texts:
I read a sentence in The Hindu which was

This comes close on the heel of recent launch of Spotify in the country.

Can the word "heel" be used in singular form in the phrase "on the heels of"?


texts: Those are rookie numbers in this racket - what does "in this racket" mean?

texts:
From the movie The Wolf of Wall Street:

  Do you jerk off?
  Do I... Do I jerk off? Yeah. Yeah, I jerk off. Yeah.
  How many times a week?
  Like three or four. Three or four times, maybe five.
  Gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers in this racket. I myself, I jerk off at least twice a day.

What does the guy mean by in this racket?


texts: Difference between "Carry on" and "Carry on with"

texts:
Is there a difference in meaning between the two? For example:

  Carry on the mission
  Carry on with the mission


texts: Get scholarship vs have gotten scholarship

texts:
Ashley promised herself that she won't talk to her cousins unless she gets the scholarship.

Vs

  Ashley promised herself that she won't talk to her cousins unless she has gotten the scholarship.

Also

  Please call me after you reach the office.

Vs

  Please call me after you've reached the office.

What difference does the use of present perfect or present simple make in the meaning of the sentence in the above examples. And which one sounds more natural ?


texts: a few, several, and many before hundred / hundreds of

texts:
Please examine the following phrases:

a few hundred books
a few hundreds of books
several hundred books
several hundreds of books
many hundred books
many hundreds of books

I think #1, #3, and #6 are correct. What about the others?
Also, it seems to me (although I'm by no means certain) that "many" patterns differently from "a few" and "several." If that's the case, do you have an explanation?


texts: how can I make a correct question using word free

texts:
How can I ask someone whether he/she is free or not or they have time to answer me?

How can I ask this question formally?


texts: The meaning of the word 'fits' in this context

texts:
A 45-year-old man complains of cough ﬁts and tickling in his
  nasopharynx.

What does 'fits mean in this context?

I found many choices in the dictionary and I'm not sure which of them fits to this phrase.


texts: what about those fans? what about that one?

texts:
Can you use the word "one" to talk about plural noun such as fans?

I like this pants
Or should it be I like these pants?

And can you use "one" to talk about jeans?
I like this one


texts: "someone’s" vs. "someone else’s"-- any difference?

texts:
I am going through the meaning of "errand": The Oxford Languages defines it as:

a short journey undertaken in order to deliver or collect something, especially on someone else’s behalf

I write it in my notes as:

a short journey undertaken in order to deliver or collect something, especially on someone’s behalf

Is there any difference between "someone’s" and "someone else’s"? Do I need to change my notes to “someone else’s”?


texts:
Can a bare infinitive come after ‘than’?

The transportation industry has always done more than carry travelers from one destination to another.

I think it would be appropriate to have “to carry” or “carrying” after ‘than’. Can anyone explain why ‘carry’ comes out?
The following is some of the text that contains the sentence above.

There is nothing more fundamental to the human spirit than the need to be mobile. It is the intuitive force that sparks our imaginations and opens pathways to life-changing opportunities. It is the catalyst for progress and personal freedom. Public transportation has been vital to that progress and freedom for more than two centuries. The transportation industry has always done more than carrying travelers from one destination to another. It connects people, places, and possibilities. It provides access to what people need, what they love, and what they aspire to become. In so doing, it grows communities, creates jobs, strengthens the economy, expands social and commercial networks, saves time and energy, and helps millions of people achieve a better life.


texts:
What is the meaning of by fall in the following sentence

  The once-unthinkable toll appears to be just the beginning of untold misery in the months ahead as Las Vegas casinos and Walt Disney World make plans to reopen, crowds of unmasked Americans swarm beaches and public health officials predict a resurgence by fall.


texts: What does "to balk the plague of that part of themselves" mean?

texts:
An excerpt from The Plague:

and, as it so happens, what has yet to be recorded before coming to the culmination,  during the period when the plague was gathering all its forces to fling them at the town and lay it waste, is the long, heartrendingly monotonous struggle put up by some obstinate people like Rombert to recover their lost happiness and to balk the plague of that part of themselves which they were ready to descend in the last ditch.

I don't understand the bold part. What does"that part"refer?


texts: I need help translating "not at variance"

texts: I am reading a scientific article and it says that something is not at variance with something else; can anyone tell me what it is meant by saying not at variance please?


texts: Which one is grammatically correct: "what are you studying" or "what do you study"?

texts: Let's say I am having a conversation with an university student and want to ask about his or her major. In that scenario, which one should I use, "what are you studying" or "what do you study"?


texts: How to change from "would rather" to "would prefer"?

texts:
Let see this sentence:

She would rather have spent the money on a holiday. (The money wasn’t spent on a holiday.)

Is this sentence "She would prefer to have spent the money on a holiday." the same as the above?

I’d rather you hadn’t rung me at work.

Is this sentence "I'd prefer you not to have spent the money on a holiday." the same as the above?

Source


texts: Is there any difference between these three phrases: capture/win/steal sb's heart?

texts:
Do capture/win/steal someone's heart mean the same, especially in American English? Or is there perhaps a subtle difference in meaning?

When I say 1) "Krispy Kreme Donuts will steal your heart" 2) "Krispy Kreme Donuts will win your heart" or 3) "Krispy Kreme Donuts will capture your heart"

Do all three sentences mean the same?

Does the phrase "win sb's heart" imply a romantic connotation?

According to my paper dictionary and online dictionaries, there is no difference between these verbs, e.g.:

  Merriam Webster Dictionary
  win/steal/capture one's heart
  : to cause another person to feel love for one • He was determined to win/steal/capture her heart.

  The Free Dictionary
  steal someone's heart:
  Fig. to capture someone's affections; to cause someone to fall in love with oneself

  Macmillan Dictionary
  win/capture/steal someone’s heart
  • to make someone start to love you

  Oxford Living Dictionaries
  steal someone's heart
  • Win someone's love.


texts:
Is this a correct use for gone down?

  Many websites could have gone down during the years.

What I want to say, is the websites do not exist any more. I want to use gone down, but not sure if it is correct here.


texts:
I'm trying to guess if an English speaker says mean or tight when you are talking about a person who don't like to spend their own money.

Do you use different words depending on the friendship with that person?

I'm asking for the use in UK but answers about how to say it in US are appreciated too.

Thank you very much for your reply.


texts: What does it mean by "my days-of-the-week underwear only go to Thursday" in this context?

texts:
Emily: Lorelai? I'm going shopping this afternoon. I thought I'd pick up a few things for Rory.

  Lor: I already took care of all that, mom. I got her two skirts and a bunch of tops.

  Emily: But there are five days in a school week.

  Lor: Really? Because my days-of-the-week underwear only go to Thursday.

  Emily: Is that a joke?

  Lor: Two skirts are fine, mom.

This conversation is from the Gilmore Girls TV series. Lorelai is Rory’s mother.

I googled "days of the week underwear" and found out that they are a set of underwear with days of the week written on them.

But what's the meaning of "go to" in this context?
I don't understand what this sentence as a whole means.


texts: Does `That's very sweet of you` in the US sound like `That's very sweef you`?

texts:
Does That's very sweet of you  in the US sound like That's very sweef you?
the of is only speak f and link with swee


texts: A lot of protests (are) going on at the airports

texts:
In this clip of an American talk show, the host says at 10 seconds into the video:

  A lot of protests going on at the airports all over the country, really, because of the President's travel ban.

Which I think means:

  A lot of protests are going on at the airports all over the country, really, because of the President's travel ban.

If so, why did the host leave out the verb "are" from the main clause?


texts: Any comment or any comments? Of or From?

texts:
Can you tell me which sentence is correct:

1) I'd appreciate any comment of (from) you.

2) I'd appreciate any comments of (from) you.

First, I think "any comments" is correct but I also read a sentence: "Ask any doctor, They'll tell you that smoking is not good for your health". So I got confused. Please help me distinguish two sentences.

Second, I was wondering whether I should use "of" or "from" (any comment(s) from you or any comment(s) of you). I found out that "of" means possess. So Is it possible to use "of"?


texts: What Is The Difference Between 'To Create' And 'To Make'?

texts:
As far as I know to make means making something using some material or materials

To create means making something out of nothing

Is my impression correct?


texts: What is difference between had been wanting and have been wanting

texts:
I meet a friend after years of waiting. What should I tell her:-

  I had been wanting to meet you for a really long time
  I have been wanting to meet you for a really long time.

and Can I replace the word wanting with longing??


texts: Understanding of two sentences with "expect"

texts:
I expect to do well on the exam.
She expects to go to college.

I looked up in the dictionary, I found "expect" means "to think that something will happen".
So, does the first sentence mean "I think I will do well on the exam"? does the second sentence mean "She thinks she will go to college"?

Am I right?


texts:
I am noticed that the word "off" is used in different structures in the same sense . So I would like to write down all possible sentences come to mind in this sense in an imaginary situation..
So which sentences are grammatically correct or colloquial? What other sentences are possible in casual way?

1.I am off.
2.I am off on my house.
3.I am off today.
4.I am off at work today.
5.I am off to work today.
6.I am off sick at work today.
7.I am off sick to work today.
8.I am going to take a week off to work on my house
9.I am having off today
10.I am taking off today to work

Thanks in advance!


texts: "what their journey is all about" meaning?

texts:
Today I read famous quote by Regina Brett.

  Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

From here I can' make out meaning of the phrase "what their journey is all about".

would you explain to me in other easy sentence ?


texts: What does this paragraph in Media Politics mean?

texts:
Mass media in democratic societies serve three important functions

  providing an electoral forum for candidates and political parties to debate their qualifications for office before a national audience.
  Contributing to informed citizenship by providing a variety of perspectives on the important issues of the day (the public sphere function).

  Of course, the democratic ideal of fully informed citizens is rarely realized. Ordinary people are preoccupied with their personal affairs and have little time for keeping abreast of public issues. Indeed, most citizens prefer to watch sitcoms or sports. Naturally, the ability of the media to perform the function of keeping the public informed is compromised when citizens are uninterested. The news media cannot be expected to deliver a steady stream of in-depth public affairs programming that no one will watch.

