texts:
Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Lupin's right, right arm to Ron's left. Ron's face was set. He seemed to have taken Scabbers's true identity as a personal insult. Crookshanks leapt lightly off the bed and led the way out of the room, his bottlebrush tail held jauntily high.

The closest phrase I can get from dictionaries is "set one's face against", which means "To be strongly opposed to or disapproving of something.", but I'm not sure if it's the intended meaning in this context. What does "Ron's face was set" exactly mean?


texts:
May I know which one is grammatrical? (what I want to say is given a set of features, there is a set of features that must be selected)

  This feature set must be existed in any feature selection.

  This feature set must be exist in any feature selection.


texts: If he ............. shorter, he wouldn't have

texts:
Which option is right?

  Did you  hear than George got on the basketball team?
  If he ........ shorter, he wouldn't have.

  A) were to be

  B) has been

  C) had been

  D) is

I guess the right answer is A or C. But I cannot figure out what the sentence would imply if I chose one or another ? What would be difference ?

By the way I've read many websites on subjuctives.For example:

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/grammar_subjunctive.html
http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/wereto.html
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/subjunctive-verbs


texts:
[According to the dictionary][2]

to have:  18 not used in progressive tenses [+ object] a : to cause
(something) to be in a specified state or condition
He had dinner ready by the time she came back.
It's hard to think when she has the radio on so loud.
He had the computer working again very quickly.
Please have your assignment ready/done/finished/completed by tomorrow.
— also have got
She's got the radio on so loud.
Have you got your assignment ready? [=is your assignment ready?]

[to get][3]

[+ object] : to cause (someone or something) to be in a specified
position or condition
He got his feet wet when he stepped in a puddle.
He got his nose broken in a fight. [=his nose was broken in a fight]
I told you not to get yourself dirty.
You nearly got us both killed!
I need to get [=have] my hair cut.
She finally got her office organized.
He promised to get the work done quickly. [=to do the work quickly]
When you're making a measurement be careful to get it right. [=to do
it correctly]
Let me get this straight [=let me be sure that I understand this
correctly]: are you saying that you won't help us?

are they the same?
Are "he got his feet wet" and "he had his feet wet" the same?
Are "I told you not to get yourself dirty." and "I told you not to have yourself dirty." the same?
Are "He got dinner ready by the time she came back." and "He had dinner ready by the time she came back." the same?
Are "He got the computer working again very quickly." and "He had the computer working again very quickly." the same?
Also In British English "have got" means "have"
So, "she has the radio on so loud." and "she has got the radio on so loud." are the same?
But what about the past tenses?
For example, are "she had the radio on so loud." and "she had got the radio on so loud." are the same?
Are "The dolphin had its head stuck in a plastic bag" and "The dolphin got its head stuck in a plastic bag" the same?


texts: Why certain "of" constructions do not need the definite article and some others do?

texts:
Without federal inspection of meat, however, chances of contracting food-borne illnesses would be much higher and the everyday task of eating would be much riskier. (source: book We the People)

This sentence reads normal and commonplace, but when I try to discern what it is that distinguishes the three noun phrases in terms of article use, I couldn't quite identify it. I understand the reason behind the definite article in the last boldfaced noun phrase is that it is a specific reference while the other two generic, but what makes it so? What about the first two phrases that makes them non-specific?


texts: How to "apologize for the inconvenience" customer and invite to restaurant again - in the most short way?

texts:
How to say apologize for the inconvenience customer and invite to restaurant again - in the most short way?

Consider such case - restaurant has some emergency and you want politely ask customer to come again?

How it will say native speaker in short (not what build long sentences but pass message).

What phrase will use he/she?


texts:
This comes from Religion and Culture: Essays in Honor of Bernard Lonergan, S. J. by Bernard J. F. Lonergan:

  For Frankl's conception of the will to meaning as correlated
  questioning and answering allows one to perceive the two essential
  characteristics of the will to meaning as intentional: The will to
  meaning is the basic orientation, similar to Lonergan's notion of
  value, to question any value in order to each individual meanings.
  When conceived in this manner the will to meaning can be said to set
  up a horizon of unlimited possible answers that can be intended by an
  unlimited number of questions. The free choices which a person makes
  from the manifold values encountered intend and therewith constitute
  the specific world of freedom of the person.

I often see therewith with a word preceding it as in "in conjunction therewith" which roughly means "in conjunction with (that)", but in this example, I am not sure what it means.

I suppose it means "and constitute with that the specific world of freedom of the person", but what does "that" refer to? The subject is "The free choices", so I am a bit perplexed. Roughly, it should translate to "The free choices which a person makes from the manifold values encountered constitute with that the specific world of freedom of the person", but I have still no idea what "that" means.


texts:
The case was approved by the employer on 03.5.2014.

or

  The case is approved by the employer on 03.5.2014.

Which tense is better while preparing a report?
Simple present sounds better to me, but I can't be sure since "the approval" was received in the past.


texts: Can I change the "being" into "is" in the sentence "This layout poses many dangers for the historian, not the least of which being...."

texts:
This layout poses many dangers for the serious historian, not the
  least of which being the scornful reception that academics -
  motivated partly by snobbish elitism but also by genuine concern over
  scholarly standard - generally reserve for books apparently aimed at
  the popular market.

To my understanding, this sentence means that the layout may cause dangers to the serious historian, especially the scornful receptions from other academics. I am wondering if I can change the sentence into something like:

  This layout poses many dangers for the serious historian, among which
  not the least is the scornful reception reserved for books aimed at
  the popular market.

Is "is" grammatically correct in the sentence I put forward? Is not, why "being" would be grammatically correct? Also, why does the author put "not the least" in front of "of which"?


texts: Using Past and Present Tense in the Same Sentence

texts:
I have always struggled with past/present tense, especially when indicating something I found out that would still apply.

Example 1:

*This is what I found in the system.

vs.

This was what I found in the system.*

When I am explaining my findings from a report, is it more appropriate to use past/present tense because the conditions and data did not change.

Example 2:

Here are some highlights from the report:

Material 1234 does not have any inventory information.

In example 2, would "did not" be more appropriate?

Example 3:

I asked my manager, and it turns out that we do not need to attend the meeting.

I asked my manager, and it turned out we do not need to attend the meeting.

I asked my manager, and it turned out that we did not need to attend the meeting.


texts: I learned the phrase builder‘s yard in a dictionary as an example. But what exactly does it mean? i.e. its function, purpose, etc.  I failed to find out any definition in Wikipedia, nor with Google. Could anyone tell its meaning?


texts:
Is the for needed in the sentence below, and if so why?
The law currently prevents terminally ill patients to choose death and for physicians to aid them
The law currently prevents terminally ill patients to choose death and physicians to aid them


texts: What does "the objectification of women" mean in this paragraph?

texts:
A man does not have to call himself a feminist to treat women better than other people, and he does not need to worry about the issues that feminists make a big deal over either. For instance, one of those issues that feminists love to get all worked up about is the objectification of women, which is nothing more than the natural attraction instinct in all men. If men had not developed this instinct of being attracted to women based on their bodies, these feminists would not be alive today to complain about it.

