texts: What is the difference between "differentiate" and "distinguish"?

texts:
Both "differentiate" and "distinguish" are verb transitive. They are of the same meaning. There are many words in dictionary and thesaurus which words are differentiating in their usage. If we use other words of the dictionary which are distinct. Do we have to use numerous words separately which are distinct?

If one does not want to use the words
     "differentiate" or "distinguish" repeatedly. If one wants to use dictionary, thesaurus meanings of the words, sometimes these are not appropriate and distinctly different. Will I have to go for higher study because there is no alternative? Can I use the word "between" after "differentiate" and "distinguish" if it is grammatical?


texts: Do I need to use "guess" or "try to guess" when I want someone to try to anwer my question?

texts:
Does the following sentences mean the same?

  If you don't know the answer, guess it.

  If you don't know the answer, try to guess it.

By the way, do I have to inclide it after guess?


texts:
The definition of altruism according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is:

   1 : unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others
  // charitable acts motivated purely by altruism.

But where does one use the word altruism as opposed to using selflessness or utter devotion? Does it find itself only in formal usage?


texts:
"Sarah and David blamed themselves."

  "Sarah and David blamed each other."

Are both these sentences correct?  Is there any difference in meaning?


texts: Past perfect usage with simultaneous events?

texts:
I was reading To Kill a Mockingbird and I came across a sentence:

  This was the first {time} he had let us know he knew a lot more about something than we thought he knew.

I can't understand the usage of past perfect in the second clause (he had let us know). Past perfect is used when one action occurs before another in the past. This much I know, but in this case the occurrences are pretty much simultaneous.


texts: What does it mean if mountains are "seen away to the west of the river"?

texts:
whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Kaatskill mountains. They are a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west of the river, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country. Every change of season, every change of weather, indeed every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains, and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near, as perfect barometers.

I know every word in the bolded phrase, but don't really understand it and can't picture it.

Does it mean like the image below? river on the right, mountains on the left(west) and along the river?


texts: "Taking something to heart" but positive

texts:
"Taking something to heart" has some negative connotation. It is more about criticism or hard to swallow pills.
In english, what is serious, but more positive equivalent?


texts:
Is this sentence:

  Even though I was a stranger to tragedy as a plane descended from
  17000 feet of height.

Supposed to be:

  Even though I was a stranger to tragedy as a plane descended from
  17000 feet in height.

I have been struggling with this because Grammarly says I am supposed to write "in", yet it feels strange.


texts:
Please see which of the following two clauses is correct/better?

  1) The cow came out of the truck.
  2) The cow came out from the truck.


texts:
I have always hesitated about the order S+V or V+S after a quote. For example, in the following sentence should I write "... said Sally" or "... Sally said"?

"If everything is coming your way, then you’re in the wrong lane," Sally said/said Sally packing her things.

I would also appreciate an explanation of how the use you think is correct came to be established as a rule.


texts: Can we use 'availabilities' as the plural of 'availability'?

texts:
If -s/es can be added to a noun (to form a plural noun), then we understand that it's a countable noun.

Is the noun availabilities the plural form of the noun availability?

If it's not so, then how come the noun availability is an uncountable noun?


texts: I know "I'm good "means I feel good /I'm fine which is the answer of question "How are you/How do you feel". Am I right?


texts: Using "by the time he WAS 30," when he's only 27

texts:
I was reading news online in the morning. I read a headline which did not make any sense to me. Because it had a grammar issue as per my opinion. But I think, as the reporter has written the headline so he must have something in his mind and headline may have been grammatically perfect.

  The headline was

  Rahul was aiming to be a billionaire by the time he was 30

My concern is, the boy who was mentioned by the reporter. He was 26, when he thought that he would be a billionaire when he would turn 30 and now he is 27. So why the reporter has used was? As per my opinion the headline should have been Rahul was aiming to be a billionaire by the time he would turn 30.


texts: Are archaic third person singular forms of verbs useful to English learners?

texts:
I just noticed a song of P.J.Harvey: "The Words That Maketh Murder". "Maketh" seemed very interesting;  so I've searched for it, and found this Wikipedia entry.

  Maketh: (archaic)
  Third-person singular form of make

Before that song, I was not aware of that. Yes, it is an archaic word, but I wondered if this form of verbs is used today. Probably it is rarely used.

Should I know them as a student of learning English language? Since it is used in a song title, I think I should, but I am not sure.


texts:
(1.1)She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. (1.2)No
way could I have sent her away. (1.3)No way, not me anyway. (1.4)Maybe
someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. (1.5)"We're
moving house." (1.6)"No space for her any more with the baby coming."
(1.7)"We never really wanted her, but what could we have done?
(1.8)She was a present." (1.9) People find all sorts of excuses for
abandoning an animal. (1.10)And she was one of the most beautiful dogs
I had ever seen.
(2.1)I called her Goldie. (2.2)If I had known what
was going to happen I would have given her a more creative name.
(2.3)She was so unsettled during those first few days. (2.4)She hardly
ate anything and had such an air of sadness about her. (2.5)There was
nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. (2.6)Heaven knows
what had happened to her at her previous owner ' s. (2.7)But
eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. (2.8)Always
by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by
the fire.
(3.1)That 's why it was such a shock when she pulled away
from me one day when we were out for a walk. (3.2)We were a long way
from home, when she started barking and getting very restless.
(3.3)Eventually I couldn't hold her any longer and she raced off down
the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
(4.1)By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with
Goldie. (4.2)But when I saw her licking the four puppies I started to
feel sympathy towards them. (4.3)"We didn't know what had happened to
her," said the woman at the door. (4.4)"I took her for a walk one day,
soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared. (4.5)"She
must have tried to come back to them and got lost," added a boy from
behind her.
(5.1)I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I've got Nugget
now, and she looks just like her mother. (5.2)And I've learnt a good
lesson: not to judge people.

My question is :
How to understand the sentence in bold? Is it a correct sentence?


texts:
The funerals of Egyptian rulers were spectacular – while in Mesopotamia kings were regarded as the servants of the gods, in Egypt the pharaoh was thought he was divine.

One of the highlighted parts is supposed to be incorrect. It is the last one ("he was"). Can you explain to me why? Is it so because there should be a gerund in that part of the sentence?


texts:
Someone is not crying at the moment, but you want to ask if that person's character is more like it so, how would you ask?

Are you a crying baby?
Are you a cry baby?


texts:
I have a scenario where I need to answer the below question.

  Is there a verification for Sponsor in IDP?

My answer is below.

  Yes. If the sponsor is deactivated or expired in IDP, subsequently his/her team members receive emails to change the sponsor details

A simple receive would do here OR will receive is the correct choice?


texts:
If I want to congratulate someone for a good observation, which sentence should I apply?

  Well seen
  Good viewed

or something else?


texts:
What does "don't tell it to nobody" mean?

does it mean "tell it to everyone"?

And Grammar says

  GRAMMAR: Negatives Don’t use nothing with another negative word such
  as ‘not’. Use anything. You say: I could not find anything suitable.
  ✗Don’t say: I could not find nothing suitable.


texts: "Only she in the world " or "only her in the world"?

texts:
Example:

  My girlfriend acted her usual self today. She chuckled at my dumb
  jokes, slung her cute remarks, gaped at the thoughts only she/her in
  the world found interesting.

I searched both phrases on Google and they have the same number of hits. So I'm confused.


texts:
Let's take an example.

Person A writes an answer for a question and another person answers the same question in another way. But their answers are contradicting each other.
Let's say I see this and I want to bring that to their notice. So should I write:

  Both of your answers are contradicting each other

OR

  Both your answers are contradicting each other.

I feel like I'm missing something here because when I read my response, I feel like I'm mentioning about 2 answers written by one person. I would like some help here.


texts: Should we use (’s) with Sunday's Supper?

texts:
Should we use apostrophe s (’s) with Sunday's Supper?

  For Sunday's supper, Asimov was pulling together a wine pairing ... OC Weekly

I noticed that (’s) is quite use with Sunday's Supper:

Shouldn't we use (’s) when something belongs to someone or something? but supper doesn't belong to Sunday, does it?

I think it shouldn't be a possessive form, I think it should be Noun as Adjective. Am I right?

For Sunday supper, Asimov was pulling together a wine pairing ..


texts: Does purity mean here that "deny" is a "quality of being morally good"?

texts:
This comic says

  there is a purity in that

what does purity mean here?

cambridge gives this definition "the quality of being morally good"

why is "deny" a "quality of being morally good"


texts:
MY favorite song is 'I was looking for someone to love.'sung by Leif Garrett.

In the lyrics of the song, I found the phrase like 'I was looking for someone to love and oh the heartaches I found.'
I'd like to know the meaning of 'oh~the heartache I found.'

Maybe, I think it is the inversion of 'oh~ I found the heartache.'
Am I right?
Please, tell me the answer.


texts:
I was taught a word thunderhead means "cumulonimbus" in American English. However, Several speakers said they didn't use the word when I asked it on chat. It seems that the word certainly appears in corpus.

Do you use, or know this word? Do you know where, or by what kind of people it's used? Am I correct with its meaning?


texts: Future and past tense when asking questions

texts: If I am asking a friend about an event they invited me to in a few days is it wrong to say 'What time did you say it was?'


texts:
sentence:

  The store is on the square

question:

  Does it sometimes mean that the store near the square (not on the square)


texts:
Water me.
  Give me water.
  Serve me with water.

Which one is correct?

I say, “Water me.” This is good English. What are the differences between these options?


texts: What's the deal with verbs ending in -ise/-ize?

texts:
This has confused me to no end. Often, I find myself unable to figure out how to spell a verb simply because of the -ise/-ize ending. I see verbs such as realise, strategize and other words such as these that all have one of these two endings and confuse me with how there hasn't been any sort of noticeable rule or pattern to figure out which spelling to use.

How do I tell if a word ends in -ise or -ize?


texts:
Walk somebody through something: to slowly and carefully explain something to someone or show someone how to do something

Talk somebody through something: to explain an idea, a plan, etc. to someone so that they understand it

The definitions look very similar so I wonder if there's any subtle difference between them.


texts:
If you are talking about your native country  and you need to say that you have never traveled, is it wrong to use "in" to talk about your country as it is used in my first sentence? I added the rest of the text for more context.

