texts: Phrase Usage:- "Works like a Charm", can it be used formally?

texts:
I have seen many people using the phrase "It works like a charm"....when they are asked about , how something is working/going on. Is it a correct way to use it in business communication.

For Example:- Q: "Is your application working(software)"?
              A: "Yes, it works like a charm"?

Kindly throw some light on its usage. Can I use it in email to business clients or in a IM chat?


texts:
I can do this one but am not sure about the other.

Can I say the sentence above? Or I have to say "...this one but I am not...", but using two I's seems a bit redundant, on the other hand omitting it seems a bit strange.

Can I add a comma?

  I can do this one, but am not sure about the other.

Other than the grammar question, how to say this smoothly?


texts:
Example:

  He feels so close at times, but so distant at others.

(Meaning that the person is open and communicative but also cold and indifferent in occasions.)


texts: Can I say "I have been dedicated my work"?

texts:
I know "I am dedicated to my work" is a correct sentence.

Then, in order to express for a long time and imply that it is about to change something, can I say "I have been dedicated my work for 30 years"?
Or is there any other appropriate sentence?

I want to focus on "I did it for a long time, until now."

My sentence:

  I have been dedicated my work for 30 years. But now I think I should quit my job and spend my time with myself.


texts: What is the etymological origin of the word "ell" in its meaning (according to American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition) "A wing of a building at right angles to the main structure"?


texts: could vs might (for the future possibility)

texts:
Could vs might(for the future possibility)

I could go there.

I might go there.

I know that these two sentences talk about less possibility to go there.
but, I can’t know their slight difference.
When you want to tell future possibilities, how do you determine to use could or might?
Here is an example sentence.

He asked me last night if you could/might be willing to talk to Margaret for him.

I saw this sentence other website. On the website, writer explained that 'could' could mean internal possibility and 'might' could mean external possibility.
Internal possibility indicates whether the person is shy, not fluent, or which is related to his ability. External possibility indicates whether there are some obstacles like that the person has no time to meet Margaret.
How do you think about that?


texts:
Cop whispering to the lady who is sitting beside Dr. Russell

  I'm here to do an interview with that Dr. Russell. I'm gonna expose her
  as a fraud. You don't put any stock in this cold fusion mumbo jumbo?

Is it means investing the money?


texts: Is using past perfect in if clause correct in an imaginary situation?

texts:
I heard this sentence in a TV show:

"If I would have gone back in time and did everything from the beginning, I would have given...".

Based on my knowledge when something is imaginary (like going back in time), I should use simple past in the if sentence. So, shouldn't that sentence be like this?

If I went back in time and did everything from the beginning, I would have given...

Is there a difference between the meaning of the two sentences?


texts: Imperative special cases -- "Everybody look!"

texts:
One of the Imperative Special Cases here are the Imperatives With Subject, explained as follows;

  Normally when we use the imperative there is no subject because the
  subject is obvious—it's YOU! Sometimes, however, to make the subject
  clear, we do use a subject, for example:

  Everybody look!
  Relax, everybody.
  Nobody move!
  John sit down; the rest of you go home.
  Somebody answer the phone!
  You keep out of this!

  We can also use you as the subject to imply anger, as in:

  You watch your mouth, young man!

Are those really some special cases or do they just miss certain punctuation, for example;

  Everybody, look!
  Nobody should move!
  John, sit down; the rest of you, go home.
  Somebody, answer the phone!

Similarly;

  You! Watch your mouth, young man! OR You, watch your mouth, young man!


texts: I am looking for some words other than "Unemployed" to make my sentences more understandable

texts:
Peter (nickname) is in his late forties. We have been friends for years.
He used to be a stay-at-home dad, because he had 3 young daughters.
(now they have grown up)
He had been doing a few part-time jobs, for example, piano tutor, violin tutor.
He can cook very well, too.

Our cake shop has some full-time job vacancies and I think he may be interested in some of them.

I want to talk to my manager about Peter.
Here is what I am thinking to tell the manager:

  Peter was a stay-at-home dad. He had been unemployed for years.
  But he was not actually unemployed. He just was not in any full-time employment in the past few years. He had been doing some past time jobs instead.

Since Peter had got some part-time jobs in the past few years,
I don't think the word, unemployed is the good word to be used here.
But I just couldn't think of other better words.

Please also help me rewrite the above sentences if possible.


texts: What do we call 'ketchup', 'cheesy dip' , 'oregano' and things like that collectively, as they aren't side dishes?

texts:
With most of the Indian dishes, we are served with something other than side dishes i.e. salads.

Since most of the users here come from different countries, I come up with stuff that is internationally known.

So, for instance, if we have a pizza, what do we call oregano, ketchup, chilli flakes, cheesy dip collectively? I don't agree that they are the side dishes. That's because side dishes are actually dishes (you can certainly order 'salads'). But here, you cannot separately order ketchup, cheese dip and the like.

Are they fillers? I'm not sure. If there's no one single word, a close one would do.


texts: "as green" or "with green": which one is correct?

texts:
Which one of the following two sentences is correct/proper?

  I finished some of the items and marked them as green in the list.

or

  I finished some of the items and marked them with green in the list.

Thanks.


texts: "They had read, but none replied" or "they have read, but none replied"?

texts:
They had read, but none replied.

  They have read, but none replied.

Which one is correct?

Note: This originally had the second sentence be "they have read, but none replies."


texts:
Here are sentences that I want to trasform using participle phrases.

Rain was pouring down. We were standing next to each other at a bar and seeing rain droping through the window without saying anything, because we ran out of things to talk about.

Rain pouring, standing next to each other at a bar, we were seeing rain dropping without saying anything, runing out of things to talk about.

Am I right to do this? If so, what's the diffetence in nuance?


texts:
Is “Last year is 2016” correct?

I wonder whether to use the past or present tense here.

Another example: "1980 is the year I was born" or "1980 was the year I was born."


texts: Is the long billion (one million million) still used over the short billion (1000 million)?

texts:
I read that, in the USA, one billion is considered to be 1×109 (1 000 000 000).

In Mexico, it's 1×1012 (1 000 000 000 000).

Are both values used by American English speakers?


texts: Can this be ommitted? (substitutive verb)

texts:
The sentence is this:

I don't want to make anyone do anything that I don't want to (do).

Can I omit the word 'do' in parentheses?

please, tell me.


texts:
My friend asked me about something that I knew:
"Why did you not tell me about it?"
The reason for that was simply because I didn't want that he will know / him to know for some reason.

Which of the following sounds natural to say it?

  I didn't tell you about it simply because I didn't want you to know about it.

  I didn't tell you about it because I didn't want that you'll know
  about it.


texts: Is 's as a possessive pronounced as /s/ or /z/ at the end of words? Such as in "Muhammad's house".


texts:
We have many rooms / in our house; / several of which / have not been in use for years.

Is the which used in above sentence correct? I doubt so because which is a relative pronoun and as per my knowledge it relates to the noun which precedes it which in above sentence is house and Hence it seems incorrect to me as it should be related to rooms.

If it is incorrect How do I correct it? Will replacing which with them work?


texts:
Am I looked taller?
  Do I look taller?

Which one is correct if I want to know that I currently look taller?

Because my friend said that the first one is correct and she said that it's the passive form, and actually she translate it from Bahasa Indonesia from this sentence "Apakah saya terlihat tinggi?" and she said that the English translation is "Am I looked taller?".


texts: There is an idiom for raining hard: It's raining cats and dogs. But is there an idiom for snowing hard?


texts:
The indians are genetically incapable of being good or outstanding sportsman.

Here i think it should be only indians. If i want to use the then use as the indian  not the indians.

Am i right? If 'no' then give the correct explanation.


texts: The order of adjectives: Is it exactly the same in GB, the USA, and elsewhere in the English-speaking world?

texts:
When learning the order of adjectives in a sentence, I thought up a word "saSHcomp" standing for the "Size-Age-Shape-Color-Origin-Material-Purpose" order.

Later, I  found out that there's a slightly different order where the shape of a noun comes before its age.
So, both "an old round thing" and "a round old thing"  are correct and the order of the adjectives depends on the variant of the English one's using, British or American.

My question is as follows:

Might the confusion of these orders influence negatively the results of English grammar level tests taken in Great Britain or in the USA?

Can the use of this or that order manifest, in one single sentence, the origin of the writer, British or American, or, to be more exact, where they lived when they came to school?

Do native English speakers themselves ever confuse this order in the writing?

What's the order of these two adjectives that is used in the English-speaking world beyond GB and the USA — especially in Canada, Australia, and South Africa?


texts: Talking about inanimate objects in plural: they or it

texts:
Should I say:

  Wash some apples and put them into a vase.

or

  Wash some apples and put it into a vase.

Is it correct to use they with inanimate objects?


texts:
How do we say correctly the following?

  For not to forget about it he wrote a reminder to his agenda.

for not to forget sounds strange, what is the correct way to say it?


texts:
Yesterday I came across a sentence I could no parse for the life of me. Maybe one of you can help me understand it better.

The sentence in question is: "These are things that I wish I could go Australia and handle myself."

The funny thing is that "These are things that I wish I could handle myself" makes perfect sense, while "These are things that I wish I could go to Australia" doesn't.

Does anyone know what this is called grammatically?


texts: It's a shah thing you wouldn't understand

texts:
I found that sentence printed on a T-shirt :
IT'S A SHAH THING YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND

I wonder how this ("Shah thing") should be understood.
Is it related to some slang originating in Indian or Iran ?
Or related to the fall and demise of the Shah, ruler of Iran, in 1979 ?
Or simply an adaptation of "It's a black thing, etc."

I made some research but couldn't find any other occurrence.


texts: Why the sentence "Maybe she just shared in the rent" no need BE verb?

texts:
I found this sentence "Maybe she just shared in the rent" from a text at LingQ and I think it's a correct sentence.

But why doesn't the sentence need the BE verb after SHE?

What I mean is, why isn't it correct to say "Maybe she IS just shared in the rent"?


texts:
I use the following two sentences alternatively:

I reached there and found out she was dead.