I've searched on dictionary and find that "objectification" is "the act of treating people as if they are objects, without rights or feelings of their own", but I still don't understand the expression ""the objectification of women". Does it mean "what women find attractive in men"? (sorry because this topic can offend some people)


texts: Is there a word for pant sleeves? I know that 'sleeves' is used for sweaters, but what about pants? I don't think the phrase 'sleeve pants' is idiomatic. Is it? By pant sleeves, I obviously mean the part that covers the entire leg.


texts: 'Walked up the drive'; what does it mean?

texts:
'As I walked up the drive, his dog started barking.'

The expression 'walked up the drive' seems quite strange to me. I am unsure of what it means. Please explain and give some further examples.


texts: Present/Past Perfect: "He may have told her last week"

texts:
In the section "Complex anteriority: continuative and non-continuative perfects" of CGEL, there's this example given:

  He may have told her last week. - Non-continuative perfect

Now, I'm confused. Some sources tell me to never (never to?) use specific time expressions like 'last week' with present perfect (with 'in the last week' being okay as in "I have seen that movie six times in the last week."), so am I to understand it as something else? Is "He have told her last week" also acceptable or must I use "He had told her last week" ?

Is it like a remote conditional where the apodosis verb must be a modal aux?

  If the meeting finished on time, he may have caught the train

Thanks.


texts: Do "nested" and "embedded" mean the same?

texts:
When we have a loop and a second loop inside it, how do you refer to
the outer loop and the inner loop?

Which one would you call the "embedded" loop, and which one the
"nested" loop?

Which one would you call the "embedding" loop, and which one the
"nesting" loop?

Is it correct to say that the outer loop nests the inner loop, and
the inner loop is embedded in the outer loop?
Another example from a book in database

  A nested query is  a  query  that  has  another  query
  embedded  within  it.

  The embedded  query  can   be a  nested  query  itself;  thus
  queries  that have  very deeply nested structures are possible.

I guess the author means the outer query by the "nested" query, and
the inner query the "embedded" query. However, I feel both the
"nested" query and the "embedded" query should refer to the inner
query wrt the outer query.

why not call the outer query the "nesting" query, and the inner query both the "nested" query and the "embedded" query?

Thanks.


texts: Meaning of "to get through to something"

texts:
Take a look at this:

"After a year, the research participants had an angiogram—a special X-ray that shows the trickle of blood that gets through to the heart—and the results were compared to ..."

The author is talking about the arteries inside the heart; because the subject matter is heart disease. So shouldn't it just say:

"the trickle of blood that *gets through the heart"?

I don't get it!


texts: Question about meaning of "less-than-stellar" does it mean less than 90 percent or less than 60 percent?

texts:
To buy your first home, you likely will need a mortgage. In fact, before you even start looking at houses, you should look into your mortgage prospects.If you have good credit, a healthy income and money in the bank, you’ll be able to securemortgage preapproval quickly and proceed straight to the homebuying process. But if you have less-than-stellar credit, are self-employed or have little cash to bring to the table, you’ll want to start the process way before you look at houses – maybe more than a year before.“You have to get a copy of your credit report,” says Don Frommeyer, chief executive officer of the National Association of Mortgage Professionals and a mortgage broker in Indianapolis. “You have to know what’s in there.”The free credit report you can get annually, while it helps you identify problems, won’t show you the same credit score your mortgage officer will see. “The score is invariably higher than what you get when someone in the mortgage company runs it,” says Casey Fleming, author of “The Loan Guide: How to Get the Best Possible Mortgage” and a mortgage broker in the San Francisco Bay Area.
That makes meeting with a mortgage officer (or two or three) at the start of the process crucial. In competitive markets, agents won’t even show homes to buyers without mortgage preapproval.Be prepared to produce documents, and lots of them, starting with several years of tax returns and many months of bank statements. Lenders will want proof of your income, and they will want to know about all your debts. They also will want to know the source of any big deposits. If your parents give you money for a down payment, they will need to write a letter documenting that.

I think less than stellar means a little less than high. Based on my perception it means that if the best credit is 800 for instanse and your credit is a little bit less than 700, around 670, then you have a lousy credit for using a mortgage in this case.
I think the writer is not saying that if your credit is lousy you cannot buy. Because it is crystal clear that if someone has lousy credit ( less than 400) they are not eligble to be offered a mortgage. The writer is saying if your credit is even a little less than high score , then you would not be eligable.
Is my perception right?
Million thanks in advance


texts:
Now, productivity growth without job creation and more fiscal revenue is unprecedented in economic history.
  Now, productivity growth without job creation and more fiscal revenues is unprecedented in economic history.

The choice between revenue and revenues havs vexed me greatly. I saw it change from time to time. Is there a rule here?


texts:
I read the following in English vocabulary in use book.

  Yuko went out of the house and into the garden.

Is it common to use and with into?


texts: plural or singular verb agreement in this sentence

texts:
In another question I asked a question about this sentence

  For example these compounds are appropriate replacement for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to their low vapor pressure.

As a side node, the answer corrected it to:

  For example these compounds are an appropriate replacement for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to their low vapor pressure.

But I asked could it be:

  For example these compounds are appropriate replacements for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to their low vapor pressure.

Because the subject is plural?

It seems both sentence are possible, right? if yes why?

I felt after are I need a plural case, isn't it always right?


texts: An expression / a proverb to say: "liars often forget what they said"

texts:
As you may confronted some liars, you possibly would confirm that usually they forget what they have made-up and then related to you in the past and it's not unlekely that once they will forget in the future what they cited in the past.

I need an expression or possibly a proverb to explain the fact that usually all liars have a weak memory.

Example:

  A) I tell you I couldn’t have done the murder, because I was up in London when it happened.
  B) Which part of London?
  A) Battersea.
  B) Last time when I asked you, you said it was Bermondsey. Come on, let’s have the truth for a change. [The needed expression/proverb should come here.]

The only proverbial sentence I heard is:

  All liar ought to have a good memory!

but I have no idea whether it works in current English or it's a Shakespearian wording of the statement in my question or what! Please let me know about it.


texts: What's the meaning of the word "for" here?

texts:
From NPR: Obama's State Of The Union And Your Economic Reality
It describes the serious situation of the economy of the USA, and its effect for the next few years. The following is the second potential effect.

Secondly, you can have some potential long-term effect on the economy, what economists called scarring, which is that the longer people are detached from the labor force, the longer they don't have a job for, the harder it becomes for them to get a job. Their skills don't keep up with what's going on in the workplace, and the more you can really have permanent damage, permanent hit to those people themselves and to the economy's potential.