So far, I have only managed to travel in Georgia.  My favourite place here is Mount Kazbek. It used to be an active volcano, which has long since died out. At the foot of the mountain there is the Trinity Church. It contains the cross of  Saint Nino. On the way to the top of the mountain ( added there) there is the monastery of Betlemi.


texts: What tense would be better in these "since when" sentences and why

texts:
what is the difference between these sentences

Since when are you responsible for that project? Is this one ok ?

Since when were you responsible for that project ?

Since when have you been responsible for that project?

I know "since when" implies some doubts
from the asker and a bit of anger in this example. In this case it means"You are working on my project and you shouldn't"
Is the first sentence more general and not possible because it is a specific project that has a limited duration or have they all the same meaning .


texts:
What are the differences between phrasal verbs Draw on/upon and draw from. They used in academic texts and it seems that their meaning is so close.
for example in the following sentences:

  Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to examine and explain
  social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines
  including ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology, and
  population genetics.

  Social researchers draw upon a variety of qualitative and quantitative
  techniques.

  Many different methodologies are used to study cognitive science. As
  the field is highly interdisciplinary, research often cuts across
  multiple areas of study, drawing on research methods from psychology,
  neuroscience, computer science and systems theory.


texts: The difference between "doubt that ... ..." and "doubt that ... not ..."

texts:
What's the difference in meaning for two sentences below, if both applicable?

  I doubt that you would even be able to find it.
  I doubt that you wouldn't even be able to find it.

It sounds to me both are very similar. That "not" here seems not changing anything. But I am not quite sure about it.


texts: Is using the genitive case recursively a correct usage?

texts:
I wanted to write about a farmer who has children with very strange toys. Thus, I wrote:

  The farmer's children's toys were quite strange.

Would that be correct? I could not find examples to whether this usage was correct or not so I assumed it could be, albeit uncommon.

If I understand correctly, an equivalent phrase should be:

  The toys of the farmer's children were quite strange.


texts: Tense disagreement with time adverbial: “had been wearing” used with “a week ago”

texts:
He watched  Powers  drum  his  fingers  restlessly  on  the  enamel  desk
  top,  his  eyes  glancing at  the  spinal  level  charts  hung around  the
  office.  Despite his unkempt appearance - he had been wearing the
  same unironed shirt and dirty white sneakers a week ago - Powers
  looked  composed and  self-possessed,  like  a Conrad beachcomber
  more or less reconciled to his own weaknesses.Source: The  Voices  of Time, by J. G. Ballard

I’m wondering why “had been wearing” can be used with “a week ago”. I would think it should be “since a week ago” or “for the last week”.

Please help clarify this.


texts:
I have some money in my bank account to use for poor people.

That's my sentence. The part at the end (to use for poor people) is intended to refer back to "some money".

The intended meaning is:

  I have some money in my bank account and we can use it [that money] for poor people.

Is this sentence OK grammatically?


texts: Would you please explain this sentence grammatically?

texts:
“What can he want it for?” thought Great Claus; so he smeared the bottom of the measure with tar, that some of whatever was put into it might stick there and remain.

  Source: The Tinder Box by Hans Christian Andersen

I don't understand the boldface part grammatically.

I guess the right thing would be:

  that when some of whatever was put into it, it might stick there and remain.

Could you explain about that part grammatically?

Thanks for your help in advance.


texts: Shall I use 'pursue my passion for' or 'in'?

texts:
I want to say something like

  Being interested in politics, I have pursued my passion for/in it by....

Under this context shall I use for or in?


texts:
I want to say something is very simple or short as you see in its description.
What is the brief construction?

It is that short
It is as short as above
It is as short as the above
It is as short as that is above
It is as short as is above

I found the first case is common, but what if I really want to point to the above paragraph or description? Then how can I use "above" in it?


texts:
I earn three times less this year.

  I earn three times short this year.

Would it means the same if I use short instead of less. I know it is not exactly same but would it be understood what try to say ? If it has different meaning what does it mean?


texts: How do I use "like" vs "likes" in speech and sentences?

texts:
I'm a bit confused with the usage of this word. Sometimes I see it with an 's' and other times there isn't one.

How do I use this word properly in a sentence both oral and written?

eg.

  Henry 'likes' ice-cream.

or

  He would 'like' some ice-cream and some chocolate cake.


texts: Should I choose "whether" or "that" in this sentence? How do I know which to choose?

texts:
Where and when can I use the word whether?

Which out of the two is the correct use of the word:

  I don't know whether Peter will come to school.

or

  I don't know that Peter will come to school.

Are either sentences correct above?
Could you please explain it to me?


texts: What the word 'great' serves as in 'Hollywood great Rooney dies at 93' (BBC)?

texts:
The headlines from the BBC

  Hollywood great Rooney dies at 93

What is that word 'great' there? Can adjective be used this way? Or is it noun there? But then two nouns? Or Hollywood becomes adjective then? Really?


texts: What should we use for upcoming event Were to be and are to be?

texts:
Is there any meaning difference in below sentences?

What should we use to give information of future upcoming event?

(a) Elections that were to be held on Monday has been cancelled.

(b) Elections that are be be held on Monday has been cancelled.


texts: When I explain what I did step by step, is it ok to use an imperative?

texts:
I'm writing my term paper. I want to explain the test preparation procedure for my experiment. Is it ok to start each sentence with a verb. For example,

  Step 1. Generate syllables with six consonants and three vowels.
  Step 2. Make 9 disyllables.
  Step 3......

What I meant was, I generated syllables, and then I made disyllables. Is it better to clarify the subject?


texts: Differences in meaning of ways used to express possession

texts:
book of Dave vs. David's book
assignments of Rachel vs. Rachel's assignments

Are there differences between two examples of each pair?


texts: "Many of the young people" or "many young people"

texts:
Many of the young people studying abroad agreed that returning home was always an attractive option.

Is the of the used in the sentence correct? It sounds better to me without using of the, i.e.:

  Many young people studying abroad agreed that returning home was always an attractive option.

If it is correct, what is the difference in the meaning of two sentences, if any?


texts: Difference between "I can understand" vs. "I understand"

texts:
I told my sister the following:

  I can understand that you must be missing us.

or should I have said,

  I understand that you must be missing us.

What is the correct sentence here?


texts: "According to this position we decide what front or back is (or are)"?

texts:
Which auxiliary verb do I need to use the following sentence, is or are?

  According to this anatomical position we decide what front or back is (or are), what right
  or left is (or are) in the body.


texts: Two semantic interpretaions for 'I've ever seen'

texts:
The slim thighs I’ve ever seen. (1) The slimmest thighs I’ve ever
  seen. (2)

Grammatically, the first highlighted part might be called relative clause modifying the previous noun phrase, and the second, complement for the previous phrase –– the latter explanation is seen in CGEL:"indirect complement, complement licensed by the comparative inflection (p.547)". What I want to know is what different meaning you get from the same appearance –– I’ve ever seen.


texts: Is that correct? James Wilson's Sentence in House MD TV Sereies

texts:
I am asking about the sentence this guy (James Wilson, House's best friend) says at 7:00 in this video.
The transcription is:

Okay, maybe. But he's our friend and this is his one chance to not be miserable.

I am curious about the ''one chance''. Does one chance work as only chance? Or should I wrote his one-chance?
Still, the biggest question is about the to not be. As far as I know, it is not to. For instance, tend not to, try not to, etc. or also in reported speech: they told us not to.
Is it wrong what he says then, or is this situation different from the ones I have cited?
PS: The video corresponds to Chapter 16, Season 5, The Softer Side, as you can see in its description.


texts:
Is there an idiom that means "without anyone noticing"? I am trying to remember the idiom that meant something similar to that, but I can't remember what it was exactly.

For example:

  They decided to destroy all researches that supported the wrong view,
  and by thus doing they were able to create a crisis without the
  organization noticing anything wrong until it was too late.

This is the best way I can think of of saying it, but I remember there was a really good idiom, but I don't remember it.


texts:
Tell me how you are?
  Tell me how are you?

Which one is correct?

I am confused.
Which is the best and most correct sentence?


texts: What or who is the subject of the verb "run" in the phrase "an economical car to run"?

texts:
In the phrase "an economical car to run", I wonder what or who is the subject of the verb "run".

I think there are two possibilities.
One is that it is the car that "runs".
The other possibility is that it is the person that "runs" and the car is ran by him or her.


texts:
Which one is more correct ?

A) Remain on the chair until lift has stopped.

B) Remain on the chair until lift is stopped.

Also,

A) Do not attempt to leave the lift until the landing gate is opened fully.

B) Do not attempt to leave the lift until the landing gate has opened fully.


texts:
I understand "unspooling cryptic clues" as "revealing mysterious information". Am I on the right track?
What adds to the problem of understanding is that I could not recognize whether "unspooling cryptic clues" means to be positive or negative.

The QAnon conspiracy theory supposes that a high-level government agent with Q-level security clearance has been unspooling cryptic clues about secret investigations inside Washington, D.C. Some of those investigations involve politicians running a child sex trafficking ring.

Source: USAToday   QAnon supporter from Arizona dressed in fur and horns joins storming of US Capitol


texts: Past perfect tense - it means they had never tried...

texts:
In below quote why past perfect tense has been used?

  "If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they had never tried a new thing in their life."

We use Past perfect tense to tell or imagine past of past. But in the above quote, which are the two past?

Also are these below sentence constructions are correct?

If I want to say some one about the past, can I say:

  I had called you.

If I want to say where I was when you called me:

  I had gone to wash room.

Or the simply simple past will do?

Please clarify


texts:
Imagine when it comes to say goodbye, someone says:

-Have a good day.

In order to indicate the message: "the same to you", would it sound idiomatic to answer

-Likewise.

The word "Likewise" is an adverb here; but the question is that whether it can work as a sentence independently or one has to complete it with the resting part; e.g.

Likewise, I wish the same to you...

Or something like that!


texts:
I have searched the meaning of look down upon as well as look down on is 'to hate' or  to consider someone or something lesser or inferior in some way.

But when we use look down upon and look down on?
Thanks in advance.


texts:
--and now this summer his anthems of Louisiana street life throb out the windows of speeding cars, the floating hint of a hook giving
  away the track, drowning in cardboard subwoofer fuzz, trunks and
  rearview mirrors.

(BEYOND THE BREACH  08/24/15 • ESPN THE MAGAZINE)

What does the bold part mean?  Is "a hook" as a short hard blow in boxing? Thank you.


texts:
Can I use Maybe after the subject?

  She maybe is his wife.

Or It is come before the subject only.

  Maybe she is his wife.


texts: Could you simplify "you are going to" in this context, although I know the use and meaning of this grammar

texts:
So today we're here to talk about the two second rule. And what the two second rule is, is a way of you to know whether or not you've got proper distance between yourself and the vehicle that is traveling ahead of you. And what you do with the two second rule is you pick a standing object on the roadway. So let's say you're going to pick a tree, which might be right here. Or an overhead sign. And what you do is, you watch the car ahead of you. And when the car ahead of you becomes even with that object, whether it be that tree or that overhead sign, at that point you start to count to yourself to two seconds.

I need to explain this to someone who is a beginner and does not know the grammar use of that. A simplified equivalent I need.


texts: "She is one of the few people nowadays who actually seems to feel a sense of social responsibility."

texts:
I need to correct this sentence but I don't know how!

  She is one of the few people nowadays who actually seems to feel a sense of social responsibility.


texts: Is the usage of "yours" like this grammatically correct?

texts:
"Yours is a new car"
I have never seen or heard the use of "yours" like this before today, is this sentence grammatically correct?


texts:
Which sentence is correct?

This can lead us to learn about other strengths we have, we may otherwise have not/not have discovered.

This can lead us to discover about other strengths we have, we may otherwise have not/not have.

Thanks!


texts: Is the usage of the participle clause correct, here?

texts:
I read in Advanced Grammer In Use that sometimes the participle clause has its own subject, like:

The collection of vases is priceless, some being over two thousand years old.

According to the above rule, I want to write the same sentence for this snapshot, https://ieltsmaterial.com/ielts-academic-writing-task-1-map-band-9-model-sample/, like below. Is the below sentence correct?

The evergreen trees on the west of the district do not undergo a change in their numbers, some grown on the east of the island demolishing,


texts: "confusing X for Y" vs. "confusing Y for X"

texts:
If I was to write:

  You're confusing women for men

What exactly am I saying?

Reader can't tell men and women apart;
Reader thinks that women are (or act like) men;
Reader thinks that men are (or act like) women; or
Reader thinks both 2 and 3 (i.e, reader has exchanged genders.)

I'm thinking that the most literal interpretation is 4 but that there's some connotation of either 2 or 3, but I'm not sure which.

I'm trying to suggest 2, that is, that the reader is clumping both men and women into the same behavioural expectations that would be true for men.  Have I worded it correctly to suggest that?


texts: What is the word for the ability to foresee?

texts:
What is the word for the quality to foresee? Note that, the word should not be related to specific fields like astrology. I am writing an article and the word should be such as it can be used in this place:

  The leader X was a great political personality at those unstable times after WWII. Alone he was able to show the hapless global economy, a ray of hope using his immense and distinguishing *(the quality) which pushed him to reach the zenith of fame at that time.


texts: The meaning of "efficiency" in "This new efficiency in the capital markets..."

texts:
They can replace high interest rate credit card debt with lower interest rate mortgage debt. And it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The growing interface between high finance and lower-middle-class America was assumed to be good for lower-middle-class America. This new efficiency in the capital markets would allow lower-middle-class Americans to pay lower and lower interest rates on their debts.
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis

I have searched meanings for "efficiency" and even though I found the meaning of it, I couldn't understand what's the point being efficient so I might have wondered if there is different meaning to a word.

a) a situation in which a person, company, factory, etc. uses resources such as time, materials, or labour well, without wasting any (Cambridge Dictionary)
b) the quality or degree of being efficient (Merriam-Webster)


texts: Why is 'were' used here instead of 'was'?

texts:
In Herodotus 3.81 :

  Megabyzus spoke next, and advised the setting up of an oligarchy:- "In all that Otanes has said to persuade you to put down monarchy," he observed, "I fully concur; but his recommendation that we should call the people to power seems to me not the best advice. For there is nothing so void of understanding, nothing so full of wantonness, as the unwieldy rabble. It were folly not to be borne, for men, while seeking to escape the wantonness of a tyrant, to give themselves up to the wantonness of a rude unbridled mob. ..."


texts: difference between "specific " and "particular"

texts:
I have been confusing "specific" and "particular" for a long time. After some effort I was stuck.

I was learning a Cambridge Dictionary post when I found an example of the use of "specific"

  We only use "the" with general plural nouns when we are referring to a specific set within a general class of people or things.

  The books were all over the floor. I mean specific books (that you and I know).

Imagine that, there are some books that Chollet and Schmidhuber (I made up the names) both know, and some of them are being on the floor.

Generally, "books" may refer to all the books in the world. Some of them is a specific set, the ones that Chollet and Schmidhuber know, what about "particular" in this context?

Are the books on the floor the particular ones? Is the one Chollet is picking up the particular one?

In the story of Chollet and Schmidhuber's books, in what situation "particular" and "specific" are interchangeable?

TL;DR

Just to show my effort.

Cambridge Dictionary gives this definition of "specific"

  relating to one thing and not others; particular

where "particular" is used to define "specific", and this definition of "particular"

  special, or this and not any other

I've gone through a few posts, e.g. quora, ELU, hinative and some others. The explanation and examples in most of which are also hardly distinguishable, some says they are interchangeable without saying in what situations. The one in hinative is easily understand to me

  "I only like a specific brand of ice cream."

  "I enjoy this particular brand of ice cream because I love chocolate."

I guess I got a clearer understanding of them, though the one for "specific" does not sound like a real life situation. Who would talk about their favorite ice cream that way ~ Why not give the name of that brand directly.


texts:
TV Nova is the commercial television station that has been since its foundation and beginning broadcasting in 1994 a key media player in the television market in our republic.

Do you find this sentence correct? I have the problems with "beginning broadcasting". Is it possible to have two gerunds next to each other?


texts: Which one is correct 'pour out' or 'pour'?

texts:
He poured out more drink.

I found this passage on the internet. Since the usage of preposition still a mystery to me, I want to ask if I remove 'out' from this sentence, is it grammatically correct?

  He poured more drink.

Is this new sentence sound natural? To my ear, it is but I'm not sure.


texts: Differences between will, would, and would have

texts:
I can differentiate which would be used in sentences, but I can't quite pinpoint the difference between these. So I went online and tried a quiz from the British Council and I can't quite figure out why

"I promised my teacher, I would have finished the homework by Monday."

Can't be:

"I promised my teacher, I will have finished the homework by Monday."

It would be a great help if anyone could help me define the lines between will, would have, and would (in a general sense, like tense-wise), and also why will have is wrong in that context.


texts: Smoothing or smoothening (smooth/smoothen)

texts: I just want to make it clear to me if there is a difference between 'smoothing' and 'smoothening' or if one of them is incorrect. 'Smoothing' is used far more often according to Google search, but occasionally I see the other version too. I found identical definitions for them both but they seem to derive from different verbs. I suppose the actual question is, what is the difference between 'smooth' and 'smoothen', but I am looking for a noun to use when talking of the act of making something smooth.


texts: In US English, can "puzzling" be used as a noun or verb, similar to the way "reading" or "gaming is used?

texts:
Is it grammatically appropriate to use the word "puzzling" as a noun, similar to the way "reading" or "gaming" is used?

Ex: Puzzling is what he enjoyed most.

Or is it better to use this:

Puzzle-solving is what he enjoyed most.

Note: I'm asking about informal US English usage.


texts:
I ran into this sentence in Complete IELTS book.

  Some students may be critical of others who they perceive as doing nothing but study.

I haven't seen this structure before. Could you explain the grammar? If I was the writer myself, I would write: They perceive as students who merely study and don't do anything else. But using a verb+ing right after 'perceive as' sounds a bit unfamiliar and strange for me.

Please if it is a common type of usage, add more examples and walk me through the procedure.


texts: What is the grammar of the sentence like "Deleting a node z from .." that usually accompanied with figures in textbook

texts:
When I am going to write some explanations in a step-by-step form that accompany with diagram, I found out it is difficult to decide what the subject is, for example:

  Calculate the sum.

Maybe it is OK if I put the "We" or "Let's" before it, and make grammar right, but thing becomes weird if I do it on every sentence in the situation like that.
I look back to my textbook, I could learn the sentence like:

  Deleting a node z from a binary search tree.

But I cannot understand the grammar of this sentence.


texts: What is a letter called you send to someone who has just lost someone close to them to express your sympathy with their loss?

texts:
I know it's not used that often anymore, but what would Americans call a letter you send to someone who has lost someone close to express your sympathy?

I sent her a sympathy letter.

I sent her a sympathy card.

I sent her a condolence letter.

I sent her a condolence card.


texts: Do you really answer “How do you do?” with “How do you do?”

texts:
I'm a non native speaker of English. In our learning we were told that when we say hello to someone we use equivalent phrase:

  How do you do?

In response we do say:

  How do you do?

But I'm unsure about the usage in the USA or UK. I haven't heard from them. I'm an Indian.

Is this the correct way of introducing someone?


texts: Since vs before, which a conjunction should I use in present or past perfect tense?

texts:
A Conjunction of "since" is used in present perfect tense, and that of "before"  is used in past perfect tense.

for example
A staff working at the company has found the document since his or her boss came back to the company.

A staff working at the company has found the document before his or her boss came back to the company.

I was taught by native-English teacher.


texts: Other ways to express: 'get more out' (of something)?

texts:
"I need to learn more about other  countries and people, that's why I am going to travel. When I come back I will get more out of my studies".

Get more out? This  is the expression that I can get.

By the way, my book give me some explanation to this expression:

  "learn more from..."

