texts: Is it natural and correct to say "talk via audio" meaning to actually talk to someone over the phone rather than text?

texts:
Is it natural and correct to say talk via audio meaning to actually talk to someone over the phone rather than text? For example:

Do you prefer to talk via text or audio?

If it sounds off, would it be more natural to say talk via phone call?


texts:
As a heading in this article https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/ef/core/get-started/install/

I know the article means, but I cant understand the meaning of this words, maybe is a idioms or slang.


texts:
Imagine a man is going to get married and his close friend sees that the girl his friend has chosen is not a good one [By accident, he (the friend) knows the girl's background in detail] and wants to warn his friend about that girl (but very openly and in a debate). Please have a look at my self-made sentence and let me know if the bold preposition is a correct one or I have to modify it:

  One hundred people have had their go at her before you.

Note: the number "100" here is a type of exaggeration to show an emphasis of the severity in my language and have no idea if it works in AmE.


texts:
In a footnote at the bottom of page 123 of A Student's Introduction to English Grammar (2005; by Huddleston and Pullum), I found mention of a construction in which adverbs modify nouns:

There is a construction where we find an adverb modifying a noun, as in Industrial action resulted in the withdrawal indefinitely of the vehicular ferry service or A shortage of timber internationally led to a steep rise in prices.  This construction is subject to severe constraints; most importantly, adverbial modifiers of nouns are restricted to post-head position – compare the indefinite withdrawal of the vehicular ferry service, where the pre-head modifier is required to be an adjective.  There are also constraints on the kind of adverb permitted.  Manner adverbs, for example, are normally excluded, so that we have his angry reaction, but not *his reaction angrily.

Further research directed me to some discussion in a paper by the same two authors along with John Payne, The distribution and category status of adjectives and adverbs (page 13 of 51):

(17) (a) [The unique role globally of the Australian Health Promoting Schools Association], as a non-government organization specifically established to promote the concept of the health promoting school, is described.  [...]

Example (17a) shows firstly that the nouns which head this construction are not necessarily deverbal: we do not have *It roled globally. Secondly, although there is a related adjective global which can be used as a premodifier in the NP
[1.] the unique global role of the Australian [...] Association,
the meaning of this NP is subtly different from that of the NP in (17a). Whereas in (17a)
we are talking simply about the location in which the role is performed (globally as opposed, say, to nationally), the use of the adjective strongly invites the inference that the role is an important one. (emphasis added)

How does "the use of the adjective strongly [invite] the inference that the role is an important one"?  I don't perceive this difference between (17)(a) and the example denoted as [1.].
What are the semantic similarities and differences?


texts: Very confused- "go home" or "come home"?

texts:
Ok, this website says "Come is used to show movement toward the speaker or the person being spoken to"

& "Go is used to show movement away from the speaker or the person being spoken to"

Let say Tom is in his office & his mom is at home.

It's 5 PM & Tom says to his peers in his office "I go home now". The movement is away from the speaker "Tom" & the listeners "his peers".

Now, we can have 1 conversation when his mom calls to him:

Conversation 1:

Mom: Can you come home soon? (we use "come" because the movement is toward the speaker "Mom")

Tom: I come home soon. (we use "come" because the movement is toward the listener "Mom")

Conversation 2:

Mom: Can you go home soon? (we use "go" because the movement is away from the listener "Tom")

Tom: I go home soon. (we use "go" because the movement is away from the speaker "Tom")

You can say the Conversation 2 is wrong but I do apply the above guideline when creating the conversation 2.

Then the question is that the above guideline could have some shortcomings.


texts:
Is it good to say

  the smaller the parameter is, the outer the curve.

or alternatively,

  the bigger the parameter is, the inner the curve.

I don't feel they are natural. What do you think?

I am not sure if "outer" and "inner" here can be used as the comparative degree form of adjectives "out" and "in"? Can "out" and "in" be adjectives?

Thanks!


texts: Is the adjective phrase "hungry and tired" "attributive" in the sentence "After the long journey, the three of them went back home, hungry and tired"?

texts:
After the long journey, the three of them went back home, hungry and tired.

As for the phrase "hungry and tired" , I can understand that it is used to modify "the three of them". But I cannot figure out its grammatical function in the sentence such as subject, complement, direct object and so on. Is it attributive modifying "the three of them"?  Could you please tell me which grammar book details this phenomenon since I haven't found one?


texts: "the" and "that" - unexpected result from google translator

texts:
When I need to write in English, I usually write (in English) on Google translator, trying to get a translation that means what I want. So, I've written the text below, but I made a typo: I wrote "the" instead of "that".
The strange thing is that the text with the typo returns the correct meaning, while the the text with "that" gives an incorrect meaning.

This is the text that gives the correct meaning:

  It seemed to me that the writing was too poor and so I thought that
  what I was reading wasn't exactly the same that the author had
  written. So I looked for the original english text of the novel I was
  listen to, and I noticed the it was indeed different.

This is the text that gives the wrong meaning:

  It seemed to me that the writing was too poor and so I thought that
  what I was reading wasn't exactly the same that the author had
  written. So I looked for the original english text of the novel I was
  listen to, and I noticed that it was indeed different.

Can you please explain me if I'm wrong (and where and why) or if it's a google translator bug?

Edit

I'm listening to a book reading and I'm trying to say that the text seems not to be the original text of the novel.
Edit II
My question is: What is the right way of writing?


texts: I understand that we use "is" for singular and "are" is for plural. But I've heard so many times, for example: "This is my hands". And I don't remember other phrases where people use "this is" for plural. I mean, I've heard it not on the streets,  but on TV (SNL).


texts: "Would anybody like" vs. "would somebody like"

texts:
I wonder if the following sentence is grammatical:

  Would anybody like another cup of tea?

Should it be somebody or anybody?


texts:
Does the sentence Reduced nuclear charge is called Effective nuclear charge  mean

The portion(or amount) of nuclear charge that is reduced.  OR
The result( remaining amount) after some portion of the nuclear charge is reduced.

The whole sentence of which the above is a part is:

There is a reduction in the nuclear charge due to screening effect, reduced nuclear charge is called Effective nuclear charge.


texts: I have skimmed many websites and dictionaries but I really can't understand what it actually means and How and When to use the above word.


texts: Take a turn or make a turn around something or is it "went around something"

texts:
I know that "taking a turn" is only used in one sense "She took a wrong turn", i.e. She went around a wrong turn.(at a turning). Whereas it is "Make a U-turn". But is the use of "take a turn" natural here?

  We all took a turn round the cairn, in a clockwise direction as in the tradition, and Tsetan checked the tyres on his vehicle.

Shouldn't it be "we all went around the cairn", and if "turn" has to be used, then "made" should be used with it "we all made a turn around the cairn"?


texts:
Which one of the two is correct/ natural?

a) I shouldn't have wasted money on this
b) I shouldn't have wasted money over this


texts: What is the meaning of prison guard words?

texts:
Prisoner trade Guard his gold watch for escaping from the place.

  First, You have to stop the generator, There will be darkness, may be
  only ten minutes. That is your chance. you must wait until the change
  of the final watch.

Is he referring to people who working for watch tower or anything else?


texts: The difference between (am+v.ing) and (will be+v.ing)

texts:
What is the difference grammatically and linguistically between:

  At this time next week, I will be visiting my uncle.

  At this time next week, I am visiting my uncle.


texts:
Is it correct to say

  "I've missed this programme but I've watched another informative programme"

Should I say 'but I've watched...' or 'but I watched...'

Thanks


texts:
This is a quote from Paul Dirac:

  It seems to be one of the fundamental features of nature that fundamental physical laws are
  described in terms of mathematical theory of great beauty and power, needing quite a high standard
  of mathematics for one to understand it. You may wonder: Why is nature constructed along these
  lines? One can only answer that our present knowledge seems to show that it is so constructed. We
  simply have to accept it. One could perhaps describe the situation by saying that God is a
  mathematician of a very high order, and He used very advanced mathematics in constructing the
  universe. Our feeble attempts at mathematics enable us to understand a bit of the universe, and as
  we proceed to develop higher and higher mathematics we can hope to understand the universe
  better.

I can't get my head around the phrase "so constructed".

from the Cambridge dictionary for the word construct:

  to build something or put together different parts to form something whole.
  to put the different parts of something together in order to make it.

But I don't see any connection. Can anyone tell me what is the meaning of "so constructed?"


texts:
Also, when you need to prove the power of testing to someone, content tweaks are often your best bet. It usually doesn’t take much time to set up these tests. But they can still have significant conversion lifts.
  So if high-converting copy is what you want, below are some content tweaks you can AB test to improve conversions:

what does "High-Converting Copy" mean here?


texts: Is "Not even an inch" considered a correct phrase?

texts:
I found the idiom "not move/budge/change an inch" used when talking about something that won't change as someone's stubborn opinion.

Example from Cambridge Dictionary:

  She's definite that she wants to do it, and she'll not give
  an inch, however hard you try to persuade her.

I want to use it for this dialogue:

  So, you haven't changed your mind, have you?
  Not even an inch.

I'm not sure of the phrase. But I want it to mean as the idiom above. I didn't use the idiom instead as I don't find it makes a good fit in the sentence with its current construction.

Thus, is the phrase (not even an inch) correct and deliver the meaning I mentioned above? If not, how to achieve the meaning by using the idiom, if possible?


texts:
What is the meaning of the bold sentence? It seems to me that something is wrong with the sentence grammatically. Specially, is the part "which meant ..." grammatically flawed?

  Last year's US election has been seen as providing a fertile breeding
  ground for fake news. Some credit Donald Trump's anti-establishment
  rhetoric and distrust of the mainstream media. Others blame widening
  partisanship, which meant readers were more prone to believe and share
  stories that fit their beliefs.


texts:
Free-agent center DeMarcus Cousins has reached agreement on a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

According to Wiki, a free agent means:

  In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with any club or franchise; i.e., not under contract to any specific team.

But what does "Free-agent center" truly mean in this sentence? Is it a center where all the free agent are gathered, or DeMarcus Cousins himself is the Free-agent center implying he is a 'center' person amongst all the others? I speculate the latter according to the context, but I am not quite sure.

A side question:  why is there not any article preceding free-agent center, like  "A free-agent center" or "The free-agent center"?

The full source.


texts: Do these sentences have a similar meaning?

texts:
Maybe are you able to close the door? = Could you close the door?

I want to know whether the above  sentences have a similar meaning.


texts: Wondering what the word "struck" in this context of news really mean

texts:
Here is the paragraph in concern:

  After cautiously welcoming the deal struck on Thursday, the White House has now stepped up pressure on Russia to use its influence over separatists occupying the buildings in nine cities and towns in eastern Ukraine.

I think it is passive, but I cannot figure out what does it mean. Checking dictionary did not help me at all. Could you also provide me some more examples using the word "struck" to mean similar things.


texts:
Please look at the sentence below

Suppose, on Friday, my uncle said, "I have sent you a dictionary, you will have received it by Monday." in which does "you will have received it by Monday." mean that the book can be delivered even on Monday and, technically, not later than midnight. Am I right? Or should it be strictly before Monday?

Also,

I have sent you a dictionary, you will have received it by Monday.
I have sent you a dictionary, you will receive it by Monday.

Do the two sentences convey the same meaning and the difference is just of the point of view. #1 looks at future from now and #2 looks at the past from future. Right?

Thanks.


texts:
I know that if I start my sentence with an adverb such as hardly I must invert the subject and the verb,but do I really need to use only "when" afterwards?.For instance,is

  Hardly had I entered the room when the phone rang.

correct and

  Hardly had I entered the room that the phone rang.

incorrect?


texts: When talking about a person can I always replace "that" or "who" with "whom"?

texts:
When talking on a person can I always replace the relative clause "that" with "whom"? I am pretty confused with the using of "whom".

For example:

  1) The teacher that (also who) was here - now is there. > The teacher whom was here - now is there.

Example No.2

  2) The waiter who gave you the food - is in the kitchen now. > The waiter whom gave you the food - is in the kitchen now.

example No.3

  3) Those guys who you talked to, now are looking for you. > Those
  guys whom you talked to, now are looking for you.


texts: The cell culture has a morphology typical for (of?) a suspension cell culture

texts:
From a text I'm translating into English (I used a colon, but these phrases are really in adjacent table cells):

  Cell culture morphology: has a morphology typical for a suspension cell culture.

I first wrote for, but then recalled this question on ELU, and became uncertain.

Would of be acceptable in this case? To me, for looks much more natural.


texts: "One of the building" vs. "one of the buildings"

texts:
I want to know which of the following is correct:

  Konark is one of the famous building in this area
  Konark is one of the famous buildings in this area.

My understanding is when we are talking about Konark then we should use building only instead buildings as we already specified the name of the most famous thing.

I don't understand which grammatical number to use after "one of the".


texts:
Former Manchester United defender says his old club is 'mad' to sell Danny Welbeck to Arsenal and expects forward to be a huge success at the Emirates.

Is "forward" here a noun as in expect somebody to do something ? So why is there no article before it? Could it be an adverb?


texts: I am writing a novel whose background is a foreign country. Some people say that I should not pluralise foreign words, but in my case it becomes quite difficult to grab the whole meaning of a sentence if the nouns (even if they are foreign words) are not pluralised. Should I pluralised them by adding an 's' at the end?


texts: What is the meaning of spread in "...a nice charcuterie spread and a healthy selection of vegetables"?

texts:
What is the meaning of 'spread' in the following sentence:

  Here we’ve provided a nice charcuterie spread and a healthy selection of vegetables.


texts:
I have recently read the sentence:

  When are you doing the practice?

If "doing" referred to the present, that sentence would not make sense. Does the present continuous refer to the future here?


texts: What do you call this in English when you buy something or get something and celebrate it by drinking alcohol?

texts:
What do you call this English when you buy something or get something and celebrate it by drinking alcohol? Do you have any verbs or phrases for it?
I cannot to find the word in English. But the most close phrase I found is wet the baby's head. So can I apply the word wet for things. For example:

  Let's wet my new cam.

In Russian, by the way, people call it замачить. Literally that means to soak something.


texts:
Partitioning is typically the first step of preparing a ..... manufactured disk, before any files or directories have been created.

That blank need a adverb or adjective. There are two options :new or newly.
So which word is correct in this case?


texts: When there is "many" before "another," should the noun after "another" be singular or plural?

texts:
Many another poem could I speak of which sang itself into my heart.
  —The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language

There is many before another. In this case, does the noun after another need to be singular or plural?


texts: Is the definite article necessary in "one of the only two stores"?

texts:
That place is one of only two stores in the US that sell those things.
  That place is one of the only two stores in the US that sell those things.

Since the context is clear and the stores are specified, it sounds to me the sentence with or without the article doesn't make much of a difference. Is the article optional in this case? Does it make a difference in meaning?


texts: Conditional sentences, mixed conditionals

texts:
If she (let's call this person X) had said anything to you (let's call this person Y) about her coming over to your place tonight, I would probably drop by your place as well.
  If she said anything to you about her coming over to your place tonight, I would probably drop by as well.

Which of these sentences convey, X hasn't said anything to Y about X's coming over to Y's place tonight, which is why I probably won't drop by Y's place., the best.

I haven't anything productive this week, I think that's why I'm depressed.
If I had done something productive this week, I wouldn't so depressed.

Do the two sentences convey the same information, that he hasn't done anything productive this week, and that he's depressed?


texts: Which is correct: "Yesterday my sister read about a soldier who was accidently killed/had accidently been killed by another soldier."


texts: Usage of "until" and meaning of "I didn't notice that until you told me" when I realized something after someone told me

texts:
I didn't notice that until you told me.

What I  would like to say is that I didn't notice something for some time. Then, someone told me. Then, I realized. I'm not sure if the previous sentence is correct and have the same meaning. I'm not sure also  if it's the  proper way to use "Until". Would you help me, please?


texts:
I'm on my way to a party which has been underway for a few hours already.
Lili is going to be at the party too.
Is the above phrased naturally if I know that Lili already is at the party that I'm on my way to? Is "is going to be" correct? I hope you understand what I mean.


texts: Usage of alternate vs alternative with "equally"

texts:
Here's the scenario of the usage:

  ... doing something is equally alternate to dooming yourself.

or,

  ... doing something is equally alternative to dooming yourself.

Which is the correct usage? Any other suggestions?

Need an alternative to use like:

  ... doing something is equally ____ dooming yourself.

Any help?


texts:
I keep seeing "Look at" and "Look over" being used, but I don't quite understand the difference between them.

  The boy looked over her.

  The boy looked at her.


texts:
Curiously, Rodman didn't at first appear to be all that athletic or outward going. He was short for most of high school, just 5-6, and was cut from his high school football team and later quit the basketball team because he wasn't getting enough playing time

What does "outward going" means?


texts:
Take the following sentence:

  Radians aren't Imperial and degrees aren’t Metric, they’re both both.

They are trying to say that both radians and degrees are both imperial and metric. Is it correct to say it in this way? It sounds a little bit weird.

I'm not asking if it's the best way to say the sentence, only if it's correct to say it like this.


texts: where do people say ON the weekend (geographically speaking)?

texts:
I've always been taught to say AT the weekend, not ON the weekend, but recently I've come across the following sentence: Clifton's very crowded ON the weekend.

It makes me wonder where native speakers in the UK or the USA use this preposition in this expression/phrase.


texts: What is the name of the dot over "i"and "j"? I know it has a name but I can't remember what that name is.


texts: Let's say I'm a taxi driver, who often pick up customers outside an airport, would "so, where did you fly in from?" be the more natural way to ask them where they have arrived from?


texts: Help to understand the grammar and meaning of a sentence

texts:
I don't understand the grammar and meaning of this sentence.

  To say that I was moved to tears just doesn't do this act service.

What does 'do this act service' mean?

The whole context:


texts:
Longer flights generally produce better fuel economy in smaller jets, but not always in jumbo jets. Airplanes typically burn the most fuel when they climb, and with short flights, climbing is a bigger percentage of the overall trip. But that rough rule flies out the window with large aircraft because of the heavy fuel load for long trips.

I could not understand the last part of the paragraph.


texts: Is using "far away" and "far from" idiomatic when talking about the position of adverb?

texts:
Note: I am aware of the basic meaning and usage of far from and far away.

This post is NOT duplicate of Use of 'Far' and 'Far away.'. Since the answer to that post does not mention idiomatic and far from at all, besides that post is talking about physical distance rather than words-distance in sentence.

An ELL post gives a nice explanation. "Far from..[x]" states a relative position from which you are measuring the distance.

So, I guess the following sentence uses far from in the right way.

  Cambridge
  isn't far from London

On the other hand, "Far away" presumes you are speaking relative to your present location.

  A: "The city is far away"

That city is far from where the guy A lives.

Similar, I used far from in my another post (When the verb an adverb describes is far away, what should I do?)

  I listened to the pronunciation of who on Cambridge Dictionary carefully.

  (in the example sentence above, the adverb "carefully" is) a bit far from "listened".

question

Provided that post is to discuss the position of the adverb "carefully", similar to the guy A in previous example, is it grammatical and idiomatic to say in the following way?

  the verb "listened" is far away.


texts: The order of events when using past perfect

texts:
I have a question regarding the order of events when using past perfect.When there are three events I want to describe out of chronological order, will the listener be able to figure out which happened first?

  The meeting took place because he had sent her an email, which she had forwarded to other members.

In this sentence, if I use past perfect, will the listener able to figure out that the order of the events are like this (besides the logical order): he emailed her - she forwarded the email - the meeting took place.