For what? I think the word "for" is redundant, isn't it?


texts: Commas in "The function is not reliable with low sample size, but in this case a good estimate can be found by simulations."

texts:
I know my question is a little bit specific, but I would like the following sentence:

The function is not reliable with low sample size, but in this case a good estimate can be found by simulations.

I would like to know where should I put commas. Should I put the comma before but? after the word "case"? or at both places?


texts: what is the meaning of "to get on board"?

texts:
Would you please tell me what it means to say "to get on board" in the following sentence?

  Nothing gets the organization on board quicker than clearly demonstrating the real impact of value pricing.


texts: Does saying "be right back in 1 hour" mean I'm going to be back in 1 hr? or does it mean I'm going to be gone in 1 hour?


texts: Do Adjetival structures subtitute structures with "OF"?

texts:
Please explain if these phrases mean the same thing:

"OTHER QUESTIONS TYPES"

"OTHER TYPES OF QUESTIONS"

Excess acid

Excess of acid.


texts:
In a case like “latest video” or “newest video”, which one is right? I have seen “newest” used on stackoverflow.com:

According to the online dictionaries I checked, “latest” = “most recent” and “newest” = “of recent origin, production, purchase, etc.”

So just wondering which one is the right one when describing a video that just came out.


texts:
They beat him till he fell to his knees.
  They beat him till he fell on his knees.

What's the difference between the two?
Are both of them grammatically correct?


texts:
Which one is correct, specialization in or specializing in?
This is to certify that A, was a full-time postgraduate student in the Doctor of Philosophy majoring in
X specialization/specializing in Y at University Name.
Do I need to include the word "program" before "Doctor of Philosophy"?


texts:
“Well then,” he said, running a hand through his hair and cutting his
  eyes anxiously towards the door. “I’ll leave you now. Hell of a thing
  that’s happened, good Lord. You must be feeling awfully rough. A good
  solid sleep will be the best thing in the world for you. Are you
  tired?” he said, looking at me closely. Was I? I was wide awake, and
  yet part of me was so glassed-off and numb I was practically in a
  coma.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

What does glassed-off mean here? Is it along the line of 'detached, sequestered?


texts:
In Braveheart (1995), William Wallace wants Murron to ridee with him but her parents
won't approve:

William Wallace: It's good Scottish weather, madam. The rain is
falling straight  down. Slightly to the side, like.
Mother: She can't go with you.
William Wallace: No?
Mother: No the now, anyway.

What does "No the now" mean?


texts:
If we are not sure whether this is a place with goods or just stock (or supplies of something), should we always use the noun "stores" (in the plural)?

My question was inspired by this definition (1.2) in the Oxford Dictionaries.

  (Stores) Supplies of equipment and food kept for use by members of an army, navy, or other institution, or the place where they are kept:

  -cupboards for medical stores
  -he keeps the ship’s stores
  -crates started arriving at the quartermaster’s stores

Can a store of raw materials mean both a place and stock?


texts: Difference He didn't buy "that" car VS He didn't buy the/a car? (grammar issue)

texts:
"that" when I have to use "that" in the simple sentence and what's different between "that" or "the/a" with

  He didn't buy "that" car

and

  He didn't buy the/a car

Ps: Please give me more example or any reference URL
Thanks


texts: What does this "as it might prove" mean?

texts:
This is from the book Far Above Rubies by George MacDonald. It reads...

  The narrative, such as it might prove, was at length finished, and had been read, at least with pleasure and hope, by his friend, who was still the only critic on whose judgement he dared depend, for he could not help regarding Annie as prejudiced in his favor, although her approval continued for him absolutely essential.

What does this mean? Is this an idiom?


texts:
What is the meaning of pelted with eggs in the following context?

I saw the following post on Facebook. The video shows two women stealing a charity box. The  description says

  The two Romanian gypsies pelted with eggs yesterday are at it again, this time stealing a charity box.

I couldn't find in the video neither eggs nor throwing something, then I guess that these words ("pelted with eggs") are an idiom rather than literally meaning.

By googling in some on-line dictionaries I didn't find an answer.

By googling I found it a lot especially in news sites. Here are 2 examples:

  President of Venezuela 'pelted with eggs' as protesters fight back over food and medicine shortages (mirror.co.uk)

Another one is:

  Nigel Farage and Paul Nuttall pelted with eggs while campaigning in Stoke-on-Trent (mirror.co.uk)


texts: What is 'or else' in 'is used alone or else with other'?

texts:
This condiment is used alone or else with other ingredients.

if I write this,w hat is this "or else"?

Not a threat?


texts: meaning: 'this made abuse of Mr X both a duty and a pleasure'

texts:
The Ghost's identity had leaked swiftly into the wider community, and this, coupled with the knowledge that he had been jointly responsible for the drowning of a three- year-old child, made abuse of {Mr X} both a duty and a pleasure.
  (The Casual Vacancy, by J. K. Rowling)

'this made abuse of {Mr X} both a duty and a pleasure'

What does the sentence above mean? Would you parse it?


texts: Absent some decisive and conciliatory moves from the rebel leadership in Donetsk, ... - no verb?

texts:
Source: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/07/18/buk_missile_mh17_shoot_down_putin_ukraine_rebels_war

  Absent some decisive and conciliatory moves from the rebel leadership in Donetsk, political pressure will shift to Moscow as the political context of the war shifts in two crucial ways. Kiev's determination to crush the insurrection will be redoubled and this time will receive much more evident encouragement from the West.

Could you please explain to me how that first phrase works in the first sentence?


texts:
I know we can answer either :

No, it's not
No, it isn't

But is it accepted and understandable to write :

  No, it'sn't

What about saying it ?


texts: "She is starting to understand" vs "She is understanding"

texts:
Do the two sentences mean the same thing?

(1) She is understanding more and more about physics everyday.
(2) She is starting to understand more and more about physics everyday.


texts: What should I use: on, at or another preposition... in "the wind blows....."?

texts:
What should I use: on, at or another preposition... in the following sentence?

"The wind is blowing hard ____ my back".

Is there any difference if it's "my face" or "my body"?

By the way, can I use "block" in this: "He stood there, blocked the wind for me"?
 (The wind was blowing in one direction)


texts:
Example:

Q1: Don't you like cats?

A1.1: Of course.
A1.2: Of course not.

For A1.1 and A1.2, which expresses I like cats?

Q2: Do you dislike cats?

A2.1: Of course.
A2.2: of course not.

For A2.1 and A2.2, which expresses I like cats?


texts: How would you turn that into a conditional sentence?

texts:
I'm not wealthy enough to buy a Rolls-Royce.