Could you give any other examples with this expression, please?

I will be so happy if you answer it, because tomorrow will be my English exam.


texts: I watched a TV talk show headlined “The tank hits hot topics”，and what does the word "tank" mean?

texts:
I've just watched a TV talk show with a headline of “The tank hits hot topics”,and  I guess it might be a shorter form of "think tank"? If it was, is such a shorter form of "think tank" acceptable and common in English? I have a suspicion that in this headline, the word "tank" is purposely used to convey a double meaning.

I am not sure if that usage is a pun.


texts: When do I REALLY need to pronounce an s as a z?

texts: Yeah, I know the rule that after a voiced consonant, the plural or 3rd person S should be realized as a Z. But I wouldn't trust that rule as far as I could throw it, because I constantly hear, say, 'problemsss' instead of 'problemzzz', or 'comesss' instead of 'comezzz'. What is the right pronunciation?


texts: A term to mean a student who keeps order in the classroom

texts: Is there a word in English for a student in a classroom, typically in elementary, middle, or high school, who would be in charge of keeping order in the absence of the teacher? This person is to tell the teacher, or someone higher, the names of his/her classmates who misbehaved and might put their names up on the board for the teacher to see.


texts: "Study at class 5C" or "study in class 5C"

texts:
I'm writing an essay. And I would like to know which one is correct.

  I am studying at class 5C

or

  I am studying in class 5C


texts: I'm pleased to hear that you (passed/ have passed) the exam. Which one is right? [ Closed ]

texts:
Could you tell me which is the right sentence please?

I'm pleased to hear that you passed the exam.
I'm pleased to hear that you have passed the exam.

Thanks!


texts: Is this an example of a gerund or a participle?

texts:
this is my first time asking a question in ELL, so I am sorry if I broke any rules.

In the following sentence, is tapping a gerund or a participle?

  His tapping finger on the change mat speeded up a little when Mack
  came in.

I thought it was a participle and that finger was the subject of the sentence, but my teacher marked it wrong. I could also see how tapping could be the subject and act as a gerund. Could anyone please enlighten me? :)


texts: What's the difference between "it excites me" and "that excites me"?

texts:
I know the difference between it and that, but what does that mean in the sentence below? Does it mean the same as it?

  I reach for the phone,
  I don't know who to call.
  That excites me.
  Starving for days,
  I've been told it's a phase,
  But they don't see.
  That I'm holding on to something that I don't seem to catch
  Now I've been following the streams along,
  But nothing never last.

Source: Wake Up Alone Lyrics


texts: How should I mention that I have collected the data set used in my research myself

texts:
This is a sentence from the abstract of my dissertation:

  We conduct our research on X-ray images collected by the researcher under the supervision of an expert physician.

Does it sound okay? How would you improve it? I want to mention somehow that I have collected the images myself.

Also, can I use the plural word "We" along with the singular "the researcher"?

Thanks


texts: Is it correct to ask "did you come right?"

texts:
I sometimes mix up phrases between English and Afrikaans. In Afrikaans, there's a question "Het jy reg gekry?" Which literally is "Did you come right?"

It means "Did the situation work out?" or "Did things work out?"

Often, the reply is "Ja, ek het reg gekry", or "yes, I came right (with it)". I hear these phrases often in both English and Afrikaans in my bilingual community, since most people are fluent in both languages.

Since I only hear these phrases at home, I don't know if the English versions are common in the wider English-speaking world. Are they common in British or American English?

I googled and found one entry here, but didn't find a significant number of results that indicate it is very common/normal to hear.


texts: Confusion with past and past perfect tense usage

texts:
I want to write a narrative in simple past tense. I have some confusion regarding the usage of past and past perfect tense. Kindly read the below narrative and provide guidance.

  He asked me why I didn't call him all day. I said I had been busy all day. I visited/had visited a local temple first thing in the morning. Then I went/had gone to yoga class with Margaret. After class we both went/had gone to a restaurant for a breakfast. I met/had met my boss there.

Kindly explain with tense should I use.


texts: Consecutive Double Preposition "In" in "took the letters in in the morning"

texts:
In the story of  “A Case of Identity” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, there is a line -

  I took the letters in in the morning, so there was no need for father
  to know. “Were you engaged to the gentleman at this time?”

Can anyone explain how preposition "in" used consecutively in the clause "in in the morning" grammatically?


texts: Confused about "Traffic light", "Stop Light", "Light"?

texts:
Traffic light: a signal that controls the traffic on a road, by means
  of red, orange and green lights that show when you must stop and when
  you can go Source

But many people say "stop light", but seem British means it "a red traffic light" & American means it "traffic light" or "brake light" (Source).

So, what is red traffic light?

But sometimes, people say "Go straight and then turn left at the light". So, "light" also means "traffic light"?


texts:
I'd like to know which of the following is good English:

  a. The baby tiger Bobo weighs 20 kilos now.

  b. Bobo the baby tiger weighs 20 kilos now.

If there is more than one baby tiger in the zoo, can b still be used?


texts: Help transcribing part of a YouTube Video

texts:
I came across this video in July 2013, and I've tried to understand some of what was being said, but because of my severe hearing loss and almost no captions, I wasn't able to make out all of the video. I was able to infer about 90 percent of what was said, though. Someone on Meta recommended that I reach out to ELL or English SE to ask transcript-related questions.

At around two or three minutes into the video, he said something like And when I poke her, you can thank me for something something because I do not breathe through my mouth or nose. I breathe tthrough... what's it called?

I don't know what he meant by and when I poke Can somebody clarify on this? Thanks!


texts: "Off with his head!" What is the structure of this sentence?

texts:
"Off with his head". That is 'chop off his head'.
I saw it in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. The Queen was in a furious passion, and went stamping about, and shouting 'off with his head!' or 'off with her head!'

So,'off with his head' is 'chop off his head'. If so why 'with'? '(Chop) off his head' does not have 'with'. The structure of this sentence is somewhat confusing me(non-native). Is 'Off' a verb or a adverb? Very confusing. If the Queen had said 'chop off his head!', it would easy for me to understand the structure of the sentence. but why 'off with his head?'

So, first, is 'Off' a verb or a adverb? Does 'off' mean 'chop off' or 'cut off'?
Second, This 'Chop off his head' does not have 'with', but why 'off with his head' does have 'with'?


texts: What does "resp." mean in these sentences?

texts:
The abbreviation resp. has been used a number of times in the following paragraph:

  For each of these problems (resp., tools), we start by presenting the
  natural concern underlying it (resp., its intuitive objective), then
  define the problem (resp., tool), and finally demonstrate that the
  problem can be solved (resp., the tool can be constructed).

I am trying to understand what resp. means here (and many more times in the same book).

Trying to search using Google only confused me more, there are so many options.

Also please see this answer, which says that "resp." means "namely". Is this correct?


texts:
There is a sentence:

  I am a father now and I will have to get used to being called 'father'
  I am a father now and I will have to be used to being called 'father'

What's the correct alternative?
Be used to works as an adjective, so seems like it's possible to choose the second option the same as the first one because I am not used to so I have to finally get used to it.

Not sure what to choose, very vague for me.


texts: First person or third person in this phrase?

texts:
If a woman say:

  Please, don't take me for a woman who's stuck in the past.

You understand that she is asking you not to see her as a woman who is stuck in the past or that she is asking you not to let her in the hands (sorry, I couldn't find a better expression to use here)  of a woman who is stuck in the past.

I'm asking that because the word "for" has two different translations in Portuguese and, depending on which one you choose, the phrase gets two completely different meanings.

Also, could I omit the word "who's" and simply write "Please, don't take me for a woman stuck in the past"?


texts: Which sentence is correct ? Grammar usage

texts:
Sentence : Witnesses on ground reported seeing flames coming from one of the plane's engines.

I could see the above sentence in ndtv news application. Could you someone please explain whether this sentence is correct ? Because I would think the sentence should be as below ,

Witnesses on ground reported ARE seeing flames coming from one of the plane's engines.


texts: What exactly did the Western-style diet do to the native African volunteers' guts?

texts:
I can understand everything from this article except one single word that causes me trouble in getting the complete meaning of the following sentence:

  The dietary swaps appeared to cause significant changes to the cells lining the gut as well as the bacteria that live in the bowel - with the US volunteers faring better.

I understand that the new diet caused important changes to the cells, modifying their structure, but what exactly happened to the gut by lining it and also to the bacteria (were they lined too or what?) I quite can't get.

Checking The Free Dictionary for the verb to line, I couldn't find an appropriate sense for the context in question.

So, please let me know which one of the following dictionary definitions matches:

  v. lined, lin·ing, lines

  v.tr.

  To mark, incise, or cover with a line or lines.
  To represent with lines.
  To place in a series or row.
  To form a bordering line along: Small stalls lined the alley.


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

texts:
I came across the following paragraph in Andrew Vincent's Nature of Political Theory:

In ancient Greek culture, theory was characteristically associated
with observation. A thea was a spectacle; the one who observed the
spectacle was a theoros. Theoria meant beholding a spectacle. Theory
was thus envisaged as the intermediary between the event and the
observer. It accounted for the event or practice. Theory was not
separate from event. Knowledge was, in a sense, the unmediated event
itself.

What does the author define "knowledge" mean in the context of the above paragraph?


texts: Conjunction vs Subordinator vs Subordinating conjunction

texts:
The answer to https://ell.stackexchange.com/a/5236/8712 includes only 'subordinator'. Yet What are the similarities and differences between these three? Is there a hierachy?

https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/grammar_subordinate.html says:

  CONJUNCTION ... secondary class called SUBORDINATING or SUBORDINATE conjunctions.


texts: A usage of infinitive clause which doesn't refer to "a noun" and doesn't specify "a purpose". What is that?

texts:
Today, I saw a different usage of infinitive clauses at the university and would like to ask you it in order to be familiar with that usage.(Examples from my professor)

  There should be more than 100 people at the party to have fun.(1)

The intended meaning: "What is needed to have fun is more than 100 people at the party. So, a party including less than 100 people is not good to have fun."

  A few good opportunities exist to go to the U.S.(2)

The intended meaning: "A few good opportunities exist if you want to go to the U.S"

(My professor said that we don't need to say:"A few good opportunities to go to the U.S exist". This also works)

  To be able to study at that university, you have many problems. First of all, you have to solve them and then you can go.(3)

The intended meaning: "You have more problems than you can have at that university while studying there."

So, as you can see, those infinitive clauses don't specify any "purpose", don't define any nouns and are not subjects, however, they function as adverbials.

So these usages are very different for me because I always see a purpose when an infinitive clause is an adverbial but here, there is no purpose/reason even if it is adverbial.

Could you please tell me what its function is exactly? and do you find those usages natural/correct?

Thanks.


texts: "than do something" vs. "then do something"

texts:
Which is sentence is correct? Than? Or Then?

  I'd rather go running then eat

Or...

  I'd rather go running than eat


texts: The understood subject of "instructing."

texts:
I have read from a previous post:
What part of speech is "instructing ..." here?

  1.The editor at once sent the journalist a telegram instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.

The comment says,

"Instructing" is modifying the noun "telegram".

But how can we exclude the possibility that "instructing" takes "the editor" as its implied subject？

I think of another sentence:

  2.Later he wrote me a letter apologizing for not lending me a hand.

"Apologizing" surely means "he apologizes".

So can we similarly understand that, in the first sentence, it is "the editor" that is instructing?


texts: Do we use article with adjectives modifying uncountable nouns?

texts:
In our daily unexamined routines of language, we easily overlook linguistic gaps.

In our daily unexamined routines of language, we easily overlook the linguistic gaps.


texts: Diffrence between were killed and had been killed: "Five people were (had been) killed in the earthquake."

texts:
What is the meanings of below sentences?

  1) Five people were killed in the earthquake.

  2) Five people had been killed in the earthquake.

Are above sentence in passive voice?

If yes, then who is the doer I mean earthquake?

Also if earthquake is the doer then why in the earthquake and not by the earthquake?


texts: What's the difference between "to verb" and "that S+V"?

texts:
Are these sentences the same in meaning?

  I want you to leave me alone.
  I want that you leave me alone.

If not, what's the difference between the two?


texts:
As we can say:

  He got married into a prosperous family.

Can I say:

  He got married in / to London(spouse's city).

And:

  He got married around / about London.
  {When the exact place is unknown.}

Please explain.

Thanks.


texts: Role of "be" in "Staff may request that a check be issued instead."

texts:
Staff may request that a check be issued instead.

I have two questions about this sentence.

First question:

I am not sure why "be" is used here.
Can anyone explain it, please?

Second question:

I made the following sentences to express the same meaning.
Are they correct?

Staff may request a check instead.
Staff may request a check to be issued instead.
Staff may request to issue a check instead.


texts:
Do we use "at" or "from" in the following example?
Do you have a contact at/from this company?


texts:
I repent what I did and will never do it again.

  I will hurt myself because I repent what I did

Are both these sentences correct? if not, kindly provide some simple examples of it's usage.


texts:
The question is mostly for native speakers. What is best:

"Prices for Linux app" or "Linux app prices"

and why?


texts: Difference between "We are married for 5 years" and "We have been married for 5 years"

texts:
What is the difference between...

  We are married for 5 years.
  We have been married for 5 years.


texts: Sentence starting with ''Verb'': "Attached please find…"

texts:
I, sometimes, receive mails from few suppliers to my company which include the below sentence in the mail body.

  Attached please find the xxx analysis.

Is this a correct sentence? If wrong, what will be the appropriate sentence?


texts:
You're taller than described.

I think 'be' is omitted between 'than' and 'described', right?

If so, what's the correct form of 'be'?

  a. You're taller than are described.

  b. You're taller than is described.

And why?


texts:
See this conversation,

  Dad: You need to make your bed.

  Son: I don't know how to make the bed.

  Dad: Do you feel me? You need to do like this.

so, What does "Do you feel me?" mean?


texts:
If a sentence begins with a negative or semi-negative word / phrase, it causes subject-operator inversion :

  "In no other way can the matter be explained."

  "Hardly had I seen Sam when he started walking."

Such inversion isn't found in the following sentence :

  "In no time we cleared the table." (NOT, In no time did we clear the table.)

Could you please clarify it?


texts: You won't want to go in there for a while!

texts:
I already apologize for taking such ugly sentence but I have no other choice as that’s what brought the question to my mind. Just read this in Urban Dictionary:

  I don't know what he ate, but man, he blew up the bathroom! You won't want to go in there for a while.

1st, I know it’s possible to put “don’t” in place of “won’t” here, but don’t know how that would affect the meaning.

2nd, is using “in” optional here or it adds some meaning to the sentence?


texts: Is it ok to use guillemets for quotations?

texts:
Is it okay to use guillemets (1) for quotations in English?  They are used in French.

(1) Guillemets are angle quotation marks, «, », ‹, and ›


texts: Have got any (something): singular or plural?

texts:
I'm uncertain if the following sentence is correct:
Have you got any pet?
Searching for straight questions with "have got" and "any" I've found the noun sometimes as singular, sometimes as plural. Which is grammatically correct?
Thanks!


texts: Should I write "Back in her seat" or "Back at her seat" in the following sentence?

texts:
Without a word to Tom, Mary grabbed the tray with the leftovers of her
  Smoky Grilled chicken and dumped it into the bin. Back at/in her
  seat, she shouldered her backpack.

Which is the correct option and why? (Or maybe both are correct?)


texts:
I am confused as to what should be the correct word order in this sentence. Originally, I wrote it as follows:

  I had food at charity dinner in San Jose temple with my friend John
  last week.

But, then, I thought it looks jumbled up. I rearranged to

  I had food at charity dinner in San Jose temple last week, with my
  friend John.

Which one is correct? If both are wrong, could you suggest a better way to write it?

Many thanks.


texts:
Is it wrong if I say like

  Shyam will decide that he will work hard for the upcoming exams and come first in class.

Is there any rule that we shouldn't use will twice in a sentence?

If so, which one should I drop?

Does simple present work here in the place of will decide?

And is the sentence above correct grammatically?

Could you please explain to me?


texts:
From an American sitcom Friends S08E13

Phoebe thought Joey liked her, so she went to Joey's to talk about this affair. But as the conversation went on, it turned out that it was Rachel that Joey liked, instead of Phoebe. After knowing that, Phoebe said, "Beat me over the head with it."

I don't understand the meaning of it. If she just wanted to express that message made her confused, just like using something beat her head, why did she use the preposition "over"? Specifically, for this sentence: "He beat me over the head with a stick", I would interpret it as "He brandished a stick over my head, just as menace, it didn't touch my head", so I feel "beat me on the head with it" is better to convey "I'm confused". Is there anything wrong?


texts:
I went to a cafe after I had left Amar. I had just sat down when Emily walked in. After we had a coffee, we talked about my relationship with my ex-boyfriend Andy back in the USA. She did not know that I had got engaged to him that we had planned to get married I explained that we split up a few weeks before I came to the UK because he had cheated on me. I suppose I still love Andy, even though we had a terrible row when I found out he had lied to me. Anyway, by the time I left the cafe I had started to get worried. It was four o'clock Rob and I still hadn't arranged where to meet for our date tonight. And I couldn't phone him because I had left my cellphone in my room and I couldn't remember his number. When I got back, I found a text that Rob had sent me.
  It had arrived earlier in the afternoon while I was out.

Here is my first question:  Would have been possible to write "It arrived" instead of "It had arrived"?  I ask, because it seems obvious that Rob arrived before she found the note ("while I was out") and she found the note after she was back home.


texts:
When they had the ultimate audacity and have it they did then you needn't wonder that everything was turned upside down.

In this sentence, what is the meaning of 'have it they did'? Please tell me I have no idea... It's too difficult:(


texts: I need some more specific word to mention 'community'

texts:
Community

  [countable + singular or plural verb] a group of people who share the same religion, race, job, etc. - Oxford

  a group of people who have the same interests, religion, race, etc. - MW

And so on...

So, examples -

  A group of people having the same interest - ELL community (the same interest - learning English)  A group of people having the same religion - Christian community  A group of people having the same race - Brits (an island race)

But here comes an issue. In India, we have the main religion further dividing in castes

  Hindus are further divided in several castes like Brahmin, Patidar, and so on

Now, when I build an online directory that helps connect a Brahmin to Brahmin and a Patidar to a Patidar, what do I call it?

  A community directory?

That looks the commonest one. But then, it creates an ambiguity for the word 'community' because when it is on the Internet, mostly, the word 'community' attracts people with the same interest and NOT the same caste.

  A race/ethnicity/religious directory?

All look 'odd'.

What about...

  A caste directory?

But then, I'm addressing to the global audience (that's why I'm asking it here. Because the term 'caste' is quite Indian, and here, everyone understands 'caste').

My question:

I need a word alternative to 'community' which limits a group of people having the same caste and nothing else.


texts: Meaning of "had brought on a faint rumbly in his tumbly that Pooh knew would only get louder"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "had brought on a faint rumbly in his tumbly that Pooh knew would only get louder" in the following sentence,

  "What a pleasant surprise!" cried Kanga, welcoming them and setting
  two more places at the table. Pooh had already had a full breakfast.
  But it seemed the walk to Kanga and Roo's house had brought on a faint
  rumbly in his tumbly that Pooh knew would only get louder.

?

Does it mean "the walk to Kanga and Roo's house had made so a faint rumbly noise in his tumbly stomach that Pooh knew the noise in the Pooh's stomach would only get louder" ?


texts:
Causative verbs to me are: make, let, have, help and get.

They all get a direct object and the verb after the object (if it's a full-infinitive) comes in the bare infinitive form. It's correct for all of them except "get".

For example, the structure below is not correct.
subject + get (in any tense or person) someone/something + bare infinitive

That is, get has no specific rule as in other ordinary verbs but has the meaning of causing in its causative form sentence.

Do you, too, think like above?


texts:
This is part of an advert describing a house:

  It's a quiet, safe neighbourhood and the neighbours are very warm and friendly. The house is walking distance from stores and restaurants in the local town and a short drive from areas with excellent skiing and hiking.

My question is, would it be correct English to use the phrase mentioned above meaning near enough to walk to easily without a preposition like in or within?

Here are a number of examples that I have seen in some learner's dictionaries and they all come with a preposition:

There are lots of restaurants within walking distance.
Does she live within walking distance of her parents?
The beach is within walking distance of my home.
The Castle Inn is in easy walking distance of Fisher's Wharf.


texts: Can every A or B plus singular form of verb be possible?

texts:
“Every town and city has areas like this.” (source)

When I first came across this clause, I thought it might have wrong verb form of has instead of have. Now I can understand why there is has. But it gives me some other questions. Can a clause, ‘Every town or city has areas like this’, be made under any circumstance? If it’s possible, is the verb form, has, still right?


texts: Is this construction correct? "Something is not .... However, it is, if..."

texts:
Let me explain the construction i'd like to use by an example:

A number is not generally divided by 10. However, it is, if its last digit is 0.

To me, it seems logically correct, but I'm not entirely sure. Are there any alternatives?


texts: I was chatting with my friend and I had a doubt: Which is right between "In what language do you think?" and "What language do you think in?". I've a doubt on how to use preposition (at, in, on etc.) in question.


texts: What is the meaning of about here in this sentence?

texts:
Love is not about sex, going on fancy dates, or showing off. It’s about being with a person who makes you happy in a way nobody else can.

What is the meaning of about here?

As far as I think It does not mean the same as in this sentence I wrote a book about love (in the topic of love)

It means something else here


texts: Can you call "classmate" someone who attends the same institute as you?

texts:
Say you want to become a private investigator. You go to a detective training institute ... Can you call classmate someone who attend the same courses as you do?

I'm hesitant to do this because according to Oxford Dictionary:

  a fellow member of a class at school, college, or university.

It doesn't say institute.

But maybe this doesn't matter as long as there is a classroom?

If you can't call such person "classmate," what should you call them?


texts:
He does?

  He ran?

I think I read a complete interrogative requests a subject, and verb. So, may I use these two sentences, and have them grammatically all right?


texts: Meaning of "To wage the warfare, watch, and pray, show who are pleasing in his sight"

texts:
From "A Living and a Dead Faith" by William Cowper (part of the "Olney Hymns"):

  To walk as children of the day,
  To mark the precepts' holy light,
  To wage the warfare, watch, and pray,
  Show who are pleasing in his sight.

I'm baffled a bit by this stanza. I vaguely understand the general meaning (although "wage the warfare" might be harder to explain).

But the main point is that I'm not sure where the subject(s) and the object(s) are.

Is this an inverted word order, with "who are pleasing in his sight" the subject?

"The people who are pleasing in the sight of God exhibit the following behaviours: they walk as children of the day, they mark the precepts' holy light, they 'wage the warfare' (maybe metaphorically, a war on sins)".

Am I right? My guess is that "show" could mean "exhibit (a behaviour)" here.

I struggle to imagine the to-infinitive phrases (to walk, to mark..) as the subjects of the sentence.


texts:
The Collins dictionary says that "to carry away" can mean:

to remove forcefully
(usually passive) to cause (a person) to lose self-control
(usually passive) to delight or enrapture

Is its concrete meaning (to carry something away from here, eg furniture, garbage, luggage) also possible/usual?


texts: Put a video on fast-forward, put it back to normal (speed)

texts:
If someone fast-forwards a video, is it natural  to use:

  He put his video on fast-forward.

And if I want it to play normally,can  I say(telling the other person  who fast-forwarded it)

  Hey! Put it back to normal?

Can the same be used for "slow-motion"?

  Put the video on slow motion.

  Put it back to normal!


texts:
Half Nelson offers an opportunity to marvel, once again, at the dazzling talent of Ryan Gosling for playing young men as believable as they are psychologically trip-wired. (source)

Though familiar with the noun, I have never seen "tripwire" used as a verb. Also I am not able to find the verb form in any dictionaries. Here the quoted usage is figurative, which is even rarer, if not the writer's own invention. Google Books searches return several hundreds results for the exact word "trip-wired", most of which though are about land mines or traps. What exactly does the word in the quoted line mean? "Wired", "geared", "equipped", "disposed", "inclined", or "triggered"?


texts: Why is 'He is a man whom I look up to.' not quite right even though it is not wrong?

texts:
There is nothing grammatically wrong with

  'He is a man whom I look up to.'

The relative clause is non-defining, so no comma;

the relative pronoun refers to a person, so 'who', not 'which';

the relative pronoun is not the subject of the verb in the relative clause but its object, so 'whom'.

But, apart from the fact that 'whom' is rather formal, rather old-fashioned, it is not quite right either? Why?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "not bother to do something" and "not bother doing something"?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between not bother to do something and not bother doing something? For example:

The guy didn't even bother to clean up after himself.
The guy didn't even bother cleaning up after himself.


texts: How is the word "arouse" used in English?

texts:
How is the word arouse used  in English?

For example, which is correct to say:

  Do not arouse my anger

or

  Do not raise my anger

could anyone explain it to me.


texts:
block: 4 QUANTITY OF THINGS a quantity of things of the same kind, considered
  as a single unit block of

  New employees receive a block of shares in the firm.

  Set aside blocks of time for doing your homework.

Look at the below picture, there are 4 small boxes of milk that were packed into a block.

Do you say "a block of milk" or "a block of milk boxes"?

For example, Please bring me the whole block of milk!


texts:
Skim means to remove (a substance) from the surface of a liquid. For example, the cream is skimmed from the milk. I was wondering if I could use skim as remove in other cases. For example, our goal was to skim the names of the unwilling candidates from the list. The implication being that our goal was to remove the names of the unwilling candidates from the list.
My question is whether this usage of the word is correct or not.


texts:
It's a quote from the TV drama Wayne

Here are the lines:

  -Check it out. Someone got lucky on a Pats bet and made rent. Hey, two lucky sons of bitches, huh?

The speaker is Wayne's father who was handing him an envelope filled with money for their house rent. What's the meaning of Pats bet here?


texts:
I remember a language learning app that claimed to help users to distinguish between the words like right-write, break-brake, heal-heel, principle-principal, etc.

However, I have long known them as homophones. This leads me to a question : Is the word "homophone" misleading? If one can distinguish between the said words, they should not be called homophones.


texts:
"I would not dare to say that there is a direct link between mathematics and madness, but there is no doubt that great mathematicians suffer from maniacal characteristics, delirium and symptoms of schizophrenia."
       John F Nash

What is the meaning of would not dare to say here?


texts:
If I am supposed to do something for someone as it is their right that I do this for them. I have to do four things, for example for that person. I say:

  It is your right upon me that I do four things for you.

Is this sensible enough? Or should we not say this thing in this way? If not, can we say:

  You're rightful that I do four things for you.
  There are four rights of yours upon me.
  There are four things as your right upon me.


texts:
I am wondering if there is any difference between the phrases: "it strikes me" and "it seems to me".

As dictionary says:

"It strikes me that" means:
"it seems to me that something is true or the case."

Example:

  I know you want to golf today, but look at those clouds—it's strikes me that it's going to rain.

Does it mean that they are interchangeable?
If not, then how they differ in meaning?

PS. I think when you say: "it seems to me that...," you are more confident about what you utter. I.e. you a more vivid picture of what you mention in mind.


texts: "She speaks an impeccable English" vs "She speaks impeccable English"

texts:
What is the difference between these sentences?

  She speaks an impeccable English.
  She speaks impeccable English.

I understand both are correct but is one simply more specific because of the indefinite article, "an"?


texts:
If I rephrase the following sentences:

#1 After a time you get to realize that these things don't matter.
#2 You'll like her once you get to know her.
#3 His drinking is getting to be a problem.
#4 She's getting to be an old lady now.

into:

#1' After a time you will realize that these things don't matter.
#2' You'll like her once you know her.
#3' His drinking is becoming a problem.
#4' She's becoming an old lady now.

Is there subtle difference in meaning?


texts:
It's from a Tweet:

One person named Eugene Gu said:

  I'm an Asian-American doctor and today I #TakeTheKnee to fight white
  supremacy.

And a man named Thomas Stratton replied:

  Dr. Gu, I'll never take call for you. But I will #TakeTheKnee with you
  to fight white supremacy because I know #WhiteSilenceIsWhiteViolence


texts: Differences between order of verb and subject

texts:
Would you illuminate if there is any difference between the two?  When/where would you rather use one than the other?

In the park is Mary.

In the park Mary is.

The normal word order for English sentences is subject then verb. If sentence #1 is correct, why does the verb come before the subject?
If sentence #2 is not common, or is ungrammatical, why can't the subject come before the verb?
Or is "in the park" the subject?


texts: "The lectures are conducted" vs "The lectures are delivered"

texts:
The lectures are conducted in English.
The lectures are delivered in English.

Are above sentences correct and natural? Are there alternative ways to express the same idea?
I intended that the sentences mean "The lectures take place in a way that the professor and students use English to study.".


texts:
So I was watching an episode of the TV show Big Bang Theory and the characters where talking about tenses in regard to the movie Back to the Future II. They said this:

  Leonard: If future Biff goes back to 2015 right after he gives young Biff the Almanac, he could get back to the 2015 with Marty and Doc in it. Because it wasn’t until his 21st birthday that 1955 Biff placed his first bet.

  Sheldon: But whoa, whoa. Is placed right?

  Leonard: What do you mean?

  Sheldon: Is placed the right tense for something that would’ve happened in the future of a past that was affected by something from the future?

  Leonard: [thinks] Had will have placed?

  Sheldon: That’s my boy.

My question is:

Is this grammatically correct to say Had will have placed in this situation?

I think it was called the back to the future episode.


texts: Are "are" and "become" interchangeable in this context?(or in general)?

texts:
This is the context:

There are those who have taken up Einstein’s challenge and are looking for laws
of quantum mechanics that are somewhat deterministic. They believe these laws are
governed by hidden variables. That is, there are extra variables in the system that
cannot be seen but when they are taken into account, the laws of quantum mechanics
are deterministic.

I was reading The Outer Limits of Reason: What Science, Mathematics, and Logic Cannot Tell Us by Noson S. Yanofsky and when I was reading this paragraph, I became curious(because I am not a native speaker) that Can we change "are" with "becomes" in this context or contexts like this? if not, What can we choose?


texts:
What does Hungarian Horntail mean in English? It is one creature (a dragon) from the Harry Potter book series.

I'm from Slovakia and for me Hungarian or Hungary isn't just the country Hungary. In the past Hungary built many nations - there lived Slovak, Polish, Czech, Ukrainian etc.. In Slovak we have one special noun 'Uhorsko' and adjective 'Uhorský'.

What did the author mean? The Hungary that we have now or Hungary that was before ('Uhorsko')? What does the noun Hungary and adjective Hungarian mean?

In Slovak translation it's 'Uhorský', but in Czech translation it's Hungarian. I'm very confused.

Thanks for your help.


texts: "Take for vaccination" vs "take to get vaccinated"

texts:
What sounds better out of the two:

  I took my dog for vaccination.

  I took my dog to get vaccinated.

Maybe the first sentence does not work. I feel that the second one sounds natural. Am I right in thinking so? Does the first one really sound unnatural as I feel?

P.S. Is the use of "as I feel" in the end natural?


texts:
There are three fields meanings of which are not clear for me in the "Completed Projects" part of the CV for IT-company. They are: Project Team (describe), Job Position, Project Roles.

Can anybody explain?


texts: Is "drain the swamp" an idiomatic expression exclusively used by Americans?

texts:
Now the expression "drain the swamp" is often heard on TV and the internet,especially during the 2016 US presidential campaign.

The meaning of this expression is not hard to grasp, but I am not sure if it is an idiomatic expression mostly used by Americans.


texts: Should I use him or himself in the following sentence?

texts:
No one could save the show. Except him/himself, the lead singer.

Should I use him or himself? And why? (I always get confused in situations like these.)


texts: What are the differences between "would you believe it?" & "don't you believe it!"?

texts:
In dictionary,

  "don’t you believe it!" (informal) used to tell somebody that
  something is definitely not true. ‘She wouldn’t do a thing like that.’
  ‘Don’t you believe it!’

  would you believe (it)? (informal) used to show that you are surprised and annoyed about something. And, would you believe, he
  didn't even apologize!

  I don’t believe it! (informal) used to say that you are surprised or annoyed about something. I don't believe it! What are you doing
  here?

So, it seems that "would you believe (it)?"="I don’t believe it!"

But I am not sure what "would" in "would you believe (it)?" means?
or it is just a way that native speakers say without any particular meaning?


texts:
Mike: Chubbuck, can you get out there?
  Christine: Uh, no, sorry. I can't.
  Mike: What do you mean, you can't?
  Christine: I'm tucking in that hospital piece. I need more time.
  Mike: You're shitting me. I thought you finished with that last week.
  Christine: That was Part One.

This is a scene from the Movie Christine. From the context "tuck in" apparently means to wrap up, to finish off. Christine is saying she needs to wrap up her other commitment. It seems to me this sense comes from "tuck in" meaning to put someone to bed, but I haven't heard the phrase used figuratively like this. I wonder if this is the scriptwriter's creativity speaking or is the phrase idiomatic and commonly used?


texts:
Is 'stop with (noun)' a correct construction to use?
For example, can I say:

  'Please stop with your criticism towards...'

To mean the same thing as 'stop criticizing...'

Another example would be:

  I would like you to stop with your antics.

If possible, please justify your answer by providing a link to a reference, provided that the use of 'stop with' is grammatical.

Also, how reliable is google advanced book search in terms of using it to check your English? Do incorrect expressions pop up from time to time. If a search yielded more than one page of results, should I be confident that the search is of good English?

Many thanks in advance.


texts: Can I freely use 'here is' instead of 'there is' if I'm in the place where that thing is?

texts:
Here are a few good affordable diners where I live.

If a speaker is in the place in which what they talk about is, they can use both 'here is' and 'there is' structures, can't they?


texts: 'Of Russian origin' v. 'of THE Russian origin'

texts:
As far as my article-related knowledge goes, 'the' should be obligatory (as in "the Russian people"). However, I've seen both. Please help me sort this out. Don't forget to provide an explanation.

  China could import 120,000 tonnes or more of primary aluminum in May and the same in June, if the arbitrage persists at least in part due to post-outbreak economic stimulus, said Roman Andryushin, head of sales and marketing at Russian aluminum giant United Company Rusal.

  Around a third of this might be of Russian origin, he said.

(from here)

  For the last time MiG-23/MiG-27 class variable-sweep (Swing Wing) of the Russian origin will take to the Indian sky for the last time on Friday from the Jodhpur Air Base.

(from here)


texts: Determiner all + uncountable noun - which of the following sentences is correct?

texts:
All water has been filtered.

or

All water have been filtered.

?

I've already searched about this especially in youtube. From what I learned, if it's an uncountable noun after determiner all, it will be treated as singular therefore has should be used.

I just need a confirmation that's why I posted a question here.


texts: Is this the same construction as "make object adjective?"

texts:
Obama said, "remake the world as it should be" but it is the same construction as "make the world better?"
source


texts: Past Perfect or Present Perfect in context

texts:
I have a problem of choosing the appropriate tense in this context:

I went shopping with my friend, saw an interesting thing and after we got out of the shop I should say:

A: I haven't seen that [the thing] here before.
B: I hadn't seen that [the thing] here before.


texts:
Does exert power over something mean the same as wield power over something?
For example:

For many centuries, this community exerted a lot of power over these
people.
For many centuries, this community wielded a lot of power over these
people.

Would sentence 1 and 2 mean exactly the same?


texts:
The Lawyer in this interpretation would represent capitalist society–not a stretch of a symbol by any means.

I am a little bit confused by the second part of the sentence (not a stretch of a symbol by any means). What is a stretch of symbol? Does the author want to say that the only possible way to interpret The Lawyer is the one that he is a representative of the capitalist society and that the alternative interpretations of The Lawyer do not suite at all?


texts:
He had it [checked by the manager].         [passive]

In the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language is on page 1174 written in connection with this sentence this: "The past participle form of the verb has two uses, perfect and passive. Clauses with a perfect past participle as head occur as complement to auxiliary have, and accept progressive and passive be, while those with a passive past as head accept no auxiliaries".

Is the above sentence really example of a passive past perfect? I consider it more likely as the causative, i.e. the structure "have sth done".


texts: "When I grow up, I want to be like you". Is this sentence offensive?

texts:
I am not a native english speaker and I am not sure if a I made a mistake using this sentence. My intention when I used this sentence was to make a compliment for a person who is much better than me in something (and older than me too) and I will want to reach the skill of this person someday. So, I commented:

  When I grow up, I want to be like you.

And the person replied:

  Ha! Looks like you may have a few more years before you catch up to me, little whipper-snapper!

As a non native english speaker, I was confused because of the last expression whipper-snapper.

Now, I don't know if I was offensive and get a rude reply. Or I was polite and get a rude reply. Or the conversation was normal...


texts:
In the acknowledgment of a manuscript I have the following structure
(the reason for thanking A, B, C, D, E, F are different):

I wish to thank A and B for ..., C and D for ..., and E and F for ....

Isn't it better to put a comma after thank? I mean to write

I wish to thank, A and B for ..., C and D for ..., and E and F for ....


texts:
Somebody can explain me the difference between these two sentences:

"What a wonderful day?"

and

"What wonderful day?"

Actually I'm not sure if those ones are written in a correct way, I think the article "a", it's not neccesary.


texts:
I'm bothered by the use of "gathering" in the following sentence:

"The initiative was originated at a regional-level meeting in Phuket in July last year, gathering telecom regulators from the 10 Asean countries."

(Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1202657/tourist-sim-tracking-plan-axed)

If it were up to me I would rewrite the sentence as follows:

The initiative was brought up at a gathering of telecom regulators from the 10 Asean countries.
Telecom regulators from the 10 Asean countries gathered in Phuket last year to hammer out the proposal.

or getting rid of "gather" altogether:

The initiative was originated at a regional-level meeting in Phuket attended by telecom regulators from the 10 Asean countries.

I can't explain why, but the use of "gathering" in the original sentence doesn't seem right. Am I wrong?


texts: The Indicative and Conditional mood in one sentence

texts:
I really found a wallet in the street some days ago. My friend takes me up for not having handed it over to the police at the same moment. How can he express his reproach?

My possible choices could be:

"If you found it, why wouldn't you have handed it over to the police?",
"If you found it, why shouldn't you have handed it over to the police?",
"If you found it, why wouldn't you hand it over to the police?",
"If you found it, why hadn't you have handed it over to the police?",
"If you found it, why haven't you have handed it over to the police?",
"If you found it, why didn't you hand it over to the police?".

Which of them are correct and which are grammatically impossible? Many thanks in advance!


texts:
"Let her go. Right now!"

  The man just laughed at his request.

Is request the most appropriate word to use here?


texts: Putin's move 'an empty fob' to Mr. Poroshenko

texts:
From an article in The Economist:

For his part, Mr Putin appears, at least for now, to have ruled out a
full-frontal invasion. On June 24th he theatrically instructed the
ever-loyal upper house of parliament to cancel the authorisation for
military force in Ukraine that he had ordered up in early March. The
move was largely an empty fob to Mr Poroshenko and another way to
ward off more Western sanctions.

What does the expression an empty fob to smb. mean here?
An empty (futile, obvious) fraud attempt, possibly? Or something more imaginative, like Mr. Poroshenko suddenly finding his watch pocket (fob) empty?
I find instances of the former sense in oldish texts (like this one, from the XIX century)

One has got a broken nob
The other's got an empty fob


texts:
English is not my native language, and I keep trying every day to develop my skills in it but I saw a new word of gon' instead of gone.

And I keep wondering: why do we add an apostrophe to it?

Example :

  These people gon' tell you that you won't ever make it.


texts: we will investigate and find out who did what

texts: what does "who did what" mean in this sentence: "We will investigate and find out 'who did what'" And particularly what "what" refers to.


texts: In formal english, can I use "cycle" to replace "period"?

texts:
I am writing a paper to describe the relationship between two periods.  The first period is measured by seconds, while the second period is measured by slots. For example, considering in a factory, the incoming material to the production line is with a period of 10 seconds (1st period), and a product can be made every slot (e.g., one slot have 15 seconds).
In the description, I want to distinguish these two periods, can I name the first one as incoming period, and the second one as producing cycle? Is there a more formal term to replace "producing cycle"?


texts: How to describe or ask about empty seat on a train ir

texts:
I stuck while describing the following situations.
on bus or a train can I say  'This seat is empty/vacant?  Secondly, Can I say 'This house is vacant and is ready to let on rent? Thirdly how can I use words such as empty ,free,vacant,unoccupied to describe seat 'room or house?


texts: What is the actual subject on a sentence when using it?

texts:
When you use "it" in a sentence, "it" is the subject. But it usually refers to something else, or so is my understanding.

In certain sentences it is obvious what it is referring to, but in other more "abstract"/"generic" is not and I find myself a bit lost.

For example, the sentence:

  The cat was yellow. It reminded me of my pillow.

In this sentence "it" is obviously the cat.
However in sentences like:

  It was midnight

What does It stand for in that sentence? Is it the night? the time? Is there some kind of grammar rule that apply for this kind of sentences?

I was trying to help my nephew understand it better, he is studying English as a second language, but I found I was almost as lost as him. I understand the second sentence, but I don't know how to explain him how it works so he can understand it too.


texts:
I would like to distinguish between a land-plot that is owned by a single person, and a land-plot that is owned by several unrelated people as a shared property.

I thought of using the phrase "privately-held", but, this phrase does not mean a property held by a single person (it means the opposite of "publicly-held", which has another meaning).

So, what phrases should I use to express these two opposite meanings?

I need to use these phrases in the following sentence:

"We extend the solution from _ land-plots [owned by a single-person] to __ land-plots [owned by several people]".


texts: Using "Some" with Singular Countable Nouns

texts:
we can say " Some idiot driver crashed into the back of me."

but why we can not say " If you’re looking for some book to read, I can recommend ‘Animal Farm’."

we say "a book," the question is why we use some with countable singular nouns somethimes , and sometimes , we do not use it with singular countable nouns ?


texts: can “today” be used for present, past and future?

texts: "I usually go by car, but today I went by bus." - is it correct? Can we use Past Simple with "today"?


texts: Can two prepositions be used together in this sentence?

texts:
I was operated on my left eye a month before.

or,

  I was operated on in my left eye a month before.

Are both the sentences grammatical or the second one is wrong?


texts:
What is the difference between froth & foam? Is there any difference?

Can someone please give some example sentences to understand the both words better?


texts:
I play a video game that I save someone, and someone asks whom do I save.
Does it make sense of 'whom does you play game to save?' or 'to save whom does you play game?'


texts:
I am confused about the usages of "allow", "allow for" and "allow of".  Suppose police

is examining the evidence related to a bank robbery:

  The evidence allows the possibility of an inside job.
  The evidence allows for the possibility of an inside job.
  The evidence allows of the possibility of an inside job.

I checked a number of dictionaries and google.  It seems that the usages in my three sentences are understandable English.  But what do native speakers on this forum think?


texts: is there a difference between "to buy" and "to buy up"

texts:
I was wondering if there is a difference in the meaning of these two sentences.

They bought up pieces of old furniture and passed them off as antiques. (This is a dictionary example.)

They bought pieces of old furniture and passed them off as antiques.

If there is no difference, why do we put up after the verb?


texts: What is it called when on purpose you act more "mexican/black" than you really are?

texts:
In ethnic and cultural studies: What is the term or phrase that refers to the act of someone being more of their race or act on the stereotypes associeted to them (being more "black" or more "mexican", than they really are.

Example: When I (a mexican american with english as a first language, college education and good career) am in front of a white person; by choice I act more ghetto or talk in slang or use ebonics to speak.

I have good manners and well rounded. I choose to act on the stereotype, i am over acting on them. What is this phrase or term called? It doesn't have stereotype in the phrase or term at all.


texts: "Keep close to me", "keep near me" or "don't go far from me" in context?

texts:
Let's say I went for a walk with a child, and I want them to be close to me so that they are safe. Which of the following sentences sound the most natural?

  Keep close to me!

  Keep near me!

  Don't go far from me!

If none of them sounds natural to communicate the message, what would a native English speaker say?


texts: Leaking valve - which sentence sounds most professional

texts:
Which of the following sentence sounds more professional for a technology report?

The valve was found in leakage
The valve was leaked
The valve leaked


texts:
What are possible definitions of the phrase "open question" in a given context?

In other words, if I would like to name a yet to be answered question, a question requiring more than a simple Yes or No answer, a non-personal question, or a question that invite everyone to contribute in answering, can I call it an open question?


texts:
They received a final demand for payment.

  The goverment is unlikely to agree to the rebel’s demands for
  independence.

These sentences are from cambridge dictionary. In the second sentence, there is the definite article but could I use the zero article? I cant see any difference between these two sentences, but one is using the definite article and one not. Why?


texts:
Tell me please if the following use of the verb hurry is correct.

  You had not better squat that fast, because when you hurry doing it, you could get injured.


texts: Please someone interpret this GRE text completion:

texts:
Despite her (i) _________ position on tax reform, the senator was not
(ii) _________ to strike a concessionary tone when she debated the
issue with her opponents.

## Answers for blanks (i) & (ii):
(i) hardline
(ii) loath
## My questions are :
(1) What is a concessionary tone?
(2) What is meant by the phrase "To strike concessionary tone"?
(3) Please describe the above text completion in Layman's terms.


texts:
He tore open the creamy envelope that had been enclosed in the
letter.

This is an example of the word enclose found in Collins English Dictionary. I don't quite understand it. Does it mean there is a creamy envelope in the letter? Or does it mean the creamy envelope and the letter are in another envelope?


texts: Is this "his" objective or just possessive?

texts:
No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists.
-- The Sacred Wood by T.S. Eliot

Does this mean, his significance and to understand him mean to understand where he stands among the dead poets and artists?


texts:
What is "depriving" in this sentence meaning?

  Viewing the activities to achieve your goals as enjoyable, fun, rewarding, etc., is more likely to produce behavior change than viewing these activities as difficult, challenging, or depriving.

Source : https://www.thehealthy.com/habits/new-year-health-mistakes/


texts: Is there any other term in usage for book mark?

texts: A piece of a fabric, leather ,paper is called book mark.Is there any other term used instead? Secondly how to ask someone to book mark a page?


texts:
I made a choice the last time I was here and I didn't see any, then either and I failed

Is this statement grammatically correct? I have some doubts around the "then either" part.

The meaning I want it to convey is that I made a choice the last time I was here (as in the situation I am in), and I was not able to see any choices. I am not seeing any choices now too. And I failed the last time.


texts: "I hope not" or "I'm afraid so" in response to a question about something undesirable

texts:
Doing a test, I had to choose between two possible responses to the question

  Are we writing a composition tomorrow?

The options were

  I hope not

and

  I'm afraid so.

I chose option Two, which was sooner an intuitive guess than a conscious choice.

Now I'm doubtful about whether I was right.

Would the option "I hope not" be correct if the question were

  We are not writing a composition tomorrow, are we?

If I made a mistake, can you explain where I was wrong? And if I was right, why the "I hope not" response is wrong. It seems I'm missing something and I can't make out what.


texts: How to pronounce the approximant /j/ in words like "yeast"?

texts:
From what I have read, the approximant /j/ (which used to be called a semivowel) in a word starts with something very like the vowel /i/ and quickly glides to the vowel after it. I can understand how this can work in words like "yes". But in "yeast", the vowel after /j/ is already /i/, how can it glide from /i/ to /i/?

I'd like to ask native speakers, do you feel a glide when saying "yeast"? If yes, in what direction is the glide? Thank you very much!


texts: is it better with past perfect continuous in this case

texts:
I've been trying to find this song since 2009. my dad played it and I recorded a clip from 0.59 to 1.01 and with the help of sound hound I finally found it!
Why not "I had been trying" because  his trying stopped when he found it, so the action is completed or can he change by I have finally found it.
Is "have been trying" grammatically correct in this sentence ?


texts:
The doctor has just left me. At last I have got at something definite!
  For all his cunning, he had to speak out at last. Yes, I am soon, very
  soon, to die. The frozen rivers will break up, and with the last snow I
  shall, most likely, swim away ... whither? God knows! To the ocean too.

These are first few lines from Ivan Turgenev's story, "The Diary of a Superfluous Man". What does "For all his cunning" mean here?

The Diary of a Superfluous Man


texts: What is the meaning of "tie their shoes"?

texts:
In the crime/drama movie Drugstore Cowboy, after returning to his hometown, Bob talks to a drug counselor lady:

  Lady: Have you ever considered becoming a counselor and helping other
  addicts with their problems?

  Bob: No.

  Lady: Why not?

  Bob: Well, to begin with, nobody and I mean nobody can talk a
  junkie out of using. You can talk to them for years, but sooner or
  later they'll get a hold of something. Maybe it's not dope.  Maybe it's
  booze.  Maybe it's glue. Maybe it's gasoline. Maybe it's a gunshot in
  the head. But something. Something to relieve the pressures of their
  everyday life, like... having to tie their shoes.


texts: A word or phrase describing feeling bad about something changing after you've become used to it

texts:
We say: "I got used to it" when we know that something has always happened the same way and I'm agree with that. That's correct, right?

If there's a situation where you've gotten used to something from a while, but things have changed and now you regret letting it happen. Or you just feel sad because of it.

For example:

  Since I was young, my mother always washed and ironed my shirts. Now, I'm far from home, I don't know how to do it and I'm having problems because of it. I __________.

Other:

  For a few years, Jane always drove me to work. She resigned last week and has a different job. Now, I have to go alone and I can't get used to it. I ___________.

In Spanish we say: "Yo me mal acostumbré". A literal (and I'm sure, wrong) translation would be "I bad get used to it".

What is the right way to say it please?