  Accordingly, over time, the unrealistic ideal of attentive citizens who scour the media for political information has given way to the notion that democracy can function through "efficient" citizens who either pay attention only to issues of personal importance or rely on a variety of psychological cues, such as a candidate's party affiliation, to compensate for a lack of factual information. A related alternative to the classic ideal of informed citizenship is that citizens do pay attention, but only when the media sound an alarm alerting them to issues that threaten the well-being of society or the nation.

  Media Politics (Shanto Iyengar)

It's hard for me to fully understand this whole paragrapgh right above.

I understood this text as,

The news media has a duty to inform citizens of public issues. But as time goes by (people are getting less and less interested in political or public issues), this kind of ideal has changed to the notion that democracy can function through citizens who pay attention to the news only which they think is important for themelselves..? Am I right?
But what does it mean by "efficient" here? Is it a sarcastic expression? Why are they "efficient" citizens?

Also, what I don't get is the meaning of 'alternative' here.

it's saying 'a related alternative to the classic ideal' is ~~ in the last sentence, but the following sentence is 'citizens do pay attention only when the media sound an alarm alerting them to issues that threaten the well-being of society or the nation'. It's just what's happeing in the real world (how most of the citizens behave), not an alternative (the media's duty) to the classic ideal. Is this sentence saying(explaining) that this is just what's happening now, or is it literally saying that it's an alternative of the ideal, which means citizens should do so?


texts: How to express this action in English "He waved his soaked hands at my face for fun": He flicked the water from his soaked hands onto my face?

texts:
wave [intransitive, transitive] to move your hand or arm from side to side in the air in order to attract attention, say hello, etc.

  The people on the bus waved and we waved back.

  wave at/to somebody Why did you wave at him?

  He waved to the crowd as they greeted him.

  wave something The driver leaped out, waving his fist and swearing.

  wave something about/around A man in the water was shouting and
  waving his arms around frantically.

  wave something at somebody She waved her hand dismissively at the
  housekeeper.

  wave somebody something My mother was crying as I waved her goodbye.

  wave something to somebody My mother was crying as I waved goodbye to
  her.

  flick [transitive] flick something + adv./prep. to hit something lightly
  with a sudden quick movement, especially using your finger and thumb
  together, or your hand

  She flicked the dust off her collar.

  The horse was flicking flies away with its tail.

  James flicked a peanut at her.

  Please don't flick ash on the carpet!

  The striker flicked the ball into the back of the net.

  She snatched up her briefcase and flicked it open.

This is the action that a child often does. That is after washing his hands, he may wave his soaked hands at someone's face just for fun, and that makes many drops of water land on that person's face.

How would you express that action in English?

He waved his soaked hands at my face for fun

or

He flicked the water from his soaked hands onto my face for fun?


texts:
...corporations whose principals told exciting stories to Wall Street,
  they all got their money.

There's some defenitions for the phrase get your money's worth in online dictionaries but I couldn't find any defenition or meaning for "they got their money".

So could you please explain it to me?

  Does it mean the shares of corporations whose principals told exciting
  stories were traded better on Wall Street?

The full text is here:

  When people ask me to help them turn their presentations into stories,
  I begin by asking questions. I kind of psychoanalyze their companies,
  and amazing dramas pour out. But most companies and executives sweep
  the dirty laundry, the diffi culties, the antagonists, and the
  struggle under the carpet. They prefer to present a rosy—and boring—
  picture to the world. But as a storyteller, you want to position the
  problems in the foreground and then show how you’ve overcome them.
  When you tell the story of your struggles against real antagonists,
  your audience sees you as an exciting, dynamic person. And I know that
  the storytelling method works, because after I consulted with a dozen
  corporations whose principals told exciting stories to Wall Street,
  they all got their money.

https://hbr.org/2003/06/storytelling-that-moves-people


texts: The use of "contact someone with something"

texts:
With these facts, Katia figures out that her dad would be living in a
  country which has a warm climate where orchids can grow, has Tamil as
  one of its official languages and where advanced medical treatments
  are available. Just as she is about to determine the country, 47
  bursts through the door, shoots Smith in the chest, and knocks Katia
  unconscious. Elsewhere, 47's handler Diana contacts another Agent
  with a contract.

  Plot: Hitman: Agent 47

The use of "contact someone with a contract" sounds a bit unconventional to me.

We can provide / supply / present someone with something, as is exemplified by the online dictionaries. But the dictionaries don't include the collocation of "contact someone with something".

Without any context, I think there would be an ambiguity in "A contacted B with a contract". It could mean "A had a contract and contacted B", or "A contacted B to award B a contract". Do I get it right?

In the quoted example, I think "with a contract" acts as the object complement.

Then let's generalize this use:

  A visited / approached / ran to / notified / engaged B with a contract.

Do they sound natural to a native speaker's ear?


texts: What does "That terrible job will by itself destroy your mental health" mean?

texts:
What does this strange sentence mean?

  That terrible job will by itself destroy your mental health.

What does this "by itself" mean?

Is this grammatical?


texts: What's the meaning of: “Gotcha. Well a task it is...” by HM?

texts:
What's the meaning of the Human Resource's response?

I emailed him first:

  What I sent to you were websites that I developed for a web competition. Do you mean actual company's website? I did have two months' intern in a web company, but I just created flash advertisements and posted them to the webpages. I have not yet join beneficial projects.
  Or if you want, you can give me a task of developing webpages...

He replied：

  Gotcha. Well a task it is and it will pertain to this project.

What did he mean?


texts: Meaning of "smile through the line of the questioning despite..."

texts:
thank you for kind support always in advance.
Currently reading this article, there are lines saying,

"Now Van, you do spend a lot of time threading the middle and trying to unite people," Hostin said. "But there are those who accuse you of being a political opportunist - a chameleon, so to speak - who provided racial cover for former, disgraced, twice impeached President Trump."

Hostin then pointed to one of Jones' past comments praising the former president, saying "and I quote, 'Donald Trump, and I get beat up by liberals every time I say this, but I'm gonna keep saying it. He has done good stuff for the Black community. Opportunity zone stuff, Black college stuff. There's a side to Donald Trump that I think he does not give enough credit for.'"

Jones smiled through the line of questioning despite the direction in which it was headed.

Does this bold part mean Jones are trying to dodge the question by (Sunny) Hostin, smiling?
Thank you for your help.(m_m).


texts: Is there any case you use the phrase "in + number + years" to mean "within (the number) years"?

texts:
Harvard Business Review "Where do you see yourself in
five years?"

In this example, the "in five years" is more or less the same as "after five years", I believe.
My questions are the below two points:

Does the phrase "in + number + years" ALWAYS equal to "after (the number) years" as long as it is used in reference to the future events?

Is there any case you use the phrase to mean "within (the number) years to come"?

For many years, I thought that "in + number + years" could mean "sometime within the number of years, but now I'm not sure. Please kindly advise me.

Post Edit

Although I said in my original post above "In this example, the "in five years" is more or less the same as "after five years", I believe.", what I meant is "five years from now", not "after five years".
Below chart is the image I have for "in five years".

Under my assumption above, I would like to ask you whether "Something will happen in 5 years." can also mean "Something will happen within 5 years." or not.


texts:
Should I say:
I was deposited yesterday the funds
OR:
I deposited yesterday the funds.

Can I add the 'was' or I'm not allowed to?
Thank you in advance


texts:
"There's no objective standards for what platforms might be captured by this." he said, "it creates a very subjective process that is open to abuse."
(Source)
What it means to "be captured by this"?


texts: Comma after an introductory phrase beginning with "in" and containing a list

texts:
Do I need a comma before "no specific" in:

  In the tissue samples of the primate brain cortex, liver, muscle, kidney, lymphatic node, spleen and tonsil no specific immunohistochemical staining by Z011 was observed.

I found this explanation:

  If a prepositional phrases contains four or fewer words, usually no comma is needed as in the following sentence: On the table a bottle of champagne rested, conserving its energy for the upcoming festivities. Prepositional phrases of five or more words require a comma: Beneath the dusty redwood table, the cat crouched with murderous anticipation. The punctuation marks serve to indicate how the sentence is to be read aloud. As such, the first sentence would have no pause, whereas the second sentence would be read with a slight pause after table. While the word count may appear arbitrary, it reflects an organic speech pattern.

The prepositional phrase in my example has more than four words, but they are themselves set off by commas. Maybe there's no need then for a comma before "no specific"?


texts: How to understand “around the world and in the U.S.”

texts:
I am confused with the phrase “around the world and in the U.S.” such as in:

  Around the world and in the U.S., growing gaps between rich and poor in recent decades have forced millions of young children out of school and into work.Source: continuetolearn.uiowa.edu, Child Labor Public Education Project, About Child Labor > What is Child Labor?

I think the geographic area of “around the world” covers that of “in the U.S.”

Could someone tell me how to understand this phrase?


texts: "fall down to", "fall down in" or "fall down into"? How to emphasis?

texts:
I want to talk about a man. He thinks too much and can't get out of his mind. And I want to say that "he fell down [...] the pit in his head himself."  Which should I say?

  And he fell down to the pit in his head himself.

or

  And he fell down into the pit in his head himself.

or

  And he fell down in the pit in his head himself.

Can I use himself to emphasize the pit? If not, show me a way else, please.


texts: It seems that "consisted of" is not grammatical, at least not idiomatic, in this specific case, in this way, right?

texts:
Wiki says

  The dispersion of white light into colors by a prism led Sir Isaac Newton to conclude that white light consisted of a mixture of different colors.

search by "consisted of", Cambridge redirects to consist of sth

and gives this explanation

  to be made of or formed from something

and this example

  The team consists of four Europeans and two Americans

It seems that "consisted of" is not grammatical, at least not idiomatic, right?


texts: What's the meaning of "What time do you call this?"

texts:
There is a song which has this phrase:

What time do you call this?

repeated in it. Is this a phrase with special meaning?