If this statement has to be conditional, would it be

  If I were wealthy enough, I would buy a Rolls-Royce.

or something else?


texts: Which adverb should be put ahead, time or purpose?

texts:
I understand the badness of my examples when I see Jan's answer, sorry for that.

How about these examples

  I lived with my grandparents in my childhood and moved another state 3 years ago in order to live with my parents.

  I lived with my grandparents in my childhood and moved another state, 3 years ago, in order to live with my parents.

  I lived with my grandparents in my childhood and moved another state in order to live with my parents, 3 years ago.

I suppose the 3 sentence above are all grammatical.

However, the first 2 sounds more natural. Is it true?

I am aware that "about three days ago" is a time adverbial phrase.

I guess "in order to live with my parents" is a purpose adverbial phrase, so it should be put at the end of a sentence. That's why first 2 sentences sounds more natural, right?

Note: the following are archived, only for corresponding to earlier comments.

I suppose these 3 sentence are all idiomatic and grammatical.

  My parents bought these cups about three days ago for drinking tea.

  My parents bought these cups, about three days ago, for drinking tea.

  My parents bought these cups for drinking tea, about three days ago.

It seems that the post made up the sentences claims the first 2 sound more natural. Is it true?

I am aware that "about three days ago" is a time adverbial phrase.

I guess "for drinking tea" is a purpose adverbial phrase, so it should be put at the end of a sentence. That's why first 2 sentences sounds more natural, right?


texts:
When I ask question by using examples, they often use "as in your example X" If they confirm my examples . Is it some kind of reduced phrase? or "as in" means "for example" ?

For instance:

Me: Can I use this structure in my sentences? And I give my examples.

Someone answering my question: Yes, you could use this structure, as in the sentence 3.

(Is this reduced phrase from something like this "as you used in the sentence 3" or just means "for example in the sentence 3")


texts: Should I use a definite article with 'media'?

texts: I found a bit of a discrepancy. On the one hand, in the Longman dictionary, the word 'media' goes with 'the' in expressions like 'the news media', 'the mainstream media'. On the other hand, through Google search, I found out that expressions like 'Chinese state media' go with no article. Please explain.


texts:
Moses came to buy weed from Hi-Hatz in exchange of Alien he found.
& also Moses harassed one woman in streets with masked-on.

  Hi-Hatz: You shot my food from Ron still?

  Moses: Sometimes.

  Hi-Hatz: There's better ways to make P's in the ends, you know. Man of
  your age should  step his game up. Move some white. I'm gonna put you
  on bail.

(Source : Attack the Block )

When I google P's in the ends it shows words ends with P, but here context is different to define it.

What is the meaning of "P's in the ends"?


texts: I don't get the exact meaning of "have + somebody + gerund" in this sentence

texts:
Doctor: well , Paul... let's get u bandaged up, we'll have you hobbling out of here in no time

is "hobbling" a gerund? to modify "you"? I'm not sure
please give me some examples like this structure


texts:
Consider these two sentences:

first one:

  If he asks me I will accept his offer.

and the second one:

  If he asked me I would accept his offer.

what is the exact difference between these two sentences?

Referring to my knowledge I think that the only difference is that the first sentence implies it is likely that he asks me but in the second it is unlikely that he asks me. Am I correct?

And my second question:

Is this sentence grammatically correct?

  If he asks me I would accept his offer.

If it is correct what is the difference between this sentence and the upper ones?


texts: meaning of "go through" in "the essay went through a few drafts"

texts:
“The essay went through a few drafts, and was later given a new
  title……”

  From
  https://www.ibtimes.com/are-aliens-real-winston-churchill-wrote-essay-extraterrestrial-life-2493038

How can I interpret “go through” here?

I first checked the OED.

  Go through

  intransitive. To complete or reach the end of an undertaking, process, etc.; to carry or follow something to completion or to its
  natural end; to do something thoroughly or completely.
  intransitive. With to. Esp. of a train: to travel or pass through various places to a final destination, esp. in a single journey.
  intransitive. a. Of a bill, motion, etc.: to be passed or ratified by a legislative or deliberative body. b. Of a deal, transaction,
  etc.: to be completed; to be officially approved or processed.

I find that “go through” generally means “experience” and “follow to its end”. Then I checked other dictionaries and sources.

Vocabulary.com has this entry for “go” and gives a relevant example:

  Progress by being changed

  “The speech has to go through several more drafts”

  https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/go

This website has an entry for “go through” and gives three examples. https://www.gonaturalenglish.com/phrasal-verb-go-through/

  To be successively published

  The Diccionario de la Real Academia Española, one of the most popular Castilian Spanish dictionaries, has gone through 23 revisions
  since first being published in 1780.
  I’ll be done with my doctoral thesis in March, after going through about a dozen drafts.
  I thought the copy machine was printing my proposal, but it went through about 100 copies before I realized it was printing blank
  pages.

Now I am completely confused.  Is there a nuanced meaning for “go through” in "the essay went through xx drafts?


texts: Question about highlighted part of this text

texts:
NEW YORK — Perry Ellis is not a brand that makes men nervous or causes them to titter. Even if a work-a-day guy doesn’t wear Perry Ellis clothes, he probably recognizes the name from those times he has wandered through a department store looking to stock up on dress shirts. Perry Ellis is not niche; it is mass. And its creative director, Michael Maccari designed a spring 2016 collection that was welcoming to a wide swath of men. Board shorts, crewneck sweaters, lean — but not tight — suits. Rich colors but nothing too psychedelic.
Much of what Maccari  put on the runway might actually have been better appreciated in a more intimate setting where audience members are able to put their hands on the fabric, see the details up close. But putting Perry Ellis on the runway during the inaugural season of New York Fashion Week: Men’s, served a larger purpose . It sent a message: This, too, is fashion. And there’s nothing to fear.

Could you explain in simple English that why the writer wrote Men's ? Men's what?

When saying it served a largere purpose , what does he mean by saying to serve ?


texts: Is it correct to use TrulyGamer or TrulyGamers combination of words?

texts:
So by definition Truly means something like genuinely, or properly, loyally or faithfully. So basically Truly Gamer would mean something like loyally or like real gamer.

But somehow I am not sure if it's proper use for this combination.

If I translate it to my language it translate it to something like real player.

So is it wrong or not to use this as a nickname or name for website or together genuinely like this?


texts: How about "When I saw Debbie, she had played golf"?

texts:
Oxford Guide to English Grammar; John Eastwood; Oxford University Press 1994-09

Page 94

  Compare the past continuous and past perfect continuous.

  When I saw Debbie, she was playing golf. (I saw her in the middle of the game.)

  When I saw Debbie, she'd been playing golf. (I saw her after the game.)

I think "When I saw Debbie, she had played golf" can also express "I saw her after the game". Am I right?