I reached there to find out she was dead.

Can I consider them to be carrying the same meaning?
Thanks in advance.


texts: Rihanna's accent in the song of "Diamonds"

texts:
I like Rihanna and her song "Diamonds".

She sings the phrase "At first sight I left the energy of sun rays" at 01:25.
And I can't hear this "rays" but "ray-hey" or "ra-hey".

Is this her original accent or something? Or simple American emphasis?


texts: What's the meaning of "the notice of the fair" and how do I understand "he had still at intervals a kind listener..."?

texts:
With such rivals for the notice of the fair as Mr. Wickham and the
  officers, Mr. Collins seemed to sink into insignificance; to the young
  ladies he certainly was nothing; but he had still at intervals a kind
  listener in Mrs. Phillips, and was by her watchfulness, most abundantly
  supplied with coffee and muffin. ——— Pride and Prejudice

Besides, why is it "in Mrs. Phillips"? What's "by" in "by her watchfulness"?


texts: I am with them in Paris/ I am in Paris with them

texts:
Is there any difference between

  I am with them in Paris

and

  I am in Paris with them.


texts:
Is there an inversion in "placed as we were"? I think is means as/since we were placed in...Is this inversion common? Are there any rules to understand them?
Context:

  This was not the first time my employer had raised such a question; indeed, it seems to be something which genuinely troubles him. On this occasion, in fact, a reply of sorts did occur to me as I stood up there on the ladder; a reply to the effect that those of our profession, although we did not see a great deal of the country in the sense of touring the countryside and visiting picturesque sites, did actually "see" more of England than most, placed as we were in houses where the greatest ladies and gentlemen of the land gathered.
  —The Remains of the Day, written by Kazuo Ishiguro.


texts: Why do we use possessive for a pronoun but not an apostrophe for its noun?

texts:
I know that it is correct to say:

  The table handle is rugged.

When the noun table is replaced by its pronoun, then:

  Its handle is rugged.

But why don't we say something like:

  The table's handle is rugged.

Though both its and table's are possessives.


texts:
An article describes one of the usage of colon as:

  In bibliography entries.
  Many citation styles use a colon to
  separate information in bibliography entries.
  Example: Kurlansky, M.
  (2002). Salt: A world history. New York, NY: Walker and Co.

Can someone explain the above examples and rules for this usage? What exactly is separated by the colon?


texts: Use of "would" for past repeated actions?

texts:
I have heard people using both of these following sentences
while talking about some past repeated actions, but the first
one sounds a bit ungrammatical, because I have never seen this
sentence structure in grammar books.

When we would go to meet him, he would bring us a cup of tea.
When we went to meet him, he would bring us a cup of tea.

What structure do natives use?


texts: Checking the speed of my interstellar flight - stopping or inspecting?

texts:
Reading an old story about a demon flying between galaxies, the following sentence is unclear to me:

Checking the speed of my interstellar flight, I followed its equator
with a poised and level wing, above

Does checking here mean "stopping" or just inspecting? The first would make a bit more sense to me. Also, the phrase "level wing" is not really clear to me, maybe it expresses he was flying in a horizontal position, without tilting?


texts: Let's cross on/at the green light. which one is correct?

texts:
Let's cross on the green light.

  You should cross at the red light.

I've heard both expressions used, but not sure which one is right.

I've also seen on the internet that

  You cross at, on, with a green light, and the meanings are slightly different

But I don't know the difference of those.

What is the right preposition?


texts: "Their time on house cleaning and child care {comes/come} close second and third."

texts:
I'm not sure how to make the subject agree with the verb in this example:

Women spend about 80 minutes per day on cooking. Their time on house cleaning and child care comes close second and third.

Come or comes, this is what I'm confused.


texts: I heard a lot that people use sentences like I like fruit, say, an apple, or he has, say, a thousand dollars. What about I get, guess, a hundred dogs.


texts: A noun must be missing in which/that or what clauses?

texts:
Can I simply conclude that a noun must be missing in which/that/who or what clauses, even though the missing noun might be an object behind an infinitive verb, gerund verb or a preposition?

I wrote these following sentences, but I am not sure if they are grammatical or not.

  This is not the show that the students want to see.

the infinitive to see here acts as an object of the verb want, but see is a transitive verb , therefore it must be followed by an object, and that represent the  missing object, which makes the sentence correct? Right?

  This is strategy which people start adopting.

Gerund verb adopting here acts as an object of the verb start, but adopting is a transitive verb , therefore it must be followed by a object ,and which represents the missing object, am I correct?

  He is the man whom we have grown sick of.

  He is the man whom we have grown sick of talking about.

A noun must always follow a preposition, so even though I placed one preposition behind the PP phrase of talking in the second example , the rule will still apply, which makes the sentence correct?

  The students are trying to understand the rules that the teacher judged acceptable.

Judged is a kind of verb that should be followed by an object and a complement,and in the clause we only see the complement instead of the object , and that represents the missing object,which makes the sentence correct, am I right?


texts:
I'm quite certain the following sentence is natural:

  Ikuto was taking a picture of her.

But which of the following would be more common in spoken English?

  Ikuto was recording a video of her.

  Ikuto was taking a video of her.

My initial thought was that "recording" was the better choice here. But then I couldn't find evidence to back this up online.

Note that this sentence would be said when describing an illustration of a character named Ikuto recording a video of his friend. Since we have context, there would not be confusion when using "taking." In other words, it's clear that Ikuto isn't doing something like taking a DVD of "her" that was on the table, or anything like that.

Please help!


texts:
I just saw this thread and got completely confused.
What is the "s" at the end of some words and where does it go when talking about multiples?

  Since the subject remains Sunday, the verb remains works (3rd-person
  singular present).

How can a day of the week be third person singular?

Please note, I was taught English by reading good books (this was how UK schools worked in the 70s and 80s), so despite being able to talk/write good English (when I remember) my understanding of why is 0.

I follow most of the answers but this was simply a WTF moment.


texts: How many "have" forms are there in English?

texts: This question may sounds a little bit weird. I am asking of variants as tense, grammatical or another meaning of "have(v1, v2, v3, been, to, gerund), had(v1, v2, v3, been, to, gerund), having(v1, v2, v3, been, to, gerund)". Its bothering to find in fragmental and hard to understand. So I am confused. Which ones are true as grammatical and tense?


texts:
I often hear some people say that "I'm wired differently from other people" or "My brain is differently wired" but I don't understand what "wired" really means. Here are several definitions of the word from OED:

Making use of computers to transfer or receive information, especially by means of the Internet.
(Of a device or network) using wires or cables rather than wireless
technology to transmit signals.
In a nervous, tense, or edgy state.
Under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

What puzzles me is that none of the above definitions seem to fit the meaning.

Does it have something to do with their thoughts or the way they perceive the world?


texts:
A mother and a little girl went to clinic.

The nurse is trying to take the little girl height.

The girl was afraid and doesn't want to take a height.

"Take a height. Dont be afraid. Mummy do." the mother told her as she try to take a height by herself.

Does it sound gramatically correct and natural?

Do we say "take a height" when measure someone's height?


texts:
Small is the opposite of big.
Small is opposite to big.

Is the second statement grammatical? It sounds okay to me, but only if I leave out the the.


texts: Does 'sings a song of significance' literally mean 'sing'?

texts:
Does ' sing a song" here mean literally 'sing"?

Whatever form it takes, there is in happiness the kind of constant which enjoyment cannot bring us: happiness does not lie in filling time with delight; it is what makes my one life worthwhile. It sings a song of significance in the center of my soul. What makes me happy when I look back on my life as years go by is that I have done something with it that had meaning.*


texts: Is the expression "I am resentful of the god" appropriate?

texts:
When things don't go well as you wished and you feel frustrated, Koreans often use the expression

  I am resentful of the god/sky.

Is this expression used in English? If not, what is the proper expression?

The above translation was suggested by Google translate, and I couldn't understand the meaning of the word "resentful" very well. According to the dictionary, it seems to me that it contains both being angry and unhappy.

But the god is considered to be powerful and a being who grants your wish. It is not good to express your anger to the god. You feel angry but you should not blame the god. Rather, you should make the god feel sorry for you, so that good things happen to you in the future. I want to know the above expression is appropriate in this context.


texts:
Let's say a girl had undergone surgery of the her lips. Then you compare her look before and after, could you say:(you're holding 2 photos)

  This is/was her original look, before she undergo lip surgery.

Or

  This is/was her original look, before she undergone lip surgery.

From the bold letters, which is the correct tenses?


texts: "climb the ladder of economic opportunity" VS "climb the ladder of economic opportunities"

texts:
They lack formal work arrangements and social security, and often earn too little to provide for their families, let alone climb the ladder of economic opportunity.

Or:

  They lack formal work arrangements and social security, and often earn too little to provide for their families, let alone climb the ladder of economic opportunities.

The original text is as 1), but I am thinking 2) could be better. Am I wrong?


texts: There are (also) several other advantages have been observed?

texts:
This is my situation: at the last sentence, I listed an example which shows an advantage of my model. Then I want to write a sentence to say something like:

"Moreover, there are several other advantages have been observed. For example...."

But, I feel so uncomfortable when I read this sentence...but I don't know how to improve it... Any ideas?

Thank you!


texts:
I don't understand the structure of the following sentence and the use of verb to be with the verb.

The owner is entitled to dismiss the manager appointed.

is there three verb here?
is + entitled +dismiss
and what about appointed?
is it verb also.


texts: Is there any case you can't switch Could with 'Was able to'?

texts: For the simple past (and also positive) Could, would there possibly be any sentence that you just can't simply replace Could with Was able to or Managed to?


texts:
Someone replied me on facebook. "Thanks to unfriend me". I think it should, "Thanks for unfriending me".

Please tell me Is "Thanks to unfriend me" a proper construction in English?


texts: "A car is in the garage" versus "There's a car in the garage"

texts:
We say

  "There is a car in the garage."  and
  "There are three cars in the
  garage."

Is it also correct to say

  "A car is in the garage."  and
   "Three cars are in the garage."