Here is a link to song


texts: "I thought you WRITE or WROTE poetry" - which is correct?

texts:
Could you tell me if I want to inquire a person what he does and he answers that he writes fiction and I tell him "I thought you wrote poetry."
Or "I thought you WRITE poetry.", the action is in the present - the writing .


texts: I understand that "one" in "one of each one" is redundant, but is "each one" incorrect here as in grammatically incorrect, or just redundant, because although it doesn't sound good, I am tempted to say that it's not ungrammatical. What do you think?


texts:
The air grew denser and what little light the sliver of moon above provided, diminished as though IT WERE BEING sucked deep into the ground with no escape.

What's the grammar's rule right down or can it just be a writer's misprint?


texts: What does the phrase "woodsy home" mean here?

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of the phrase "woodsy home" in the following text:

You can see that as with Sneaky Sasquatch woodsy home, how you experience the updated game is up to you. You can hang out at a cafe or diner.

The phrase "woodsy home" may mean "a home that resembles woods" because in the game Sasquatch is a wild creature that steals items from nearby campsites. However, I am not sure about this.


texts:
Should I use of/with/or something else? I think "of" is ok, but I am not sure if "with" is ok, and I am thinking there might be a better way to say this, but I am not sure.

Here's an example sentence:

  This is a comedy of Noah building an ark with a bunch of drunk people.


texts:
Does the suffix -gate necessarily refer to a political scandal? Can it refer to a scandal involving large businesses but no government officials?

Could burgergate refer to a scandal in which a company passed horse meat off as beef for burgers?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
From the lyrics to Another Brick in the Wall:

What is the grammatical construct in leave us kids alone or leave them kids alone?

  Teachers leave them kids alone.
  Hey teacher leave us kids alone

Is it short for leave them, the kids, alone and leave us, the kids, alone, respectively? I have seen the construct with them [noun] in other contexts, too, but can't find examples as it's hard to google.

Is this proper English? Are there phrases with a similar grammatical construct?


texts: "You can be able to...". vs. "You would/should be able to..."

texts:
On many online articles/posts, I've seen writer using the sentence "You can be able to...". Is it because the writer is non-English speaker or that use is grammatically correct?

An example would be this online post. If in this post, you search "you can able to" you will find at one place author of the article writes:

  Click on All users link and you can able to view our local AD users on the list.

I thought the sentence should be: "

  Click on All users link and you would be able to view our local AD users on the list.

Or maybe:

  Click on All users link and you should be able to view our local AD users on the list.

But, I may be wrong as I'm myself not a native English speaker.


texts: trying to find the right adjective to express "expectations were exceeded"

texts:
I am constructing my resume. I had one internship experience where I delivered performance that exceeded their expectations and they wanted me back to work full time after I graduate.

So I want to put this in my resume. I am trying to come up with a sentence like

"delivered _ performance and landed a return offer"

and I need an adjective to fill in the blank, something like expectation-exceeding. But I am not sure if it is even a word.


texts: Meaning of "Someone loves some other with...."

texts:
I am trying to understand the sentence "Tom loves Jane with his whole being" without involving the word "with".

Does the sentence "Tom loves Jane with his whole being" have the exact same meaning as "Tom's whole being loves Jane"?


texts:
Are they both right? What are the similarities and differences? Also, what's this phenomenon called?
I exemplify with design as the noun, but please feel free to cite better examples.

Source: p 116, History of England from the Fall of Wolsey  ..., Volume 8,
 By James Anthony Froude

  The Queen of England if trusted as a friend may and will do what she will never contract or bargain to do or submit to be pressed to do. It is a tickle matter to provoke sove-reigns to determine their succession.
  ' Wherefore, good my Lords,' Cecil concluded, ' think hereof, and let not this your negotiation which is full of terms of friendship be converted into a bargain or pur-chase ; so as while in the outward face it appears a design to conciliate these two Queens and countries by a per-petual amity, in the unwrapping thereof there be not found any other intention but to compass at my Sove-reign's hands a kingdom and a crown, which if sought for may be sooner lost than gotten, and not being craved may be as soon offered as reason can require. (1564)

Source: p 29, A Letter from a Gentleman in Scotland to His Friend in England, ...,  By Charles Leslie

  Or would the Govern-ment of each Part of Great Britain he the more weak[e]ned, by giving an equal Capacity to all the QUEENS Subjects to Act for her Service, when Necessity shall require ? Otherwise it appears as a design to raise the Power of England, and to enlarge the Interest of it to our Disadvantage, by denying us the Privilege, which Reaon and Justice give us an equal Right to. (1708)


texts: "would" vs "would have" in “I would remember it”

texts:
"Are you sure you did not see her?"

What should be the ideal response from below choices :

  "Yes, if I saw her, I would remember it."

OR

  "Yes, if I had seen her, I would remember it."

OR

  "Yes, if I had seen her, I would have remembered it."

I think second one is correct but all other options are not looking wrong too.

Some context:  My boss's secretory has not come and he is asking me if I had seen her. I think its fairly obvious what I intend to answer,but all the three option are looking similar.So point out the subtle difference to me, if any.


texts: How to talk about "vision problems " and "eye glasses "?

texts: How can we ask a person if one has a vision problems? and what is the other name for "eye glasses?


texts:
I am unable to understand meaning of below sentense .

Does this sentence indicates both the events i.e. effect of poison and writhing were simultaneously happening

  a) For six hours, 20-year-old Sushma writhed in agony on the floor as the poison did its work.

Hense my Versoin is

  b) For six hours, 20-year-old Sushma was writhing in agony on the floor as the poison had done its work.

This is because it was  effect of poison which made her writhed on floor. So first action would be effect of poison and later writhing.


texts: Can "if" have the meaning of "although" before a clause?

texts:
Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some
  sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted
  from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell
  and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of
  people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor
  before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at
  Malfoy, who couldn’t have looked more stunned and horrified if
  he’d just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him.
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

If seems to have a meaning of ‘even though’, but OALD and Merriam-Webster’s only have cases used before adjectives to introduce contrasts. Can ‘if’ have the meaning of ‘even though’ before a clause, too?


texts: Why is it correct to use "of" in one case but wrong in the other?

texts:
What color coat will she buy?

  What form of pancakes will she make?

Is there a general rule? A rule of thumb, maybe?


texts:
A grammar book which I read mentions this:

  In a reply to a negative question, Yes suggests an affirmative verb, and No suggests a negative verb.

I think I can understand that, but then it has this example:

  Don't you feel well? (= Am I right in thinking you don't feel well?)

I find the parenthesis confusing. If I don't feel well, then what should I say in this case?


texts:
The image shown below is part of audience measurement to Friends

Assume I'm making a presentation and referring to this table, should I say

Here is a rating about Friends

or

Here is a piece of rating about Friends

Are there any other expressions more natural could be used for the situation?


texts: Can the verb "Transmit" be used with the noun "time"?

texts:
I want to provide a description of a notation X as "X = Transmit time of the disaster signal." It means the time at which the disaster signal was transmitted.

Question: Is it correct to use the verb "transmit" with the noun "time"?

My colleague says it might be incorrect usage of "transmit". But he didn't explain why.

Should it be "X = Transmission time of the disaster signal"?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanking you in advance.


texts: What does "doctor" imply? Medical doctor or PhD?

texts: When someone introduces himself as "Doctor Jones", does that usually imply he is a PhD, or does it imply he is a medical doctor? Obviously, if you're in the emergency room, a "doctor" can be assumed to be of the medical variety; but what about a more general environment?


texts: why do we use "of" here, this structure can be repeat after other verbs, but "to be"?

texts:
In some sentence, we see that the "of" is used, do you think the use of it is need? for example:

  1- It is of the utmost/highest importance,
  2- those built were of interest,
  3- cooperation should be of great value,
  4- He’s a bigot of the highest order.

In the above example, we can see that the "of" is exercised between a Linking verb and an (superlative) adjective. Is there any specific role about the usage of "of", here?

this structure, i.e. "of" + "(superlative) adjective", can be used for other verbs, excluding "be"?


texts: Glass has been broken twice and there exists twice-broken glass twice. Is twice-twice-broken glass a proper expression?


texts: "Twenty-four hour" or "twenty-four-hour?

texts:
Which one is the correct form and why? Example sentence: x`

  Katsumi has already lived in this twenty-four(-)hour KFC for two days.


texts: Term for someone who has an eye for detail

texts: Is there a term that could describe this sort of person? Like, an eye for detail in arts, an eye for detail as to what is the cause of a conflict (something which other people hadn't seen yet), an eye for detail, which is why a photo was taken from the right angle or perspective.


texts:
Don't touch it unless you are buying it.

Why not unless you buy it. I've seen that in an pottery shop.

Is it emphasize the idea that it is strictly forbidden to touch the goods


texts: The usage of "Not all of them" as Subject

texts:
The members of a family want to go on a picnic, But not all of them.
Is it correct to say:
"Not all of them want to go on a picnic" ?


texts: ‘His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer’ - meaning?

texts:
His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer.

I can understand each word ,but have difficulty understanding the whole sentence, would you please explain it for me?


texts:
I have the following sentence:

I'll be reading you a story until it is time to go to bed.

I need to build a reported speech example from the sentence. So, I have something like:

She said that she would be reading me a story until it is time to go to bed.

But I have doubts about this part of the sentence: "until it is time to". Should I change "is" to "was" here? No? Yes? Why?


texts:
A PC game called "Kingdom Come: Deliverance" was released a few days ago.

What does the title mean? "Kingdom Comes" would be understandable for me, but "Kingdom Come"...? What could "Deliverance" mean in this context?


texts: What is the reason to use "should be" instead of "is" here?

texts:
I read a sentence as below

  Now, these results are not quite as bad as they sound. Although such adversarial examples are common, they're also unlikely in practice. Nonetheless, it is distressing that we understand the theory so poorly that this kind of result should be a recent discovery. Of course, a major benefit of the results is that they have stimulated much followup work.