Is there any difference in meaning? Does the perfect continuous imply that "I saw her right after the game"?

relative: Is "Outside the house were two women talking" a grammatical/good sentence? partial inversion vs full inversion


texts:
I have included some data in the text. I would like to add a line to give information about the source of the data.
My question is, what is the right way to do it? The following are some possible ways to do it.

Source: World Bank “Annual Report 2019”

Source: World Bank, “Annual Report 2019”

Source: “Annual Report 2019”, World Bank

Source: World Bank Annual Report 2019

Source: World Bank, Annual Report 2019

Source: Annual Report 2019, World Bank

Thank you.


texts: "Something that interests me" and "Something interesting me"

texts:
I know that "something that interests me" and "something interesting me" are equivalent.
But I would like to know if there is any further subtle difference between these two?


texts:
What is different meaning between "I run him up the stairs" and "I make him run up the stairs."

Is Former situation I am with him, and latter situation I am without him?


texts:
Considering zinc's safety, people should consider taking zinc supplements, especially as they age—being sure to include copper in the proper balance.

What does the em dash function here? It does't seem like it is used as a parenthesis, as it ususally does.


texts:
As Cambridge says, stressed (out) means worried and nervous.
I want to know if it has the same meaning as "stressful", and "stress" used as a noun. In other words:
Are these three phrases the same? Or, better to say, do they carry exactly the same meaning? If not, what is their difference between them (if they are all used correctly)? Is one of considered more common than the others?

I'm stressed (out).
I have stress.
I'm stressful


texts:
I came across this phrase today in a rather humorous column:

  The last time I did [something] ... was 2000-never.

I've never seen this construct before. My guess is, that this means, the author did something the last time before the year 2000. Is that correct? Could I get some more examples?

Here is the phrase in context, to help give a better idea of how it's being used:

  For example, ordering anything on the internet and paying more than the cost of the item in shipping fees is pretty depressing. As a general rule, that puts a halt to my eCommerce experience before I press the "checkout" button. The last time I paid $15 for a great t-shirt and paid $16 to ship it was 2000-never.

The author seems to have a very good command of the English language, so now I'm wondering how prevalent this expression might be.


texts:
Feel(V):İf you talk about how the weather feels, you describe the weather,

especially the temparature or weather or not you think it is going to

rain or snow.

I have some confusion about this explanation.

İf I say;

A) it feels wintery cold today

I think it means ; it is wintery cold today

B) İt feels rainy today

I think it means ;  I guess ,it will rain today.

Am I right?

İf so, does it mean that if I use ''feel'' with temperature (cold ,Hot) it

means the realtime situation of the weather and if I use ''feel'' with

''rainy'', ''snowy'' it means what you guess about the soon future weather.?


texts: The meaning of "underwritten" in this sentence?

texts:
I'm having trouble understanding the meaning of underwritten in this sentence

  The actor plays a man who uses his disorder to balance books for criminals in a film that struggles to balance derivative action and underwritten romance

I searched dictionary for underwrite but none of the meanings makes sense when it's used as an adjective before romance


texts: Why do you say, "see A doctor", but " go to The doctor"?

texts:
I've been wondering for a long time why textbooks say, "see a doctor", but "go to the doctor".    What's the difference between "a doctor" and "the doctor".  When I go to my usual doctor, should I say, "go to the doctor"?  And when I haven't decided which doctor I'm going to see, should I say, "see a doctor"?
Or does "the doctor" mean a doctor's office? Or are they just idiomatic with the same meanings?


texts:
I want to tell a group of people who I am helping understand something that I do not have all the answers. I may not be able to answer some of their question as I don't know everything there is to know about some topic.

What do I fill ____ with?

  Right off the bat I want to _____ that I do not have all the answers

This is what I could think of but not sure if they fit:

say
declare
establish

Is there something else I could fill the blank with? I am not a native speaker so I can't decide. The context is formal.


texts:
Tell me please if I used yet correctly in the following sentence.

  For this exercise we could use a rubber band, but unfortunatly we don't have one yet.

I have noticed that natives predominantly use yet with the perfect tenses, so I am curious if it sounds grammatically OK with the present simple.


texts:
If I use a phrase "not only....but also", Which one is correct?

  1a. I don't only study a lot but also play a lot.

  2a. I not only study a lot but also play a lot.

  3a. Not only I study a lot but also play a lot.

And are there other saying ways?

In addition, I don't know how to make the negative of this sentence. Can these sentence be negative, like:

  1b. I not only don't study a lot but also don't play a lot.

  2b. Not only I don't study a lot but also don't play a lot.


texts: Does the use of the words "persistant" and "go for" , suit the text below?

texts: As I spotted the lesion under my tongue, I went for (I started using I mean) Chlorhexidine mouthwash. As you know, Doctor, it should be gargled twice a day, But I just gargled it one time, yesterday and forgot to continue. Is it possible the bactria in my lesion becomes persistant to the antibiotic ?


texts:
Can "FOR + period of time" be used in all tenses?

(1) Anna and Peter talk for two hours daily.

(2) Anna and Peter have talked for two hours.

(3) Anna and Peter have been talking for two hours.

(4) Anna and Peter talked for two hours.

(5) Anna and Peter were talking for two hours.

(6) Anna and Peter had been talking for two hours when I came.

(7) Anna and Peter will not talk for the next two hours.


texts:
the last two books

the two last books

Like the phrase" the two best friends"(I think)  the latter would be correct.
......

my last two books

my two last books

I am confused which of those could be correct!


texts: What do you need a lantern for vs. why do you need a lantern

texts:
Let's say you are borrowing a lantern from a neighbor because your house has a power outage. And then, the neighbor who will lend you the lantern asked you:

  You: Hello, can I borrow your lantern?

  Neighbor: (a) What do you need a lantern for? (B) why do you need a lantern?

What is the difference between that two?


texts:
Actually, I have a theoritical part to cover with details about Verb, Noun, Prepositional and Adjective Phrases regarding Complements of Adjectives.

I have done 80% of my work but still got stuck with this example and one more that I have encountered yesterday thanks for the support of members of this forum.

The first example was taken from this page.

  [4.1.5.22] It was most spontaneous for me to write in English.

In my opinion, I will put the italic phrase into Verb Phrase as there is a to-Infinitive clause here. However, how about for me? Maybe one will put them into Prepositional Phrase because of for?

My second question is which phrase should you put making cakes into? The example is: I am busy making cakes. I am doing research about Complements of Adjectives but I haven't met any example like this, check this page or that one. But it is true that making cakes here is a complement and I cannot ignore it.

Once again, I ask two questions at the same time. Sorry about this.


texts: In the sentence "...redirecting your focus on to what is working..." Why ON TO and not only TO?

texts: At first when I saw that sentence I thought the preposition ON was related to the verb focus, but at a second and third analyzes I sort of notice that focus is not being used as a verb in this sentence but as a noun, so that explanation doesn't apply. I thought then that maybe ON was related to the verb redirecting but couldn't find any instances when this preposition is used with that verb. So my question remains, why focus ON TO, when only TO would have conveyned the same meaning?


texts:
1) There is a color tone difference between the glass wall building and the prefabricated buildings.