If yes, is there any difference between them, or do they exactly mean the same?


texts:
Something like:

0.1
0.23
0.999

How to pronounce them correctly in English?


texts: Which preposition should be used in this sentence?

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  Allocation of a fair proportion of a country's health budget to  preventative measures seems to be a wise choice.

  Allocation of a fair proportion of a country's health budget for preventative measures seems to be a wise choice.

Should I use for or to?


texts: "We all are planning" vs. "We are all planning"

texts:
We all are planning to attend this party.

OR

  We are all planning to attend this party.

I'd like to say, that I and another persons are going to attend some party.

Also how to add a refinement to this "all"?

  We all with (or "and") another invited persons are planning to attend this party.


texts: What does 'lie' mean in this quote of Sydney Smith?

texts:
Could someone please explain the meaning of the word 'lie' in this sentence?

"Webster was a living lie, because no man on earth could be as great as he looked."

Thanks


texts: Being confused with the preposition "on" in this sentence

texts:
In the summer of 1789, rumours swirled about vengeful aristocrats bent on the destruction of peasants’ property.

Is "bent on" a collocation here? And the predicate is "swirled"?


texts: What makes a sentence complete in the English language?

texts:
Is the following a complete sentence :

  I played soccer with my friends

In my language which is Arabic, it's a fully meaningful sentence. Is it the same in English?


texts: Someone who gets an advantage by sucking up someone else

texts: What do you call a student who always sucks up to the teachers / professors in order to gain better marks or an employee who get a promotion by complementing a higher manager or boss etc. in the polite and impolite way?


texts: Simple Past or Present Perfect when identifying who/what did something?

texts:
What fell there?

or

  What has fallen there?

I presume both are correct in AmE.

But I've read in Michael Swan's Practical English Usage that it is preferable to

  use Simple Past when we want to identify the person, thing, or
  circumstance responsible for a present situation

-- namely, some scattered shards of glass in the next room or things of that nature.


texts:
Preposition of location in and on are kind of tricky to me and I'm not 100% sure which one to use in certain situation. For example, the picture of Thomas is on the yearbook means that Thomas's picture is on the cover of the yearbook vs the picture of Thomas is in the yearbook means that Thomas's picture is in certain page of the yearbook. Am I right on this?

I'm not sure which preposition to use for things that are untouchable. For example, I found this picture in the internet vs I found this picture on the internet


texts: I understand the correct pronunciation of "of" is /əv/. However, in fast speech, can I pronounce it as /əb/ (which sounds very close to /əv/)? I feel like it's easier to say it that way, (upper and lower lips just touch), rather than the lower lip has to move backward a bit so that the back of the lower lip touches the upper teeth.


texts:
In Crime/Drama movie Drugstore Cowboy, Bob is busy injecting him and his friends with drugs,
suddenly David came to Bob's house and knock the door.
Bob terrified thought it was somebody else, started to hid the
drugs and relaxed by knowing it is David, Bob's friend, by seeing through peep hole.
he opened the door and pointed gun with his friends on David.

  David: What are you holdin'?

  Bob: I ain't holdin' diddly, small fry. I was just  thinking about
  going by your place to see if you had any speed.

  David: Yeah, well, I got some speed.


texts: Can I not use the pronoun “You” in the instructions?

texts:
When I write about the need to do something, the my translator translates:

First YOU need to perform the following steps.

But I do not appeal to a specific person, but I speak of necessity in general. Why is the pronoun 'YOU' used here, and is it possible to remove it and write how?:

First, need to perform the following steps.

or should I write?:

First, it is necessary to perform the following steps.

What is the best way to write instructions when I do not address a particular person?
Thanks in advance for any answer/comment!


texts: Can I use "widespreadly" as the adverbial form of "widespread"?

texts:
When I wrote a post just now I came across a interesting problem. I tried to use "widespreadly" as the adverbial form of "widespread", but it was suggested a wrong word on my computer. I consulted a dictionary and couldn't find the word "widespreadly".

It seems quite normal to me to add -ly at the end of the adjective word "widespread" to make an adverbial word. Why is "widespeadly" not an established English word?


texts: The best way to refer to the intended noun in the mentioned sentence?

texts:
This research is supposed to examine how the sociology of a relation
  affects its ethics.

In the above sentence I want "its" to refer to "a relation", but the way the sentence is constructed it sounds as if "its" can also refer to "the sociology of a relation". Is there any way I can avoid this ambiguity?


texts: I don't get this joke "Massive Attack On Pentagon Page 14 News", can anybody explain me its meaning?

texts:
I was reading an article about the first issue published by the satiric magazine 'The Onion' after the 9/11 attacks. One of the headlines of that issue was

  Massive Attack On Pentagon Page 14 News

I simply don't get the meaning of the sentence and I'm especially confused about the last part, "Page 14 News". I find that part unrelated to the rest of the sentence.


texts:
Do the above sentences have the same meaning?

Do the above sentences mean the same thing?

The second sentence looks grammatical and idiomatic to me, but what about the first sentence?


texts:
Which sentence is true?

If it's humid, the air will feel warm and wet.

If it's humid, the air feels warm and wet.

If both are correct, are there any differences in their meaning?


texts: Distinction of usage between identifier-name & non-restrictive NP

texts:
Context: Primary school teacher and local Shildon Town Councillor, Kelly Ambrosini, investigates the decisions that have led to Sunnydale school reaching the precipice of closure.
Kelly Ambrosini - is a supplementary (non-restrictive) appositive. The appositive is a definite NP, so a determiner is not required.*
Would this example here be non-restrictive appositive following: suspected gunman?
What defines definite NP and how does it differ from the usage explained in the nytimes source? Just the assumption that their is only one primary teacher/councillor or that the description preceding the name  is reasonably sufficient to say the name is non-restrictive?
Example: Suspected gunman Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with murdering two BLM protesters.
https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9E06E6D9163EF934A15756C0A9649D8B63.html


texts:
The adverb "reasonably" can be about the level of language knowledge?

For example, can I say "He speaks English reasonably", meaning he speaks in a level he can speak and understand the most of the things (but not he doesn't speak fluently).


texts: Meaning of 'The Devil was sick, and a saint he would be; the Devil was well, and the devil a saint was he!'

texts:
I am not able to understand the meaning of this idiomatic phrase:

  The Devil was sick, and a saint he would be; the Devil was well, and the devil a saint was he!'

I think it means "the devil is not all that bad" because the phrase refers to him as being a saint both when he was sick and ill.
Also how am I supposed to use this in a sentence?


texts:
Is this sentence correct? If not, why?

  He lives in the flat next week.

I pointed out to my friend that this does not sound right. I said it should be

  He will live in the flat next week.

or

  He is going to live in the flat next week.


texts: What does "foreclose a lot of the avenues" mean?

texts:
What does "foreclose a lot of the avenues" in this sentence really mean: "I say that recognising the politics in this town foreclose a lot of the avenues just now."

The full sentence is: "It is in our power to do something about it. I say that recognising the politics in this town foreclose a lot of the avenues just now. But it would be wrong for us not to acknowledge it," he [Obama] said.


texts: difference between redemption and compensation

texts: If A is a bad thing and doing B erases that mistake from the record, should we say that 'B is redemption for A'? Or should we say that 'B is compensation for A'? Actually as far as I know 'redemption' means 'salvation'. And, salvation means 'You are clean of offences' even if you haven't done 'something good' to erase those offences from the record, only confession and repentance are enough. But the situation I've mentioned in the intro refers to 'an action' done that, as the doer believes, will erase the offence from the record, so it has to be called 'compensation' since for compensation we do something 'good' to remove something 'bad' from the record. Am I on right lines?


texts: What do you call the software used in airplane that allow the airplane to fly even if its shape wouldn't allow it to fly?

texts: What do you call the software used in airplane that allow the airplane to fly even with a bad shape? I remember there was a name, but I think I forgot it. Does the term apply to other things than airplane? I think modern plane cannot fly without the software.


texts:
From Young Sheldon Season two, episode three. Sheldon's mother, Mary, says

Stephanie Hanson's daughter was in a car accident last night. She
died. Oh, no. My God. She was barely 16.

... It's all part of God's plan.

Does she mean that all the things happened to that family is part of God's plan?
Some users on ELL also use the phrase.
I googled it but didn't get definition or explanation of it.


texts: Can adverb be used after "so" instead of adjective?

texts:
Compare these sentences:

The driver in front shouldn't have stopped so sudden.
The driver in front shouldn't have stopped so suddenly.

The second sentence was taken from my book, but that was the first time I've ever seen. I'm more familiar with "so + adjective" form, such as "you are so beautiful, he's so handsome, etc."
So, both sentences above are correct?


texts:
Are the following expressions in bold still relevant?

"made good spare of"

  But then againe ther arose Strong and Great Windes from the South, with a Point East ; which carried us up, (for all that we could doe) towards the North : By which time our Victualls failed us, though we had made good spare of them. So that finding ourselves, in the Midst of the greatest Wildernesse of Waters in the World, without Victuall, we gave our Selves for lost Men, and prepared for Death.

— Francis Bacon, New Atlantis (1627)
"can make choice of"

  　Kent. I thought the king had more affected the Duke of Albany than Cornwall.
  　Glo. It did always seem so to us; but now, in the division of the kingdom, it appears not which of the dukes he values most, for equalities are so weighed that curiosity in neither can make choice of either's moiety.

— William Shakespeare, King Lear (1606)

Have they already fallen into expiry?


texts: "Have been the US" vs "Have been to the US"

texts:
I am wondering which the sentence is correct:

  I have been to the US.
  I have been the US.


texts: the world’s richest man OR the richest person in the world?

texts:
Who is the richest man in the world?

  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos surpassed Bill Gates in July 2017 to become
  not only the world’s richest man, but the richest person in the world
   with an estimated net worth of $112 billion, according to Forbes’s
  2018 Billionaires List.

Source: http://time.com/money/4746795/richest-people-in-the-world/

It seems there is a difference here between the world’s richest man and the richest person in the world. What is the difference? I have no clue. thanks

Edit: I thought that “man” indicates or equivalent to any human being.


texts: An old English term for a dog waste collector

texts:
I believe 100 years ago, or thereabouts, there was a term in use for men whose sole job was to collect dog or other animals droppings.