This paragraph comments on an experiment of the theory. This theory works very well for most (i.e., more than 98%) examples, but fails on some so-called adversarial examples. People don't understand why the theory fails on them, because people thought they are easy examples.

I have a shallow feeling about the meaning of the sentence:

  We understand the theory very poorly. This fact is distressing.

First, I don't understand why this kind of result should be a recent discovery can emphasize we understand the theory poorly. Then, I'm not clear why should be is used here. What is the difference between should be and is in this context ?


texts: I can't remember the last time that I have had breakfast vs ... had eaten breakfast

texts:
What is the difference between these expressions:

  I can't remember the last time that I have had breakfast

vs.

  I can't remember the last time that I have eaten breakfast

Thank you in advance.


texts: "this unusual instrument" with plural antecedents

texts:
The singular noun phrase "this unusual instrument" in the following refers to plural antecedents "them" and "glass harps." Is this practice acceptable in a school essay?

  Glass harps haven’t entirely disappeared, though. You can still find some street musicians playing them to entertain large crowds. If you’re lucky enough to catch such a performance, sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful sounds of this unusual instrument.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences?

  Should you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

I find it odd when people use first sentence because of "should".
When should I use "sentence 1" and when should I use "sentence 2"?


texts:
‘There is one important thing which we must not forget,’ he said as
they flew on their way. ‘When people are invited to a great feast like
this, they take new names for the occasion. Our hosts in the sky will
expect us to honor this age-old custom.’
‘‘None of the birds had heard of this custom but they knew that
Tortoise, in spite of his failings in other directions, was a
widely-traveled man who knew the customs of different peoples. And so
they each took a new name. When they had all taken, Tortoise also took
one. He was to be called All of you.

Is to be necessary here? Is there going to be a difference if we take out to be?


texts:
Why 'for one to several generations,' not 'for more than two generations'?  I mean, why did the author include 'one generation'?

The proportions of the demographic classes affect the fitness of the
group and, ultimately, of each individual member. A group comprised
wholly of infants or aging males will perish — obviously. Another,
less deviant, group has a higher fitness that can be defined as a
higher probability of survival, which can be translated as a longer
waiting time to extinction. Either measure has meaning only over
periods of time on the order of a generation in length, because a
deviant population allowed to reproduce for one to several generations
will go far to restore the age distribution of populations normal for
the species. Unless the species is highly opportunistic, that is,
unless it follows a strategy of colonizing empty habitats and holding
on to them only for a relatively short time, the age distribution will
tend to approach a steady state. In species with seasonal natality and
mortality, which is to say nearly all animal species, the age
distribution will undergo annual fluctuation. But even then the age
distribution can be said to approach stability, in the sense that the
fluctuation is periodic and predictable when corrected for season.

Sociobiology


texts: Plural or single verb to describe each indivisual of similar things

texts:
I wrote:

The answer to the following questions is a span of the given text.

I mean each answer to each question. Should I write it like:

The answers of the following questions are spans of the given text?


texts:
I am an athlete and I have very good eating habits. Let's suppose I have changed my coach already and the new one tends to find out wheather I eat high-quality meals or not and in total he is going to discover about my "nutrition". How shall I inform him in a natural and idiomatic way:

I have a good nutrition.
I nutrish well.

I am looking for a way in which I can use the word "nutrition".


texts:
I'm aware that 'onset' is only listed as a noun in the classical English dictionairies OED, OALD, CALD, LALD, etc.

However, since the English language seems to be 'grammatically abused' more and more, for example using the preposition 'who' for non-human objects, would it be permissible and intelligible to use 'onset' as a verb.

Exemplary senstence:
This whole compromising condition was onset over 20 years ago.


texts:
How do you give an address in a sound or video clip?
For example, how do you refer to 2:34? minute 2 and second 34?

I tried some google hacks but didn't work for me. Dictionary can't help either. Thanks.


texts: Describing affection to one person only and not anyone else

texts:
What is the word or phrase for showing affection to one person only and not anyone else?

For example my parents are buying things only for my brother and not me.... What is the word or phrase for those actions....


texts:
We get along just fine.

What does the above sentence mean?  I know the meaning of "get along well with somebody" but I have usually heard this phrase in sentences like

  I get along well with him

I am confused here with what does the speaker mean by saying "just fine" in "We get along just fine".


texts:
I am not a native speaker and am wondering what the difference is, if any, between "from" and "by" in the context of a letter, as set out below.

I think that a letter "from" may indicate the letter comes from a certain place, e.g. "A letter from Spain".

A letter can also come from someone. A letter can also be by someone, correct?

Thus, which one (or both) of the below would be correct?

A letter from Patrick; or
A letter by Patrick?


texts:
Right now it's hard to say if that’s happening, says Deeks, because
  the number of provincial cases this year has been low. "But we do have
  pockets where there are groups of people who tend not to immunize,
  and those areas are much more susceptible if mumps is
  introduced."(NHL mumps outbreak: 7 big questions answered - CBC news
  Dec 16 2014)

Is 'who tend not to immunize' right? Shouldn't it be 'who tend not to get immunized'? Thank you.


texts:
I don’t know much about clause’s tense agreement which is why I would like to ask if we can replace in the following particular case the hadn’t with hasn’t, didn’t or couldn’t.

I know that the meaning differs but I don’t know if it’s grammatically correct.

  She began working on the play, but after 4 years of drafts and rewrites she still hadn’t come up with a workable plot.

Source


texts:
"The Viennese SAP consultant Daniela Kickl reports in her today published book about her experiences from the Irish service center Apple."

I can't decide if I should write that or

"The Viennese SAP consultant Daniela Kickl reports in her published book today about her experiences from the Irish service center Apple."

I want to say that she reports in her published book which got published today but somehow both sentences feel odd.


texts:
When I read the present simple unit I came across with the Present Simple structure. There was here comes, there goes, etc. The Present Progressive tense is unacceptable in such structures (like here is coming). Could you get another examples of such structures?

Note: That I don't mean stative verb like promise, swear, etc which is also unacceptable to use Present Progressive. I want to understand what exactly such structures denote.


texts: I felt strange about the use of "There appear + Noun"

texts:
I was checking grammatical mistakes in an English article translated from Chinese.

The article is about free trade agreement, and I saw a sentence go like this:

  "USA, Japan, and Canada will be used as examples to analyze if there appeared certain influence from TPP and the reasons why TPP did not cause any impact to them."

Another sentence in the article goes:

  "USA is also a TPP country, but Canada’s import from USA did not show obvious changes caused by TPP. There appeared no sign that the metal industry had been influenced by the formation of TPP."

I get that "There appear + Noun" might stem from a similar structure as "There goes the boy", but somehow I feel "There appear + Noun" is rarely used and might sound strange. When I googled, I found "It appears to be + Noun/Adjective " or "Noun appears to be + Noun/Adjective" is a more common way to use.

Would anyone tell me how you feel about "There appear + Noun"?
Is that native English or just an alien makeup phrase?


texts: "to the extent that" vs "to the extent where"

texts:
Is there any difference between:

  To the extent where education is concerned, no major issues were reported.

  To the extent that education is concerned, no major issues were reported.

?


texts: How to ask for referent of pronoun who is the subject in a noun clause

texts:
Person 1:

  "I don't understand what it is about."

Person 2 wants to know what 'it' refers to. She could say

  "You don't understand what what is about?" or else "What is it that
  you don't understand what it is about?"

The first is natural but feels colloquial and only really functions in a conversational context. The second is awkward and I'm not sure if it's even grammatical.
Is there another way of constructing this question?


texts: Do native speakers use the phrase "set channels"?

texts:
My friend wanted to sell his car but he didn't know whom to sell so he asked me to help him by finding potential customers for his car.
After a few days he phoned me and said:

Have you found someone who wants to buy a second-hand car.

I replied:

I'm sorry! I haven't yet found anyone but I have set many channels and soon I will be able to tell you.

Here by saying set many channels I wanted to say that I had told a lot of people about his car and I also told them to tell their friends and relatives as well about the car.
I have heard many non-native speakers using this phrase.
The logic, I think, behind the phrase is:

As water comes through channels of water, information and replies will also come through the channels.

How do native speakers say this?


texts: free to charge to meaning in this context

texts:
The MATERIALS shall be delivered to Receiving Parties (i) (omitted) and (ii) free to charge to Receiving Parties.

My question is, what does the phrase in bold mean in this context? Is it saying that Receiving Parties will or will not bear the cost of delivery? Kindly let me know if it is grammatically correct.
Thank you.


texts:
Virgin founder Richard Branson’s ‘golden rule’ to making money from investments revealed (source)

This headline from a Daily Express piece grates. The preposition used after rule is usually "of" or "for". "A rule to something" sounds odd to my ear, although I understand the usage here might manifest the lax grammar of headlinese. Why is "to" used here? I wonder if this is a BrE usage.


texts:
I heard in an australian tv show a lady says:

  If my mother was alive today, she turn in a grave to see the way i am treated.

So the question here is shouldn't she had said: she might have turned in a grave.

Or they both make the same sense?

I know the statement has contradiction in it. May be it is meant to be as it looks like the lady is mentally upset. I just want to know that should she have used turn or might have turned?

Here is the link: ->https://soundcloud.com/sukhjinder-singh-626913618/neighbours-003


texts: "These are the strongest painkillers THERE ARE." or "These are strongest painkillers OUT THERE"

texts:
In a medical text I came across the following sentence:

Morphine and morphine-like drugs are the strongest painkillers there are.

I have never seen the usage of "there are" at the end of the sentence. So it sounded different and I can't make sure if it is all right to use it that way.
So, my questions are:

Is it correct to put "there are" at the end of the sentence like that?

Instead of a "...there are." structure at the end of the sentence, can I use "...out there."


texts:
I be traveling around the world.

Does it mean "I am traveling around the world" and "I was traveling around the world"? Does it indicate both of them?


texts: Where did they go vs. Where could have they gone off to?

texts:
This is a sentence meaning question. What is the difference between:

  Where did they go?

Vs.

  Where could have they gone off to?