  2) There is a difference in color tone between the glass wall building and the prefabricated buildings.

  3) There is a difference of color tone  between the glass wall building and the prefabricated buildings.

Which sentence is better than the others? Is there any grammatically wrong sentence or all of them correct or do sentences have different meaning ? I wonder if especially third one is correct or not.


texts: Does "ongoing" only refer to the present moment?

texts:
Can the word "ongoing" refer to past process?
Can I say "the game was ongoing when I arrived"?


texts: Should I use 'have' or 'get' in this sentence

texts:
I need to ask my colleague to delete an email account from a system. Which sentence is more appropriate for the above context?.

Please have the account deleted from AD
Please get the account deleted from AD


texts:
Could you possibly explain to me what could  "I need to (personally) rant" mean?

Does it mean like "I have some problems and I feel nervous or down and I have to share my problems with other people so that I can relax and relieve."


texts: Anyone can find the answer himself vs. anyone can find the answer themselves: what reflexive pronoun should I use with anyone/anybody?

texts:
I am wondering which following form is correct:

Anyone can find the answer himself.
Anyone can find the answer themselves.

More generally, what reflexive pronoun should I use with anyone/anybody?


texts: what is difference between present continuous and present perfect continuous

texts:
What is the difference between:

I am loving her.

and

I have been loving her.

Are there some errors out there in those sentences?


texts:
According to the dictionary definitions, the word "Savagary" can be either a countable or an uncountable noun.
I was wondering if using the article "an" is superfluous in the following example:

What terrorists do is an absolute savagery.


texts: What is the function of “can” in the following sentences?

texts:
It's hot in summer, we can go swimming.
It’s cold in winter, we can’t go swimming.

What is the function of can? Is it ability or possibility?


texts: What's the meaning of "Ride The Cyclone"?

texts:
It is a line from an American TV drama when a man saw a young boy after 5 years and said: Last time I saw you, you were too short to ride the Cyclone.

I searched on Google and it shows that ride a cyclone is a musical with music (I'm a non-American), and I was confused by the meaning of "ride"...

Can anyone give me some explanation about the whole line?


texts: My really old wonder: "defined by" v.s. "defined as"

texts:
I understand the following sentence:

  The rule was defined as ~~~~ by John.

It can be shortened by omitting "as ~~~~" or "by John", like

  The rule was defined as ~~~~.

  The rule was defined by John.

Now, my question is what is difference between "defined as" and "defined by" in the context of Mathematical papers or textbooks.

I saw many times they are used interchangeably, e.g.,

  The penalty function is defined by

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Equation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~, (1)

  where ~ is ~~~~~~~~~~~~, ~ is ~~~~~~~~~~~, and ~ is ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. (variable description)

and

  The penalty function is defined as

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Equation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~, (1)

  where ~ is ~~~~~~~~~~~~, ~ is ~~~~~~~~~~~, and ~ is ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. (variable description)

I guess that both are correct but the meaning is slightly different. What is exactly different???

Also, some people write

  where ~ is ~~~~~, ~ is ~~~~~, and ~ is ~~~~~~~.

but the others write

  where ~ is ~~~~~, ~ ~~~~~~, and ~ ~~~~~~~. (Only write the be-verb in the first one.)


texts: Why are there square brackets around "it's" here ([it's])

texts:
I am doing my homework about Pasive Voice and I don´t get why there is a square bracket. Surely, it is not so complicated, but I am a beginning student. Please, help me, I would thank you a lot!

"The other great thing about Miami is [it's] got a lot of culture there, specifically, Latin culture".


texts:
Last week, my friends and I talked about buying computers. We came up with four different ways of saying how much we would spend on a computer. I am going to write them down below.

(1) I want to buy a computer that costs between $700 and $1000.

(2) I want to buy a computer between $700 and $1000.

(3) I want to buy a computer in the price range from $700 to $1000.

(4) I want to buy a computer in the price range of $700 to $1000.

Which one(s) is/are grammatically correct? Thanks a lot.


texts: Is this called "a checkpoint" in English? Picture included!

texts: Could someone tell me what this is exactly called in English? I tried going with a "checkpoint" but I couldn't find further information and I need it for work urgently.


texts: Does "see you later" imply "I will see you later this day"?

texts:
Suppose I meet somebody on Monday morning; when I am departing, I say "See you later."

Does that mean I will see again that person during the day?
If that is what would be understood, what should I say when I am not sure when I am going to see again that person?


texts:
There is a genre of art called new media art or media art. What do you think about the expression "I created a media work"?

Edit:
If "I created a media work" is incorrect, what is a correct way?


texts:
If creators knew when they were on their way to
fashioning a masterpiece, their work would progress only
forward: they would halt their idea generation efforts as
they struck gold. But in fact, they backtrack, returning to
versions that they had earlier discarded as inadequate. In
Beethoven’s most celebrated work, the Fifth Symphony, he
scrapped the conclusion of the first movement because it
felt too short, only to come back to it later. Had Beethoven
been able to distinguish an extraordinary from an ordinary
work, he would have accepted his composition immediately
as a hit. When Picasso was painting his famous Guernica in
protest of fascism, he produced 79 different drawings. Many
of the images in the painting were based on his early
sketches, not the later variations. If Picasso could judge his
creations as he produced them, he would get consistently
“warmer” and use the later drawings. But in reality, it was
just as common that he got “colder.”

In the example Beethoven, backtracking seems to be positive because he revived the discarded the first movement. However,  he described backtracking as colder movement at the end.  I am so confused.  Is there anyone can explain the exact meaning of the Beethoven’s example?


texts: Is "other" singular and "others" plural?

texts:
I was asked this question today, but I am unsure how to answer that.

Why is

  “These others books.”

incorrect but

  "This other book."

is correct?  I thought other is singular and others is plural.


texts:
Somebody is knocking on the door. Which one should I say to my brother:

  Maybe it's your friend outside?
  Maybe that's your friend outside?


texts: What does this structure mean: "to be had"?

texts:
There was satisfaction to be had in reversing viewpoints.

What does to be had mean in this sentence?


texts:
My brother usually tutors me and explains to me how to do the homework and I am the one who actually does it. Can I say

My brother usually helps me (to) do my homework.

Does this sentence imply that my brother is the person who does the homework?
If so, how should I express the idea?


texts: Why should I say, for example, 'the city of New York' instead of just 'the city New York'?

texts: Can I say, another example, 'the city London', without 'the', if I refer to the settlement itself, not "the city" within it (that financial district of London with skyscrapers and stuff)? I see no grammatical impediment not to do it. You wouldn't say 'the writer of Arthur Conan Doyle', right? Why wouldn't it work the same way with the names of cities?


texts:
I have had two kids since 2005.