I'm not entirely sure how to use past perfect when I first describe the most recent event and then explain the earlier events in chronological order.


texts: Problem with True or False questions in an exam

texts:
I'm taking an A2-Virtual English Course from a university in a Latin America country. I had an exam the past week and had difficulties with two "True or False questions" based on the information given in the reading passage below.
My English teacher said me that both sentences are false according to the reading. I do not agree with my teacher and (some) virtual classmates. I think that in both questions, there is no information to decide if these are true or false. As I am just a beginner English student, my teacher doesn't take me seriously and feels that she is right.
I would like to know the opinion of the linguists and English language enthusiasts that visit ell.stackexchange.com about my problem.
The exercise was:

Choose true or false:

Listening is easier if you learn a language at college (choose true or false).
Downloading news onto your phone will improve your speaking (choose true or false).


texts: can I use "the" as many as needed in one sentence

texts:
I always try to understan when I can use the word "the" and when I cannot. As I understand, I must not use it many times in one sentence. However, sometimes I read that it is Ok. I really would like to understand the correct way to use "the" many times in my sentence.

Here is my try:

The flexibility of the model depends on the number and the type of the variables and on the dimensions of the data.

Is using "the" in my sentence correct?


texts: "I assume you know" vs. "I am assuming you know"

texts:
A: "I assume you know how this works."
  B: "I am assuming you know how this works."

So if you expect someone to know how to use a certain machine for instance could you say either of the too? I cant make out a difference in meaning so if there is none which would be the preferred choice for most speakers?


texts:
The meeting, held at a time when the world is facing growing uncertainties, is widely expected to bring positive energy to global well-being.

or

  The meeting, being held at a time when the world is facing growing uncertainties, is widely expected to bring positive energy to global well-being.

Is the word "being" necessary here and what is the difference?


texts: What is the meaning of "more likely say"?

texts:
If I were in the place of you, I would tell him to stop crying.

Can I rewrite the above sentence in the following way?

If I were you/If I were in the place of you, I would more likely say him to stop crying.

Is a to necessary before say him to stop crying?


texts: "With best/kind regards" vs "Best/Kind regards"

texts:
In Europe, it is not uncommon to receive emails with the valediction With best/kind regards, instead of the more typical and shorter Best/Kind regards.

When I see a colleague of mine writing such a phrase, I usually point out that it is a kind of old-fashioned affected valediction which, probably, nowadays, a native English speaker wouldn't write.

Am I right or wrong?


texts: "while setting conditions to retain its ability to use Syrian territory"

texts:
The Islamic Republic of Iran has conducted an extensive, expensive, and integrated effort to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power as long as possible while setting conditions to retain its ability to use Syrian territory and assets to pursue its regional interests should Assad fall.

http://www.understandingwar.org/report/iranian-strategy-syria

I am not not able to understand the part in bold in the above sentence. The core of the statement is in my opinion "while setting conditions should Assad fall" which I find in terms of both grammar and meaning a little bit awkward. Is it the concessive clause? Does it mean that although the Iranian regime supports Assad it would be in its interest to do the opposite?


texts:
In common use, the word "supposition" and the word "assumption" may be used, for the most  part, interchangeably, with the word "assumption" being the more commonly used and  understood word. However, there are some words of caution that must accompany the use of the word "assumption" - far more so than "supposition."
Supposition comes from latin "suppositio" which means "to place beneath.
"Assumption is from "assumptio" which means "taking up."
This indicates that the word "assumption" is a more powerful, emotional, word.  If I "assume" something, this means that I have "taken it up" and am in complete agreement  with the postulate. Furthermore, I have done so without necessarily having explored,  completely, all the facts that may or may not make the assumption true. An assumption is,  therefore, another word for "unfounded belief." The very word "Assume" conveys this meaning and it has been adopted as such in the common vernacular.
Alternatively, the word "supposition" bears no such negative connotation, and by stating that your belief is a supposition, you are acknowledging that it may be partially formed, and that you are open to further suggestions regarding its value.
Source

Would you possibly tell me if the explanations of a site about my topic true?
Or, I am wondering the difference between supposition and assumptions and hypothesis.
In addition, I cannot understand well what the following means?

Alternatively, the word "supposition" bears no such negative connotation, and by stating that your belief is a supposition, you are acknowledging that it may be partially formed, and that you are open to further suggestions regarding its value.


texts: "what do I have to do ..." or "what should I do ..."

texts:
Are both of the following sentences correct?

Which one of the following sentences would the native British English speakers likely to use in daily conversation?

  I have lost my driving license. what do I have to do to get new one?
  I have lost my driving license. what should I do to get new one?

Is there better way to say that?


texts: "on MY way to school" vs "on THE way to school"

texts:
I just wonder between

  I am on the way to [location]

and

  I am on my way to [location]

I wonder what the differences are.


texts: Perceived meaning in Perceived lack of flexibility

texts:
"The session leader intervenes and tries to help the users to isolate particular aspects of the system that may contribute to the system's perceived lack of flexibility."

I googled for perceived definition:

  interpret or regard (someone or something) in a particular way

I guess the perceived usage here is trying to describe how people feel about the lack of flexibility. But not quite sure the meaning here. I have seen such kind of usage very often by using perceived in front of a noun.

Please help me with more explanation about the meaning.

Thanks.


texts: About 'on a dare', 'dare' in passive and 'daren't'

texts:
She learned to fly on a dare. (oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com)

Does this mean she was dared by someone to fly? Was she challenged
by someone?
Is it ok to use 'dare' in passive voice like I did here?
Is the shortened form, 'daren't,' commonly used?

Thanks for your help.


texts: Hello. I would like to ask a question about usage of "My House"

texts:
I'm Korean. Of course English is not my second language. It's more like Foreign language.

I've seen somebody saying that IF I want to us the expression of 'My House', I have to actually possess (own) the house as my asset.

For example, "welcome to my house" or "come to my house this weekend."

Is it true??

If I'm living in a place that I don't have as my real estate, can I use those expressions?


texts: How to use verb "have" as a subjunctive?

texts:
Which one is correct?

I recommend him, have his teeth looked at by a dentist.
I recommend him, has his teeth looked at by a dentist.

First of all, something that confused me is that it appears that subjunctive verb grammar and causative have are intermingled here!
If this is a subjunctive. As a subjunctive verb, I know we should use the base form of the verb. I doubt about the verb have. because we almost always have different rules about it. I also want to know if the negative sentence would be:

I recommend him, never have his teeth looked at by a dentist.

Thanks in advance


texts: "Research Estimate" or "Estimate Research"

texts: My friend and I got into a small argument about which is the grammatically correct way to name the file of our estimation for how long it would take to research something, I tell him that it should be "Research Estimate" but he insist that "Estimate Research" is correct. Since I my English is self-taught for the most part I just felt that "Research Estimate" is the right one without being able to offer a clear explanation, so I want to know which one is the right one and why it is the right one.


texts:
In a more math/logical concept, a set refers to a collection of objects. In particular, it allows an empty set, a set with 1 item, etc.

Suppose I say,

"A is a set of numbers"

In a relatively professional (such as a written debate) setting, is it reasonable if the other party assumes that A ought to consist of multiple numbers on the grounds that "numbers" is plural? Note that this is not in a math setting (ie: we are not talking math papers).

Or is there a more semantically correct way for me to state that A is a collection of some arbitrary amount of numbers (including 0, 1, 2, ...) aside from being overly verbose for it?


texts: Is "telling" in this example sentence a gerund?

texts:
Below is the 4th meaning and example sentence for the verb "tell", from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

  [intransitive] (informal) to let somebody know a secret

  e.g.) 'Who are you going out with tonight?' 'That would be telling!'(=it's a secret)

Is "telling" in bold a gerund, or just a present participle that forms a present-continuous form along with "be" in front of it?


texts:
rise: wages: an increase in wages(= raise American English)

raise: an increase in the money you earn(= rise British English)

I have extracted those from Longman.

So, are the bold terms are interchangeable in this situation?


texts: What does the word 'does' in the second part refer to?

texts:
In the following sentene, what does the word 'does' in the second part refer to?

  The salt does not lose ammonia in dry air, but does so very slowly in moist air.


texts:
Is there any difference between these two expressions when we are talking about a person? It seems that they have the same meaning. According to The Free Dictionary "dead and gone" means "long dead" and "dead and buried" means "dead and interred, and soon to be forgotten".

Well, a person could be long dead but not forgotten. Perhaps "dead and buried" is not used when the person is not interred anymore.


texts:
What is the difference between "if" and "as soon as"?

Example: "I will come if I can" and "I will come as soon as I can"

Is it both correct?


texts:
Does "You’ve become honorary Bidens" mean "You've become honorary members of the Biden family"?

Kamala, Doug — like it or not — you’re family. You’ve become honorary Bidens and there’s no way out.

Source: A PRESIDENCY FOR ALL AMERICANS


texts:
I was reading a magazine, and I faced this sentence:

  From 2005, it became really difficult to get funding for work on
  something

I was curious to know why the writer has used funding rather than the fund.


texts:
Which is grammatically correct to write?

They stayed at a grand hotel last fall, which was really costly.
Last fall, they stayed at a grand hotel, which was really costly.


texts: We use this sentence 'he should be here'. Can we say he be here? Without modal?


texts:
when you brought my breakfast before I start walking in the morning, I felt happy

Does brought  mean that the action of bringing breakfast is in the past it is over now (past simple), but that the other person  still walks (present simple)and would it be possible to write I feel happy,I don't think so because the  happyness was because the person brought breakfast to the other not because the other  walks


texts: Is the sentence "If he has time he will telephone" grammatically right?

texts:
This sentence was asked in an exam. They asked for substituting correct word in place of will in the following sentence,

  "If he has time he will telephone."
  (A) Would
  (B) Could
  (C) Might
  (D) No error

What I think is that the question itself is wrong because the sentences a conditional and hypothetical sentence and as far as I know from my other post in these type of sentences we always use past form of has.

The question should be,

  If he had time he will telephone.

Please explain am I right?


texts:
Imagine this scenario:

I reserved in a restaurant two days ago. Today I've met my friend and have told him:

  "I am dining out in a restaurant next Monday."

Here is my question: is present continous better than "going to" in that case? I chose present continuous because I have already reserved. Am I true? Or would it be better to say:

  "I am going to dine out in a restaurant next Monday."


texts: Does 'can' express Obligation, Permission or Ability here?

texts:
The sentence is:

"Rajen, can you please take her home?"

What does 'can' indicate here? Obligation, Permission or Ability?

I think it must be Ability, but my teacher says it must be Permission, so what do you think it really indicates? Explain.


texts:
In a discussion on closets, person A posted a picture of his closet and person B made a comment on it:

  Cowboy boots in the north WTF,
  and who needs that many hats?

Person A then replies:

  I've cleaned it up since. Lots of leftover questionable clothes and shoes from my younger days...

  The cowboy boots stayed though because they're f-ing awesome.

Person B then says:

  I'd say. I see that tennis ball yellow piece of clothing there :puke:

In person B's last comment, when he said "I'd say", what does that mean? I know that I'd means I would, but what does say mean? Does he mean he agrees with person A's comment "Lots of leftover questionable clothes and shoes from my younger days..."?


texts:
I saw this tweet

  WATCH: 3-YR-OLD CHESS PRODIGY CRIES AFTER GETTING RINSED ON RUSSIAN TV

and couldn't make sense of it, my mother tongue not being English did not help the situation, thus I'm here... Thanks for answers


texts:
How would you describe the condition under which someone answers questions without letting his mood affect his choice of answering? I want him to answer the questionnaire without mood bias.

Please let me know if the following are viable examples, and how would you describe it:

  Please answer the questions with bias-free mood.
  Please answer the questions with free of mood influence/bias.
  Please answers the questions with a state devoid of mood influence/bias


texts: "There is … to be" vs. "There is … that has to be"

texts:
Which of these sentences would be the best to write?

  There is a house to be built.

  There is a house that has to be built.

I wanted to make sure it would be OK to write 'There is+Noun+to be+past participle.'What makes me confused is even though example of the 2nd sentence could be found, I don't see 1st sentence anywhere, e.g. corpus sites, Google. I just want to stick to the proper rules when writing.


texts:
You have this somewhat informal idiom: "a sight for sore eyes":

  : a person or thing that you are very glad to see
   - After being away from home for so long, my friends and family were a sight for sore eyes.

  (Merriam-Webster Learner's)

There are examples which don't involve human beings. Possibly used more often with people, but sometimes used to describe something beautiful and heart-warming, as in a scenery or with nature.

Is there an equivalent or similar idiom for sounds? As in related to the feeling of hearing voice of those people you were away from, the sound of a long forgotten engine, or sounds in nature?


texts: Is Past Perfect or Simple past is optional in Reporting speech.?

texts:
In below linked NEWS i can see the Use of past perfect tense, Had alleged, in most of the sentences. It is very difficult to understand if it is really require there. it does not indicates two actions to differentiate it from simple past. by Using simple past it would give the same meaning. Then why past perfect is used?

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/baddi-murder-cong-bjp-resort-to-blame-game/articleshow/64086578.cms


texts: Which one is correct? Is the first sentence a passive?

texts:
Which one is correct?

We should have taken this threat much more seriously and have been much better prepared.
We should have taken this threat much more seriously and have much better prepared.


texts: Word for selling something that you don't use anymore

texts: Is there a single word (or a short expression) for selling something (usually online, like on craigslist etc., also possibly garage sales) that you don't use anymore?


texts:
Consider the following sentences. If John had come from Boston, was it the place Peter arrived at, or the place Peter came from?

  Peter returned from where John had come.
  Peter returned whence John had come.

The online Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary says "whence" means "from where" and gives as an example "They returned whence they had come." If "whence" equals "from where" and the latter is used instead in the example sentence, the result would be "They returned from where they had come." But I don't know f that paraphrase is appropriate.

It seems that the definition illustrated by the example should be "to the place from which," not "from where."

I suspect there is something wrong with that dictionary.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: How can I rephrase "I will want to break work and will be free"?

texts:
I need short phrase to say "I will want to quit work, will create own business and will be free."
How can I rephrase that sentence?


texts:
If you do not want to differentiate gender of a person being referred to, for instance in public or legal notices, why is there no single word for the following word pairs?

 (he,she), (him,her), {his,her)

It appears to be a big limitation in many languages...


texts: Indicating of some part of body with comparison

texts:
How to indicate correctly which part of your body you look like someone? For example: eyes
If we use "You look nothing like someone" then how to indicate what I wrote above?

?You look your eyes like your daddy?

Your eyes look like daddy's


texts:
What does "I cannot be more thankful" mean?

I want to say that I am very thankful for having this opportunity. Can I say something like the following?

  ... and I cannot be more thankful for having this opportunity.

Thank you


texts:
I have a problem understanding the following sentences.

  Some experiments suggest that deliberately releasing altered nonpathogenic pseudomonas syringae could crowd out the nonaltered variety that causes frost damage. Opponents of such research have objected that the deliberate and large-scale release of genetically altered bacteria might have deleterious results.

The experiments suggest that using altered bacteria could get rid of frost damage, which is a good result. So the opponent to this research should object the fact that "usage of altered bacteria makes good result". Then isn't it wrong to say that Opponents of the research objected that release of altered bacteria might have "deleterious" result? (In other words, shouldn't the word "deleterious" be changed to "good"? I am understanding the word "object" as a meaning of "oppose to".)


texts:
can anybody tell me which one of these is the correct one? I have been searching all over the internet but I have still got no answer.

Types of books
Types of book


texts:
I'm learning English using CNN10.
When I watch some news, I've heard this sentence.
I have no idea what it means

  Cities can be difficult cases to navigate at the best of times.
  But for some with disabilities, they can turn into gold bits(ph).

This is about visually impaired people.
What is the gold bits?


texts:
What is correct?

He should be only present in the first group.
He only should be present in the first group.
He should only be present in the first group. (this one is my favourite, but I don't know why)

Thanks!


texts: Meaning of "players" and "port of a bitt"

texts:
The Cotgrave Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues (1611) has this definition for the word Babillon:

Babillon: m. The players that hang to the port of a bitt.

Can anyone shed some light about what bitt means here?
Can it be that bit (horse)? or something else related to a beard as I suspect the French word is a variant or a typo for barbillon?
What players might this be about?


texts: right hand to God - what does this mean?

texts:
From the science fiction movie Dreamcatcher (2003):

  — Nine miles to Hole in the Wall.
  — I think I can manage it.
  — I'll bring the snowmobile back and get you both. Now, Pete, you listen to me. Don't go back to the car for beer. Stay with her. Keep her warm.
  — Right hand to God, Dr. D.

What exactly does this expression mean?


texts:
As you know, the word "burden" depending on context, can convey various meanings. One of its connotations is "something difficult or worrying that you are responsible for", which is in my question.
I was wondering which choice below sounds more idiomatic to you:

I have three unemployed sons sitting at home. I have to work in my 70s to put bread on their table. They are...........

a. a burden to me
b. burdens to me
c. a burden on me
d. burdens on me
Whereas the word "burden" is a countable noun here, and the subject of the sentence refers to three youths which are actin as dead-weights to their father, to me, the most natural one is "d", however I have no idea whether the other options would work here or there is something the matter with them which I need to be aware of.
Please kindly explain that to me.


texts:
I know  it is correct to say,

  "I have often been to the UK."

How about this?

  I had often been to the UK before.

Does that still sound natural?


texts:
I spotted that sometimes sentences may start with a verb (e.g. "suppose" and "imagine", as shown in the below example sentence). May I ask apart from "suppose" and "imagine", if there are any other verbs that can be used in this way? Also, is this type of sentence only suitable for some less formal texts, and should they be avoided in some formal ones? Thanks.

Examples:
''Imagine a woman in love with her own body.'' (source)
''Suppose it has turned the hair white.''(source)


texts: difference between diplomatic and forthright?

texts: Can a person(a politician specifically) be described as diplomatic as well as forthright at the same time? Or do the two attributes contrast with each other?


texts: I am asking for a quick answer vs. I ask for a quick answer

texts:
What would be more appropriate in an informal letter/e-mail?

  I am asking for a quick answer.

or

  I ask for a quick answer.

Are these sentences correct?


texts:
I have two sentence like following:

Preparing the raw materials.
Cleaning beaker,then putting them into box to reserve.

This two sentence is similar,the gerund both is subject.But I am informed them all are ill-formed sentence due to no predicate.Is it illegal indeed?If it is,how to modify them?


texts:
There need none to be blamed. Source: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Act 5, Scene 1)

Is this still possible in modern English?

For example: “There dared none to protest against him.”

Is this a version of the structure in “There lived a man in this city.”?


texts: 'The' English language or just English language

texts:
In the sentence:

  Nothing drove me harder than my passion for the English language.

Is it correct to say 'the English language' instead of 'Englsih language'?
What if I said 'passion for English language'? Is that weird or how does that
change the meaning?


texts: Meaning of "Chucking an ice cube into the path of a forest fire"?

texts:
"Please don't get angry," I throw out as a preemptive sally, even though it feels a bit like chucking an ice cube into the path of a forest fire.

What does it mean here?


texts: Is "which is directly affecting our operational duties" correct in this sentence? Should it be "which are" instead?

texts:
Is the following sentence correct:

  I would like to point upcoming events in Week 19, which is directly affecting our operational duties.

I think it should be "which are", and the verb affect usually I know it means negative, so could we interchange with "impact" or something else?


texts: How to understand "Here you are." "You are here" or "Here are you"?

texts:
When we want to give something to somebody, we may say:

  Here you are.

But I don't understand why this sentence means "I give it to you".

What are the differences among them:

Here you are.
Here are you.
You are here.


texts: Conjunctions, dependent and independent clauses

texts:
I have a question about conjunctions, dependent and independent clauses.

The issue came up when a text book suggests that "and it" can replace "which/who". But my understanding is that subordinating conjunctions are used for connecting dependent clauses, whilst coordinating conjunctions are used with independent clauses.

So here are some examples.

This book is about King Sejong, who invented Hangeul.
This book is about King Sejong and he invented Hangeul.
No.1 to me is correct whilst 2. isn't.

Another example however

The word shampoo comes from the Hindi word champo, which means "to press".
The word shampoo comes from the Hindi word champo and it means "to press".
In this case, both look correct to me.

In the 1st example, is it incorrect because the subordinate clause acts as a adjective clause, whilst the 2nd example isn't?

One final example that is obviously wrong:

I am reading a book about Paris, which I visited two years ago.
I am reading a book about Paris and I visited two years ago.

I tried asking on English Stack Exchange but only received one comment saying

"The whole point of having relative clauses is to avoid having to use your examples with "and""

But no clear explanation on the exact grammar at play which allows some cases to be okay whilst in others, not.

Is there a grammar mistake in the wrong sentences? Or is it just semantically unclear?

Thank you.


texts:
In one of our tests here at the school where I work we had the following question:

Which adjective can be used to describe a person?

The correct answer was wacky, but among the incorrect ones, there was the adjective squeaky. Based on the dictionary definition I concluded that the latter would also be possible. When I sent an e-mail to our headquarter, they answered that squeaky would not be right because we would have to understand the adjective figuratively if we were to accept it. I confess I didn't understand their explanation.

Can we say "he is squeaky" or would we have to say "he has a squeaky voice"?

I was thinking of a meaning close to what the person sounds like.

It's worth mentioning that one member of the Manson family was Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme. ( from Wikipedia: George Spahn gave her the nickname "Squeaky", because of the sound she made when he touched her.)

I also thought about a possible connection with the adjective and the saying "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

In the case of Lynette, couldn't squeaky mean someone who speaks in squeaky sounds? And, in the second case, could it mean someone who complains a lot?


texts:
I thought this was absolutely brilliant on the Salvation Army’s part! People are more willing to support the men and women who protect us, no matter what line of work they are in. And who doesn’t like hearing bagpipes play on Christmas – there’s just something very Christmas-like about them. While not exactly an ad, this probably helped bring in more donations for the Salvation Army.

what do "line of work they are in" and "brilliant on" mean here?
and
Is ad stand for "advertisement"?


texts: What is the meaning of "and it’s you are" in the poem I carry your heart with me?

texts:
[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]
BY E. E. CUMMINGS
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
                                      i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant <-------------
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

source

  and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

I've never seen such a grammatical form before and I'm inquisitive about where it comes from and what does the sentence mean although I might have a dim idea.


texts: "as" twice, next to each other in the same sentence

texts:
I have written this sentence, and I am not sure if it is grammatically correct. M$ Word marks the second "as" as being wrong. Take a look:

This ensures the ticket is inserted properly, as as much as a 1/4-inch difference can cause the feeder to jam.

Is this grammatically correct? I've tried looking online for notes on this but I've come up empty handed, probably due to the short word and (potential) obscurity of such a use.
The only change I can think to make is to add even in between the two as instances.


texts:
"We’d like to see the baby’s weight going steadily up."

Here, "going up" is gerund , and 'baby's weight' is the subject of gerund?
Is my analysis correct?


texts:
The sky is overcast so there is no sunshine, and you want to ask someone if they could feel sunshine which isn't present. Do I still need to add "the" with sunshine?

Can you feel sunshine?
Can you feel the sunshine?


texts:
She put forward two proposals, .......... of which didn’t make any sense to the participants in the summit.

The answer for this question in grammar exercises is ‘either’. I am doubtful whether to use either or neither. Can any one clarify this with reason.


texts: How to make concise the sentence below? I thought of "vice versa" but seems not appropriate

texts:
Here is a sentence with two parts, but these two parts have similar meaning:

  An upward curve illustrates the positive effect of temperature on
  evaporation while a downward curve illustrates the negative effect.

I tried to use "vice versa", but this word seems not used in such a condition. Because I find a sample sentence of "vice versa":

  I don't know Tom, and vice versa.

How can I make the sentence more clear? I suppose half the sentence can be shortened, ye I don't know how to manage it.


texts: Is there a word for something not feeling real but it is real?

texts:
Is there a word for something not feeling real but is real?
When you go somewhere or see a picture of someplace and it feels as if it isn’t real and for a moment you are wondering if it’s just a dream and it’s just your imagination but really it is real it just looks so amazing for example the glowing water in the Maldives and the glowing water fall in Puerto Rico.

Examples:

Puerto Rico

Maldives

This is the picture from a Daily Mail article I am trying to say feels this way, I am talking about how the water looks and makes me feel like that:

This is not the only thing I mean I also mean just anything that feels that way.I would like to use it to describe the setting of a place saying that it feels unreal yet it is real, however I would like to say that without saying it like that.


texts:
I think getting up early is kind of difficult to do. And I'm pretty sure that it is difficult for many people too.

And I've heard some people saying something like followings, including 'go with'. But, I'm not sure which one is right. Could you help me with this?

Many people go with me.

Many people are the same as me.

Same thing goes with many people.


texts: Can I say: “The train departs at 16 past every hour“?

texts:
In German, we can say "jede Stunde um 16 nach". I just overheard someone teaching there was no such possibility in English. Yet I found "hourly at 45 minutes past" in one answer here. Is the following also correct?

  The train departs at 16 past every hour.


texts: Using modal verb "could" as an independent

texts:
"Dan was so successful at school, he made it, he could."

Can the modal verb "could" be used as in the above example, as a standalone without a verb following it?

"Dan was so successful at school, he made it, he could (do it)."


texts: How can I convince people that Could is the past form of Can?

texts:
Here in Korea, a lot of public educations are not in a great state. People have been educated too simply that the past "Tense" of Can is Could. But they never learned or been told deeply, so they get frustrated when they confront something like "I could get up early yesterday".

Recently, some ideas like "Could is not the past form of Can at all, and we were all taught wrongly" have spread really quick. And now people wouldn't listen to that the word "Past form" could mean hypothetical, politeness, etc other than Tense itself. They have already turned away and believe that Could has nothing to do with Can now.

If I show them like "Look, the dictionary, the natives would look up, shows that Could is the past form of Can at the first entry" and all I got is "Oh come on, that's all the grammar stuff you know. In REAL English, It's not like that~".

I know I'm asking too much and the subject is somewhat a bit off to this website but any ideas to help them? (actually me).


texts: Usage of "a" and "the" and their difference

texts:
Should I use a or the in the following context?

Yesterday, I lost a/the book that John gave me.

Note that John gave me 3 books.


texts: pharmacy vs. drugstore in American English

texts: Is there a clear-cut difference between pharmacy and drugstore in American English? Does a pharmacy necessarily sell medicines and drugs and nothing else? Could a pharmacy sell make-up?


texts: With whom you Spoke, or With whom you spoke with?

texts:
Example:

Mark, with whom you spoke at the party, will be joining us.

or is it

Mark, with whom you spoke with at the party, will be....


texts:
1. Please explain and simplify the 1st two paras herefrom?

  The choice of prepositions depends upon the temporal context in which you're speaking.  "On ~ afternoon" implies that the afternoon is a single point in time;  thus, that temporal context would take the entire afternoon as one of several different afternoons, or in other words, one would use "on" when speaking within the context of an entire week.

  "In ~ afternoon" suggests that the afternoon is a temporal space in-and-of-itself, wherein anything that happens will happen amongst many other events.  In other words, the temporal context for this usage would be if one were speaking of a single day -- whether past, present, or future -- and of a single afternoon, during which many things might happen.

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=869146&p=4645217#post4645217

  In your example, on the afternoon of that day = (on) that day's
  afternoon
  = (on) that day, in the afternoon = in the afternoon
  (on) that day.

  I don't know a rule for it. Sometimes only "on" fits the context,
  sometimes only "in", sometimes no preposition is allowed, and
  sometimes we have a choice...

The prepositions in the alleged sequence of equalities confuse me. 2. The first phrase uses on the afternoon, but which contradicts in the afternoon in the last phrase?

3. If you start with the first phrase and proceed forwards, then how did on capriciously change into in?
If you start with the last phrase and proceed backwards, then how did in capriciously change into on?


texts: Friends are constantly visiting and friends constantly visit

texts:
I am not native English speaker and new to English. Please let me know what is the difference between below sentences and which one is correct.

  His friends are constantly visiting him.
  His friends constantly visit him.


texts: Are there local English-English dictionaries, for example, Aussies, Kiwis, etc their own? I guess there may be some good needs or reasons to upload their own vocabularies and pronunciations, but I’ve never heard they are existed.


texts:
If we write a statement that is very common, should we use the past tense or present tense or future tense?
Which one is correct? Or it depends on how old I imagine the reader is?

Examples I came up with:
The "you" in (1) and (2) are used to refer to an average person (not a specific "you").

(1) What you are interested in at 18 can be different from what you are interested in at 40.

(2) What you were interested in at 18 can be different from what you are interested in at 40.

(3) What you were interested in at 18 can be different from what you will be interested in at 40.

Examples I came up with:

(a) What a person is interested in at 18 can be different from what that person is interested in at 40.

(b) What a person was interested in at 18 can be different from what that person is interested in at 40.

(c) What a person was interested in at 18 can be different from what that person will be interested in at 40.


texts:
More than half of the appliances are working. But a few are not working because (it's not like half the power is out, actually more than half the power is on and just a part of it is out, maybe because of a problem in the circuit):

  A part of the power has gone off.