Let's say a mother is looking for her children in a park, and she said these two sentences.


texts: "me" for actions directed toward yourself

texts:
Excuse me, but is it common to use "me" when the action is direct toward yourself?

I am going to the kitchen to make me tea.
I'll have to write me a note not to forget it later.


texts: Are "start" and "begin" always interchangeable?

texts:
I would like to know if "start" and "begin" are always interchangeable in sentences similar to the one below? I know that "begins" is more formal, but other than that is there examples where one of them would sound awkward to use? I know you can't list examples, but I just want to know if it's something I should be aware of when writing.

Suddenly the tree starts/begins to move violently from side to side.

Are "start" and "begin" both completely natural here?


texts: "knocked the knees out from under all three of the Dursleys" meaning

texts:
Vernon Dursley had entered the room, Petunia at his shoulder and Dudley skulking behind them both.

  "Yes," said Dumbledore simply, "I shall."
  He drew his wand so rapidly that Harry barely saw it; with a casual flick, the sofa zoomed forwards and knocked the knees out from under all three of the Dursleys so that they collapsed upon it in a heap.

  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I don't quite understand "knocked the knees out from under all three of the Dursleys". I can't picture it. How should we understand it here?


texts: Is 'respond them' grammatically correct?

texts: Should it be 'respond them' or does it have to be 'respond to them'? I mostly hear people say 'respond to' but there's a part in my textbook with the phrase 'responding them'. I'm non-native so I'm not really sure.


texts: How can I tell what the "which" in the Complex Sentence refer to?

texts:
I feel confused to the following sentence:

  The interpreter automatically binds the instance upon which the method is invoked to the self parameter.

I have two ways to get the meaning:

The interpreter binds the instance upon the method,  which (the method) is invoked to the self parameter.
The interpreter binds the instance. upon the instance , the method is invoked to the self parameter.

Which one is right? Or there are other ways to understand?

And the bind something upon something  is a idiom or phrase?


texts: "Aren't you certain?" to "Are not you certain?"

texts:
I was wondering if the correct use of extention of aren't you would be

are you not

or

are not you

to me the first option sounds more natural. But the second opiton seems more correct.


texts: Using the adjective "early" or the adverb "earlier"

texts:
I am going to say I am usually in time at my meetings. I wonder which choice is the more idiomatic one in English to be used within the construction below:

  Habitually, I usually arrive at my meetings five minutes.........

a. early
b. earlier

Added: Long time ago, I asked a similar question, which contained a comparison between a current time and sometime earlier to that. Here, I think the there is not such a comparison involved. However, that is what I think. Others are free to dispute it.


texts: a better company than...vs a company better than

texts:
You can build a better company than he ever did.
  You can build a company better than he ever did.

I know # 1 works, but does #2 work as well?

If #2 works, does it mean the same thing as #1?

Finally, in #1, is 'than he ever did' part of the noun phrase 'a better company than he ever did'?

How about, in #2? Is 'than he ever did' part of the noun phrase 'a company better than he ever did'?


texts:
Is "can't help" used correctly? If not, what should be changed?

  Even in the darkened room I couldn't help seeing Mrs. Jones's face swollen with tears.


texts: I read a custom of setting a corpse in water; this was read in a novel Moby Dick. What do we call the custom of setting the corpse adrift in the sea? Is there any particular name of this custom?


texts: difference between "shave" and "get a shave"

texts:
What's the difference between: I get a shave and I shave?

Is get a shave causative verb?

If a person shaves his beard on his own, how to describe the same?


texts: "be forbidden to Verb" or "be forbidden from Verb_ing"

texts:
1.Long ago, women were forbidden to vote in political elections.

  2.Long ago, women were forbidden from voting in political elections.

Which's true? "be forbidden to V" or "be forbidden from V_ing"?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say "I don't' feel a shred of sleepiness"

texts: I've heard people say "she doesn't have a shred of decency." Is it grammatically correct to say "I don't' feel a shred of sleepiness?" I'm in doubt because I am thinking: a shred is a very small piece scraped from something larger. And sleepiness is not an object so technically it can't be a "shred"... Please enlighten me :)


texts: using "the" article in; "the Xs that exisit in the top Xs"

texts:
I have a sentence like the following:

From the 400 websites, we exclude the websites that exist in the top websites list

Is using the before the first mention of websites correct? I can not decide whether this is a specific or general, and hence I am unable to decide whther to use the or not.


texts: Past + and + past / Past perfect continuous + and + past

texts:
I met a girl at a park a month ago and I asked her for her number. (since that / after that ) we had been keeping in touch on the phone (with each other) for about 2 weeks (when we met in person / and then we met in person )

I think I can use both.
Using with each other here depends on preference.

3.

-I'm more familiar with "we had been keeping in touch for about 2 weeks when we met in person"

but I still think I can say "we had been keeping in touch for about 2 weeks, and then we met in person",

but I would rather say like this instead :"we kept in touch for about 2 weeks, and then we met in person"

The reason I think this way is because we mix two past tense using "and"(past + and + past), I feel "we kept in touch for about 2 weeks, and then we met in person" is more natural than using past perfect continuous + and + past.

Am I right to think this way?


texts: How to express "to the extent of my ability" after receiving a recommendation letter?

texts:
I asked and received a letter of recommendation from someone outside my company. This person is considered an expert in the field, and has much more experience than me (decades v. years).
I am very grateful for his letter, and would like to say something like:

If and when you need it, I will be happy to return the favor to the extent of my ability.

As this person is so much more experienced than I am, I don’t have any idea as to how to express this in a respectful way. I don’t know how I would be returning this favor in the future, nor how much value it can bring to him.
The goal is to express that I am grateful. Can you tell me what would be an appropriate way to do this?


texts: Difference between "I'd like to" and "I'd like that"?

texts:
What is the difference between them?

What is the rule for usage of them?

Are they the same?


texts: Dressed casual(ly) but presentable/presentably

texts:
He was dressed casual but presentable.

He was dressed casual but presentably.

He was dressed casually but presentable.

He was dressed casually but presentably.

Which of these are acceptable?


texts: Does "I have a daughter" mean "I have one daughter"?

texts:
Let's say I have two daughters and someone asks me:

  Do you have a daughter?

Should I respond "yes" or "no"? In other words, does "I have a daughter" mean "I have one daughter"?


texts: How to properly say that somebody will gift an item to the winner of a quiz?

texts:
Let's say I have a quiz: a winner (who will answer the question first) will get a smartphone.
Should I say "we'll give away a smartphone" if it's part of a quiz?


texts: Use of the present tense along with simple past

texts:
The following sounds awfully ungrammatical:

  He called the cops on us before the show begins.

But can this be said if the show begins at 7:00 and the call was made before 7:00? What other cases could possibly make this sentence valid? Is the sentence valid at all?


texts: “Which of the following information is true” or “Which piece of the following information is true”?

texts:
I saw this question on a test paper (compiled by a Chinese teaching staff),

  Which of the following information is true?

But I think it's not correct because "information" is an uncountable noun. It should be written like this,

  Which piece of the following information is true?

Am I right?


texts:
When we talk about a lot of animals we use they or it?
Ex: The three goats( want or wants ) to cross the bridge.


texts: Is the "before" used correctly in sentence "I have never been there before"?

texts:
I want to tell someone that I've never been there, so I say:

  I have never been there before.

Is it correct? I've a concern that the sentence is not complete and we need to add something after before.

I have never been there before today.
I have never been there before now.

Or is there any better way to express it with the word before?

Update:

Thanks for all answers, and I have an additional related question.

If I don't use never, is it correct with the before at the end? For example:

  I haven't been there before.


texts: "amount including" vs. "amount for" (for interest payments)

texts:
Consider this example:

  Total amount paid is $100 (principal $80 and interest $20).

Which one is better in business writing?

  Total amount paid is $100, including principal $80 and interest $20.

  Total amount paid for principal and interest is $100.

But I would like to say the details (how much is the principal and interest, not just total).


texts: Does "speak using an American accent" make sense?

texts:
Normally, we hear people say "he speaks with an American accent".

Does "he speaks using an American accent" make sense?

If it does, what is the role of "using an American accent" in that sentence? is it an object or an adverb?


texts: You have a way with words.What does it mean? is this a sarcastic word? or Can I use it for someone who speaks nicely? Is there another word for someone who speaks or text clearly and effectively


texts: How to separate two pairs without using and?

texts:
I have written the following sentence, but I think that I should use an "AND" between "down" and "Success", on the other side, by doing so, the phrase would become rather ugly and awkward (3 "and" among 4 words), should I use a comma or something like "as well as"? and what about the rest of the sentence. Is it academic for a SOP?

Throughout my personal and professional careers, I have encountered ups and downs, success and challenges, which have made me well experienced in handling problems in critical situations.


texts: rump rebel organizations - "rump" used as an adjective

texts:
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/world/europe/obama-widens-sanctions-against-russia.html?_r=1

  The administration also barred business dealings with eight state-owned defense firms; four Russian government officials, including an aide to Mr. Putin and a top official in the Federal Security Service; an oil shipping facility in Crimea, which Moscow annexed; a pro-Russian separatist leader; and the rump rebel organizations in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.

What is the meaning of the word rump when it's used as an adjective? I looked it up in a dictionary, but couldn't come to a conclusion on what it might mean as used in the example senetence.


texts: What do you call the circular thing on a visor that allows it to go down or up?

texts:
Is it called a hinge? Because when I look up hinge, I get something that looks completely different:

So what do you call the thing that let it go up and down? And what do you describe the metallic part that moves because of the hinge? Is there a more generic term? In this case, it's a visor, but what's the generic word for something that moves because of a hinge?


texts:
I read

  Ordinary language, as most of us are at least vaguely aware, serves various functions in
  our day-to-day lives. The twentieth-century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein thought
  the number of these functions to be virtually unlimited.

Then I looked in the wiktionary

  1 Almost but not quite.

With our medicare supplemental insurance plan, there are virtually no claim forms to fill out. (Advertisement)
Synonym: as good as

  2 Without exaggeration.

  3 In essence, but not in fact.

Which definition do I choose and why? How do I choose the right definition in general?


texts:
‘Don’t you think blessing does any good?’
Elizabeth looked up sharply, as one does at a small child who asks its
first coherent question. ‘No. No, I don’t, actually.’
‘It looks nice though. Don’t you think? I wish someone would bless me.’
Elizabeth twitched her crochet hook in and out. A sucker for a cult, she
thought. Better keep her out of the city at night. ‘The last time anybody
blessed me,’ she said, ‘was when I took a bag of old clothes to the Salvation
Army opshop. But I did get myself baptised when I was a student.’
‘Did they push you right under?’
‘I wasn’t a fundamentalist, thanks very much. Just a cross on the
forehead, a bit of nice music, turn to the east, forswear the devil and all his
works. And guess who my godfather was. Dexter.’

Does "A sucker for a cult" mean: Blessing is like A sweet for extreme religious people? Does it mean literally?
And
Does "Did they push you right under?" mean: Did religious people force you to be baptized?
Source: The children's Bach by Helen Garner


texts: “I'm dying everyday...” vs. "I've been dying everyday..."

texts:
Are these sentences grammatically correct and do they convey same meaning as they appear?

  I'm dying everyday waiting for my result.
  I've been dying everyday waiting for this moment for many many years.


texts: A comparison between the verbs "figure out" and "grasp"

texts:
Please imagine there is a new designed tuna can with a particular cap opening design which requires a little thinking about the way you have to open it. Your friend gives you the can and asks you to open it. After a couple of minutes he returns to you and wants to ask you if you could open it. Which one of the following verbs works in my self-made sentence below?
For me, they both mean the same:

  Can you figure out how to open this?
  Can you grasp how to open this?

Based on dictionary definitions, figure out works here, but in my opinion "grasp" should not sound weird to a native ear.


texts:
Did you bring Jack with you?
  Did you take Jack with you?

Mike went to the movies with Jack, Samuel called to confirm whether Mike bring/take Jack with him.

Which verb should I pick?

Could you explain to me the differences here?


texts: What is the correct verb form for expressing unreal situations in this sentence?

texts:
let's think of a huge meteor that (was/were/is) near the Earth.

The intended meaning is that a huge meteor didn't exist before and let's have a thought experiment on what if a huge meteor were near the Earth. I think was or were would work for expressing the unreal situation.


texts:
whole the chapter is full of printing errors which are the outcome of proof reader's carelessness.

Please tell the difference between the whole and whole the  as a whole and in the context of above example.


texts: Is this a rhetorical question, a Socratic question, or something else?

texts:
I was wondering if there is a name for when a speaker asks someone a question that both speakers already know the answer to, in order to educate a third party.
For instance, co-presenters on the television:

  Speaker 1: So Bob, why did we choose this road?
  Speaker 2: Well, this road is the safest road in the north.

I have heard of the 'rhetorical question', but it is my understanding that the rhetorical question is used to make a point, rather than to elicit genuine information.

I have also explored the 'Socratic question', but I understand that this type of question is used to help the answerer understand the subject matter in question.

Therefore, neither of these two types of questions seem to quite fit.

I would be grateful for any advice.


texts:
What does "bullet biting" mean here? Is it related to "Bite the bullet"?

  Union theorists have responded to this objection in several ways. Nozick (1989) seems to think of a loss of autonomy in love as a desirable feature of the sort of union lovers can achieve. Fisher (1990), somewhat more reluctantly, claims that the loss of autonomy in love is an acceptable consequence of love. Yet without further argument these claims seem like mere bullet biting. Solomon (1988, pp. 64ff) describes this “tension” between union and autonomy as “the paradox of love.” However, this a view that Soble (1997) derides: merely to call it a paradox, as Solomon does, is not to face up to the problem.


texts:
We appreciate the opportunity to address Mr. XX complaint below.

What does "below" mean? Does it mean "the complaint written below" or "We appreciate the opportunity to address it below (which means that they will address it in the below space/paragraph)"?


texts: Difference between "Pass" vs "give" a smile

texts:
Which one's correct?

When i played with the baby, she passed a smile   or
When I played with the baby , she gave a smile.


texts:
Seeing her coming out of the darkness like a ghost ship still gets me every time.

I usually see some expressions like get someone happy/angry, but what's the meaning of "get someone"?


texts:
It is from an article. Here it is:

  What US law governs the sanctions on China?


texts: Which one is the correct sentence? (Big/Bigger is not always better)

texts:
Big is not always better

  Bigger is not always better

Which sentence is correct?


texts:
I have a sentence that I'm confused about

She has helped the organization to reach its goals...

or

She has helped the organization reach its goals...

Which one is correct? And do explain why if possible.


texts: The difference between "follow-up" and "next" in context

texts:
Tell me please if there is any difference between the following sentences?

  I can't go for a break as I have to prepare the classroom for the follow-up students.

  I can't go for a break as I have to prepare the classroom for the next students.


texts:
I have seen a person using 'like anything' as intensifier.
Freedictionary website gave these example of 'like anything':-

He ran like anything.
(intensifier; usually euphemistic)
We worked like anything to meet the deadline.
(To an exceeding degree)

Please tell me is this usage common?
Also tell me if there are some alternative phrases which I can use in most of the sentences.


texts:
Can a parallel construction
can be made with comma?

Such as,

"Presently i am preparing for competitive exam,finding it very difficult to cope with the situation arosed recently."


texts:
Does Villani speak English like an Englishman or like a Frenchman?

"Villani told OZY from his office in Paris. “I can recall a cartoon about Donald Duck in the land of mathematics, and I liked this,” he recalls in rapid, thickly accented English."


texts:
I am wondering about the use of a since-phrase and the present progressive like the following:

How is he bearing up since the accident?

Normally, the since-phrase triggers the perfect aspect. Why is it not so in this case?

DO you think this interchangeability can be extended to "I am living here since 1995"?


texts:
Do these two sentences mean the same thing:

  My favorite food is cake
  My favorite food is cakes


texts: Why "Begin" and not "begins" in the phrase "Let the adventure begin"?

texts:
Normally,  the phrase "The adventure begins" uses the third person version of the verb.

Why is it "Let the adventure begin"? It is because this is a special tense?


texts:
I read a sentence in "The Hindu" which was:

  Jet Airways' power couple Naresh Goyal and his spouse Anita Goyal on Monday resigned as directors from the board of the company.

Shouldn't there be "of" instead of "from" preceding the board?


texts:
This is a conversation between two girls I heard in audio. Bride and her mate were talking about the groom.

Lorrain look what we both are doing. We're picking on poor Des to pieces the night before the wedding.

My question here is which one is appropriate here : what are we both doing or what we both are doing?


texts: Do I use "went" or "had gone" here, and why?

texts:
I just got back home from a friend's house I went over to.

I just got back home from a friend's house I had gone over to.

Are both the above sentences grammatically correct?
What's the difference in their meaning?


texts:
In a book I found a sentence like this:

  The 2010 FIFA World Cup culminated in an epic final with two teams
  that have never won the World Cup.

I'm wondering why have never won is used instead of had never won.


texts:
OK,

  Free (a): costing nothing. Ex: Admission is free Source

  Free (adv): without payment. Ex: Children under five travel free.
  Source

  Chargeable (a): of a sum of money) that must be paid by somebody. Ex:
  Any expenses you may incur will be chargeable to the company. Source

However, "Chargeably" means "At great cost; expensively." Source

So, Is "Chargeable" an antonym of "Free" in term of adjective?

So, can we say "Admission is chargeable"

However, "Chargeably" is not an antonym of "Free" in term of adverb right?


texts: correct preposition before 'environment'?

texts:
Which of the following sentence is correct?

1.Coal mines constitute a major percentage of the sources which cause damage on the environment.

2.Coal mines constitute a major percentage of the sources which cause damage to the environment.


texts:
He put his feet in the same leg.

  "You put in the wrong leg."

I told him.

Would it confuse the leg meaning?


texts:
What will  follow grieved in the following sentence ?

  I was very much grieved ______his misdemeanor.

I have four options to choose from .
At /
With /
By /
Of

In my opinion by fits best  , but my book says it should be at .


texts:
What I want to say is that the not so beautiful girls are less bothered by boys, and hence are more likely to succeed in studying.

  Girls not so beautiful are more likely to succeed in studying.

versus

  Less beautiful girls are more likely to succeed in studying.

Are both sentence correct in grammar?


texts:
Which one is better to convey sense of deception?

  Those who are against Plato for expelling poets from his Utopia should review this poet's life to realize how a poet claims/promotes/pretends to be enlightened while he covers up his sick thoughts under his elegant language.


texts: Are "why doing this" and "why to do this" correct?

texts:
I watched a TV show this morning and a question was like "Why pass up the opportunity to go to prison?"

I'm stuck now, and I'd like to make sure if it is correct to say
 "why passing the opportunity to go to prison" or "why to pass the opportunity to go to prion".

Because I hear some one said "why the long face" so I think it would make sense to say "why passing" just like "why + noun".


texts: comma: ... concepts, among them A, B and C

texts:
I wonder what makes the comma before "among them ..." correct, assuming it is so? Does listing qualify for a comma? I would have thought of using a colon not a comma. What kind of phrase is after that comma? Absolute does not begin with a preposition. I wonder if there is any rule I could follow.

  Professor Lerer elucidates a number of key linguistic concepts, among them Grimm's Law, the Great Vowel Shift that swept Britain
  between 1400 and 1600, and the stimulating intellectual theories of
  Noam Chomsky, the father of modern linguistics.

Source: History of the English Language by Seth Lerer


texts:
There is given a pair of sentences and I have to join the two sentences into one using
a  participle.

We started early. We arrived at noon

Answer was

Starting/having started early, we arrived at noon.

But can I say

  We starting early, arrived at noon

?

One more example

The wolf wished to pick a quarrel with the lamb. He said, "How dare you make the water muddy?"

Can this be structured the following way?

  The wolf wishing to pick a quarrel with the lamb said, "How dare you make the water muddy?"