I am confused with this sentence. How can "have" & "had" be used together?


texts: What does "pick up more than a little caring cachet en route" mean?

texts:
I read an article by Margarette Driscoll, there are parts that I don't understand. I would appreciate it if you could help me.

  Two hundred years ago, all the women might have been trudging down the lane from the manor house bearing a basket of goodies for the poor. These days, they can jet to their particular good cause and—who would deny them this?—pick up more than a little caring cachet en route.

I need to know the meaning of the last sentence. "Pick up....."
Thanks a billion


texts:
The train has been cancelled.
The train is cancelled.
The train has cancelled.

Which one is the correct sentence ?


texts:
To ask where the location of a state is as part of a larger area, we can ask

  Where in the US is Montana?
  Montana is in the North of the US.

What about a question on the locations of two countries for example?
I mean a question the answer to which is:
"Canada is north of the US."

Something like:

  Where of the US is Canada located?
  It is North of the US.

The form sounds kind of strange to me, though. Is there a better way to ask that question?


texts: Amy has had many different jobs : contraction

texts:
Can we contract the sentence

  Amy has had many different jobs

to this one?

  Amy's had many different jobs


texts: Does the sentence "I read a book yesterday " mean that the book was finished?

texts: Let's say I ask someone what did you do yesterday and they answer with I read a book yesterday. Does that mean they read the book till the end? If so, then how do I say that I read a book, but I didn't finish it?


texts: How to convert these sentences into questions

texts:
How can I convert each of these sentences into a question with the phrasal verb 'put forward' in it?

I have put forward my watch by 10 minutes.
The meeting has been put forward to Monday.

(Where the answer would be like, '10 minutes' or 'Monday' in the above examples)
Any variations of examples appreciated.


texts:
Do they mean the same? Or different things?

For example, are the people at the back of this picture sitting at the glass wall? Or by the glass wall?

Example sentence:

  While eating at the cafeteria, I spotted eyes peering at me. They belonged to a man sitting at/by the glass wall.


texts: Why is present perfect not possible in this case

texts:
Two days ago I tried to order a book but could not pay because your system  has not accepted Paypal payments yet.
I don't understand why present perfect with yet can not be used
yet means that one day the system will accept this payment but not now, so I really don't understand why it is not possible.


texts: Why the definite article in "with just the suggestion of a smirk"?

texts:
This sentence from the Oxford Dictionaries Online makes me wonder about its use of the definite article.

  I leaned back in my chair with just the suggestion of a smirk on my face. (source)

Why is the definite article used here? Of course "with just the suggestion of" is by no means uncommon. But the indefinite article appears to be a more common option. See Google Books, Google NGrams.

What is the collocation/idiomatic phrase here? Is it "just the + noun"? What are some other examples? Any difference in meaning between the two articles in the sentence at issue?


texts:
During the height of the blizzard...

Would during and of both be prepositions, if so what would be the prepositional phrase for the two prepositions?


texts:
What does "be true of" mean in the following context?

  There is a debate in the literature on properties between the abundant conception of properties (, according to which there is a property corresponding to every natural language predicate and, more generally, every class of individuals,) and the sparse conception of properties ( , according to which a predicate expresses a property only if the objects that predicate is true of resemble one another in an intrinsic way ) .

p.s. The above sentence is quite long, so I get the structure across with brackets. Please feel free to point out if I make any errors.


texts:
What is the difference in meaning with and without 'the'?
1- Terrorists bombarded a school in Afghanistan. Buildings near it were heavily damaged.
2- Terrorists bombarded a school in Afghanistan. The buildings near it were heavily damaged.
3- Houses near mine are very beautiful.
4- The houses near mine are very beautiful.


texts: Do we have to use "will + verb" when using "till"

texts:
In present and future time references, do we have to use the future aspect before "till"

Sentence I:

  The hair and nails will continue to grow till you die.

I ask, because, to my mind, the act of growing is a fact; so it makes more sense to me to say:

Sentence II:

  The hair and nails continue to grow till you die

However, I have some doubts about my using sentence II without the modal "will". Is sentence I more grammatically acceptable than sentence II?


texts: In simple words, what is the difference between 'possible' and 'probable'?

texts:
Would anyone kindly explain the difference between these?

Possible
Probable

I have searched dictionaries and on all over the Internet, but I have not been able to understand yet what the difference is!


texts: 'thrashing in the trees' or 'thrashing the trees'

texts:
The wind was thrashing (in) the trees.

Should we have 'in' in the sentence?

I googled it and it seems both were used.

Both are correct? Thank you!


texts:
What's the idiomatic verb that goes together with the fulfilling of a promise?

Some example I thought of - are:

  Please, if you promise something, then _____ it.
  He always _____ his promises.
  I don't like to promise promises if I don't know for sure that I'll____ them.
  It's very good to promise promises but it's even better to____ them.

The words that I can think of are: fulfill, do, make it true.


texts:
I wrote:

  A rule is matched based on the properties of the current node and the current values of context variables.

context variables are specific, then I thought it must be:

  ... the current values of the context variables.

But then I though when values have a the, I might not need to use another "the" for context variables.

Is there such a rule?!

What about the first part:

  ... current values of the context variables.

does values need the? why?


texts:
I am writing about poker tournaments. I need to express the idea that there are two types of tournaments - open (everyone can participate) and the tournament where there are certain terms for participation (promo code, invitation, etc.)

What's the right word for that second kind? Restricted, private, exclusive, limited? I can't find the right word for that one.


texts: Is there a usage like "help do something"?

texts:
It is the article I saw on the bbc news few months ago.

  He stood by a pledge, made in a speech sunday in Cairo, for funding to HELP BUILD "human capacities,infrastructure and so on for those  blablabla"


texts:
I have some question about the usage of the prepositions "among" and "in".
I have two contexts here.  The first context concerns virus infection.

  1a. The infection rate among elderly patients remains high.
  1b. The infection rate in elderly patients remains high.

The second context concerns graduation rates:

  2a. The graduation rate among recent immigrants remains low.
  2b. The graduation rate in recent immigrants remains low.

Google searches suggest that, for the first context, both sentences 1a and 1b using prepositions "among" and "in" are standard English.  But for the second context, Google searches suggest only sentence 2a using "among" is standard English.  What do native speakers think?


texts: How can I say about my marks at university?

texts:
I want to say to my friends or parents about my marks at university. How can I do it right?
For instance,
I've got 9 marks out of 10 for my last homework.
How can I say about that I got the highest mark for math test?
Where can I find a different combination of examples to say it?


texts: Idiom for making others feel bad to make myself feel good?

texts:
Are there a stable expression for a situation when Person A blames B and tells how B is bad in order to make himself (A) feel good?

I would say something like "feed ego at cost of others", but I google it and it looks like "feed ego" has rather positive meaning in English and means "making feel good by doing good work or receiving a compliment".


texts: Has or have usage with this particular sentence

texts:
If any of Canadian publishers already have/has the rights for this book?

Which one is correct or both are possible?


texts:
Does "The computer demonstrated the app" sound wrong or otherwise unnatural?
If so, why?

I'd think the sentence describes an automatic process whereby the computer was programmed to demonstrate the app. Is that the only natural context in which it could be found?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Which one is correct: a strong motivation or strong motivation?

texts:
Can you tell me which one is grammatical and why ?

  When you start learning a new language, you need a strong motivation.

Or

  When you start learning a new language, you need strong motivation.


texts:
While the company was dodging me, it was also monitoring me. At my request, a number of police officers had run my photo through the app. They soon received phone calls from company representatives asking if they were talking to the media

This is from a newspaper. I cannot find an appropriate meaning of "run" in the dictionaries. What's the meaning of this "run"? Would anybody tell me what I should refer to in a dictionary when I look "run" up in a dictionary?


texts:
I'm translating a lawsuit (PDF). There are three sentences that use "challenged" and I wonder what it means in each case:

  As to interbrand competition, Sylvania, unlike Schwinn, had an insignificant market share at the time it adopted its challenged distribution practice and enjoyed no consumer preference that would allow its retailers to charge a premium over other brands.

(Page 1, line 13.)

  This was precisely the theory on which the Government successfully challenged Schwinn's customer restrictions in this Court.

(Page 3, line 3.)

  This Court relied on Schwinn's market position as one reason not to apply the rule of reason to the vertical restraints challenged there.

(Page 6, line 7.)

Please reword in plain English because I'm not a native speaker.


texts:
Our minds are extremely potent devices.

This is a sentence of a novel. But is  mind not a single entity? How can we use minds and devices here, which are showing plural form.
Suggestions please. Thank you.


texts:
By about 10,000 years ago, nearly 100 species of large animals had been recently driven to extinction around the globe.

Can you decipher this structure of the above sentence? I guess it can be rephrased as "Nearly 100 species of large animals which have been existed from 10,000 years ago, had been recently driven to extinction around the globe." Correct?


texts:
Example (NASA's Curiosity Rover Eyes Weird Rock On Mars):

  Measurements by Curiosity's rock-zapping ChemCam laser and another instrument revealed that the target, a chunk of bedrock dubbed Elk, contains high levels of silica and hydrogen, NASA officials said.

What exactly does that adjective mean?


texts: Why are there no commas before some prepositional phrases and not others?

texts:
I was taught that there shouldn't be any commas before or after prepositions. Why is that in some sentences such as sentence 1 below, a comma before "of" is permitted?

  Detective Polly found that, of the hundreds of cases of malaria near the river, all but three involved near the contaminated pump.

Or for sentence 2, why do we have to have a comma between "program" and "from"?

  They now operate from 12 to 2pm, and the government funds every aspect of the program, from the jerseys to the coaches.

Or for this sentence...why is that we can't have a comma between "VP" and "about"?

  I signaled to the VP about the wrinkle on his tie.


texts: Past simple in subordinating clause + perfect simple in main clause in the same sentence

texts:
I'd like to ask if it is  wrong to say a sentence such as the following just because perfect and past tense is used together :

  As the operating system was upgraded, programmers have been finding new efficient ways to code it.

or should it be as follows :

  As the operating system was upgraded, programmers found new efficient ways to code it.


texts: Two concerns on this text regarding "sick" and "up and go"

texts:
What my family lacked was a father, but a father doll was a true rarity. Nobody I knew had a father doll. Most of the kids I knew didn’t even have fathers. I didn’t have a father; mine died when I was two. My family consisted of my mother, my grandmother, and me. That was perfectly normal. Fathers had a tendency to die, or to lose themselves to alcoholism, or to simply “ up and go .” Our next-door neighbor up and went to the Far North one night. He announced his decision by screaming on the staircase, “I’m sick of you all!”
“So you’re just gonna up and go, huh? Well, good riddance!” his wife screamed back. But his three-year-old daughter cried for weeks. I could hear her through the thin walls of our apartment.

What does it mean up and go?

Does the word sick here mean ** hate and dislike** or angry . they say I am sick and tired of you and that means I am angry with you .


texts:
What's the difference between:

  What should we be doing if the inflation goes up?

and

  What should we do if inflation goes up?


texts: If someone says,"women in shapeless cotton dresses", does he means the women are wearing ugly dresses?

texts:
Women in shapeless cotton dresses

What does “shapeless” most probably mean here?

Does it mean "ordinary", or "bad-looking", or "without attractive design"?


texts:
what's the meaning of "stuff like that"?

  In Jordan, they threw us in large camp where we lived in a tent. The United
  Nations gave us some food and opened schools, stuff like that, but when the
  PLO started, the FBI started behind us.


texts: What is 'round in "Gather ’round and listen close"?

texts:
In page 11 of this book: Algorithms by DPV a line confused me:

  Gather ’round and listen close.

I thought it means to come close and listen carefully, but I get stuck by the 'round form. Does it mean around? Why can an English word start off with punctuation?


texts: well off / Okay / good and How to use placeholder 'it'

texts:
Here's the context.

  We had been dating for more than a year until we broke up a month ago. I' okay now.

  However, the very first few days that I spent alone without her, it (seemed  / was) like something I could never overcome.
  However, the very first few days that I spent alone without her, it seemed almost impossible to get over her and become (well off / okay / good)

Q1. which one is natural among the words in the bracket.

Q2. in the #1, I tried to make 'it' and 'the very fist few days' equal, whereas In the #2, 'it' represents 'to get over~~',did I do well?

Q3. Here we can not remove 'the' from 'the very first few days' because it's definite time, right?


texts:
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) sometimes gets used as a synonym or shorthand for Active Directory® itself.

Question: Is "Gets" usage in this sentence correct? Can we omit 'Gets' and rephrase as below?

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) sometimes used as a synonym or shorthand for Active Directory® itself


texts: Help understanding "This city admits no near equal"

texts:
Can you please help me rewrite this sentence into another easily understandable phrase?

"This city admits no near equal".

The sentence comes from a travel video I've been watching, in which the representer was in New York city. While being at the Grand Central Depot, he said through an old guide book whose author was Appleton:

  "It's been replaced by a lofty temple, a building of such elegance, sophistication and grandeur that the Big Apple says 'I don't care where you've been before, this city admits no near equal'".

I've took a try for a while but it seems the whole sentence can hardly be translated exactly into my native words (Vietnamese) by anyhow. To be honest, I really wanted to ask "what does this sentence mean", but it seems silly.

Also, I'm wondering if I used it correctly: "easily understandable" or "easily understood"? