me, I have made a drawing of that planet.  I do not much like to take the tone of a moralist.  But the danger of the baobabs is so little understood, and such considerable risks would be run by anyone who might get lost on an asteroid, that for once I am breaking through my reserve.  "Children," I say plainly, "watch out for the baobabs!"

  The Little Prince

I don't quite understand the phrase "breaking through my reserve" in this context.  Is it a common phrase in daily usage?


texts:
I have noticed many times like if a person says to someone that one of my relative passed
away the other person replies Sorry to hear that
I don't get the meaning of this reply. Sorry is used for forgiveness or when someone has done
a mistake and he promises not to do it again. Is this a correct sentence ?
Is there any better reply than this?


texts: What is the right preposition in the sentence?

texts:
I am not sure what preposition I need to use in following sentence:

  Standard places for labeling of administrative department stickers

It's a title so it is not put in some context. I doubt whether I should use with instead of of. But in the same time of sounds right for me (because it is a title and stickers are the subject)
I need clarifying of someone who knows how it should be exactly.


texts: How to understand "Not lost are you, my dear?"?

texts:
"Not lost are you, my dear?" said a voice in his ear, making him jump.

I guess it simply means "Are you lost, my dear?", but I'm not sure. On the other hand, the word order looks odd to me. Is it a common sentence?

A bit context: Harry was lost in Knockturn Alley and he was trying to find a way out to Diagon Alley. Then suddenly, he ran into an aged witch, who said that to Harry.


texts:
In  a sister site I saw the word sir written in IPA as /sər/
and not   /sɜ:r/ as it was in my OALD. So I looked it up at Oxford Dictionary on-line and sure enough, they had it as /sər/. The same at MW.

The same pronunciation is given for words like purr and bird where my OALD shows /ɜ:r/

I thought the schwa was used to indicate a reduced vowel in an unstressed syllable.

I am also seeing the same in the word cut. Although my 30 year-old copy of OALD shows /kʌt/, I am seeing /kət/ in MW.

Is schwa now being used to indicate a vowel sound in a single syllable word? When did this change?


texts:
"The Ballad of Flammingrad"

  Every December we all gather round
  To pay our respects to a troll so renowned

  In remembrance of the friend we had
  A jolly old soul we called Flemmingrad

  We all dig deep down
  And we uproot the past
  We shove up its nostril a fistful of grass
  We shape his likeness, bless his soul
  Oh, Flemmy the fungus troll

  Lyrics from 'Olaf's Frozen Adventure'

And it looks like this.

What does "past" mean here?


texts:
I read this following sentences on a newspaper and I cannot understand the second sentence's structure.

  He added: 'We have all had moments where a smell can take you back
  somewhere in time. That the victim could identify this smell
  provided us with another piece in the puzzle.'

What I see is that a sentence, "the victim could identify this smell", is used as a subject of another sentence. For me it sounds wrong and it should be noun phrase. For example it could have been:

  The victim's identification of the smell provided us with another piece in
  the puzzle.

or there could have been a "so that it"

  the victim could identify this smell so  that it provided us with
  another piece in the puzzle.


texts:
I have been reading threads on this site, but I still have one question:

Is it possible to say:

I didn't like travelling ever since I came back from Paris (for example)?


texts:
I am confused about word chilled. I understand the use of chilled as an Adjective.For example

  The soup is chilled

Here chilled is a adjective which refer to cool

But How can i use "chilled". as a verb and how I can decide whether it is verb or adjective

For example I just watched a video on http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/everyday-grammar-subjunctive/3458590.html. In that video, man speaks this sentence at  1:16

  I suggest that you wait until the Soup has chilled.

Is the "soup has chilled" is a present perfect tense where chilled is third form of chill Or is it a present simple tense, Where chilled is used as adjective .


texts: using "should" in an if adverbial clause

texts:
Do any one know if we use the word should in any if adverbial clause, so how that affects the sentence? Just my Profs. told me this:  when we add "should", this emphasises the speaker's uncertainty that something will happen.

Take for example.

  I'll be at my uncle's house in case you should need to reach me.


texts: What is the equivalent word for embed (a video) and insert (text) for a picture?

texts:
You embed a video and insert text. What do you do with pictures?

I suppose you can use more general terms like 'include' or 'add', but I want to know if there is a specific verb.


texts:
If that's the case, Ben. We suggest that
  you contact our Answer Desk here for
  further assistance: https://.

Is it wrong to use a period on this sentence after the name? Should a comma be used instead?


texts: "The day of the [subject]" VS "[subject] Day"

texts:
I don't really get when we should use the pattern "[the] day of [the] subject" and when it's "[Subject] day". One example is "The day of the Dead" VS "Independence Day" and not "The day of Independence".
From other examples I found I feel like "the day of..." is used for undefined, vague events with no fixed days (the day of the Lord, the day of reckoning) or as a construct for style and that "[Subject] Day" is the usual term when talking about a specific, known, event, but I couldn't find sources confirming that.
So the question can be summed up to when do you use the construct "[the] day of [the] subject and when is it "Subject day"?


texts: "Within a year or so of becoming director in Paris, he had been diagnosed as HIV positive"

texts:
Conducting seemed to offer a fresh career, and in addition he had plans for creating several further ballets. Unfortunately his declining health prevented this. Within a year or so of becoming director in Paris, he had been diagnosed as HIV positive.

(Source: The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation)

Can you explain to me why the past perfect there is used in the above sentence? If I understand the phrase "within a year or so", Nureyev firstly became a director in Paris and just then he was diagnosed as HIV positive.


texts: Comparing "Path", "Route", "Road", "Way"

texts:
Which choice below sounds natural to be used in my sentence as a way of encouraging a young person who has given up hope?  Let's say you want to tell them that they have a long way ahead and lots of opportunities are waiting them:

  Father says to his son:
  You know I've always believed in you, and you know how proud I am of you. Don't let this discourage you. You'll take the entrance exam next year, and you can apply to other schools, too. So what are you going to do for the next year? I'll tell you. You're going to work, study harder; and then you'll take the entrance exam again. So, be hopeful! You're just at the beginning of the ...........

a) path
b) road
c) route
d) way

I think all the choices above work here.

Cambridge says:

  Path -- a route or track between one place and another, or the direction in which something is moving.
  Road -- a long, way built for vehicles to travel along
  Route -- a particular way or direction between places.
  Way -- a route, direction, or path.


texts: Why should "rip a man apart like a rag doll" be read "... like [it can rip apart] a rag doll" instead of "... like a rag doll [can rip apart a man]"?

texts:
A tiger can't win a mental fight with a man, but it can rip the man apart like a rag doll.

Why is the sentence above read as?

A tiger can't win a mental fight with a man, but it can rip the man apart like [it can rip apart] a rag doll.

But not as?

A tiger can't win a mental fight with a man, but it can rip the man apart like a rag doll [does rip the man apart].

Ellipsis could work both ways here, right?
Of course logic warrants only the first version, but grammar could work both ways here.


texts: "make a request of" or "make a request to"

texts:
From NPR
BRIEF INTRODUCTION: Elisofon is a photographer, he asked to take a picture of a King of the Congo for Life Magazine. Staples is a curator who created an exhibit with Elisofon. And Stamberg is a NPR correspondent.
QUESTION: The question is simple. For the phrase make a request of in the following quote, I feel very strange. Given the fact that the request(bring out of a mirror) is made by the King of Congo, to the photographer(Elisofon), how about make a request to? That is, Once he was ready, the king made a request to Elisofon. The word Of in the quote makes me feel more like the request is made by the King, not the Elisofon.
QUOTE:

STAPLES: It took him(the King of Congo) three hours to get dressed for the photograph. And the costume, itself, weighs over 300 pounds.
STAMBERG: Once he was ready, the king made a request of Elisofon.
STAPLES: The king wanted a full-length mirror brought out so he could see how he looked. And Elisofon said: The only other time that happened to me was with Ginger Rogers.


texts: How to interpret the verb 'trace' to determine the relevant 'Kantian notions'?

texts:
These rights confer adult status on patients whom paternalists regard as children,
  replacing quasi-familial with quasi-legal relations. A patient’s “free and informed
  consent” reflects an implicit therapeutic contract, defined and reviewed as
  treatment proceeds. A physician who treats without such consent is not a
  patriarch, but a batterer. Less litigiously, these rights define a “principle of
  autonomy” traced to Kantian notions of respect for persons and inherent human
  dignity.

  ... Does the principle (contra Kant) cover voluntary euthanasia?

Solely from the quote above, how do you determine/deduce which Kantian notion conflicts with voluntary euthanasia? I don't understand the particular meaning of trace: is it ODO's Definition 1.1?

  to trace = Find or describe the origin or development of

Does trace mean that principle of
autonomy refutes voluntary euthanasia? Or does only 'respect ... and human dignity' refute euthanasia? Or both?

Please explain the steps, thought processes; I’d like to try to resolve this myself in the future?


texts:
Is this expression correct?

To perform sales with VAT refund?

It is a text about Tax Free Shopping. And the sentence is about stores wishing to join Tax Free shopping. In this case, they want to perform sales with VAT refund ?


texts: What is this large mammal with antlers called: a moose or an elk?

texts:
Is it a moose or an elk in the picture attached? It's from this Wikipedia article. I've always called this animal an elk.
Wiki says:

  The moose (North America) or elk (Eurasia), Alces alces, is the
  largest extant species in the deer family.

So these two words are synonyms.

On the other hand, Encyclopaedia Britannica gives the following information:

  *Elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis), also called wapiti, the largest and most advanced subspecies of red deer (Cervus elaphus), found in North
  America and in high mountains of Central Asia.

  Moose (Alces alces), the largest member of the deer family Cervidae
  (order Artiodactyla).*

As you see, these are two different species, the moose and the wapiti (or the American elk).

What is the animal in the picture called?


texts:
Mechanics’ Institutions were established in the hope of popularizing scientific
  knowledge, and incidentally making the workman better at his work. The latter
  motive at first received the chief emphasis. At Manchester, for example, the
  preamble declared that “this society was formed for the purpose of enabling
  Mechanics and Artizans of whatever trade they may be, to become acquainted with
  such branches of science AS [my emphasis] are of practical application in the exercise of that
  trade, that they may possess a more thorough knowledge of their business, acquire
  a greater degree of skill in the practice of it, and be qualified to make
  improvements and even new inventions in the Arts which they respectively
  profess.”

1. Is there a pronoun missing before are of practical application? I tried to rewrite to understand:

  At Manchester, for example, the
  preamble declared that “this society was formed for the purpose of enabling
  Mechanics and Artizans ..., to become acquainted with
  branches of science such AS ??? are of practical application** in the exercise of that
  trade,...

2. Shouldn't that be 'so that' or 'in order that'? What's this problem called?


texts:
Is "have to" a modal verb? tells us, in two conflicting answers, that it's either a modal verb or it's not a modal verb.

Then I just realized that there are never any definitions provided for what a modal is, only examples of modal verbs, or examples of what they do. It's an all familiar thing: "modals are used to express obligation, necessity, permission . . . ".

To narrow down and clarify the question,

What properties should an item possess to qualify as a modal?
Are modals and modal verbs different things? In other words, are there modals that are not verbs?
Are there modal verbs that aren't auxiliary verbs?

I realize there might be conflicting definitions, but there are areas most experts would agree upon, and for the shadier parts of the definition, only one definition would suffice.


texts:
A. "I just wanted to let you know that ..."

B. "I just want to let you know that ..."

I know A is better than B, but don't know why.  Is there anything wrong with B?

Thanks in advance.

The context is in business settings.  When I write an email to my co-workers or boss for something they need to know, I'll start with "I just wanted to let you know that the service has to be shutdown in business hours."

If I use "I want to let you know..", what do you think my coworker or boss will feel?


texts: You’ll tell me what you “learned”/“have learned"

texts:
For example, I lent my friend a book. Which one of these two sentences makes more sense to say?

So you’ll tell me what you learned.

So you’ll me what you have learned.


texts:
Example with a context:

  Both Washington and Wall Street are watching, wondering what Putin's government does next. But it now appears safe to say: The Ukraine crisis has become a grave threat to the Russian economy.

How do you understand the phrase grave threat? Although I'm not one hundred percent sure what it means exactly, I'll take a guess. Does it mean that this is not just your regular thread, but it's much more than that in that this kind of thread is going to cost you your life, meaning, you're going to be dead if you don't do something?


texts:
Let's say I go to see my manager and I when I enter his office, he is sitting with his back facing me and doing something like talking to someone who I couldn't see.

How should I describe this?

  When I went there, I saw he was looking backwards and doing something.
  When I went there, I saw he was looking behind and doing something.

Do they both mean what I want to describe?


texts: Should I use "to" in this sentence after the conjunction?

texts:
I wrote:

  How is it possible to be a mother and [to] see your child is being killed in such a horrible way? to see them beating your child's head to a wall until his brain pours out.

The first part of the conjunction "to be" has "to" should I then use "to" before "see"?

What about "to see" in the beginning of the second sentence? Can a sentence begin like that?

And finally, what is the proper verb for "pours out"...

P.S. I am translating the feelings of someone about a book on WW II.


texts: How to make a question when we have AS in the answer?

texts:
First study the text below , please.

  Interestingly, English has fewer native speakers than Chinese, but
  there are about one billion learners of English all around the world.
  They learn English as an international language.

If I decide to make a question with the answer: as an international language. what would be the question word or style to get the favorite answer ?
Is it possible to make a question like:

Q:What do English learners learn English as?

Answer: They learn English as an international language.

Thanks.


texts: I have not heard from you lately / for a long time

texts:
I have not heard from you lately.

  Regards,
  ABC

Is it formal to write "I have not heard from you lately," or it is better to write "I have not heard from you for a long time"?


texts: What's the difference between "disheartened" and "half-hearted"?

texts: I did try using dictionaries, but unfortunately, they were, at least to me, of little help, as most of them defined the two words similarly.


texts: can 'A plethora of' be used for anything?

texts:
Plethora - a very large amount of something, especially a larger
  amount than you need, want, or can deal with.

As per subject title, can **A plethora of ** be used for just anything?

For e.g.

A plethora of tools / gadgets / instruments
A plethora of letters / parcels
A plethora of phone calls / emails / texts
A plethora of complains
A plethora of shoes / clothes / bags
A plethora of packed lunch / lunch boxes / food / eggs
A plethora of Gold / Coins / metal

....


texts: Use of a comma after a "that"-qualified subject

texts:
Some things[,] that have a value[,] derive their value from other things.

The first comma seems like it would only be valid if "that" were switched for "which", but obviously "which" feels wrong in this context. The second comma seems to be too strong of a pause in the sentence flow when read aloud but, without it, the subject of the trailing clause "feels" ambiguous. I say "feels", because obviously there is no ambiguity to speak of; rather, without the second comma, the flow of the sentence feels like it places emphasis on the middle part of the sentence rather than the subject.

How should the sentence be punctuated, or alternatively, how should the sentence be rearranged to flow more correctly than it currently does?


texts: I don’t really get the meaning of the last sentence?

texts:
In this Wikipedia article I read

  The neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris lauded the book as "wonderful".[2] Writing in the National Review, Michael Brendan Dougherty praised it as "informed by actual reporting across the Continent, and a quality of writing that manages to be spritely and elegiac at the same time. Murray's is also a truly liberal intellect, in that he is free from the power that taboo exerts over the European problem, but he doesn’t betray the slightest hint of atavism or meanspiritedness


texts: I pictured [him], working hard - Why the comma?

texts:
I pictured that handsome stripling in the factory, working hard. This made her horny.
  (Days at the Factory)

Why is there a comma? I think this structure is "picture object doing something" but this comma divides this sentence, making this "working" look like part of a present participle construction.


texts:
I am sorry asking you on daily basis. But I appreciate all of your support.

Now I am reading this article, and I came across this paragraph, saying,

  While many other states have legalized marijuana through voter referendums that can leave details to be agreed upon after the fact, Illinois became the first state in the country to legalize through the legislative process.

Would in my assumption in this context the word "fact" mean be equal with such words "consequence" or "the result"?

Thank you for support again.


texts: Could you simplify the last highlighted sentence?

texts:
A bicycle lane is a designated traffic lane for bicyclists, marked by a solid white line, typically breaking into a dotted line ending before it reaches the corner. Different from a simple white line showing the edge of the road, a bicycle lane follows specific width requirements and is clearly marked as a bike lane.

Treat a bicycle lane the same as other traffic lanes.

Do not turn into the lane if there is a bicyclist in the bike lane.

Do not obstruct bicycle traffic by reducing the width required for safe bicycle passage, typically 3 to 4 feet.


texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  After returement, some people feel lonely, and also they feel a lack of purpose in life.

Does the use of ‘a lack’ after ‘feel’ correct? And if not, how could I write the sentence correctly to have the same meaning?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
I wrote:

  The next stage is to detect bending and to measure the degree of bending.For this purpose, first, a region in the image that includes the top edge is identified. Then, a curve is fitted through the edge pixels in the region.

In the sentence above where should I put first? Did I use commas correctly?

should I say ...top edge is first identified?

I myself prefer to use first, or then in the beginning of sentence to show the order. Is it a good practice?


texts: Rhetorical Form of "Must Have" pattern sentence

texts:
Sentence A : You must have met her before, .....(rhetorical form)....?

Question : I really have no idea about rhetorical form in this sentence, and I want to ask what a native English speaker would use as the "rhetorical form" in the sentence above?


texts:
Can you use "exuberant" as an adjective to describe someone excitement and enthusiastic about something?  Also, does the word associates with positive or negative connotation?

Here is the sentence where I used exuberant:

  I am so thrilled to know that at least one of the paradigms got your attention and so exuberant about the possibility of implementing this experiment.

Some context: I have proposed a research idea and the principle investigator thinks it's worth pursuing, so do you think it conveys that meaning?


texts:
Are these examples are all acceptable and illustrative of the same use of anything but? What constraints, if any, are at work?

  He looked anything but happy.
  He did anything but watch TV. (= ? He did not watch TV.)
  He did not do anything but watch TV.
  He will do anything but watch TV. (= ? He will not watch TV.)
  He will decide to do anything but watch TV.

I'd appreciate your help


texts: When someone's voice is younger than he / she is

texts:
Imagine someone whose voice is too young for their age; which one of the following self-made sentences below sound more natural to you in such a case:

  You sound a lot younger than your age.
  Your voice is too young for your age.


texts:
Is it correct to use future tense in the "that" clause of "hope"?

For example would you say I hope he gets better, but you not I hope he will get better?

Are there situations in which the verb following "hope" can be in the future tense, and other situations in which it cannot be, even if the hope actually relates to the future?

Basically is there a grammar rule for this stuff, or is it just a convention that is accepted by the native speakers?


texts: Term's name that has an opposite meaning if translated literally

texts:
In my language, there's a term "dikuliti". The meaning is "to peel the skin off".

But that term is actually a passive verb of "kulit" (means skin). So the literal meaning of "dikuliti" is actually "skinned", "to put the skin on", opposite meaning.

Does English have words like this? If so, what is it called? Or is it just a weird system in my language.


texts: Saying for "people who are in a similar situation and understand each other"?

texts:
I'm pretty sure there's a saying for "people who are in a similar situation and understand each other". Unfortunately, I can't even come up with it in my native language (Spanish).

Example:

  A: You broke up with your boyfriend.

  B: What? How do you know?

  A: Because I broke up with my partner too. [The saying goes here].


texts:
I tried to find out when to use of and about, but there was too little information to be sure so I want to ask you.

(meaning: What is your opinion of me?)
What do you think about/of me? (are both correct and mean the same?)

(meaning: You only care about yourself/your needs.)
You're only thinking of/about yourself/your needs. (are both correct and mean the same?)

(meaning: I was considering the problem, but I didn't come up with any solution.)
I was thinking of/about the problem, but I didn't think of any solution. (the first part: are both correct and mean the same? is only of correct?)

(meaning: I find you my friend.)
I think of you as my friend (is it possible to say "I think about you as a friend?")

I can't think of/about her name. (does it mean "I can't remind myself of her name."/"I don't remember her name." and work with of and about?)

(meaning: I remember the time we lived together)
I think of/about the time we lived together. (are both correct and mean the same?)

I'm still thinking about you. (is only about correct)

I've never thought of you (is only of correct?)

I'm thinking a lot of/about you. (are both correct and mean the same?)


texts: Can you answer to "Do you speak English?" with just "I do."?

texts: That's pretty much the question. It is a must to say "Yes, I do" for such kind of question or you can answer just as "I do".


texts: What is the correct verb to use for somebody who says nonsense just to make a person smile?

texts:
What verb should I use when somebody is saying nonsense with the purpose of making a person smile?

I was thinking of tease, but the OALD says it means, "to laugh at somebody and make jokes about them, either in a friendly way or in order to annoy or embarrass them." In my case, I am not talking of laughing at somebody or making jokes about them. I could say nonsense about something I have (presumably) done, or about something that (presumably) happened.


texts: Subjunctive mood in the dependent clause

texts:
I am wondering whether I should use subjunctive mood in the dependent clause in the following example. Is there a rule for sentences like this? Or they just have different meanings?

Example:

There is a team that lost the championship. I think they should have hired me as a coach. Which one of the below sentences should I say?

1 (without subjunctive mood, just simple past, "could win")

    "The team should have hired me as the coach so that they could win the championship."

2 (with subjunctive mood, "could have won")

    "The team should have hired me as the coach so that they could have won the championship."


texts: Can we ask questions in the reverse way?

texts:
It seems that my proofreaders have not spotted some mistakes. To confirm this, I will seek your advice here.

To me, normally questions are asked like this:

  Are you a cook?
  What are you cooking?
  When will you cook?
  Where will you cook?
  Which of the dishes did you cook?
  Why do you cook?
  How do you cook?

Is it acceptable to ask the same questions like the following?

  You are a cook?
  You are cooking what?
  You will cook at when?
  You will cook at where?
  You cooked which of the dishes?
  You cook, why?
  You cook, and how?


texts: What’s the difference between “scam” and “rip off”?

texts:
I was wondering what was the difference between these two terms:
“To rip off”
“To scam”
Which one is better in this sentence? :
“This store rips off their customers”
“This store scams their customers”
Thanks lots!


texts: Wind in "They're going through a tight wind"

texts:
I'm a bit confused about the pronunciation and meaning of wind,
in the song Bltizkrieg Bop

there is this line:

  "They're going through a tight wind"

I hear it pronounced "waɪnd" like in the verb.
But I read that the meaning should be the noun wind.
Is it me, not hearing it well or it has a different meaning?


texts: Should we avoid overusing 'of' in a sentence?

texts:
Often, we tend to overuse 'of'. In some situations, we can't help it.

As an instance -

  Journal of the Convention of the People of the State of Indiana, to Amend the Constitution

  Source: ...books.google.com/...

To me, this sentence structure sounds a bit awkward and crappy. How can we avoid it? Or maybe, we don't even need to avoid it; it's perfectly grammatical and makes sense. Perhaps, a better question would be: Should we avoid it?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning and usage between "play along with someone" and "humor someone"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning and usage between play along with someone and humor someone in the sense of pretending to agree with someone? For example:

The boss strongly believes that the project will definitely fly. I wasn't sure about that, but I wouldn't have explained why, so I just played along with him.
The boss strongly believes that the project will definitely fly. I wasn't sure about that, but I wouldn't have explained why, so I just humored him.


texts: what does differ exactly in simple english?

texts:
Limiting definitions of war and conflict to statistical criteria also distorts our reading of the ‘health’ of the contemporary global system.
According to data provided by Swedish researchers, the scale or intensity of conflict differs from that of war in the annual number of ‘battle-related deaths’; 25 battle-related deaths per year, including civilian casualties, for political violence to be categorized as armed conflict, and 1,000 combatant and non-combatant battle-related deaths per year for political violence to be categorized as a war.


texts:
Retrospective cross-sectional study of type 2 diabetes patients
  admitted to the geriatric ward receiving diabetes medications. (Original)

Is using participles as in the example above grammatically correct? + Is any of the sentences below superior to the original one?

  2- Retrospective cross-sectional study of type 2 diabetes patients
  admitted to the geriatric ward , receiving diabetes medications.

  3- Retrospective cross-sectional study of type 2 diabetes patients
  admitted to the geriatric ward and receiving diabetes
  medications.


texts: I'm not sure if I should say: "computers are my main interest" or "computers is my main interest". "Computers" is plural while "interest" is singular...


texts: How do I use the word "stagger" correctly?

texts:
Please check the wording below.

After breaking his leg, he staggered to his feet again and started again.
After going broke, he staggered to his feet again and started a new business.

Are they correct?


texts:
When I have a construction like this:

  He expressed his disappointment, regret, joy, amazement to/at/in see(ing) that something had happened.

What is the correct preposition and form of the verb "to see"? Is it to see, at seeing, in seeing, etc.?


texts:
The bodies of inmates, who died of disease and starvation, were strewn about the camp and filled the barracks, and the British forces compelled the S.S. officers who ran the camp to bury them in mass graves—and ordered local notables to watch the burials take place. Source

In this case, strewn can be interpreted as a state, not an action by someone. Am I right?


texts: What does this sentence mean full of metaphors?

texts:
There is no denying that his is a warren of an essay, thereby making it hard for the general public like us to pin point the exact pith of what he is trying to say, but I should say that that(what I have put forth thus far) is as definite an encirclement as we could ever get, of his main point.

What does this mean?
I know what he is trying to say but I don't understand the exact nature of the metaphors that he is using here...


texts:
You should probably start writing your essay on "To Kill a Mockingbird" sometime before the bus ride to school the day it is due.

I can't understand the last part of sentence "the day it is due"

Does it mean the reader should start writing an essay and do it in his/her free times before bus arrival?

The word sometime is not plural. Does it mean the reader just have to write essay in one day?


texts: What does "ad agencies don't want to know." mean in this sentence?

texts:
In Frost\Nixon, What is the meaning of Jack's words to Nixon?

  Nixon: Come out of his own pocket. You know, he couldn't look me in
  the eye.

  Jack: Well, I hear the networks aren't biting. Without the networks
  the ad agencies don't want to know.

What is it that ad agencies don't want to know exactly?


texts:
It was the slap heard around the country, prompting broad reflection on a professional drinking culture in China that rewards excessive drinking and alienates those who do not imbibe.

Here "that" is clear to refer to the culture. But in this case, sometimes it seems difficult to tell which "that" refers to, culture or China？
For example, the employee recounted his experience on WeChat, a Chinese messaging app. Here it refers to Wechat but not experience. So I need to understand what a sentence implies to tell them？


texts: The wind is blowing from the fan blades. (please correct this sentence into a better one)

texts: The wind is blowing from the fan blades. (please correct this sentence into a better one, thank you~)


texts: What's more appropriate when speaking of habits: "do", "do it" or "do so"?

texts:
I think this is a very basic grammar question, but I'm stuck with how I should continue the sentences. Could someone explain it?

  In Japan, I've never shopped at a wholesale store, but I did/did it/did so a lot in the States.
  I used to read books almost everyday, but now I do/do it/do so only once a week.

About the sentence 2, I know that I can say, "but now only once a week." But I'd like to know which is the best if I give a full sentence.


texts: which verb should go before 'error' - eliminate, resolve, remove or ...?

texts:
I edited a lot of questions in StackOverflow, but there is one thing I face in most cases: what is the best verb that comes after error ? I mean when I have a problem and I ask others for help to solve the problem what should I say? Should I say

  Please help me to eliminate the error?

  Please help me to resolve the error?

  Please help me to remove the error?

or there is a better verb for this case? (error here means programming bugs)


texts: Is there a single word for "native English speaker"?

texts:
Is there a single word for someone who is a "native English speaker" (or more generally, for native speaker of language X)?

There are single words for people having given nationality (like Englishman), believing in given religion (like Christian), so why shouldn't there be a single word for describing such important phenomena as being native speaker of some language?


texts: The usage of the imperative phrase "put aside"

texts:
When you are going to give some advice to someone who is suffering from some personal qualities, like "pride" or "being shy/shyness"! I know that saying something like:

  Put aside your pride. (Ngram shows some hits)

sounds natural. But how shall I say such a thing regarding the person's shyness?

Does it make sense if you hear:

  Put aside your shyness.

?


texts:
This is the headline of an online article:

  Tasty Fish Grow Smaller in Warming Ocean.

And this is from Google search:

  Why Belgian coins grow smaller.

Growing is all about increasing in size and getting bigger while smaller is just the opposite, however, English seems to permit the two words to come together.
How is this possible?


texts:
"I'm the best from all the crowd
  See me deeper and scream loud,
  Catch good vibes and inspiration
  Feel the power and my relation"

This short lyric is a matter of argument between me and the person who wrote it. She claims it's been proofread by a native speaker and it's perfectly okay. I, on the other hand, absolutely disagree. I see things as incorrectly written.

I have my doubts concerning these parts:

"from all the crowd" - do natives actually say this? I've never heard anything like this. It usually goes like "among the crowd" or "in the crowd".
"scream loud" - shouldn't this be "scream loudly"? A scream can be loud, but can you scream loud? I'm aware of "scream out loud" but I guess the preposition changes things.
"my relation" - what on earth could this be? A relation of mine is something which is related to me, but that's absurd, since it's obviously unnatural.

Please, help me out on this one.


texts: What do you call the act of moving a variable or constant on the other side of the equal sign?

texts:
What do you call the act of moving a variable or constant to the other side of the equal sign?
For example:
3x = y

x = y/3

How do you call the act of moving a constant or a variable to the other side of the equal sign?


texts: Is the sentence "I've decided to check my Facebook account one time at the day" correct?

texts:
If I want to do something repeatedly every day for about 15 minute. What should I say?
For example, is the sentence "I've decided to check my Facebook account one time at the day" correct?


texts:
As an Italian in Australia for a while, I noticed this very common use of "how are you" as a greeting to welcome you into a shop, and customers answer with a second "how are you". A stranger, in Italy, will never ask you such a question, you don't know him, he doesn't know you, and "common sense" imposes a "good morning" or similar, not even "hello", too friendly.

This is why is NEVER got used to that, and every time I ended up stuttering something like "fine, how are you", or just "fine" inevitably feeling a bit stupid and/or awkward. Point is that I couldn't help myself putting the actual answer ("fine") in my formal answer ("how are you?/and you?").

My questions are

Don't you feel the weirdness of answering a question with the same question? I understand that's common use, but to me that's something really confusing, I had a hard time trying to deal with it.
Every time I answered with just "fine, I was looking for a book blablabla..." I thought "ok, that was wrong, I said 'fine' and nobody does that, I didn't ask 'how are you' and everybody does that." Was my answer actually impolite (or something else) because of these two reasons?


texts: "take them away to sell" or "take them away to be sold"?

texts:
The hunters took them away to [ sell / be sold].

Why are one thing active voice and the other passive voice, when they mean the same thing?


texts: A question regarding usage "by the time"?

texts:
Suppose you send a message to a person which is not online!

I know

  By the time you see this message I will have been done with my task

means that my task is already finished some time before he or she sees the message.

I want to know what is the difference in meaning if I change the second clause to a present perfect:

  By the time you see this message I have been done with my task.

Is it grammatical at the first place? This question comes just from my curiosity.


texts:
I am not sure how to understand the expression. I'd be happy if someone can explain or even translate into German.

Except from the book:

  The first way is indisputable: of all the social scientists,
  economists carry the most sway when it comes to influencing public
  policy.


texts:
I have found it in this video. It is at 53 second. Here is the context:

  Somehow, channelling this strong emotion had substantial physiological effects on Hans.


texts: I need some clarification about conjunctions

texts:
He has a big appetite, for he is young.

He has a big appetite because he is young.

Due to the coordinating conjunction "for", the first sentence is the only one that has two independent clauses, right?
If I'm correct... where's the logic in that?


texts: How can I simplify 'too many checks cannot be at least as harmful as too few'?

texts:
Source: Rebecca Gowers. Plain Words (2014 ed). p. 186 Middle.

  Here
  are two more examples of sentences that have to be unravelled before
  they yield any meaning :

    Few would now contend that too many checks cannot be at least
    as harmful to democracy as too few.

Please help me grapple with this phrase; I'm practicing unravelling multiple negatives.

  1. ...  too many checks cannot be at least as harmful  as too few.

Because at least as =  ≥, 1 becomes:

  2. too many checks   cannot be ≥      harmful    as too few.

Because "not ≥" = ≤, 2 becomes:

  3. too many checks   can be ≤     harmful   as too few.


texts:
Can "become" and "turn into" be used interchangeably?

  “To turn into” is to transform.

  “To become” is to grow to be.

Because "to turn into" means is to transform, it can be used to mean "transform instantly". However, "to become" seems to imply that the transformation takes time, so it can't be used in the case of a person turning instantly into something through a magic spell.

Is this the case?

For example:

  The woman turned into a lion, because the fairy cast a curse on her.

  The woman became a lion, because the fairy cast a curse on her.


texts: You can't leave in the middle of it; halfway through it

texts:
I was watching a show. There were two ghostbusters. So a priest was calling out to a soul. There were  vials of different potions all around and there was a raised platform too. The priest said:

  You can't leave in the middle of it.

  You can't leave halfway through it.

What sounds more natural? If neither of them sounds natural, then what will sound natural?


texts:
Suppose, I have to say watching a part of a river to somebody: Hey! Don't swim there. That waters must be deep.

So, which one will be correct: that waters/those waters?

Thank you.


texts: Simple present or present continuous tense for describe a habitual action at spectic time

texts:
I'd like to describe a habit, such as "I am usually asleep around at 3 PM"
"I sleep around at 3PM" doesn't sound idiomatic to me.
Can I say "I am sleeping around at 3PM"?


texts: Restrictive and nonrestrictive adjective clauses

texts:
Mary has two children whose names are John and Tom.

One language teaching page has the sentence above and says it means Mary has more than two children. But it doesn't feel right. I think it means Mary has two children and they are John and Tom.

    I have a son who is interested in music.

So following the same logic does the second sentence mean i have more than one son?

Could anyone please help me?


texts:
Everything will be done by Tuesday.
  Everything will have been done by Tuesday.

What is the difference (semantic, grammatical), if any, between the two?

My question is different from this one because it features a different preposition, i.e. 'by' rather than 'at'.


texts: "while she danced" vs "while she was dancing"

texts:
1.The singer waved to the people while she danced to the music.

  2.The singer waved to the people while she was dancing to the music.

Are these two sentences grammatically correct?

Do they vary in meaning?


texts: Theory on a topic: Is it "(noun) + theory" or "(adj.) + theory"?

texts:
In academic writings, when mentioning about a theory on some topic, which is better, "(the noun word of the topic) + theory", or "(the adjective word of the topic) + theory"?

For example, topology theory v.s. topological theory, category theory v.s. categorical theory, mechanics theory v.s. mechanical theory?


texts:
Source: Embedded Content: Video, Audio, and Canvas

  This will play the video on page load, won’t display any controls, and will most likely annoy the hell out of your visitors. Of course you could, if you were kind, put in both the controls and autoplay attributes.

What does "annoy the hell out of somebody" mean? I guess it just means "annoy somebody". I wonder how can that phrase be logically explained?


texts:
In American football, it seems that some people would say:

  He caught a pass.

To my knowledge, a "pass" is an action.  So, the sentence would translate to:

  He caught an action.

Is my analysis wrong?


texts: I dance with nobody & I dance without anybody

texts: I think I dance with nobody and I dance without anybody have the same meaning but are used slightly differently. Is it true?


texts: What does "right" mean in "gonna tell you right"?

texts:
Your butt is mine
  Gonna tell you right
  Just show your face
  In broad daylight
  I'm telling you
  On how I feel
  Gonna hurt your mind
  Don't shoot to kill
  Come on

Source: Michael Jackson -- Bad (MetroLyrics)

Does it mean right away? Or maybe it has been used for emphasis? Is this a slang usage?


texts:
15 businesses you can start FOR cheap.

I know this by context BUT if there is a chance when I have to use FOR that way, I am not sure I can do that.

If I'm correct the sentence means: 15 businesses you can start that won't cost a lot of money (because as we all know, usually, you need a great deal of money as a business starter), WHY DID THEY USE THAT ANYWAY?

link here from Youtube


texts:
It was in this video. It is right at the beginning. Here it goes:

  [Speaker 1] Mr. and Mrs. Mountbatten-Windsor, correct?

  [Speaker 2] Well, to be.

Does speaker 2 mean yes we are?


texts: Difference between "current" and "present"

texts: Both of words have the same meaning so when I would use "current" and present"?


texts:
Are the following sentences correct? If so, what's the difference between a and b, and between c and d?

a. They served spaghetti by the plateful.

b. They served spaghetti by the plate.

c. Tourists arrived by the busload.

d. Tourists arrived by the bus.


texts: I often hear people say "less than", but shouldn't it be "lesser than"? Which one is correct?


texts: "they say she had a pretty hand" - What does it mean?

texts:
This is from Rewards and Fairies  by Rudyard Kipling. (E-texts.)

  'Did her ministers ever open Queen Elizabeth's letters ?' said Una.
  'Faith, yes! But she'd have done as much for theirs, any day. You are to think of Gloriana, then (they say she had a pretty hand), excusing herself
  thus to the company - - for the Queen's time is never her own .

I do not understand the meaning.

Queen Elizabeth opened the letters of her ministers on any day?

Her hands were literally pretty?

I am glad if someone would give me some advice.


texts: Whether to move something over or move over something?

texts:
I ran across the sentence written by an American guy in his published book, saying

  Could you move one seat over?

Do you alternatively say

  Could you move over one
  seat?


texts:
I have a problem with using the word "adverse". Is this sentence correct?

  My father was adverse me to become a teacher


texts:
I am learning this HarvardX course.

The professor is saying

  Note that the data set we will be using, included in the Lahman
  Library

don't be bothered by the term "Lahman Library", which is just a series of record about baseball statistics.

The question is, does "we will be using" express more info than "we'll use"?


texts: Of all time or Of all times or Of all the time or Of all the times

texts:
1 Many people believe that she is among the top ten dancers of all times.
2 Many people believe that she is among the top ten dancers of all time.
3 I think it's the greatest song of all times.
4 I think it's the greatest song of all time.
Are these ever possible?
5 I think it's the greatest song of all the times.
6 I think it's the greatest song of all the time.


texts:
The following is an extract from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Is the "had not been" correct? Should it have been "would not have been"?

"A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind, and never to allow passion to a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility. I do not think that the pursuit of knowledge is an exception to this rule If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simply pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind. If this rule were always observed; if no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquility of his domestic affections, Greece had not been enslaved; Caesar would have spared his country; America would have been discovered more gradually; and the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed."


texts: "I wasn't answering the phone because I had fallen asleep."

texts:
Is it possible to say:

  I wasn't answering the phone because I had fallen asleep.

My teacher said that it's not even possible to exist and to say that in English, but I'm not sure about her opinion.


texts:
Not only benefit students who actually take part in sports, spectators also learn about loyalty and encouragement and sportsmanship in face of defeat.

I`m not sure whether this expression is correct.


texts: "Two [men] {get / were / got / } involved in a fistfight"

texts:
I saw this post title in Reuters Facebook page

Two Ukrainian lawmakers get involved in a fistfight after one accuses the other of having ties to Russia

https://www.facebook.com/Reuters/videos/1288849304468756/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE

And I'm wondering if it possible to say it in different way like:

Two Ukrainian lawmakers were involved in a fistfight after one accuses the other of having ties to Russia.
Two Ukrainian lawmakers got involved in a fistfight after one accuses the other of having ties to Russia.
Two Ukrainian lawmakers involved in a fistfight after one accuses the other of having ties to Russia.


texts: What the sentence "What Baby Boomer doesn’t remember..." mean?

texts:
Excerpted from neh.gov:

    To skip ahead a few centuries, the Fourdrinier papermaking machine and other industrial-age innovations helped democratize books and periodicals by making their production faster and cheaper. Three-volume Victorian novels flourished as a staple of the rental library—until railroads came along and passengers sought shorter, more portable light fiction for their now daily commutes. For half the twentieth century, the Book of the Month Club transformed reading into a mail-order business: No longer did you need to visit a store to acquire the latest best-seller. Since the 1930s, mass-market paperbacks have extended the life of popular hardcovers and resurrected older masterpieces: What Baby Boomer doesn’t remember the clean, elegant feel of Signet Books, the distinctive design of Penguin Classics?

The structure of "What Baby Boomer doesn’t remember the clean, elegant feel of Signet Books, the distinctive design of Penguin Classics?" is strange to me.

What is this question asking about? I don't see how its meaning fitting in context, and shouldn't "what" be followed by "is/does" to form a question? If I group "What Baby Boomer doesn’t remember" together, then it seems to me "What Baby Boomer doesn’t remember was the clean... Classics." but if so it shouldn't end with a question mark.

So how does it work?


texts:
We have a proverb in our language which i wanted to translate it word by word it would be "No one buys his art" or "There is no customer for the product which is produced by him". If you want to interpret it, it means that regardless of what service you provide, There is no one who pays for it.
Do we have the same or at least similar expression in English ?


texts:
Can such a long turn be used as an adjective?

  Looking at a sinister, standing on the tribune and fiercely
  gesticulating in his usual manner general, John felt terrified.

Should I move the noun (general) like this?

  Looking at a sinister general standing on the tribune and fiercely
  gesticulating in his usual manner, John felt terrified.


texts: "Listen my dear two-year-old son, this is (a) cat, and that is (a) dog." -- Leaving out the article in definitions like this

texts:
I'm talking to my (nonexistent) two-year-old son, and he asks me: "Daddy! What's cat? What's dog?", and I point at a cat and then at a dog, saying:

  This is (a) cat; that is (a) dog.

There shouldn't be a serious problem with including the indefinite article. But is it not better to leave it out in this context? after all, I'm not concerned with that individual cat; I just want to show him what the word cat means.

I guess this is the same as the situation I was in with my (imaginary) ten-year-old daughter, when she asked me: "Daddy! What does 'a schizophrenic' mean?", and I confidently answered: "Honey, if you want to know about the word, you don't need to put 'a' before it. Here's a dictionary; look 'schizophrenic' up."

So, a cat, or cat?

Addendum:
I understand that This is cat is normally an ungrammatical sentence. But here I'm presenting a context that kind of reverses the positions of Subject and Subject Complement. That is, if I say

  This is 'cat'.

with a stress on This and a lowering tone for the rest of the sentence, what I actually mean is

  'Cat' is this. = 'Cat' means this.

And no, I'm not asking about the adjective schizophrenic. It's the noun.

Addendum #2:
Turns out my mistake (or one of my mistakes) was in thinking that is can be used like means. I'm accepting (the first half of) @cathygomez's answer for pointing that out.


texts: The word/phrase choice in the mentioned sentence?

texts:
A is not enough for our work. What more is required is B.

How is a more idiomatic way to say the bold part in the above sentence?


texts:
Hey I’ve got two sentences which sound almost the same to me

We have real intimacy between us.
We have real intimacy between each other.

Do they carry the  same meaning or are they grammatically incorrect?


texts: making a compound noun denoting a member of a certain rank

texts:
If I want to concoct a word-dash-word compound noun to refer to a group of people that belong to some rank and I want to use that rank in concocting that noun, should I keep the rank-denoting number in the resultant noun as cardinal or ordinal?
For example, should it be "six-graders" or "sixth-graders"?


texts: How do you address something that is between heavily damaged and lightly damaged?

texts: Title says it all. If something is just mediumly damaged, how do you address it? I know that mediumly damaged is not a correct English. We can go with heavily damaged, lightly damaged, but what about something that is neither heavily nor lightly damaged? How do you address something that is in-between?


texts:
These institutions were started by Brougham and Birkbeck in the twenties at a time
  when, as a writer described it, “there still prevailed in many quarters a strong
  jealousy of any political discussion by the people, and still more of any society
  which proposed to assemble periodically several hundreds of the labouring
  classes”. Hence their founders, in their desire to conciliate opposition, banned
  political or religious discussion or books, and forbade newspapers.

How do the adverbs still + more compound to generate its meaning?


texts:
I surely know the expression: "I didn´t say it was..." and heard people say it many times but people also seem to use " I didn´t say it is".

I should be "was", shouldn´t it? Is there any difference?


texts:
Is it true that "X need not have done it"="It wasn't necessary for X to do it but X did it"?

My textbook (and consequently my English teacher) claims and insists that the equality is strict and that you cannot, e.g., use "X need not have done it" having in mind "It wasn't necessary for X to do it and I've said nothing about whether X actually did it".

Is this really true?

If this is indeed true, I feel this is a weird convention and I don't agree with it.
The modal verb "need not" simply just intuitively means 'it is not necessary', and the additional constraint for the action to actually be done is unnatural in my opinion.


texts:
Consider the following statement:

  The five jewels of bows born by the five sons of Draupadi were the
  Raudra, the Agneya, the Kauverya, the Yamya, and the Girisa.

What is the meaning of born by in this context? Does it mean that the five bows (Raudra, the Agneya, the Kauverya, the Yamya, and the Girisa) are possessed by the five sons of Draupadi?


texts: Can "I have not" be used as an answer to "Do you have chicken for lunch?"

texts:
Q: Do you have chicken for lunch?

If I want to answer this question I can say

  no, I don't

or

  I have not


texts:
Consider the following sentence:

  In one study, 83 percent of 140 male and female executives in variety of businesses report having a mentor when they were younger.

More specifically,

  ...(they) report having a mentor when they were younger.

I am confused with the grammatical structure of the sentence. My inference is

  They report that they had a mentor when they were young.

It can be seen that the "having a mentor when they were younger" play role of object in that sentence.

I am confused with the sentence, especially with "having".

Perhaps, having a mentor when they were younger is a noun clause. I am not sure about it.

Thanks in advance.

Edit explanation :
The missing article, a , has been corrected


texts:
How do you say two or several things are about equivalent to each other in English?

For example, if I post a question here and receive two answers which seem equally good to me, and I don't know which one to choose, could I say:

  These two answers are equally good.

or

  These two answers are as good as each other.

What's the idiomatic expression of it?


texts:
I what to know whether there is any verb form of tuition or not.
Suppose I teach some students in their home as a private tutor.
Can I say that : " I shall tuition you tomorrow"


texts: What does this sentence with "If ... and upon ..." mean?

texts:
If practical and upon a reasonable and timely request, the manager in
  charge may conduct a test firing of a firearm.

What does the bold part mean? Does it mean "if the request is practical and reasonable, and if the request is made in a timely manner"?


texts:
Is it wrong to say "be reminding me in your prayers?"
Most often when we ask people to pray for us, they initially answer by saying they always pray for us. So I perceived such thoughts and asked someone that he should be reminding me in his prayers but he said I’m wrong. I tried searching for why I’m wrong but I’m not getting answers.


texts: using the simple past in the present tense

texts:
In the sentence given below

  It is quite apparent that the Narendra Modi government did not want the language issue to acquire disproportionate importance at a time when it is embarking on its second innings with a huge mandate.

The entire sentence is in the present tense but why are they using the past tense (did not want)

Is it a case of subjunctive mood?


texts: I can't quite get the aspect of "that" in the following sentence

texts:
I can't quite get the aspect of that in the following sentence:

  This is causing a problem now that the moveElement function is being called whenever the user hovers over a link.

My friend who is a native English speaker explained that you could easily substitute that for because. I can do that and the sentence will make much more sense but still the word being used is not because - the author opted for that. What nuance in meaning does it have?


texts:
My mother lets/let me go out at night.

Which one is correct? I checked some sources but couldn't find good explanations as some give third person with s while some others don't.


texts: Are 'from' & 'with' interchangeable in the given sentence?

texts:
We use "Made from + material" (when the material changes its nature, i.e., the original substance can't be seen or left:

  The lotion is made from aloe Vera.

But I have read : "In short, "made with X" means that X is one of the ingredients or materials that went into the object."
https://tinyurl.com/yddlxx2f

It means we can use : "Made with + ingredients" :

  The lotion is made with aloe Vera.

Are 'from' and 'with' interchangeable in the given sentence?


texts: In US English, which is the appropriate spelling: leveled a look or levelled a look?

texts:
Could you please tell me which spelling conforms to US English?

  Jane levelled/leveled a look at her mom, making it clear she wasn't in a mood to listen.

The Dictionary lists both as acceptable, so I wondered which one would be more appropriate in US English.


texts:
I am eating an apple that tastes strange.
  I bought a house in    this neighbourhood, because I know it will sell for a lot of money    in the future.
  I followed your cooking instructions, but still the onions browned strangely.

Are these bolded words verbs? Because there seems to be something strange about them:

"I taste too much salt, when I eat your food" seems to be me actively
doing something (tasting). What the heck does it mean for an apple to
"taste", then?
"I sold you a car" seems to be me actively doing something (selling).
What the heck does it mean for a house to "sell", then?

Questions:
1. Are the bolded words verbs?
2. Is my observation correct that these bolded words seem strange, almost "not active"? Is there a linguistic concept for these kind of words?


texts:
How to mention climate of a place? Could you check out following examples I wrote if they sound normal and are grammatically correct?

The city ( where I live) has a Mediterranean climate.
We have a tropical climate here.


texts:
The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink - Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

I can understand the boldface part, but then what does "as it were" mean here? I would appreciate it if you could rephrase the bold part.  Thank you.


texts: "I didn't feel right leaving mom" or "It did not feel right leaving mom."

texts:
A native English man whose father had Alzheizmer's years ago tells about his school years when he had to leave his mom - for university - with his mentally ill father. He tells about how he felt those years leaving mom behind, and he says:

I didn't feel right leaving mom.

That sounded unusual to me, because it is the leaving that he didn't find right. In other words, it is the leaving that did not give the feeling of rightness. In English some things may not feel right, so we say "it doesn't feel right" but as humans when we say I don't feel right, it means as if you did wrong in a test or an exam. So, instead I would say

It did not feel right leaving mom.

So, do you think it is wrong to say "I didn't feel right leaving mom." or are both sentences correct?


texts:
It would be highly appreciated that one helps me to find an equivalent for sentences below:
In the OALD dictionary, it was written that: "sb can (not) help (doing) sth| sb cannot help but do sth"
1- I cannot help remembering it:
2- I can help remembering it:
3- I cannot help shutting my eyes:


texts: Despite vs although exercise. Why although is a valid answer here?

texts:
I have stumbled upon this CAE exercise today and I was surprised to discover that I made a mistake in the following sentence:

The events that make up the history of the Iberian Peninsula have shaped the history of the Spanish language. The Roman invasion is most fundamental in this respect, although other events have also been decisive.

Instead of although I used despite as I learnt that despite usually goes before or in front of a noun or pronoun (For e.g. despite the rain, despite the events, etc).
There are also some good explanations here on stackexchange.com too.
Against this background, I used  ... despite the events ... but it turned out to be a mistake.
Why? Can anyone shed some light on this please?


texts:
If there is adequate, in fact a lot of rain in a year, is it natural (colloquially) to say:

  It rained well this year.

  It rained good this year.

Do the bold words sound natural?


texts: A natural alternative for "become familiar with someone"

texts:
Edited:

As I see on the web pages, the word familiar is mostly used for things rather than people. For example although you can get familiar with someone, but most of the times, you use it for "something".

I.e. "how did you get/become familiar with our company" which to me sounds a bit formal.

I need to know, how a native speaker would say the bold part below in natural English:

  A: You seem to be too friendly and that's pleasant to me.

  B: That would be more interesting to you if you know that we became familiar with each other just yesterday.

Does my sentence sound idiomatic or you confirm my understanding?

Edited scenario:

  A: Guys. I like the respect and mutual understanding between you two. You're really good friends. I like the way you are treating each other. That appears pleasant to me.

  B: Thank you. I think it would be interesting to you to know that we became familiar with each other just yesterday. We disn't know each other by yesterday. We met at the gym and made quick friends the previous day.


texts: Help me with construction of this interrogative sentence

texts:
Why did you not tell the truth? Can you tell me?

Now join them in one sentence. What is the result?

Can you tell me why did you not tell the truth?

or

Can you tell me why you did not tell the truth?

I'm guessing the second one should be correct. You did something i.e. hide the truth and I'm asking you the reason behind it. Can you tell me why(the reason for which) you did not tell the truth?

Right or wrong?


texts: "Jerry takes a sip of his drink as Joe and Jack come up to the bar."

texts:
I have these two sentences that I want to connect.

Jerry takes a sip of his drink.

and

Joe and Jack come up to the bar.

Would it be okay to connect them if they don't really have a connection (besides that Jerry ends up talking to Joe and Jack), they just happen at the same time?

Could I use "as" to connect them? Or would it sound like Jerry took a sip of his drink because he saw them coming or something?

Jerry takes a sip of his drink as Joe and Jack come up to the bar.


texts:
I go camping weekends.
I go to camp.

What is the difference between 'go camping' and 'go to camp'?


texts:
This website talks about how all should only be used with plural nouns.  But I'm wanting to say "all the following," and "all the followings" doesn't work.  And every and each doesn't work either.  I am a native speaker, and I fell like "all the following" is perfectly fine.  So, can all be used with a singular noun?  And if yes, then why doesn't this violate the grammar (the grammar being " how all should only be used with plural nouns" on the website)?

I realize that "all of the following" works. However I'd prefer to use "all the following." Although if it doesn't work, I'm willing to use "all of" instead of "all".


texts: "Would" with the perfective and progressive aspects

texts:
Consider:

A.1. The guests will have arrived last night. I could hear voices in the next room before I went to bed.
A.2. The guests would have arrived last night. I could hear voices in the next room before I went to bed.
&
B.1. The lights are on. John will still be reading his paper.
B.2. The lights are on. John would still be reading his paper.

Can both A.1. and A.2. be glossed as: It is almost certain that the guests turned up last night?
Can both B.1. and B.2. be glossed as: It is almost certain that John is still reading his paper?
Any nuances between A.1. and A.2., B.1. and B.2. respectively?


texts: Can we say "I will take about 3 hours to repair my car"?

texts:
Ok, in the dictionary

  Take [transitive, no passive, intransitive] to need or require a
  particular amount of time

  take something   The journey to the airport takes about half an hour.

  take something to do something   It takes about half an hour to get to the airport.

  That cut is taking a long time to heal.

  The official seemed to take hours to examine my passport.

  take somebody something (to do something)   It took her three hours to repair her bike.

  It'll take her time to recover from the illness.

  take something for somebody to do something   It'll take time (= take a long time) for her to recover from the illness.

  + adv. I need a shower—I won't take long.

This makes sense to me except the last line "I won't take long"

Normally, we say "it takes an amount of time to do something"  but the sentence "I won't take long" implies that "a person can take an amount of time"

If that is the case, then can we say:

"I will take about 3 hours to repair my car"

But most people probably say

It will take me about 3 hours to repair my car

or

It will take about 3 hours to repair my car

Also, can we say "It won't take long"?

I am confused!


texts:
While browsing stack exchange web sites I'm coming across sentences like this:
As a group unfamiliar with RPGs, how do I encourage my players to read the rulebook?

Or this: As a Senior Developer, both of you are correct. It's finding the balance that you must work towards.

In my native language such usage of "As a 'someone'" is incorrect. But my native language is not English.

I can understand when someone says "As a senior developer, I have a lot of development experience" Here is I am a developer and I have the experience. This makes sense. In the examples above, it's not the senior developer who is "both correct" and it's not the group who wants to encourage reading. Because of that these usages sound wrong to me.

Are they in fact correct?


texts:
Should I call what is depicted in the image "stir fried mixed vegetables", "stir fried vegetables" or "fried vegetables combination"?

For stir fry, I'm not sure how to write "stir fry" in past tense and continuous tense.
Can I say these?

I stir fried vegetables yesterday.
I'm stir frying vegetables.


texts: Pronunciation of (May I take off) my belt now?

texts:
When I use phrases starting with (May I), I notice some people don't get what I say the first time; I have to repeat. I believe the reason is that I don't sound "I" out naturally in the proper unstressed form in connected speech.
It would help me a lot if someone wrote the phrase in IPA symbols or in anyway for that matter. A recording would be a great service too.
I prefer (May I) with words that start with the letter t, letter h and letter r such as:

(May I take off) my belt now?
(May I recommend) this too?
(May I have) a look?

Edit:
1- I do not have a problem pronouncing the individual words perfectly.
2- I have added two more requests for pronunciation
Edit 2:
I've found this Youtube video but it'd be great if I could hear or know how to sound ones with words beginning with r,h or t: May I speak to Cathy?


texts: the form of dt - Is the pronunciation the same?

texts:
Here are the same Schrödinger equations with different forms of "d" - the first one is a curved form.
The question of this thread is: Do you pronounce this curved form of "d" still as /d/?


texts: Is "Ram married his daughter" ambiguous?

texts:
Ram married his daughter is ambiguous because:

Marry means marry somebody to become a spouse.

The second meaning is perform the marriage ritual as a priest.

So, if Ram is a priest he can marry his daughter.

I don't think native speakers ever say that but  nonnative  speakers  sometimes say it in the sense of I got my daughter married.

Suppose native speakers hear that sentence, how would they understand it?


texts:
The quality of products can improve by using robots.

In this sentence, what is the subject of "using"?
I think it should rephrase

  The quality of products can be improved by using robots.

Or

  The quality of products can be improved with correct use of robots".


texts:
My native language allows omitting quotation marks in sentences containing direct speech when the borderline between the "wrapper" sentence and the quoted speech is obvious and does not produce grammatical ambiguity.

To my understanding, the rules of direct speech in English require quotation marks in all cases. If that is correct, the joke below makes no sense because if it were about prohibited writing of a certain phrase, it must be spelled in quotes and with first word capitalized:

  Do not write, "Your essay", on this page.

Without the proper punctuation, can the joke be valid?


texts: "She ... in London for several years before she moved to New York."

texts:
Could you possibly help me on this question please?

  "She ........in London for several years before she moved to New York."

  was living
  has lived
  had lived
  going to go

Well, I know the option 3 fits here more grammatically and emphasize "the timeline structure" more clearly..but in daily life can we use the option 1? If we can, does the meaning change totally?

And can we say "She lived in London for several years before she moved to New York"? I think and was taught because there is the word "before", we don't have to use past perfect at the beginning of a sentence in situations like this.


texts:
He stopped there to enjoy the effect of these words. He could almost see the cogs working under Uncle Vernon's thick, dark, neatly parted hair. If he tried to stop Harry writing to Sirius, Sirius would think Harry was being mistreated. If he told Harry he couldn't go to the Quidditch World Cup, Harry would write and tell Sirius, who would know Harry was being mistreated. There was only one thing for Uncle Vernon to do. ...

Cog, as defined in dictionaries, means One of a series of teeth, as on the rim of a wheel or gear, whose engagement transmits successive motive force to a corresponding wheel or gear.

But I reckon it's used figuratively in this context. How should we understand it in this context? Are 'cogs' referring to Uncle Vernon's eyes or something else?


texts: what do you call the small changing room in front of the bathroom?

texts:
So I have this small changing room (4m²) in front of my bathroom that is closed with a sliding door.
Im trying to find out a word to describe it for decoration purposes.
I tried my best searching online.


texts: "My banana score" or "My bananas score"?

texts:
Let's say I made a contest to eat bananas in one day. I ate 12 bananas today. That would be:

  My bananas score

Or

  My banana score


texts:
In a blog, the heading is written as following:

  North Korea's Kim Jong-Un orders further nuclear tests; tensions surge on in Korean peninsula

Here in this heading, we have both the prepositions together. Is it okay? If not, then how can we re-write the last line?

Also, I wrote a line ending with 'in Korean Peninsula', but then Grammarly shows an error and indicates of using 'on' instead of 'in'. However, I don't trust Grammarly that much, I would like to know which is the correct preposition?


texts: perfect structure or simple structure in unreal conditionals with modals?

texts:
Consider this context:

Person A was the only one who escaped from a prison.
The prison had several inmates including A.
Someone says that A bribed the guards.
I want to reject that view by saying that all of the inmates could do so, but he was the only person who escaped.

I want to use conditionals to construct a sentence which accommodates the four points above.

I wrote:

  They would/could also escape from the prison if his escape was through bribing.

and

  They would/could also have escaped from the prison if his escape was through bribing.

I think both are correct, but I am not sure about the difference.

In my view, both are unreal conditionals and convey this information that they didn't escape. Would guide me about those two sentences?


texts: Is negative form of special question allowed in English?

texts: May I ask "What haven't mammals got?" assuming the "cold blood" as an answer? Or, similarly "What don’t most mammals eat?"


texts:
I have given my view why I think each of them may be correct.

  1) Why is the young Joe right handed but the old Joe left handed?

In example 1, I think there is no need to add "is" two times ie."young Joe is right handed but the old Joe is left handed?"  and that is why a single "is" would suffice.

  2) Why is the young Joe right handed but the old Joe is left handed?

Here I have taken only the first "is" ie from "..young Joe is right handed..." to make the question. So the second "is" should be retained in its proper place.

  3) Why is it that the young Joe is right handed but the old Joe left handed?

I think this question is okay, but need to ascertain it.

  4) Why is young Joe is right handed but the old Joe is left handed?

I have retained both "is"; just added an extra "is" to make a question.

Now I am confused on the correctness of these constructions. These constructions just flowed through my head, but a long divorce with Grammar books made me feel doubt regarding them. Please elaborate which of the above is correct and which is not?


texts: What is the meaning of (out of) in the first clause of this sentence

texts: We decided to get a Coke 'out of' the machine,but it was out of order.


texts: At my daughter's school, I found a word 'videoed'

texts:
Today, I went to Rhyme's school and found a sentence...

  You are being videoed

It's clear that this message is to warn people from misdoing something. A kinda "you are under surveillance".

But videoed? Oxford does not have it but the FreeDictionary does.

To me, this is a good use of that verb over "You are being recorded or observed".

What is the better way to write it if I want the same structure ... pronoun + verb + being + verb to convey the message?


texts: conditions to transport / conditions for transporting

texts:
Which of these sentences is correct?

  They create comfortable conditions to transport goods around the country.

  They create comfortable conditions for transporting goods around the country.

Additionally, if I don't write about any specific country, do I need "the"?


texts: How do I search if a word is used in USA, UK, or Australia?

texts:
In tupperware means just for tupperware product or plastic container in general? I asked if Tupperware is used as a plastic container and I got answers saying it used as generic term and called generic trademark.

I found an article explaining that Tupperware is not used to mean a plastic container in Australian English. I'm not sure if it's right because the writer is not a native speaker.

I think generic trademarks differ strongly in each country.
Is there a way to know in which country the generic trademark is commonly used?


texts:
I have two sentences. Do they have the same meaning?

"Hardly had he come to the door when he met his school friends".
"No sooner he had come to the door than he met his school friends".

As far as I understood they are quite equal in their meaning.


texts:
These systems are not typically designed to protect individual privacy, but since these services are typically free there is a strong economic drive for the service providers to harvest at least some information about their user's activities on the site in order to sell that information to advertisers for directed marketing.

Source: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Information Technology and Moral Values

..........

Although I have studied the following definitions, I am wondering if the following definitions related to the bold part, and I cannot yet get what is the concept of the bold part yet.

Macmillan: economy drive

Cambridge Business English Dictionary: economy drive

Thanks in advance


texts:
Yesterday was so cold that we stayed indoors.
Is it correct to rewrite this sentence as:

  It was such a cold day yesterday that we stayed indoors.

I'm not sure about the usage "a cold day yesterday".


texts:
I wondered about this grammar point, i.e. the possessive and the objective functionalities of 's.

For example, you have "JFK's murder" to mean "the murder of JFK" (which is objective).

On the other hand, Mary's book is possessive.

So, does this mean 's has both functionalities?


texts: 'the left and right hand of Peter' or 'the left and right hands of Peter'?

texts:
I know it is okay to say

  the left hand and the right hand of Peter

But what if I want to abbreviate it?


texts:
Many times people use pay and give interchangeably with the compliment. Could you please tell me which one is correct?

  He paid her a compliment.

or

  He gave her a compliment.


texts:
I want to know if "were" and "she" can be used together.For example.

  If she were here, it would be more funny.

We use were for "you" and "I". Can we use it for "he" and "she".


texts: Can two past tense morphemes be used in the same clause?

texts:
What is wrong in saying
"I didn't knew KCET was cancelled"?
My friend suggested that I say
"I didn't know KCET was cancelled".


texts: Doing something right before you need it - expression for this?

texts:
Is there an expression that means doing something right before you will need it rather than doing it in case you might need it?

I am not sure if there's such an expression. Sometimes, people do a lot of things in advance and it turns out that 90% of what they decided to do will never have any use to them, and there are some efficient people who only do what's necessary. Is there a word for the philosophy or manner of behaving of the people in the latter example?


texts: Difference between "Treat others as: you would like to be treated or you would like others to treat you."?

texts:
As a non-native English speaker, I can not perceive the difference (in terms of language usage) between the following sentences.

Treat others as you would like to be treated.
Treat others as you would like others to treat you.

In my point of view, both sentences convey the same message. However, using a grammar reviewer to check them, it seems that the second one is more appropriate. I would like to understand why? Can anyone explain the difference to me? Thank you


texts: is it possible to use 'will' to ask and give info about something that had happened in the past and something that is happening?

texts:
my teacher had assigned me the most confusing powerpoint ever. he told me to make a presentation on how to ask and give information about the past, present, and future but using 'will' as the sentence starter with a certain context. he told me to pay attention to these:
1. will + (simple)
2. will + (continuous)
3. will + (perfect)
how to ask and give information about the future with will is pretty obvious, but i'm confused as to how can one ask about the past and present with 'will'


texts: plural or not: 'the incidences of' VS 'the incidence of'

texts:
The incidences of limb loss are increasing and as a consequence also the need for prosthetic devices.
  The incidence of limb loss is increasing and as a consequence also the need for prosthetic devices.

Which one to choose?


texts:
I have been taught that when alveolars follow each other one is dropped. My question is can we drop the /d/ in the contracted negative past of "to have"?.
E.g:

  I hadn't have to go.


texts: Is "of" as idiomatic as "about" in this context?

texts:
This is a documentary about a cult that led to thousands of deaths.
This a documentary of a cult that led to thousands of deaths.

Are both grammatical and idiomatic? I am used to seeing "about" a lot more, and "of" seems to be OK, but a bit vague, because "of" can mean many things.


texts:
I've heard that every native students say "Here" when the teacher calls their names to see if they are there attending the class.

I recall in an English class in my country "Present" was used instead of "Here". That was started by a student and there's no instruction from the teacher. So I'm wondering.. How does it sound like to native speakers? Is it also commonly used in English speaking countries?


texts: "Give me more lessons" vs "Teach me more lessons"

texts:
Can I say that someone is giving me lessons instead of teaching me lessons?

Would it sound weird?

For example:

  Give me more lessons Mister!

  I'm giving piano lessons.

  He gave me a Math lesson.


texts:
How does the performance of our method
  state-of-the-art?

  How does the performance of our method compared to the existing
  state-of-the-art?

May I know which one is grammatical?


texts: I'd like to know the difference between "taste" and " style"

texts:
When I am shopping, a shop clerk may recommend a dress to me that is not what I usually wear. In this case, which sentence is more appropriate?

It's not my style.
It's not my taste.

Or, if I like the way someone is dressed, which sentence is more appropriate as a compliment?

I like your taste.
I like your style.


texts:
1.In regard to the group formation process, I happen to have some advice that you might want to take a squint at.

Above is a sentence I wrote in my letter to the club chairman. In one of our after-class meetings, he made us team up for a group project. But as it turned out, the whole process didn't go as smoothly as he thought it would be. So I wrote a letter to propose some ideas that might help to improve it.
However, I am not quite sure about the expression in bold. Does it sound natural to you? If not, I'd like to ask if any of the following options is acceptable in this context.

2.In regard to the process of getting into groups, ...

3.In regard to the process of putting groups together, ...

4.In regard to the process of assembling into groups, ...

5.In regard to the assembling of groups, ...

If none of the above seems right to you, please feel free to provide your own options.


texts: What does 'a touch of genius' mean? pls explain it to me, especially what 'touch' means in this phrase. Better add a few examples of this usage.


texts: Does being ''carried away'' mean to do something unintentional?

texts: Does it mean that you've lost control of yourself that you'II do things you didn't  mean to do?


texts:
I found this topic, according to the answers, it seems that the -ed ending of verbs shouldn't be omitted at all.

But when I learn from New Concept Engish, I heard this sentence:

  ' We mustn't buy things we don't need,' I remark(ed) suddenly.

The audio clip is here, feel free to check it out.

The -ed ending of the word remark is totally missed, is this correct or acceptable??

In another lesson, there is a similar situation

  He had been confin(ed) to the wooden box for over eighteen hours.

The -ed ending of confine is also missed, but I think it is due to word linking. I wonder if a native speaker can tell the difference between the room form and the -ed form of the verb.


texts: Is "gaining momentum"= "becoming popular"?

texts:
Consider the following sentence:

" the cloud computing is becoming popular among businesses"

Question: Can we replace "becoming popular" with "gaining momentum", so it would be:

" the cloud computing is gaining momentum among businesses"


texts:
Two plus two make  four.
  Two plus two makes four.

What verb should I use there, make or makes?

Provide a reason also for your answer, please!


texts: Is a reader feminine like the moon or ship?

texts:
Is a reader feminine like the moon or a ship? Here I present a few examples from an academic lecture on how to write a good scientific paper. The audience are aspiring authors of future scientific papers. The lecturer always refers to the author as "he" and to the reader as "she". The lecturer uses this gender differentiation repeatedly and subconsciously. The audience swallows this convention naturally just like pelican swallows fish.
"He positions the reader so she can see it with her own eyes."
https://youtu.be/OV5J6BfToSw?t=528
"The reader can see it for herself."
https://youtu.be/OV5J6BfToSw?t=719
"Now, the problem with writing in clichés is that it either forces the reader to shut down her visual brain (...)
or if she actually does think through the prose to the underlying image, she will inevitably be upended by the mixed metaphors."
https://youtu.be/OV5J6BfToSw?t=1074
It's obvious that the lecturer does not imply that all authors of scientific papers are men and all readers are women.
I am sure it is not the first time I heard the convention of referring to reader as female. Here is another example:
"Tell your reader just enough to make her care about your main character, then get to the the problem, the quest, the challenge, the danger—whatever it is that drives your story."
https://jerryjenkins.com/how-to-write-short-stories/
Hence my question. Is is a common case that writers refer to their audience reader as female similarly like lots of us do with the moon, or a ship?


texts: It seems that auxilliary verb is omitted in this sentence

texts:
The $400m he was saving each year by making no scrap and no off-quality tiles more than paid for the R&D and the process changes.

The sentence is from an article talking about a carpet company. I think a auxiliary verb (was) should be placed just before "more than" here, so is the sentence grammartical?


texts:
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
As much wood as a woodchuck could chuck, If a woodchuck could chuck
wood.

What do you call a sentence with words that sound the same or rhyme? Is there a word for it? I would think so, and would a sentence with several rhymes have a similar word for it, or is it the same word?


texts:
I'm a student from Korea and now I'm working at a kind of a language institute. There's an english program going on now and I'm working as a TA there.
Anyway, I have to write a daily log everyday in English. Today I transcribed written survey into an Excel file. In this case, can I write 'I worked on the survey paper' on the log? Is it the right expression?
Help me please and any comments for mistakes in grammar in my question  above are  always welcome. Thank you


texts:
I would like to know if both of the following are correct, especially if the 2 is correct.

We are talking about the possibility that that task may be assigned to me

  That task could be very well assigned to me
  That task could be well assigned to me


texts:
From an article quoted in Mark Shepherd's Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law, p.181:

  The totalitarian state is easy to define, easy to identify, and thus offers a recognisable target at which the archers of human freedom can direct their darts. Not so obliging is what I have referred to as the quasi-state, that elusive entity that may cover the full gamut of ideologies and religions, contends for power but is not defined by physical boundaries that identify the sovereign state. Especially frustrating is the fact that the
  quasi-state often commences with a position whose basic aim – a challenge to an unjust status quo – makes it difficult to separate from progressive movements of dissent, with which, too, it sometimes forms alliances of common purpose. At the same time, however, there lurks within its social intent an equally deep contempt for those virtues that constitute the goals of other lovers of freedom. Thus, to grasp fully the essence of power, we must look beyond the open ‘show of force’, the demonstration of overt power whose purpose is to instruct a people just who is master. ...

  The formal state, in its dictatorial or belligerent mutation, represents power at its crudest – African nations, caught in an unending spiral of dictatorships and civil wars, are only too familiar with this exegesis of power. Equally familiar, to many, are the daylight or night- time shock troops of state, storming the homes and offices of dissidents of a political order, carting away their victims in total contempt of open or hidden resentment....

According to the book, it can be gathered from the article that "formal states tend to be better defined than quasi-states".  The answer key (p.257) explains it this way:

  The article starts by saying that the ‘totalitarian state is easy to
  define’ and that ‘not so obliging is what I have referred to as the quasi-state,
  that elusive entity’. On the basis of this comparison, it can be gathered that
  formal states tend to be better defined than quasi-states.

Does this equate "formal" with "totalitarian"?  Which definition of formal applies here?


texts: Another word for 'symptoms' but not materalisation, illness, disease,

texts:
I'm looking for a word to fill in the blank.

  Symptoms are inauspicious ______ that might be caused by the induced sensations. But they can also be a sign of a latent or a manifest disease.

Would occurrences or events be considered appropriate?

The following words are not to be used:

manifestation
indication
indicator
sign
mark
feature
trait;


texts:
I want to know the grammatical rule of more in the following context and the meaning of going on. Also, why is the verb used in progressive tense?

  "When you look at a tree, you may notice only the branches and leaves. A closer look shows that there is actually a great deal more going on. Trees provide home to ... "

Source: IELTS Essential words


texts:
I am just practising some English grammar. Here is the question I am confused about:

  Fibres of hair and wool are not continuous and must normally be spun
  into thread _____ woven into textile fabrics.

  (A) as are they

  (B) when to be

  (C) that they are

  (D) if they are to be

The correct answer is (D). Why?


texts:
I am sorry for being dumb, but English is not my first language! Which one is correct to say "on" or "in" in the following sentence

I came to the US as a landed immigrant on July 23rd 2013
or
I came to the US as a landed immigrant in July 23rd 2013?

which one is correct "on" or "in"?

please let me know. Thanks in advance