Is the use of "a part of" natural?


texts: "It was extraordinary, she told herself, how this little snippet of a girl seemed suddenly to be taking charge of her problems,"

texts:
Miss Honey smiled. It was extraordinary, she told herself, how this little snippet of a girl seemed suddenly to be taking charge of her problems, and with such authority, too. "Well," she said, "that depends on what the questions are."

It came from the novel, Matilda
'It was extraordinary, she told herself, how this little snippet of a girl seemed suddenly to be taking charge of her problems,'
Is this sentence a 'how exclamation sentence' ??
and
'It is extraordinary, thought Miss Honey, how often small children have flights of fancy like this.'
Is this sentence a 'how exclamation sentence'  too??


texts: discerning between further on, further, and more when talking about time

texts:
This company will be continue for ten years further on.
This company will be continue for ten years more.
This company will be continue for ten years further.

Would you please explain what is the difference between those? especially the bold part.


texts: How to understand "turned into" in the sentence?

texts:
Through his son Michael, Sonny Franzese supervised a gasoline-tax-evasion scam that turned into a billion-dollar enterprise lasting for six years, until the FBI broke it up in the mideighties.

As I understand, the clause "that turned into a billion-dollar enterprise lasting for six years" modifies "a gasoline-tax-evasion scam".  What confuses me is how a gasoline-tax-evasion scam can turn into a billion-dollar enterprise lasting for six years.  It doesn't seem to make much sense.  Any thoughts on it?
Edit: To clarify my question: I know "turn into" can mean 'become', but I feel a scam becomes a billion-dollar enterprise is a bit strange.


texts: What is the difference between "followed by" and "is followed by"?

texts:
What is the difference between these both sentences:

  Drought followed by Storm
  Drought is followed by Storm

In both sentences which comes first and which follows it


texts: I am trying to explain to my student the reason why it is not possible to say "I am approaching to the beach". It doesn't sound correct to me, but I don't know how to explain why.


texts: Is it considered Ok to say “I’m glad to get acquainted with you”

texts: Is it considered Ok to say in the end of a short or long meeting (business, date or whatever it is)  “I’m glad to get acquainted with you”?


texts:
Can we say so:

I found it out at 11 am ?

It's Past Simple. The action happened while it was 11 am

Can we say:

I had found it out by 11 am?

It's Past Perfect. The action had happened before 11 am.

But the trouble is if we want to mention some action which had happened even before this very action which had happened before 11 am:

When you had found it out by 11 am I had already come?

Meaning like I came before you found it out before 11 am.

But "had come" is in Past Perfect because happened before "had found out" while "had found out" is in Past Perfect, either,  because had happened before "11 am".

Why is it wrong and why can't I use it? Such logic suits here perfectly.

P.S. I know there has already been a similar topic but maybe here I showed what I meant in a different, more understandable way, I don't know...


texts: Meaning of the verb "swing" in “How they swinging that?”

texts:
It was in the 12th episode of the 3rd season of Breaking Bad. Here is the context:

Hank: How is your old man?
Back teaching?
Walt Jr: No. l don't think either of them are working right now.
Hank: How they swinging that?
Walt Jr: I don't know.


texts: Using as much as in a phrase involving units of measurement

texts:
Is it proper to say as much as 700 thous. cub. m of wastewater or you need to put  as many as instead?

Thanks a lot.


texts: What is the difference between "dominant" and "dominating"?

texts:
Miss Wilson, our boss, is not liked by anyone in the office because she is a very (dominating / dominant) person.

Do these two adjectives have the same meaning here, and if yes, are they interchangeable? If not, where is the difference?


texts: who worth you most / who worths you most

texts:
"Do not overlook the worth of the person
who worth you most."

Or,

"Do not overlook the worth of the person
who worths you most."

I wanted to say, the person for whom you are worthy and important most.

I'm not sure of if the use of the word and sentence and grammatically is it ok? and says what I want to say?


texts: "I saw him before he had seen me" - paradoxical past perfect with before

texts:
Just saw this sentence in Quirke's Grammar:

  I saw him before he had seen me.

full context:

in 15.27 he says

The last example "Sally stopped Ted before he had a change to reply' doesn't use the perfect, so why is it used in 'I saw him before he had seen me"? [13] just looks weird to me - as if perfect places him seeing me before me seeing him and the 'before' clause places me seeing him squarely before him seeing me, which is confusing. Are they both in so-called 'past in the past', like "I told him that I had seen him before he had seen me"? I understand that time is subjective and 'simple' tenses don't have much to do with time at all, but it makes this construction even more confusing to me.

Even Cambridge's Grammar says that that the event expressed in before complement takes place subsequently and has this example:

  She left the country before she had written her
  thesis allows (and indeed suggests) that she had started writing when she left and is thus not equivalent to She left the country before she wrote her thesis, which indicates that the leaving preceded the whole of the thesis writing.

I don't understand why 'had written' suggests that she had started writing when she left.

Lewis Michael's The English Verb says:

  The past retrospective is similar in every way to the present retrospective except that instead of the events being before Now, they are before a particular point in Past Time." - Present retrospective is used to 'look back' on things and is deeply rooted to the point Now. Looking at, back, or forward is possible with
  remote forms, expressing the fact that the speaker views things from a point
  remote in time.

Does this mean that the speaker uses the 'I saw him' as a point to look back on thing? How does that works when when it's in a before-clause?

I get the meaning of the sentence, but I don't get why it's constructed like that. What am I missing?

Thanks.

Another example:

  Snape had struck before Harry was ready, before he had even begun to summon any force of resistance.

Note: I've read previously-asked questions about similar topics and the answers given didn't provide much clarity on the subject. Maybe I'm just bad at reading.


texts: eight parts intuition and experience with two parts theory -- what does that really mean?

texts:
Example with a context:

  We should conclude by saying that there is no law that says that a database is always more useful or efficient if the tables have a high degree of normalization. These issues are more subjective than objective and must be dealt with as a design issue on an ad hoc basis. In fact, it appears that the best procedure for good database design is to mix eight parts intuition and experience with two parts theory. Hopefully, our discussion of normalization has given you a general feeling for the issues involved and will provide a good jumping-off place if you decide to study these somewhat complicated issues in greater depth.

What does that really mean? Is that a play on words or something?


texts: Should I use "in between" or "inbetween" in the following sentence?

texts:
You grow old and die anyway. And then there's everything you have to
  endure in between/inbetween: grief, loneliness, sickness.

What's the correct choice? And why?


texts: What does "He could not meet her in conversation, rational and playful" mean?

texts:
Here's a citation that is exact:

  Austen´s indirect criticism of patriarchy is
  evident in both Emma and Persuasion. Emma loves her father very much but as Austen mentions “He was
  no companion to her. He could not meet her in conversation, rational and playful” (E 2). He is much
  older that she is and he is also portrayed as practically invalid. In addition, he is nervous,
  hating any change and easily depressed.
  Zuzana Kadlecová, Marriage in the Works of Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft

Here's the citation of the actual line from Emma:

  How was she to bear the change? -- It was true that her friend was going only half a mile from them; but Emma was aware that great must be the difference between a Mrs. Weston only half a mile from them, and a Miss Taylor in the house; and with all her advantages, natural and domestic, she was now in great danger of suffering from intellectual solitude. She dearly loved her father, but he was no companion for her. He could not meet her in conversation, rational or playful.
  (Source: Emma, Jane Austen)

I am guessing that he can't converse with her in rational and playful manner.


texts: Can someone help me with the tense here?

texts:
They were grinning smooth talkers who patted you on the back with one
hand and picked your pocket with the other

Can we rewrite this sentence as:

They were grinning smooth talkers who would pat you on the back with
one hand and picked your pocket with the other.

OR

They were grinning smooth talkers who would patted on the back with
one hand and picked your pocket with the other.

Is the first sentence simple past tense or past perfect?


texts:
how to call a lesson that a TEACHER has carried out?

I need a short, precise expression which will be used a lot in the documentation of a system that I am writing.

I thought about "delivered lesson", "implemented lesson"?
Would these expressions work? Can you come up with something better?

Examples:

"The modification history of the ..... lessons."

"This view allows you to display .... and planned lessons."

"This PHP class is responsible for retrieving data of .... lessons from the database "

Please help :)


texts: What does "putt forward" mean? Or did I hear it wrong?

texts:
So I am doing a camp for vision impaired kids where I play movies for them with audio description on. The other day I played the animated film Hotel Transylvania 2.

Some kid asked me about a line in the audio description. I listened to it several times, and couldn't make out what it says. The scene is Dracula and the gang ride on a scooter that inches forward because it is overloaded. To my ear, the line sounds like "The monster scooter putts forward." But what does "putt forward" mean? If the verb is not "putt", what could it be?

The audio excerpt can be found here.


texts: What is the difference between "that is mine" and "that would be mine"?

texts:
What is the difference between that is mine and that would be mine? For example:

  Whose phone is that? That is mine.

  Whose phone is that? That would be mine.


texts:
Could all "auxiliary" be used at the beginning of the sentence.
I often see the following sentence:
(You) Don't......=Don't
So like this kind of sentence, I will often use.
but I saw the following post in a forum:

Cant put anything in user folder?
Haven't had a windows box in a while. Just got a new HP with 8.1.
If I remember right I could put files anywhere in my user folder. Now, with 8.1, I cant unless it's a sub folder?
Can use Documents, Video etc...just not in the top folder. Is this a change?
Thanks.

The first line is the title of the forum thread.
It uses a lot of "auxiliary" at the beginning of the sentences.
I sometimes want to use this same usage, but I have rarely seen this usage in English articles.
Is it a correct usage? Is it common?
Sometimes I feel using "subject" is verbose, I would like to use directly the following sentence. Is it OK?

Cant put anything...
Haven't had a windows box...
Can use Documents...
Should...
Shouldn't...
Will...
Won't...
...etc.


texts: How to correctly name photographs? (confusion with articles)

texts:
What to do in these examples?:

"Pines in (the/zero article) fog"?
https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/foggy-pines-paula-apro.jpg
"(An/0) eagle (in the/at) dusk"?
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/32/e5/56/32e556dc9377b69a2e835f17bd246d2f.jpg

In general the question is: in which cases when you're giving a name to pictures it's normal&correct to leave out some/every articles?


texts: If a male can be a 'stud', what is the corresponding word for a female?

texts:
Is there anything equivalent on the female side of the gender? Traditionally, the qualities connotated to a stud were positively charged when talking about males but had a great portion of negative touch when it came to females.

However, as the world changes and our culture (d)evolves, I wonder if there's a corresponding term to being a stud but such that it can be applied to a woman.


texts:
Can it be said as follows:

  He just didn't understand or pretended not to.

in the meaning the he either didn't understand or pretended he didn't?


texts:
What do "unique to what has come before it" mean in this context?

  What is blockchain?

  Blockchain is a record keeping system – a ledger – where multiple sources validate an entry before it gets added.
  Once it’s added, it can’t be changed, and the record is distributed, living in multiple places at once.

  There are several features here that are unique to what has come before it.


texts: use of adverb: as tight as or tight as much as

texts:
We write:

  Then tie this part as tight as you want.

And we also write:

  Then tie this part tight as much as you want.

Is the first one more natural than the second one?


texts:
What do you do when your sight, smell, and hearing is useless?

I encountered this sentence when I was reading a newspaper. This seemed very strange to me, for there are three clear items listed in the sentence. Why did the author use "is" instead of "are"?


texts: What is this structure called in English grammar?

texts:
A rush of blood to the head, and X committed hara-kiri.

This is how a cricket commentator once described a batsman who stepped out of the crease and attempted to loft the ball into the stands; however, he lost his wicket.

Is there any special name for constructions like A rush of blood to the head? Is it a nominative absolute or is there another name for such constructions in English grammar?


texts: What do you call the servants who follow a king during a procession? I am pretty sure there was a word for it, but I don't know if the word only applied to the people in a procession or not.


texts:
This is from the book Nazi war on cancer by R.Proctor:

  I tend to agree with Omer Bartov that the Holocaust is a kind of idiot's tale we can understand only in parts, never altogether

I searched online for the meaning of the expression "idiot's tale" and I couldn't find any.


texts:
I have a reduced sentence:

  "The line graph compares the amount of electricity produced in France using four different sources of power over a period of 32 years."

I think the full sentence is:

  "The line graph compares the amount of electricity which is produced in France that uses four different sources of power over a period of 32 years."

So there are 2 relative clauses in this sentence, as I know, a correct sentence has just a relative clause. so please help me understand this.


texts:
Is it possible to use the article in the sentence below implying during this particular hour? or is it optional?

  In the one hour


texts: What is the difference between 'Gender' and 'Sex'?

texts:
What is the difference in asking a person
(1) What is your 'Gender'?
and
(2) What is your 'Sex'?

Can there be any scenario where both these questions can be asked to a person at the same time? I am particularly interested in medical contexts, specifically hospitals.


texts: Meaning of "ain't" in: "...we ain't know what it meant"

texts:
What is the meaning of the following line:

  We ain't know what it meant

Putting ain't = aren't doesn't make sense. I'm left with putting ain't = haven't, but have requires the third form of know, which is known, and is not the case. If I put ain't = don't then it makes sense,

  We don't know what it meant

But the dictionary doesn't say that ain't = don't. So please explain me the meaning of that line.

Thank you.


texts:
"'It seems probable that the foetus does not possess a rational soul as long as it is in the womb, and only begins to possess it when born, and consequently in no abortion is homicide committed.' Sextus V inflicted severe penalties for the crime of abortion at any period; these were in some degree mitigated by Gregory XIV, who, however, still held that those producing the abortion of an animated foetus should be subject to them, viz., and excommunication reserved to the bishop and also an 'irregularity' reserved to the Pope himself for absolution."

From WOMAN and THE NEW RACE - W.W. Norton

The highlighted part, I guess, implies some religious, Catholic, information, which I found beyond my understanding. Please help.


texts: "I am hurting" in the meaning of "I am hurt"? Why?

texts:
Once in a while I hear someone use the phrase I am hurting.  It appears to mean I am hurt, not I am hurting you.  For example, consider the text on this drawing:

When and why is it correct to say I'm hurting in the meaning of I'm hurt?  Is there any difference in meaning?


texts: What does "alternated" mean in this context?

texts:
"If you have severe psoriasis or it's resistant to other types of treatment, your doctor may prescribe oral or injected drugs. Because of severe side effects, some of these medications are used for only brief periods and may be alternated with other forms of treatment."

Does it mean when oral medicine is taken the other forms of medicines are not allowed to be used or oral medicine is taken while using other types of medicine.

Which of my interpretations is correct?


texts: Using 'someone's goodness' as 'my goodness'

texts:
An interjection 'oh my goodness!' is quite known to us. It talks about surprises.

Say -

  My goodness, it's warm in here!

Now, I was like using the same expression for a third person.

Say -

  To her goodness, it was warm in there!

Is it possible?

Limitations of search engines show results of goodness as a noun. The context is entirely different It is not about surprises.

  Her goodness and kindness is praise worthy.

That's the reason, I'm not able to find the usage I want from the original expression.

If 'my x' is possible, it should be possible with 'his x' and 'her x' also! What say?


texts: What vs. Which - correct usage in questions

texts:
Today I found myself in a situation that I asked "Which class" to a friend who said that "we are going to the class". Then one of my friends said that I should ask "what class" and another one said both (what class and which class) are correct. Who is right?

This issue I meet often when I'm talking about things, such as:

  What day/ which day?

  What floor / which floor?

  what teacher / which teacher?

  What page / which page?

  What place / which place?

  What line (bus) / Which line?

  What /which sentence (do you agree with)?


texts: What's the difference between "trip" and "excursion"?

texts:
In the Longman Dictionary, "Excursion" is defined as:

  a short journey made for pleasure, usually by several people together

This is similar to "to go on a trip". Is there any difference in meaning between "to go on an excursion" and "to go on a trip"?

We can talk of a school trip to the Science Museum.
Is "excursion" also an option in this case or does "excursion" always involve going as a group to another city rather than to a museum?


texts: "I would so much like to thank you" or "I would like to thank you so much"?

texts:
Are both of these sentences acceptable?

  I would so much like to thank you.

  I would like to thank you so much.

If both are acceptable then which one is more formal? And what part of speech is [so much]? Adverb?

Edit:
For future reference, I add some citations from Google Books and COCA as current evidences to the possibility of splitting the collocated verbs "would like" in modern English. You can do a Google search to find others but I want to quote from sources that are generally more credible.

  And I can assure you, Jonathan, that as far as we are concerned, we
  are going to make every effort on our part. We have done everything we
  can also to create the right environment, and we do hope that the
  Chinese leaders in Beijing will similarly be sincere in their effort
  and we will work together to see His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, as a
  solution, not a problem

  MANN The people of Tibet would so much like to see him, and I know
  that he would like to see them. He has been invited back to Tibet. The
  governor of Tibet says that as long as he recognizes that Tibet is
  part of China, he is welcome to return. Do you think he will go back?

Source: CNN Insight, 2003 via COCA

  My dear Fraulein, For your dear, kind, friendly letter I would so
  much like to thank you. You know, of course, what pleasure you give
  by remembering me, and yet gratitude is never expressed in words ...

  Enchanting Jenny Lind - Page 210 - 1939

  The translation is as follows : Leipzig, 2yd Dec, 1845. My dear
  Fraulein, For your dear, kind, friendly, letter I would so much like
  to thank you, and say how much pleasure you have given ...

The life of Jenny Lind - Page 56 - 1978

  In her message of thanks to the people after the April 30th
  celebrations, Juliana said in a nationwide broadcast: "I would so
  much like to thank you all personally, for what you have written to
  me, for your gifts, and for everything which I so value ...

Europe - Issue 235 - Page 244 - 1983


texts: What is the difference between "will" + verb and "will be" + verb?

texts:
I came across the sentence:

  "57% of global population will live in an urban environment."

Would it be correct to instead use:

  "57% of global population will be lived in an urban environment."

What would be different between the sentences?


texts: "I would have done X if Y would Z" or "I would have done X if Y would have Z"?

texts:
What's the correct construction?

Example sentence:

  "I ate the goldfish," I would have confessed if those words wouldn't sound crazy.

  "I ate the goldfish," I would have confessed if those words wouldn't have sounded crazy.

Which is the correct alternative and why?

Note: I checked Google and I think there's a third option: I would have confessed if those words didn't sound crazy.


texts:
Please help me to understand questions using * had been* at the start.
If i want to as question about past the can i ask this way?
I am aware about uses of were and was that it use to ask about status of past.
Below sentences are in perfect tense give clear picture of time. Past time before any other thing happen.

  Had you been to Australia? Had she been upset?Had you been to school?
  Had you been hospitalized?
  Had he been arrested by police?

If above sentences are incorrect the how below sentence are correct when we ask about present tense.

  Have you been to Australia?Has she been upset?Have you been to school?
  Have you been hospitalized?Has he been arrested by police?


texts: Expressing "Every person has a season in which the person thrives" in another form

texts:
How do I express the sentence

"Every person has a season in which the person thrives"

in the form

"For every person there is a season ..."

without changing the intended meaning?

Mathematically, the second sentence would be written as

"For every person there is a season such that the person thrives in the season",

or,
formally,

"For every person p there is a season s such that p thrives in s".