Also can I say ------

  The porter opening the gate, we entered. (Is it grammatical?)

Thanks in advance


texts: Can we use an interrogative sentence after "but"?

texts:
Is it grammatically correct that an interrogative sentence comes after "but"?

For example:

I don't like this picture but do you like it?
I don't know the way to the place but do you know that?
I don't want to cooperate with the person but what about you?

I sometimes use these sentences but I'm not sure these are correct English.


texts: Can we use 'what does she look' without the preposition 'like'?

texts:
4 linking verb to seem; to appear
  +noun: That looks an interesting book.You made me look a complete fool! (OALD)

For linking verb, look, can have NP complements (OALD,#4), I thought '[A] what does she look like?’ can be altered into '[B] what does she look?’ without meaning change. But I can’t find any cases of that in COCA. Looking up the expressions in the web site, I get the feeling that when we just say without the preposition ‘like’, it would give the ambiguousness of whether it could be interpreted as seeing, seeking, or seeming etc. Can’t we ever use [B] expression at all?


texts: May I say "she never would be" or it should it be "she would never be"?

texts:
I have been reading a novel (Bad for You) for the last ten days. I had read something odd, which did not sound natural to me so I landed here to get some help on it.

  Bad for You

  I tried hard not to let the fact Linc had been her first at something
  eat me alive. I wasn’t going to date her. I didn’t date, for starters.
  I tried that once, and I sucked at it. But I didn’t like sharing her
  either. She was mine. No, she wasn’t. She was my friend. Boundaries. I
  needed some boundaries in my head. Blythe was my friend. She made me
  happy. She was not mine. She never would be because I didn’t want
  someone to be mine.

My question is, can we use never before would or will? Does
 it work the same way or does it have a completely different meaning here?

Examples:

  She never would be because I didn’t want someone to be mine.

  She would never be because I didn’t want someone to be mine.

Please check the above sentences and let me know both are fine or not?


texts: Is "There was an unexpected incident occurred" correct?

texts:
There was an unexpected incident occurred while they were in the car.

I wonder if the word "occurred" is grammatically wrong, but it sounds natural to me.


texts: "Less you feel uneasy" vs. "Less uneasy you feel"

texts:
When I wrote:

  "The more information you have, the less you feel uneasy."

I was advised to use:

  "The more information you have, the less uneasy you feel."

I would like to know which is the correct position of "uneasy." To me both are okay.


texts:
it is not clear to me when do I have to use "to be"

In internet I can't find how because all the pages I see talk about "verb to be" and I read the classic "I am, you are, he is", but I want to know when I must use "to be", literally "to be".

For example

  They are supposed to be good parents"


texts:
You have to tell who among them is the culprit.

I have ended this sentence with a full stop. Is it correct?


texts: a synonym of 'cruft' in spelling similarity

texts:
In the sentence,

  Django encourages beautiful URL design and doesn’t put any cruft in URLs, like .php or .asp.

'cruft' means:

  Badly designed, unnecessarily complicated, or unwanted code or software.
  cruft | Definition of cruft in English by Oxford Dictionaries

  Origin 1950s (in the sense ‘rubbish, detritus’): origin unknown.

It's easy to understand whereas difficult to memorize its spelling.

It has no shared parts with its synonyms 'rubbish' and 'detritus'.

Compared with 'craft' to associating it, seems make no sense.


texts: Is it fine to use "than ~~~" in front of comparison words?

texts:
It is better human relations than structural changes that count more.

In this sentence "than structural changes" is an adverb and I learned that adverb can be almost everywhere in a sentence. people around me say that "It is better human relations that count more than structural changes." is right. but I don't understand why "than structural changes" have to be behind comparison words(count more). thanks for reading


texts: Vein IS made of three layers or vein made of three layers?

texts:
What is the right way of the following two?

  Vein IS made of three layers.
  Vein made of three layers.


texts: "Saved as XML files" vs. "saved as some XML files"

texts:
I wrote this sentence

  The wrapper program consists of a set of extraction rules (a ruleset) provided by the user and an algorithm to apply these rules to a web page. The rulesets are input to the algorithm and are saved as XML files.

I thought to write it as

  .... and are saved as some XML files.

But as I searched "are saved as some XML files", no result found in Google. Is there any problem with this construction? If no, what is there difference?


texts: Meaning of "on the block" in this context

texts:
I read a sentence in "The Hindu" which was:

Like all playgrounds, even YouTube has its popular kids on the block.

According to most of the dictionaries, "on the block" means "up for auction". Does that make sense here?


texts: Example sentence: but the ecstasy in which he lay drifting seemed that of a man no longer of this world


texts: What does the phrase "bring up" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a task management app:

  Linking to events makes it easy for you to bring up notes on the day.

I know the lexical meanings of the phrase "bring up", but they don't seem to fit here.

The app makes it easier to manage notes by linking them to events in calendars. Here the word "day" refers to the day when the scheduled event takes place.


texts: Your order is "ready to be delivered" or "ready to be shipped"?

texts:
English is my second language and I need some help.
I was wondering which of these sentences applied better to a store that is sending a product to their customers. Do they have the same meaning?


texts: How To Spell Dates Written In Cardinal Numbers In American And British English

texts:
How do you spell the following date:

December 6 (AmE)

6 December (BrE)

Do you spell this date as 'December six' or 'December the sixth' in American English?

And in British English, do you spell it as 'Six December' or 'The sixth of December'?


texts:
I am not ... as you requested

Was i required to be <...> or not (e.g. an Umpalumpa)? is this ambiguous, alter the meaning?

I omit the request here to avoid contextual clues. I failed to reword the sentence on the spot, but I guess that would have been best to avoid ambiguity. On the other hand, the meaning is clear from context, so the question is purely about grammar.


texts: Compound or complex sentence without conjunctions

texts:
If we have a sentence with has no conjunction but has 2 verbs then which type of sentence is it

  Go clean your room.

I think it is compound


texts: The difference between to rebel and to revolt

texts:
What is the difference in the following sentences in terms of meaning?

  He urged people to revolt against the established government and turn
  the revolution against the king although he preferred to remain aloof
  from the actual events.

  He urged people to rebel against the established government and turn
  the revolution against the king although he preferred to remain aloof
  from the actual events.


texts:
Ran into this:

  For the hundredth time he resented the element of imprecision, the margin of guesswork that entered into the business. The project as he had worked it out was casual and bold, the risks were considerable. Something might go wrong anywhere along the line. And therein lay the cunning of his scheme. No one would ever see in it the cautious, painstaking hand of Erwin Martin, head of the filing department at F & S, of whom Mr. Fitweiler had once said, "Man is fallible but Martin isn't." No one would see his hand, that is, unless it were caught in the act.

For context: here

1)What does casual and bold mean? is this an idiom?

2)If you were to say the above two sentences with simpler words, how would you do that?


texts: Is it appropriate to say - "I am tired of your mischiefs?" or "Your mischiefs won't go unnoticed"?

texts: I want to use mischief as a noun. Above sentence sounds a little awkward as I have never seen anyone using it this way. Is there a more suitable replacement?


texts:
His Holiness has issued the bull. It deprives Elizabeth, the pretended
  Queen of England, servant of wickedness,  of her throne, and declares
  that henceforth her subjects are absolved of their allegiance to her.

I find this lines in Elizabeth (1998) movie.


texts:
The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary gives the following example phrase:

a fireplace with realistically glowing coals

I'd like to know why "realistically" is used in the first place. What difference would it make if it were removed?


texts: Is it grammatical correct that a exclamation links a comma?

texts:
missing 11-year-old girl

  "Nothing in her phone indicated she was planning to leave!," Jonie
  Barnett said on Facebook.


texts:
I got two sentences below:

Steve's boss will personally supervise to ensure that they will complete an important project by Monday.
Steve's boss will personally supervise them to ensure that they finish an important project by Monday.

Is it grammatically OK to use will in the clause after ensure or does it carry a different meaning than the second sentence?


texts:
I try to understand whether the word "avoid" is strong enough to mean "never".

Listen my advice: avoid joking about Joe.

Listen my advice: never joke about Joe.

It is assumed that Joe is a complete psychopath, but we don't state it explicitly. Is our advice "safe" enough to prevent someone to be killed?
I ask it because I often see sentences starting with "Avoid..." in technical documentation. It always makes me scratch my head and ask myself whether it is permitted to break the described rule when I really want to do so. The sentences like this one:

Avoid calling a function before its declaration.


texts: Is it correct to use "neither", "nor" and "but" together?

texts:
Is this sentence grammatically and stylistically correct?

  They mightn't experience neither obsession nor attraction but real
  love.


texts:
I saw the following sentence in my grammar textbook as a grammatically incorrect sentence:

We lost the game because of a mistake of one of our players.

And it’s corrected in the following way:

We lost the game because of a mistake by one of our players.

But I think the original sentence is correct, although I can’t say why. I think we need “by” if we want to write the sentence as follows:

We lost the game because of a mistake done by one of our players.

Is the original sentence grammatically correct? Why?


texts:
Here is a sentence from an adventure game:

  Although the game doesn't let you create your own character to play,
  you’ll like the ability to choose heroes, then mix and match their
  weapons and gear for both visual and strategic effects.

I am not sure about the last part (bold words) of the sentence above. Which of the following is their intended meaning?

You will have the ability of choosing heroes and then mixing and matching their weapons and gear.
You will have the ability of choosing heroes. Then you can mix and match their weapons and gear for both visual and strategic effects.

The first meaning says that the said ability contains three actions. The second meaning conveys that the ability contains only one action. I am quite confused here.


texts: What does the phrase "slide two fingers across the screen" mean here?

texts:
I am not sure about the meaning of the phrase "slide two fingers across the screen" in the following sentence:

  In N.O.V.A. you can slide three fingers over a door to open it,
  slide two fingers across the screen to toss a grenade or draw a targeting box around an enemy.

Does the phrase above mean to slide anywhere on the screen? Or does it convey a particular direction? Being a non-native speaker, I cannot figure out the exact meaning the word "across" here. The Merriam-Webster defines across as from one side to the other side of (something). Does it mean that in the given context the word "across" does not involve any particular direction, like up-down?


texts: Please help me with my dictation. He's British

texts:
very short, only voice, British
I'm hearing...
A: doing that blah blah 45?

B: that's plenty of time
I'm watching a British cooking show program
Situation is, there's three people in a team and
one of the team members, cooking on his own, said he's gonna speed things up.
And then the other team members said that kind of thing to him, observing what he's doing.
Because they got 1 hour and 45 minutes.

I want to know what A's saying
I'm only sure about "45" .... lol


texts: How can I ask partners about the addendums?

texts:
A partner sent me a scan of the contract, where all conditions are detailed in the annex, but this annex wasn't attached.
And now I need to ask partner about this annex to a main contract. How it will be better?

  Would you be so kind to send me Annex A (or is "Application" better?) that is mentioned in the Contract?

  There is a reference to Annex A in the Contract. Could you please send me it?

  I would be appreciate if you would send me the Annex A that you made reference to?

Or maybe  all are bad? Please give me advice.
I tried check these sentenses in google with "", but there wasn't any result
Or maybe  all are bad? Please give me advice.

Thank you!


texts:
1: Most of the persons will be affected by this drug
  2: Most of the persons will be getting affected by this drug

Can I use both to mean same???
I was reading about a particular drug and then I came across this.


texts: What do we write in a table cell to indicate that the value was not filled in by a human?

texts:
I have a table of vital signs of patients who took part in a study. Doctors visited each patient several times during the course of the clinical trial, measured their pulse, blood pressure etc. and filled this data into paper forms, which then were combined into the table.

In some table cells, I see "не заполнено" - literally "not filled" instead of, say, 36.6 °C (for body temperature). The doctor failed to fill the data into the form. What would be the acceptable ways of writing this in English?

I came up with three options:

  Unfilled
  Not filled in
  Not filled out


texts:
A quote from the Inception movie:

  Cobb: Fischer, you'll be going with him.

  Fischer: All right. What
  about you?

  Cobb: You keep this live. I'll be listening for the whole
  time.

What does you keep this live mean in that context? Fischer asked about what route Cobb was going go by and to me, the answer as You keep this live seems a bit unclear in the context. Couldn't you explain that?


texts: move into the few buildings "still standing"

texts:
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sanctions-taint-norway-love-affair-russian-liberators-151343347.html

  The German Wehrmacht had carried out a "scorched earth" policy, laying waste to an area "one and a half times the size of Denmark", according to Petterson.
  After liberation, the local inhabitants who had evaded a German-ordered mass evacuation from the area, were allowed to move into the few buildings still standing.

First, how do you understand that grammatically? And second, what does that exactly mean? Are the buildings still in place after so many years or were they standing there after the mass evacuation?


texts: "over the past five seasons" or "over the previous five seasons"

texts:
I have made up (1) below.

(1) Players who score at least eighty goals in a season will win a gold medal. Over the past five seasons, Jack has scored no more than seventy goals per season. However, in the current season, he scored his eightieth goal last month, which has qualified him for an award.

Some of my friends think I should change "past" to "previous" and use the simple past instead of the present perfect in second sentence. The changes are given in (2) below.

(2) Players who score at least eighty goals in a season will win a gold medal. Over the previous five seasons, Jack scored no more than seventy goals per season. However, in the current season, he scored his eightieth goal last month, which has qualified him for an award.

This is my friends' reason to explain why I need to make the two changes. "Over the previous five seasons" excludes the current season. So, that makes it clear that you are talking about Jack reaching the 80th goal mark this season.

I don't agree with them because "Over the past five seasons" is more commonly used than "Over the previous...." Regarding "Over the past five seasons", I'm using the present perfect to indicate his 70 goal tallies from a point five years ago up to a certain point in the current season. The simple past I'm using to say "... the current season, he scored his 80th goal..." shows that he has just reached his mark this season.

Which word do you think is correct in this context: past or previous?


texts: When can we use "the" with comparatives?

texts:
I have already found in a book this rule:

  The comparative structure includes the only when the comparative takes a noun position, example:

    I like the smaller of the two.

May you explain me this rule and give more examples? Because I do not understand.


texts: What's it called if a water cooler heats water

texts:
There are couple of types machines which are either stand-alone or table-top in offices. They are usually called water cooler which merely cools and provides drinking water. However, another type of machines can not only provide cooled water, but also has the functionality to heat drinking water. I thought it might be called drinking machine, while there is no such phrase in dictionaries.

So what's the name for this type of water cooler?


texts: Should I use direct speech if the speech is non-sense? For example, someone says ‘qpwoeiru,’ then is saying ‘someone says qpwoeiru’ wrong but is saying “someone says ‘qpwoeiru’” right?


texts: What is difference between dose and fix? Are these words interchangeable or not?


texts:
I started cooking
I have started cooking

I don't quite understand the difference between the two options. Are both correct? Is okay to use two verbs in the same sentence, one following the other in two different tenses?


texts:
(1) It was Anatolia, what is present time in Turkey.

(2) It was Anatolia, what is present time Turkey.

Which of the two is correct?  Could you help me clarify it?

My real question is if I can use an what-clause to be an apposition to a noun with a comma before the what-clause.

What I’m trying to say is:

  Called Asia Minor (Lesser Asia) by the Romans, Anatolia is the Asian part of ancient Turkey.

I really would to know if I can use an what-clause to be an apposition to the noun Anatolia.


texts: "had" versus "had had" :if I "had had" money, I would have bought this car

texts:
If I had had money, I would have bought this car.

My book says that in place of "had had", only "had" should be there. But I am confused about it, please help.


texts:
I do understand the active constructions of verbs of this type, but I am still a bit confused with the passive construction(s). Can anyone here clarify my confusion?
Please consider the following:
He was seen do the test
He was seen to do the test
He was seen doing the test

If the person saw him do the test (in other words, he saw the completion of the action), which one should I use?


texts: How to concisely express 'at many place' similar to somewhere, nowhere and everywhere?

texts:
I searched on the Internet and found the opposite of 'somewhere' is 'nowhere.' This confuses me, because I see it like this:

The opposite of "everywhere" (at all places) is "nowhere" (at no places).
The opposite of "somewhere" (at some place) in my logic-thinking should be something like "manywhere" (at many places).
I know 'manywhere' is not an accepted English word.  But the English construction {no, some, any, every} + "where" seems to have left-out a concise and logical way to express "manywhere".

The following fictional dialog demonstrates my questions/thinking. This is not factual:

"Have you heard about the ritual of hanging a voodoo doll on buildings under construction to keep away negative energy?"

"Yeah, I saw that somewhere in my home town of New York City."

"Well in India, you can find that everywhere."

"What?  Voodoo dolls are in every construction building in India?"

"No!  I mean, you can find that manywhere. Many places have it - not every one."

(You see, I don't want to say, "In India, you can find that everywhere" because that would mean every construction building would have a voodoo doll.)

This question is not about "manywhere" which is asked here as a separate question. But it is to help me understand the logic behind the opposite of "somewhere" and how can one discuss "many places" with a lack of a "manywhere-type word".  It's  not logical to me. What are the various acceptable ways to express "many places" as described above? Can I use "many where"? It'll still solve the problem.

(I would like to acknowledge @CoolHandLouis for very helpful editing of this Question.)


texts:
what is the difference between "yet" and "still"?

When we can use "still"? and when we can use "yet"?

Are they synonyms or not?

"The plan could yet succeed." Can I use "still" in that sentence instead of "yet"?

"I still don't understand." Can I use "yet" in that sentence too?


texts: Difference in the meaning of the various phrasal verbs of tear

texts:
What is the difference in the meaning of the following sentences:

    "I found the map, but one of its corners had been torn away."

    "I found the map, but one of its corners had been torn off."

    "I found the map, but one of its corners had been torn down."

    "I found the map, but one of its corners had been torn apart."

Does "torn away" means that the corner of the page was torn apart/down and then it was lost?

I just searched few articles where different prepositions related to tearing of page were mentioned, which I covered in the above questions. I also searched these phrasal verbs in the standard dictionaries such as Oxford and Cambridge, but I didn't find any specific example.


texts: A field-and-track man run 100 yards dash in 9.3 seconds, but the judge give him 9.4 seconds saying "We have to go with the higher time". What exactly does it mean?


texts: Use of "the" before the first part of Of-phrases

texts:
There is a similar question with a similar title, however it then focused on two specific examples. The main question is when we should use "the" before an Of-phrase.

Is "the" used for the first part or the whole phrase?
for example, is it [the history ] of the internet. Or the [history of the internet ].

Some examples by searching google:

  the International Day of the Girl Child
  the study of Pattern Recognition
  The Charter of the United Nations
  More than 60 United Nations Member States have never been Members of the Security Council.
  the Word of the Day
  The history of the Internet
  Transactions of the American Mathematical Society
  Proceedings of the Royal Society
  Types of problems and tasks

For example in

  Machine learning is a subfield of computer science that evolved from the study of pattern recognition and computational learning theory in artificial intelligence.

Why "the study". Please note there is not much context for the "study" and I suspect the possessive construction has a role.

Apart from these examples, I feel in Of-phrases the domain of objects become limited, and it allows to use "the" for the noun before "of". For example you can't say "the mouse"! which mouse? but you can say "the mouse of a computer" because in the domain of a single computer, mouse is specific.

For another example we may say "The manager of a shop" (even without any context) but not "the customer of the shop" (again without any context). maybe "the customers of the shop" or maybe just "customers of the shop". "the door of the house" but not "the window of the house", because without any context we don't have one window but one door. Similarly, "the head of a human" but not "the hand of a human" (maybe the left hand of a human).

Does this analysis creditable?


texts:
I wrote:

  A caption is usually a short text enclosed by a block-level HTML element, immediately following a table or an image.

"following a table or an image" is a reduced relative clause in which I want to use the adverb "immediately". I would like to know if I used it in correct position.