I came across this term over ten years ago and the term has evaded me ever since! What is the old term for a dog waste collector?


texts:
Should I say (in informal day-to-day speech):

Maybe I go for a walk in hour or so.
Maybe I go visit James next week.

or

Maybe I will go for a walk in hour or so.
Maybe I will go visit James next week.

Will in the later sentences seems superfluous to me, because it's obvious speaker talks of the future events and not of the present ones.


texts: Which one is correct, "on my behalf" or "behalf of me"?

texts: Which one is correct to say or write: "on my behalf" or "behalf of me"?


texts:
In my paper, I want to say a sentence like this:

  Inspiring from human societies, we want to do something.

As I searched it seems that "inspiring from" is not correct. What should I use instead of that? Just to clarify, I don't want to use "inspired by", since human societies did not DO anything to us (i.e. inspire us), instead we analyzed human societies and inspired from it. So we are the subject, not the object.


texts: "to stay focus" or "to stay focused" which of the phrases is correct?

texts:
I am a little confused on which is correct. Is it right use "to stay focused, we ..." or say "to stay focus, we...."
Please I need clarifications on the uses of the two 2 phrases mentioned above.


texts:
does "sensitive plate" refers to "Photographic plate" or not?

  The author is of opinion that the true explanation will be found by
  coupling all these happenings with the recent investigations of Dr.
  Crawford upon the means by which physical phenomena are produced. He
  showed very clearly, as is detailed in a subsequent chapter, that raps
  (we are dealing at present only with that phase) are caused by a
  protrusion from the medium's person of a long rod of a substance
  having certain properties which distinguish it from all other forms of
  matter. This substance has been closely examined by the great French
  physiologist, Dr. Charles Richet, who has named it "ectoplasm." These
  rods are invisible to the eye, partly visible to the sensitive plate,
  and yet conduct energy in such a fashion as to make sounds and strike
  blows at a distance.

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


texts: What is the meaning of "Magic Password"?

texts:
Russian «волшебное слово» (magic word) usually refers to «спасибо», «пожалуйста» и «будьте добры» (thank you, you are welcome, please).

Is it the same? If so, why «password»?

UPD.

  — Can you guys /some request/?
  — Maybe with the magic password?


texts: Does a pronoun (they) after "and" in a compound predicate sentence necessitate a comma before the "and"?

texts:
I have a genuine problem. A compound predicate has one subject and two or more verbs. This is the guideline I am following.

Compound Predicate takes no comma when there are two verbs:

Michael dribbled across three defenders and passed the ball to his wide-open teammate.

Compound Sentence takes a comma and a conjunction:

Michael dribbled across three defenders, and he passed the ball to his wide-open teammate.

This is the sentence I am having issues with:

  Main Sentence: A. To qualify for fishing benefits, self-employed fishers must have paid premiums during their qualifying period and, depending on the regional unemployment rate, they must have earned between $2,500 and $4,200 in insurable earnings from fishing activities.

Repeating "they must have" requires I put a comma before "and" to make it a compound sentence. But then there are too many commas around "and".

If I reduce the verbiage, it should have the following form:

  B. To qualify for benefits, workers must have paid premiums and earned between $2,500 and $4,200. (Compound predicate)

But if I wrote it as a compound sentence, it would include the comma before the conjunction.

  C. To qualify for benefits, workers must have paid premiums, and they must have earned between $2,500 and $4,200. (Compound sentence)

Given there is this information after and "depending on the regional unemployment rate" that needs to be set of by a pair of commas, I felt that repeating "they must have" before earned made it easier to read. But then grammar requires me to put a comma before "and" (as is the case for a compound sentence with a coordinating conjunction).

How to punctuate sentence A ? Should I omit "they"?

Please, don't close this. I have done a lot of research in ELU and ELL, but I did not find anything similar. While there are simple examples that talk about the rules of compound predicates, there isn't any that deals with complex structures like the one above.


texts: Can "playing on your ..." be used as a phrase indicating what the trick is playing with?

texts: I know that we can say about an illusion that it' "playing on your mind". Could we describe a con artist as someone who is playing on your confidence?


texts:
To my best knowledge, an adjective cannot modify another adjective, but I cannot realize how the following sentence works:

  Create a stimulating working environment is what a leader should do.


texts: When one problem is added to the previous one

texts:
Let's assume someone has a big problem and is dealing with it. While he/she has not solved the first problem, another problem comes up and adds to the previous one. I wonder how you would explain this situation through an idiom / an expression or even a proverb in current English?
I know the expression: "double whammy", but it indicates two problem "at the same time", while I need to indicate that while the first (often big) problem has not solved yet, another (often big) problem appears.


texts:
I think the meaning is ambiguous.

"it would seem that strategy being followed is to protect defer and delay the case of luis posada"

I dont know if it's referring to the purpose of strategy or just the action of protecting
Also why is it used 'to protect' instead of 'protecting'?


texts: gentle reminder - is this phrase friendly?

texts:
I remember receiving emails titled "Gentle Reminder" from University administrative staff. But I am not sure if this is a friendly phrase. You may be wondering what I mean by friendly. Let me give you an example of what I have in mind:

  Please take off your shoes before entering the house. - friendly

  Kindly take off your shoes before entering the house. - not friendly

[Well, at least that's what I have been told.]

The reason I am asking about the phrase "Gentle Reminder" is that I want to write a short note reminding my referee (person who writes reference letters for me) that the letter is due in a few days. Would "Gentle Reminder" be a friendly phrase to use in this context?:

  Hi, XXX,

  Just a gentle reminder that the reference letter for the position of
  [name of position] is due on XXX. Thanks very much.

  Thanks!


texts:
I am confused about the word furthermore in the middle of the sentence.
Can I use it like this?

  However currently both systems are functioning, furthermore, for
  different issues.

It is put in the middle of the sentence without any additional verb. Is it right? And does it make sense?

Also are the words furthermore and moreover interchangeable?


texts: I have a problem with collocations. I need to say "Slaves were unloaded on these coasts", but I don't know if "unload" is the correct word for "slaves". Moreover, I'm not sure about the preposition. Is it "on the coast" or "in the coast"?


texts: Do we capitalize the names of diseases?please give me some information about this question. Also include the reasons for capitalizing a specific disease and not capitalizing the others.


texts:
Which is correct if all the chairs have the same cover?
"The chairs' covers," or "The chairs' cover."


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say, "I wish there were fewer mosquitoes here."?

texts:
What about, "I will take fewer subjects this semester." ?
I believe that the usage of 'fewer' is right here as I read that (on the web) fewer is usually used when referring to things in the plural. But, I just want to reconfirm.


texts: What explains the semantic sameness in 'Verb + preposition + Direct Object' and 'Verb + Direct Object'?

texts:
I ask not about the 3 prepositions that can follow 'to agree' contrasted on ELU.

Instead, I ask about the use of 'agree' followed immediately by, and without any preposition between, a Direct Object. (e.g.
'agree a contract'. Sample sentences under Definition 2.1.)

I.e., what notion in Linguistics can explain the semantic sameness between Verb Phrases that differ by only a preposition (e.g. 'agree + DO' and 'agree + on/with + DO')?


texts:
Do the following sentences sound natural in formal AmE speech:

You may go now if you want to.

You might go now if you want to.

I think both of them are correct, but the latter is far more formal or rather literal. Though I doubt about this opinion.


texts: (The) construction of the plant started in 1963

texts:
Suppose we're writing about a power plant that had the first sod turned on the plot chosen for its construction back in 1960's and has been in actual operation since early 1970's.

What would be the best option to pick, grammaticaly speaking:

The construction of the plant started in 1963.
Construction of the plant started in 1963.

In the second line, there's no definite article. Are both sentences grammatically correct, with the first making a slightly bigger emphasis on the process of construction? Or is only one of them correct?


texts: Why use 'to be' in phrases like 'not to be confused with' instead of 'not to confuse with'?

texts: I know 'not to be confused with' is correct but again don't know why. Why do we say this instead of "Not to confuse with" and "Not to be mistaken for" instead of "Not to mistake for" ?


texts: meaning of the pbrase "as to be" in context

texts:
Here is the context:

  And then there is the argument that using such a destructive weapon was morally reprehensible because it was so destructive as to be qualitatively different from other weapons.

It is from Crash Course US history. It is at 10 minute and 40 second.
I cannot see how as to be fits there, and because of it I cannot understand what the host means by the sentence. Does he mean it was so destructive because it was qualitatively different?


texts: What is the meaning difference between these sentences?

texts:
Two days before the Eden Garden hosts the match, the celebrations are already on.

  Two days before the Eden Garden is hosting the match, the celebrations are already on.


texts: that I scarce was sure I heard you -- please help me make grammatical sense of this line

texts:
A stanza from a poem entitled The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe:

  Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
  Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
  But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
  And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
  That I scarce was sure I heard you"— here I opened wide the door; —
  Darkness there, and nothing more.

I'm not sure how to properly understand that line. Could you please break it down for me?


texts:
I study English as a second language, and noticed that some collocations in my native language and English can differ.

I'm writing an essay and I want to translate one phrase into English correctly. Literally it is

  Progress doesn't stay in one place.

Do native speakers say this?
What words should I change in the phrase?
Or you have your own equivalent?


texts:
What is the exact meaning of would be certain to be of  in the following sentence? Is would certain to be of wrong? The excerpt is from a political telegram in 1953.

  Excluding alternative section on method of payment and the concession on the matter of interest payments, would be certain to be of extremely short duration.


texts:
If we have 3 'A' passes in an exam, We often say "I have 3As". But If we have 3 'S' passes, how to express it? I mean, is it correct to say "I have 3Ss"

If it's correct to say "I have 3Ss", how to pronounce double "s"?


texts: What is the difference between /ɪ/ and /ə/?

texts: Is there any difference between the /ɪ/ and /ə/ sounds? For example, for "listen", is there any problem with pronouncing it like /ləsən/ instead of /lɪsən/?


texts: Why does "opening a zipper" or "your zipper is open" (zip) sound natural but not "your button is open"?

texts:
It sounds natural (of course other than "unzip, "come undone") to use open with zips. Like (if they sound natural)..