Nevertheless, since I am not an English native speaker, out of curiosity, I wonder how could that sentence be written in plain English, rather than mathematical English?


texts: "based on" or "according to" a certain pattern?

texts:
Can I use these terms interchangeably when referring to a pattern?
I found some results for both possibilities so I am wondering whether there is a preferred version, maybe in a certain context?

For example:

There are 20 numbers on a board. The instructions are as follows:

  Pick five numbers based on a pattern of your choice.

or

  Pick five numbers according to a pattern of your choice.

After picking these numbers and showing them to someone else, he/she tries to guess the pattern.


texts: Is the preposition in or on used after the noun ''effects''

texts:
I'm doubting which preposition — on or in — is better to use after the plural noun "effects". For example in the following sentence:

  The biggest announcement effects on the [some] bond market are found for those announcements that [explination]

or

  The biggest announcement effects in the [some] bond market are found for those announcements that [explanation]

And so there are many more of these examples where I doubt if either on or in is right.


texts: Stacked- are these sentences the word has been used in grammatically correct?

texts:
"Look at those tables, stacked one on top of another."

"Look at those tables, stacked one of top of the other."

"Look at those tables stacked on top of one another."

"Look at those tables stacked up."

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


texts: How do we use the words "other", "another" and "the other"?

texts:
Could explain the difference between these words below?

  other

  another

and

  the other


texts: why don't we use "beV" in the sentence with 'find'

texts:
We can say

  He came out and found his car stolen.

Why don't we say

  He came out and found his car was stolen.


texts: What does the phrase "snap into place" mean here?

texts:
I find the phrase "makes drawing operations snap into place" confusing in the following sentence (which is unfortunately not available online):

  Generally, I prefer to work with a coarse grid that makes drawing
  operations snap into place.

Here a software developer is sharing his icon-making (icons include recycle, camera iris, heart) tips using the app Affinity Designer that is used by designers, artists and creatives. In a preceding sentence, the developer suggests to set up a 160-by-160-pixel work area in the app.

I came across the concept of snapping on the Internet. However, I am not sure how does it connect to the said phrase.

Can the said phrase be changed to a simpler or clearer text? This is a very technical thing and I really cannot think of another way to express this phrase.

The text describes many features of the node tool. I am not sure if this tool has any snapping feature. Is it possible that "snap" is used in a more general sense here?


texts: Correct tense/time? "She would get you fired before you had sent your complaint"

texts:
I am not sure about using past perfect in sentences like this. To be honest, I don't even know what is that - mixed condition, unreal time?

  "She would get you fired before you had sent your complaint"

I want to emphasize that he would not even finish the sending the complaint, that is why I use past perfect in this context.


texts:
What does cool-eyed mean in the following sentence:

  The two young men strode freely up the aisle, confident and cool-eyed.

I have no any ideas to make sense of that construction.


texts: Is it correct to say "These terms are less using in nowadays"?

texts:
I presented 4 groups of biological terms, while just 2 of them are used in nowadays, and the 2 other groups are less. So when I refer to the other 2 groups, can I say about them the following sentence? (For me it sounds a little weird and that's why I'm asking this question)

  "These terms are less using in nowadays"


texts:
What is the weather like?

My first question:
After looking up in the dictionary, I found that "like" can be used as a preposition, an adverb, a verb. In the above sentence, I think "like" functioning as a preposition is used to ask somebody’s opinion of somebody/something(http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/like_1?q=like%3F). Am I right?

My second question:
I think the word "like" in "What is the weather like?" and "what is she like?" mean the same? Am I right?


texts: Can I use 'bound' instead of 'possible' in this sentence?

texts:
'There is bound for him to feel pain.'

I just wanted to avoid using possible and possibility too much and try to

use new words but properly.

so how do I use bound to mean 'high possibility'?

Can I say 'highly bound'?


texts: What does the word "with" mean in "omitted with no loss of meaning"?

texts:
After a verb of attribution (said, stated, announced, disclosed), the word “that” often can be omitted with no loss of meaning.

I have checked the Dictionary

But I don't think I could found an appropriate definition to explain the word "with" in this sentence.


texts: how to correctly use preposition (on/in/at etc.) not only in verb phrases, but also other cases like prepositional phrase

texts:
I find preposition is one of the trickiest things to consider when writing. When I consult the dictionary, there are at least dozens of meaning for each (at/on/in...). Is there a general rule or underlying logics for applying each one, or I just have to memorize all the meaning of each one?
Certainly prepositions in verb phrases are one of the use of prepositions that I feel confused about, but I ask more about the general use of preposition, for example, "in the car" is different from "on the car."


texts: 'Used to' and 'Would' as 'describing habitual events and repeated actions in the past' but in Past Perfect

texts:
If I want to say that I used to something before the past I will mention further in the context, can I use past perfect in this case?
For instance:

There had been days when the game had been quite popular, and those days I had used to play it a lot.

And in the next sentence I want to use 'would' (is it correct to use it in past perfect?). So, the next sentence:

I would have played the game with my friend through the LAN network.

And now I'm telling that happened after the past I mentioned above:

After that, I used to play another game.

And then I'm saying something about nowadays.
So, is it possible to say this way?


texts: What is the difference between “How do I know?” and “How would I know?”

texts: I am unable to understand the meaning and correct usage of the above two sentences. Can anyone please explain their differences in meaning and usage?


texts:
"John should have been offered the job."

What is exactly said here? I can think of two ways:

1) Lamenting on what didn't happen. "John is very good for this position. John is better than that guy that has been offeredthe job. So John should have been offered the job."

2) Speculating on the unknown. "We don't know who has been offered the job. Everyone has to keep it in secret. But I know that John is ideal for this position, so John should have been offered the job."


texts:
Can we use article with absolute adjectives?

Examples:

  a) He has complete game of the top10 pros.
  b) He has the complete game of the top 10 pros.
  a) It's perfect copier ever invented.
  b) It's the perfect copier ever invented.


texts: There are a lot of goods in this shop. The goods are good. (most of the goods?)

texts:
As I know, when saying "the + plural", it can often mean "probably most" of the items (Like in "The students of my university are fine" - The size of the group is large enough to have some exceptions to general statement (so there can be some students that are not fine).

But what happens when we use the second mention of items? Does this rule still work?

There are sentences:

There are a lot of goods in this shop. The goods are good.

I got several thousand new instruments. The instruments are good. (Assuming the listener knew nothing I would get any)

Can it mean that most of them are good?

Please, help. Thanks.


texts:
From the beginning of the term up to now.
From the beginning of the term to now.

Do you feel any difference between these?


texts: Agreement with an offer or a university proposal or a plan

texts:
Suppose tow school classmates are talking to each other regarding to the masters' degree theses of them. One starts to complain about one of his university professors who did not agree with his offered plan  / proposal subject. He would possibly say something like the sentence bellow; does it sound natural:

  My (offer / proposal) was not accepted.
  My (offer / proposal) was not approved.


texts:
As you said or as you say?
As you mentioned or as you mention?
As he described or as he describes?

Which are correct?
If I understand correctly, the formers are correct.

Why use past tense here?


texts:
In OELD the 25th entry for "get" offers two examples,

You get(= There are) all these kids hanging around in the street.
They still get cases of typhoid there.

I wonder why "you" is chosen for the first example while "they" is chosen for the second?
Besides, Is "you/they get" structure interchangeable with "there be" structure? Any difference in meaning or usage?


texts: What does the phrase “source real products” mean here?

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of the expression "source real products, mock up your space, and bring it to life with AR" in the following sentence:

Morpholio Board lets you source real products, mock up your space, and bring it to life with AR.

For more context, here is another excerpt from the same text:

Have an eye for interior design? It’s easier than ever to realize your vision, from finding the perfect chairs to picking a wall color to complement them....Start by dragging product images onto your blank board. There are thousands in the app, everything from bath tiles to light fixtures to furniture by manufacturers like Knoll, Blu Dot, and Poliform, as well as retailers like Design Within Reach. You can also import your own images.

Thank you for your time.


texts: what is the meaning of "Storm the well" Idiom?

texts: what does "storm the well" Idiom mean.I tried finding the meaning of it but I couldn't find it.Can any one explain clearly please


texts:
I can't understand the bold part of this sentence  -

  Potpourri was provided, made by Mrs. Jevons to her own recipe, to take away the smell.

What is the meaning of "to her own recipe"?


texts: The word "examples" with third person singular verb?

texts:
Listen to a few examples which uses this letter.

I found this sentence while I was reading, I wondered why the third person singular verb was used here and thought it was a wrong spelling.

Then I googled "examples which..." and I found some more instances like:

  Tell any three examples which shows UX design is future need?
  Topology examples which fits to the ZV4002 restrictions


texts: Using the verb "to have" + present simple verb

texts:
Working on the book: Raymond Murphy. "English Grammar in Use - Fifth Edition" (p. 248)

You have just run one kilometre, but you are exhausted.
You say: I feel like I’ve (just) run a marathon.

As the book previously explained, the present perfect simple is have/has + past participle, and I noticed the verb "run" used in the solution is in present simple tense.
Is there a typo in the book or perhaps there are other types of constructions have/has + present simple.


texts: Meaning of "lifting the front trench clean out of it"

texts:
Very lucky they was, the Daleswood men. They'd lost no more than five killed and a good sprinkling of wounded. But all the wounded was back again with the platoon. This was up to March when the big offensive started.

  It came very sudden. No bombardment to speak of. Just a burst of Tok Emmas going off all together and lifting the front trench clean out of it; then a barrage behind, and the Boche pouring over in thousands. "Our luck is holding good," the Daleswood men said, for their trench wasn't getting it at all. But the platoon on their right got it. And it sounded bad too a long way beyond that. No one could be quite sure. But the platoon on their right was getting it: that was sure enough.

This is from a novel about the Great War called Tales of War. I know Tok Emmas is an  artillery. But I do not understand the phrase below.

  "lifting the front trench clean out of it..."

Does it mean the bombardment has destroyed the trench?