  Open your zipper.

  Your zipper is open.

But it does not sound natural to say:(now the unnatural ones

  Your button is open.( unnatural)

  Open your button.(unnatural)

Why is this difference? Why is it only "undone" and "do up" for buttons  but "open" sounds okay for zippers  (along with alteranatives of course;>)


texts: Help understanding the structure of this sentence (Typical orienting reactions include *the following the arteries* to the brain...)

texts:
Typical orienting reactions include the following the arteries to the brain grow wider allowing more blood to reach it, the heart slows down and arteries to the large muscles become narrower so as to reduce blood supply to them.

It’s from an IELTS study guide.

First, I don't know why two nouns can connect without a preposition. (the following the arteries)
As far as I know, The following is used to describe the list of what comes next.
e.g. The following is an extract from her diary.

Another, I don't know why present participle (allowing) can come without any connector or comma.
I think it might come from "which allows" and then omit "which" but in this way "which" cannot omit because "which" means "the arteries to the brain grow wider" and the sentence doesn't have a connector.
In this case, there should be a comma before "allowing".


texts: why past continuous in this case as both actions are completed at the time of writing

texts:
A side is Freak Out, B side is Dr. Hoo Hoo, Mr. Tomomatsu were recording and mixing the same as the previous two 7", and legendary L.A Punk's engineer/producer GEZA X were mastering these songs.

why past continous? Is it to emphasize the lenghts of the recording and the mixing? .

I think past simple could  do it as both mixing and recording are over and completed  at the time of writing .


texts: The minutes of the Stockholders Meeting "was" or "were"?

texts:
What is the correct verb

  The minutes of the Stockholders Meeting was presented and discussed

or

  The minutes of the Stockholders Meeting were presented and discussed

Should it be was or were?


texts: What is the difference between grey and gray? I've seen both used and I'm wondering which I should use when talking about the color. Why are there two spelling's for the same word and is there a difference in the meaning between the two?


texts:
Here is a sentence from a golf app's description:

  This ball's Level 3 sidespin stat makes the most of a strong tailwind.

I know the lexical meaning of the word "stat", but cannot figure out its sense here.


texts:
I have no problem using phrases like "it couldn't have happened", but I'm not sure which verb tense is the most correct tense to use in the following phrase.

  "It looks like that's what happened last time."

In order to make a comment, should I say

  A: "It couldn't have happened, because I had been out of town until that moment."

or

  B: "It couldn't have happened, because I was out of town until that moment."

Is one sentence more correct than the other? I'm not sure how far I need to go back when using "couldn't have".


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct and fine to your ears?

  The company's general manager appears at the awards ceremony to receive recognition plaques.


texts:
Check out this sentence:

  "As the selling price of hardware, building materials as well as IT products were under downward pressure due to stiff competition, the company's business environment is expected to be remain challenging in the coming few quarters."

Should I use 'selling prices' instead of 'selling price'?


texts:
The moment the bishop had finished his benediction, she squeezed quickly out of her row and darted out the cathedral's side entrance.

Can anybody explain the second part of this sentence in a brief and easy-to-understand way for me?


texts: Adjective for the noun "scraps" in this context

texts:
Leftover food is called scraps.

Now,

  I kept a whole plate of soup on the table for my dad, suddenly my brother came and lifted the plate and just licked the soup and saying that tasted disgusting he put it back on the table and ran away. He is just a mischievous boy.

My brother made the soup _______.

What should I put in the blank?

Can it be: tested?

Can i say the remaining soup to be scraps as it was just licked and looks intact?


texts: During XYX activity occurs a reduction in .... Is this usage acceptable?

texts:
I encountered this sentence in a scientific article.

    During XYZ activity occurs a reduction in A

I take this to mean 'A gets reduced during XYZ activity'. My question is, should we rephrase this sentence to 'During XYZ activity there occurs a reduction in A'? Also if the original sentence is acceptable, should there  be a comma after 'occurs'?

I tried Google search (see 1, 2). But I could not find any similar sentences in the few results. I was not sure how to do further research on this.


texts:
The word underdog is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest."

What does the word mean in the following passage? A loser or a predicted loser?

  Power X was the most popular baseball team in Thailand in the 1940s. It was such a good team that it represented Thailand in the International High School Baseball Championship held in Japan. Despite being the underdogs, they performed beyond expectations. They defeated their opponents in the first five games. This was considered a miraculous achievement. However, the Japanese team soundly beat Power X by a score of 10-0, leaving the Thailand-based team in the second place.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
Candidates shall not be allowed to bring any item.

I saw this sentence on a prospectus. Is it correct to use shall not be instead of will not be?


texts:
Is there anyone who can tell me the difference between the following sentences?

A. The official from X association
B. The official for X association
C. The official with X association
D. The official at X association

I tried to google this but couldn't find a good reference.


texts: I'm just trying to find a word that describes someone who's always in the process of learning. I'm talking more about a way of living than about someone like an apprentice etc. though.


texts:
Whenever she gets stressed out, she smokes. And it is almost too
  easy to stress her out.

This line is from a sitcom called Brooklyn Nine-Nine

What does the marked phrase mean? I think ıt means she gets stressed out easily but it is somehow strange to me.

Don't we use "it is + too + adjective + to + do something" to imply that you can't do "something" because is too "adjective" ?

For example : Your handwriting is too small to read. (I can't read your handwriting because it is too small.)

I think in the quoted sentence, "almost" somehow make it right this usage.


texts: Is there an Idiomatic phrase for "keep something near your hand/near you in range of your hands or eyes"?

texts:
In English is there a short/idomatic phrase to express that something should be kept in range of your hand or eyes?

I mean for example: keep phone and email/something in hand range or eye range

How can I express such range without using artificial-sounding language?


texts: Is it "Gaming & Chill" or "Game & Chill"

texts:
Gday,

I came across about these products
Gaming & Chill Hoodie & Gaming & Chill Cap.

Is Gaming & Chill grammatically correct? Should it not be Game & Chill or is it a brand name?

Thanks for helping.


texts: Where is the main verb in "the training necessary to enable them to carry out their duties"?

texts:
the training necessary to enable them to carry out their duties
If the sentence is correct than where is main verb or auxiliary verb?
Here is the link of the sentence :
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/carry-out_1


texts: Word for a person who likes suffering due to the relief after it

texts: I am looking for a word to describe the kind of person who likes suffering or pain due to the relief that comes after it.


texts: Difference between 'could have' and 'could have been'

texts:
E.g. First one is:

  The incident could have happened.

And the second one is:

  The incident could have been happened.

What is the difference in terms of their meaning? Or is there any grammatical mistake?


texts:
I am not sure what is compared in this phrase but it seems that people believe it as the correct word.

  She is nice, compared to you.

  You're nicer, compared to him.

But why? What makes compared correct? Grammatically a past verb needs a subject right? She compared her car with the new one this one is grammatical correct, but this one is not The car is better, compared to her old car which one is the subject? As a beginner in english, I'd rather take comparing as it is not against what I've learned

  She is nicer, comparing to you

Comparing is the act of to compare. A gerund doesn't need subjects:

  swimming is nice.

It's not done there, the whole thing is getting worse after someone says that compared is not a preposition nor conjuction but a plain past participle, everytime I ask people they say that's correct BUT no one has been able to explain it.

I may be wrong as a very beginner English speaker but please help me to figure out regarding this problem, what is the state of compared here? Is that past participle, past tense, conjunction or preposition, and what is the rules that make it correct?, thanks in advance! It has driven my concentration recently.


texts: What would you write as the object of this sentence?

texts:
Learning to respect others is important.

Is the object: "to respect others" or "to respect"?


texts:
I don't understand the meaning of ‘good’ in these sentences:

  We just had a good long talk. I should take a good long walk. How to make a good short talk.

Is ‘good’ used to emphasize here that it is a very long talk or a very short walk? Or good here means pleasant?

Are they the same as nice in these sentences:

  I had the pleasure to sit down a few weeks ago for a nice long talk with...

  A few days earlier we had enjoyed a nice long talk while...

Sometimes they add a comma after good or nice. Does that change the meaning of the sentence?

  I’d like to have a good, long talk with you once you’ve calmed down.

  I’d like to have a nice, long talk with you.

Thank you in advance for all your help.


texts: Usage of "the" before the word "endothelial cell density" in different instances

texts:
Endothelial cell density of these five patients was...
The correlation of endothelial cell density by specular illumination and by light microscopy using human eye bank eyes is shown in the Table.
Endothelial cell density was calculated to be...

In the first case I have to add "the", I have no doubt in this. But in the second and third cases I am not sure whether I have to add "the", and how the meaning will change with and without "the" in the 2nd and 3rd cases.


texts: Use of the past simple to indicate an action has finished?

texts:
I was taught by an excellent teacher that in a sentence like "I cleaned the kitchen yesterday" the past simple is used to convey the whole kitchen was cleaned, otherwise you'd have to use past continuous: " I was cleaning the kitchen".

I've come across many examples that say: "I browsed the internet yesterday". Why is the past simple used when clearly it is not possible to browse the entire internet?


texts:
I asked somebody a question, and they said it's stupid(in a friendly manner I hope) and then replied that :"It smacks of the Juvenile"

What does this mean?


texts:
From the Godfather:

  Michael: Is my credit good enough to buy you out?

  Moe: Buy me out...

  Michael: The casino, the hotel. Corleone family wants to buy me out.

  Moe: No, I buy you out, you don't buy me out.

  Michael: Your casino loses money. Maybe we can do better.

  Moe: Do you think I'm skimming off the top, Mike?

I searched for skim off, but didn't find anything. So what could it mean in that context?


texts:
I know this sentence is correct:

  This problem has been studied by Dave

Is it also correct to say?

  This problem has studied by Dave

If not , why? From my previous knowledge, I guess we have to write "Dave has studied this problem". I might be wrong but that's why I'm confused.

If it is correct, what are the differences between the above sentence with this :

  This problem is studied by Dave


texts:
I found in the learning book the sentence: 'Cars, lorries drive along roads'.
But I can't find any explanation of the meaning of the verb 'to drive' in a dictionary relating to this example sentence.

'to drive' can mean:

'to take somebody somewhere in a car, taxi, etc'

'to operate a vehicle so that it goes in a particular direction' etc.

But I would say: 'Cars, lorries are drived along roads' according to the dictionary.

Could you help me to understand 'how can car drive itself'?


texts:
I went to deposit a check into my bank account at a well known bank, and noticed there were no deposit slips to fill out the information. They had a different kind of slip labeled "credit" in large red words with "counter deposit." I went to the teller and informed him that I could not find a deposit slip, and he told me that the "credit" slip was indeed the correct slip to fill out for making deposits.

I am curious whether or not this terminology makes sense. In my mind, when I use a credit card, or take out a line of credit, I am borrowing money that I have to pay back. That seems completely different from depositing a check into a bank account. There is no borrowing or paying back, it's just the money going into an account.

Further, wouldn't the "counter" in "counter deposit" imply "against, in opposition" to making a deposit?


texts:
Is and necessary in the following?

  Such criminal activity is difficult to track, and even more so in the Internet.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What's the meaning of "see through the veneer"?

texts:
a wily interviewer is likely to see through the veneer if you really
  know nothing about the company.

I guess its meaning is something like "see the inner side(,which is hidden or covered by its appearance or its look)"?


texts:
I have a curiosity about "let's face it".
What does "Let's face it, xxxx" mean?


texts:
Every time I ask Siri to

  set the timer for X minutes

I get corrected with

  set a timer for X minutes

I consulted some tech sites, they seem to agree on "a timer". At least, I didn't find any "the timer" questions.

  Hey Siri, start a timer for 15 minutes.

  Say something like "Set a timer for 20 minutes."

I don't understand why, though.

I've got a phone (my phone, the phone I am possessing), I've installed some software on it (the applications I find handy and use on a daily basis), there are some pre-installed programs running on it (the applications provided out of the box). Being perfectly aware of the timer feature, I am asking Siri to launch it. To launch the timer, not a timer. To set the timer, not a timer.

Where am I wrong?

Feel free to correct any mistakes. I'd be utterly grateful if you cleared up my confusion.

UPDATE:

Yes, I understand that other words (including articles) around "timer" and "X minutes" don't play a big role, and they won't even be taken into consideration after parsing the keywords.

But corrections/replies from Siri like

  Setting a timer for X minutes...

  A timer is already running.

bring ambiguity and are totally confusing to me.

I am absolutely sure my iPhone is well aware of the processes it initiated (the applications it ran) X minutes ago.

  The timer (from the Clock app/the one I can run) is already running.

  Setting the timer (the timer installed in the Clock program/the one I have access to/the one I can set).


texts: meaning of the phrase "see a ring on something"?

texts:
It is from this article.

  If this is you, find someone to bring you back to reality. The truth is, he doesn't want a relationship—it's the same as not being ready for one—even with someone as delightful and wonderful as you. And you shouldn't waste your time trying to convince him otherwise, because his mind is already set. Bake cookies for someone who cares, like that friend who helps guide you back into reality (but not the one who assures you that he'll come around eventually).

  I've been in this situation before, waiting it out. Needless to say, I
  have yet to see a ring on it.


texts: I can't understand " do it in '', "come across", and " get something from" in this context

texts: Rumour has it that Smith and Wyatt aren't the best of friends. In fact, on the set they barely spoke to each other, though, this doesn't COME ACROSS in the film and they look like a great couple. Happy as Larry is a move away from the usual films Sonya makes - She is better known for roles in action films - but she has shown herself to be a capable comedy actress. However, I'm not sure this is the finest film to DO IT IN. Both men and women alike can GET SOMETHING FROM this film, but the romance angle is overplayed and the laughs are few and far between.


texts: run/go hell for leather (informal not polite to run as fast as possible)

texts:
run/go hell for leather
informal not polite to run as fast as possible
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/run-go-hell-for-leather
Any people know why 'leather' stands here?
run(we know it's action moving our legs fast back and forth), hell(it's like 'fuck' a kind of seasoning slang), for(as 'toward' or as 'for the sake of'), and leather (why the noun leather is here)


texts:
John being a good teacher, his son never failed.

With pronouns people make sentences like:

He / his / him being a good teacher, his son never failed.

He(subject pronoun) seems more appropriate to me, as John is a subject. Please explain.


texts:
I wish it be Christmas every day.
I wish it would be Christmas every day.

What is the subtle difference here? Does the first sentence imply that the speaker's wish is more strong?


texts: Is there a difference between PhD student, doctoral student, doctorand and how to say "CIFRE"?

texts:
I was wondering if there was any difference between those three formulations:

PhD student
doctoral student
doctorand

Plus, in France we have 2 types of doctorates:

Doctorat (Doctorate)
CIFRE (??)

I was wondering how to say "CIFRE" in an English document as I didn't find any English wikipedia page for that.


texts: Is it inversion for relative clause after ''verb''?

texts:
Near the beginning of the story, something happens that starts the action rolling.

I found the writer put "relative clause after verb'' to avoid long subject. What I want to know is ''Is this writing called "Inversion" or other usage?''


texts: Is it necessary to use here double negative?

texts:
He never repeated the same story or not brought in the same set of
  characters.

I want to avoid the use of nor.
Then, is it correct to use double negative?


texts:
What is the difference between

  "it is good"

and

  "that is good"

?


texts: Which is correct , on first dates or on first date?

texts:
In the sentence in block quote below, is it correct to say "on first dates" ?
Or is the correct form "on first date?"
Is it supposed to be "on first few dates?"

  During job interviews , ON FIRST DATES , and when meeting new coworkers , people make assessments of one another very quickly.


texts: Use of indefinite article with relative clause

texts:
I posted a question quite long time ago asking whether "that was a day that my dog died" is valid. The answers said "no!", telling that a dog cannot die twice.

I thought it was possible, for I thought I was introducing an item for the fist time, for which the indefinite article is necessary.

So I searched around and found this sentence: "this is a book I told you about yesterday."

The answerer was saying that "it might suggest that it was one of several books, or it might mean that you don't think I remember it", which is similar to introducing an item for the first time, because the listener does not have any information about it due to inability to remember it.

But some others said that "this is a book I told you about yesterday can only be sensibly used when the book is one of several that I told you about. Whether I think you remember or not is irrelevant."

So I came to this conclusion:

When a noun modified by a relative clause is used, the indefinite article is used only for the situations in which the noun is one of several.

I was naively happy with the satisfaction that I cleared up some confusion. Yet it occurred again, when I found that:

  A woman who fell 10 meters from High Peak was lifted to safety by a
  helicopter.

is actually valid, even though there was only one woman who fell 10 meter from High Peak (it would be strange if there were more than one).

And more surprising was that the reason for its validity was because it was introduced for the first time, news they said. "This is news. We haven't heard about this woman before."

Here is the question: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/265002/using-the-in-adjective-relative-clause

So I just cannot see the difference between "this is a book I told you about yesterday" and  "a woman who fell 10 meters from High Peak was lifted to safety by a helicopter."

Why can a definite article be used with "woman" for introducing for the first time and not with "book"?

Also, these two uses puzzled me even further.

  “Everywhere there is growing interest in the Exposition,” he told
  Burnham in a June 20 letter from Biltmore.

It should be "the" according to the explanation people have given me, right? Unless there is more than one letter he sent to Burnham on June 20, which is unlikely.

  While aboard the train, Burnham wrote a letter to Olmsted that
  contained a less-than-candid description of the meeting with the
  architects.

Likewise, it should be "the" unless Burnham wrote several letters that contained a description of the meeting.

I fail to notice how this "letter" is different from "day". There was only one letter as there was only one day that my dog died. So why indefinite article cannot be used with "day" as used above?

It became a rather long question.

However, my central question is, what controls the use of the definite and indefinite article when modifying a noun with relative clause?


texts: Should I use "having internship" or "the internship"?

texts:
I wanted to write something like this :

  I've decided to not change my questionnaire, because the internship abroad is a great opportunity to improve my English.

but I am very unsure about "the internship" Will it be better to write this :
".. because having internship abroad is ... "

Which one sound more natural to native speakers and why ?


texts: Does the word "otherwise" disregard the sentence before it or include it?

texts:
I filled out a form for permission to use a branding logo.

The reply I received was something like the following:
"You may use the icon only if it (does a specific something A). Otherwise, as a matter of policy we ask that you (do a specific something B with the icon)."

In this case, does this "otherwise" mean that:

If the icon does not do A, I must do B? OR
The icon must do A, and I also must do B?

Which would it be...?


texts: Is it correct to say “Have an inconvenience”

texts:
I am wondering about what structure i need to use when I want to express an inconvenience that i experienced.
Is it correct to say,
 : I have / feel an inconvenience to bring my toothbrush.
 : I have/ feel an inconvenience to bring my toothbrush.
 : I have an inconvenience bringing my toothbrush.
 : I have an inconvenience that i bring my toothbrush.

Instead of saying “it is inconvenient for me to bring my brush”


texts: Which one is a correct usage of "-ing form"?

texts:
There are two examples

  Paying the enrollment fee by bank transfer this afternoon, she secures her seat for the three-day acting workshop in July.

  She paid the enrollment fee by bank transfer this afternoon, securing her seat for the three-day acting workshop in July.

I learned that "-ing" can be used for the earlier action when one action happens before another action.

Paying the fee happened before securing a seat.

So I assumed that the first example is the right one.

If someone let me know whether it is right or wrong, I would be really grateful.


texts: What does "with that slightly haughty tone that creeps into her voice when she’s been shown up" mean here?

texts:
I am wondering what "with that slightly haughty tone that creeps into her voice when she’s been shown up" means in the following sentences:

‘Such fond memories of Brighton,’ Mum is saying to
Hannah. ‘You know, I performed down there a couple of times.’ Oh God.
Not long before she starts telling everyone about that time she had
penetrative sex on screen for an arthouse film (never got a release,
probably now on PornHub).
‘Oh,’ Hannah replies, ‘we feel a bit guilty about not getting to the
theatre more often. Where did you perform? The Theatre Royal?’
‘No,’ Mum says, with that slightly haughty tone that creeps into her
voice when she’s been shown up. ‘It’s a little more boutique than
that.’ A toss of her head. ‘It’s called “The Magic Lantern”. In the
Lanes. Do you know it?’
‘Er – no,’ Hannah says. And then, quickly, ‘But as I say, we’re so out
of the loop we wouldn’t know anywhere, even if it’s the place to go.’

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 14

This is a thriller novel published in 2020 in the United Kingdom. One hundred and fifty guests would be gathering at some remote and deserted fictional islet called Inis an Amplóra off the coast of the island of Ireland to celebrate the wedding between Jules (a self-made woman running an online magazine called The Download) and Will (a celebrity appearing in a TV show program called Survive the Night). The day before the actual wedding day, during the rehearsal dinner, Jules sees her mom, who once worked as an actress, talking to Hannah, who lives in Brighton, about how she used to act at a theater in Brighton. (The narrator here is Jules.)
In this part, I am wondering what (1) "that slightly haughty tone" and (2) "shown up" mean in particular.
(1) By "that slightly haughty tone", would it be all right to understand that her tone was somewhat arrogant? Or... was her tone somewhat close to being boasting?
(2) By "shown up," would that mean that she became visible, like a spotlight is focused on her? Or would that mean she was embarrassed? I am confused because there seems to be so many meanings of "show up"... (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/show%20up)


texts: Is there any other neutral word for homosexual male than gay?

texts: Is there any other neutral word for a homosexual male? The word gay is, I think, quite neutral, but it sounds very funny to me because in German it's the imperative from 'go'. So, you say 'geh' (spoken as 'gay') if you want someone to go out.


texts: The preposition with the word "settings"

texts:
When I want to say someone to adjust something in the settings (e.g. of some application), is preposition "in" will be correct?

I am confused with prepositions with the "settings", because I am not sure whether it is appropriate to put preposition in, at, on or through.

Please, assist me what is the proper one?


texts: Title capitalization of hyphenated words

texts:
I always see the following titles differently and I want to know about what is the proper capitalization of title words when joined by a hyphen (dash):

Object-[o]riented Programming
or
Object-[O]riented Programming

Should I capitalize the 'O' after using a dash? or does this only depend on the way of writing?
I would go for the first one if you asked me :)


texts: Meaning of "as sister and brother for five years as students"

texts:
How strange it is that in a city the size of Melbourne it is possible for two people who have lived almost as sister and brother for five years as students to move away from each other without even saying goodbye, to conduct the ordinary business of their lives within a couple of miles of each other’s daily rounds, and yet never to cross each other’s paths. To marry, to have children; to fail at one thing and to take up another, to drink and dance in public places, to buy food in supermarkets and petrol at service stations, to read of the same murders in the same newspapers, to shiver in the same cold mornings, and yet never to bump into each other. Eighteen, twenty years may pass! How strange!

Does it mean:

they have lived for five years like sister and brother when they were students at university?

they have lived for five years like sister and brother just like students?

Source: The children bach by Helen Garner


texts:
There is more money potential in narcotics that in any other
  business. If we don't get into it, somebody else will, maybe the
  Tattaglia family. With the revenue they earn they can amass more and
  more police and political power.

I've found this number of meanings but I can't understand which one is suitable here.


texts: "Arrive at the home" or "arrive on the home" in this example?

texts:
I am trying to translate a couplet of a famous Urdu poet named Mirza Ghalib. Which proposition should be appropriate for the example given below, at, on, or neither?

  O Ghalib, shrubs are growing against the walls and the doors.
  I am in the wilderness, lo, the spring has arrived at the home!

Should I make it something like‘...the spring has arrived home’?


texts:
The book fulfils my requirement.
  The book is fulfilled my requirement.

Which one is correct?

If the 1st sentence is correct, do you have another examples that the subject are things in active voice?


texts:
I can use "Who are you?" when talking to one person.

But what can I use if I'm talking to a group of people?


texts: "Not only can I not help you, but also (never/ under no circumstances) can our parents help you."

texts:
Is my sentence grammatically correct?

  Not only can I not help you, but also (never/ under no circumstances) can our parents help you.


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

  The pronouns present in the text are marked in bold.

  The pronouns present in the text are marked in bold letters.


texts:
For a Halloween event, I dressed up as a student, knocked on my teacher's doors, and received extra homework.

Can this sentence be rewritten using knocking? Is the following grammatically correct and used?

  I dressed up as student, knocking on my teacher's doors, he gave me extra homework.

Under what circumstances do we use knocking? How can we phrase it?


texts:
(The message quoted below is disputed)
What does "rep" stand for here? Representative? Republican?

Amy Sweet tweeted 11h ago in Replying to @TeamTrump
We just showed them the video of them telling everyone to leave but then when coast was clear 4 pulled out suitcases and counted for 2 hours but rep just said where is the evidence!!! You could show her someone being murdered on camera and they would say where’s the evidence!!

Source: Twitter


texts: What does "neat" mean in this definition?

texts:
This is the second definition of smart from OALD:

  2 (especially British English) (of clothes, etc.) clean, neat and looking new and attractive
  -They were wearing their smartest clothes.

What does neat mean in the definition when used to describe clothes? In the same dictionary, the most relevant definition of neat seems to be def. #1:

  1 tidy and in order; carefully done or arranged

However, it feels like to me that this sense of neat is more appropriate when referring to things like your desk, office, room, rows of books, etc. in which it is arranged properly and in order; where as if the term is used with clothes, it doesn't seem to make sense because how do you arrange an article of clothing and make them in order? I mean you could iron it to make it smooth, but you don't arrange it?


texts: What's the meaning of "it was collapsing in on itself"

texts:
From "The Da Vinci Code":

  (Describing a scheme) It had all begun as a holy cause. A brilliantly crafted scheme. Now, like a house of cards, it was collapsing in on itself, and the end was nowhere in sight.

How to understand the part "in on itself"? I can understand if it's only "collapsing itself", but what's the meaning of "in on" here?


texts:
I would like to know the difference between the following sentences in meaning.

I've kept on falling asleep during class.

I keep on falling asleep during class.

I've been falling asleep during class.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What does 'pay' mean in this phrase, "to pay a female to make similar decisions based on the quality of her mate"?

texts:
What does 'pay' mean in below context?
"The female deer were choosing their offspring's sex based on their own condition. But it can also pay a female to make similar decisions based on the quality of her mate."


texts: What are the key phonetic differences between British English and Australian English?

texts: Due to historic reasons, they are somewhat similar (for example, both British and Australian speakers usually pronounce 'a' in words like 'hat' as [a] instead of [æ] as Americans would do). However, they sound distinctly different, but it's hard for me to point out those differences exactly. Would you do that?


texts:
What do you say if you want to tip a specific amount when paying in cash?

Say I've had a small meal for $8 and want to tip $2 on top of that. If I have a $10 bill, I'd say "keep the change" (By the way, should that be "keep the change, please"? Or "you can keep the change"?)

But what if I only have a $20 bill? Would I say "give me back $10, please"? That could quickly get tedious with larger amounts. Or something like "and a $2 tip"? "Two of those are for you"?

I'm sure I'd get the point across, but anything I can think of sounds convoluted or patronizing. When I hear "this is for you" I think of my grandmother giving me some money behind my parents' back...


texts:
Dirty, but drinkable water can be used.
Dirty, but drinkable, water can be used.

I think 2 is correct because even if 'but drinkable' is omitted, a sentence makes sense. I want to know you guys' opinions! They both can be wrong or right because I make those sentences.


texts:
I have this text with a gap to fill :

  Also, once you've reached a good enough standard to join a band or orchestra, you develop the team skills similar to those you get from playing sport. And finally, there is a great social side ___ playing with others, as well as the chance to travel, through touring.

Intuitively, I know that there should be a word "to", but I can't say exactly why it is that way. Is it an idiom, or a saying?


texts: "I’m going to have to let you go". why the words "going" and "have" are stand together in sentence?

texts:
That person is "going to let someone go"

or

  he "have/must let someone go"?

Why are the words "going" and "have" stand together in sentence?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Are the   sentences  given  below grammatically correct
How  many  is that ?
How  many  cars  is  that ?
How many  people  is that?
If  not   what  alternatives would you  suggest


texts:
This is something I heard in a party and would like to know the grammatically correct expression.

If the bread has not reached you, raise your hands
If the bread has not been reached you, raised your hands.

I think the second one is correct and is the correct passive form and the first one suggests that the bread itself was trying to reach you.


texts:
"Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown" is the title of an action computer game.
Why is it "Skies Unknown" instead of "Unknown Skies"? Is it grammatically correct?


texts:
A guy sells MacBooks on eBay, and here is the email he sent me regarding my questions. The part that I do not understand is in bold.

  That is what I do for this business is sell used macbooks. We buy these in large quantities and wipe them, load new operating system and sell them. The battery is good, this unit does have some imperfections that we have either pictured or described in the listing. Please read entire listing to make sure you know what you are buying. As for shipping it is @ 70.00 shipping to you.

Does "wipe" mean "to refurbish"?


texts:
The insight the experience offered about life, the world, and her place in it.

Without the PP Phrase, the sentence is understandable to me . But with the PP phrase being included, it's kind of confusing.

Does the sentence mean :
The insight is offered by the experience, and the insight is about life , the world, and her place in it.

The above sentence is excerpted from the sentence below.

  You’ll recall that Dr. Jill divided her
  popular TED talk, “My Stroke of Insight,” into three sections that lasted
  six minutes each: the circuitry of the brain, the day of the stroke, and the
  insight the experience offered about life, the world, and her place in it.


texts:
What is grammatical?

  I wish you would be more romantic

Or

  I wish you were more romantic

Why?


texts: "The devil is in the detail" or "The devil is in details"

texts:
Which statement is correct?

  The devil is in the detail

Or,

  The devil is in details


texts: How do you call the "act" of saving information?

texts:
There is a way of saying things with verbs like "Save data" or "clean room" or "Backup file". They have their counterparts like

Clean room --> Room Cleaning

Backup file --> File Backup

Save Data --->  ?????

What would be the counterpart for "save ...data"   or "Save information"?

(By counterpart I mean a noun that designate the process that is being carried out)


texts: Using respectively- "Signal strength was 20, 30, 40 dB at floors 1,2,3 respectively."

texts:
In the following sentence,

  "Signal  strength was 20, 30, 40 dB at floors 1,2,3 respectively."

Should I use was or were?

Should the unit dB be used just for the last input of the list or every input?

Should I use floors or floor?


texts:
What are the rules for using comparison with a verb and preposition?
Which of the sentences below is correct?

(I need to) interact more with others using it

Or

(I need to) interact with others more using it

Or something else?


texts: Asking for clarification - "in relation to"?

texts:
I wonder what would be the right phrase to use, once you encounter someone else's statement, which you can't see what it has to do with the conversation.

For example:

  Jake: I think he will win the next election!

  Dan: Well, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Which of the following is considered to be valid and natural:

What was that in relation to?
How is it related to our topic?
What it has to do with what I said?

Any other suggestions?


texts: Most books use the term "swim lane", but some articles use the term "swimlane" (for example, https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Add-swimlanes-to-a-flowchart-D794B112-8AA3-4360-8F12-E38BC62AD558). Is this correct?


texts: Is "as father was away in France" a reason clause or time clause?

texts:
"Mother was worried because little Alice was ill, especially as father was away in France."

In the sentence, is "as father was away in France" a reason clause or time clause?
Which understanding is more logical?


texts: How frequently is the expression "when it comes to" used in spoken English?

texts:
If I want to tell my friend about some topics, such as what I do in my free time or my favorite movies, is it appropriate to use "when it comes to" at the beginning of the conversation?

For example, "When it comes to my favorite movies, ..."

Does the expression normally be used in spoken English?
If it is not normally used or too formal, please advise me what expression I should use :)


texts: Is "have gone" identical to "have been" in some cases, such as being used to describe some status?

texts:
recently, SO pushed this blog everywhere, which says (expression_1)

  These options have gone untouched for a long time

it seems that this expression could be rewritten as (expression_2)

  These options have been untouched for a long time

assume expression_1 is identical to expression_2 in this case (of cause, this identity needs some double check), is
"have gone" identical to "have been" in any other this kind of cases, where they are being used to describe some status?


texts:
I would like to ask the difference between the by and via.
I already checked the grammatical rules, but I don't really get it.

I'm used to say quite often, for example:

  "I was talking with my friend via Skype."

and

  "I went to somewhere by tram."

I don't see the point of the difference. I'm just getting used to it.


texts:
Is the following sentence okay with either "replacing" or "replaced"? If both options are correct, how do you analyze them?

The car needs its front tyres replacing/replaced.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: "as well" or "as well as" in the mentioned sentence?

texts:
Is it "as well" or "as well as" in the following sentence. If it is the latter, doesn't we need one more "as" after it?

  Those who impose this condition differ as to what sort or degree
  of access is required, as well as to just what it is to which one
  must have access of the proper sort.


texts: what do you call a group of people sharing the same language?

texts:
How should I say that a group share the same language?

chorus
assemblage

Are there any other idioms, expressions or phrases that expresses the meaning?


texts: If there isn't one, we do/we'll do - zero and first conditional constructions

texts:
The following quoted text is about using first and zero conditional constructions in the  F2F ELL book. Please, find my question below the second paragraph.

  Our children get their pocket money every week on Saturday. Of course
  we ask them to help at home.

In the following paragraph, the adverb usually suggests using zero conditionals which is used for situations that are always (in fact, almost always!) true, like habits and rules. There is not problem with this - it's clear. The issue (if you will) is with the last sentence. I understand it's in the unlikely situation, "they'll their children". But then this unlikely situation is also a rule! The parent is not talking about a specific situation in time (in real life), but a hypothetical case while he/she is talking about rules in their house. The question is: which is more logical (if both are perfectly fine in the context -or are they?):

If there isn't one, (we 'll tell them) that we're disappointed.

or:

If there isn't one, (we tell them) that we're disappointed.

  And usually they do everything we ask them to do. And if they don't do
  it, there is usually a good reason. If there isn't one, (we'll tell
  them) that we're disappointed.

The following is the end of the text:

  We strongly believe that this is a much better idea than the threat of
  no pocket money.

Update:

I think the reasoning is that it comes as a contrast to the "usual" case of there being a good reason which qualify for a zero conditional. Hence, the exception qualifies a first conditional (The usual rule is a back ground to the exception). However, if it were to come up in a non exception to a mentioned rule, then it would be a rule alone of something rare in which case it qualifies a zero conditional.

I would love to confirm this from credible sources, but knowledgeable and native speakers' opinions are very welcome.


texts: Is "There + 'intransitive verb' ..." okay?

texts:
Since "there exists a dog with black fur" is okay, is it generally true that "there + 'intransitive verb' ..." also okay?

For example, can I say "There thrive trees in the park" to mean "Trees in the park thrive"?


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I have learnt two points about "to-infinitive" as follows.

verb + to + infinitive

Its meaning is similar to "in order to" or "so as to".

I come to pick you up.
She runs to catch the bus.

adjective + to + infinitive

It is hard to learn many languages simultaneously.
This book is difficult to comprehend.

Question

Does the structure "noun+to+infinitive" exist in English grammer? For example:

I lend a screwdriver to open your watch.
I am the math teacher to substitute for Mr. X who is absent today.

Bonus question:
What is the difference (if any) between the following sentences?

A: This book is difficult to comprehend.

B: This book is difficult to be comprehended.


texts:
I read such a quote from Chapter 1: Building Abstractions with Functions

  "A language isn't something you learn so much as something you join."
  ~Arika Okrent

Honestly , I have little idea what the quote are talking about. Surely it' not that you should learn a language by joining in it society.


texts: The difference between "come at a cost of/to"

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Is there any differences between "come at a cost of" and "come at a cost to"?
Like

Energy efficiency may come at the cost of consumer confidence
Free drug samples come at a cost to patients.
Insects also readily evolve resistance to chemical insecticides, and increased use of these chemicals would come at a great cost to human health.


texts: Bestow upon or Bestowed to - Why do we use "bestow upon/on" instead of "bestow to"?

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The dictionary meaning for bestow: to give something as an honour or present.

Why it is said "The trophy was bestowed upon the winner"?

Why not The "trophy was bestowed to the winner"?

I have one more sentence:

  The George Cross is a decoration that is bestowed upon/on British civilians for acts of great bravery.


texts:
Imagine a parent have several impolite and rude children who make lots of problems. Once one of the children who is a teenager makes a bad problem for their neighbor who is a middle aged man. It drives him crazy and he goes to their house and calls his father. He says:

  Everybody knows how to make a child. What is important is the way you raise up a child. It requires lots of care.

Does the bold part above sound idiomatic and natural to a native speaker? If not what shall I use instead to make myself understood in a natural way?


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Where did they go?
  Where do they went?

Can you please advise which of above forms is correct?  I'm pretty sure that first one is fine but wondering about second one.

Can I use a second form as well or it's incorrect?


texts:
[Scroll 45% from the top here] Studying Norway’s ragged coast, with its hundreds of thousands of islands, is like studying the country’s metaphorical DNA: it is unique, it is unendingly complex, it is the fingerprint of a nation. Staring out the window, I could not help but slip into a quasi-profound reverie: I began to contemplate the arbitrariness of islands, the phallic language of lighthouses, the band of sky-land-coast as a kind of naturalized EKG readout.
  I zoned out and zoned in and zoned out. When I came back to my senses, no one around me had moved.
  This protracted (and mediated) narrative pace mirrors a baffling trend currently taking place in Norwegian television called Slow TV. In 2009, the public television station NRK broadcast a six-hour, 22-minute uninterrupted train trip from Bergen to Oslo by mounting a camera on the front of the locomotive.

I looked up mediate but which entry fits? How can you figure this out? It looks hard.


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Still, the filial (and often proprietary) attachment that Orwell’s work tends to evoke in his admirers points to something else: the morally urgent yet highly companionable nature of his writing, which can leave one with the feeling of having been directly addressed by a mind worthy of emulation.

The subject of the sentence is the filial attachment and the main verb is points.
"that Orwell's work tends to evoke in his admirers" is a relative clause(modifying attachment),
and the missing noun behind evoke is that , and that represents filial attachment.

Is my understanding correct?


texts: Why did he use "looking" word in this situation?

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I was watching Sky news live and the journalist said:

  "And now, it's time for looking the weather".

I would have said:

  "And now, it's time for look the weather".

Using look in infinitive form.

Could you explain me the reason for "looking" word in that situation? I looked for some grammar rule for that but I did not find anything.


texts: Meaning of "it is as necessary... as vigorous... as it is..." in this long sentence

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I read this sentence in an article in the NY Times:

  It is as necessary for me to be as vigorous in condemning the conditions which cause persons to feel that they must engage in riotous activities as it is for me to condemn riots.

I understand that this is about 'as... as...' comparisons. But I really cannot figure out why there are three 'as's? Can you please explain it?


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She is the best and wisest girl in the class.

  She is the best and the wisest girl in the class.

Which one of them is correct?and why?
I think first one should be correct as both the adjectives are for one common noun? My book says second is correct.I am confused.
Please shed some light.


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Why does the word Wednesday read as Wenzday? Where do its roots grow? All the other days of the week read as they are written but not Wednesday.

Why hasn't the spelling changed over the years?


texts: How to use "Considering" preposition in a sentence

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According to  the Longman Dictionary, considering is "used to say that you are thinking about a particular fact when you are giving your opinion."

The Cambridge Dictionary says that is "used to mention a particular condition or fact about something, usually a disadvantage."

Can I use considering in a positive way, to express my opinion?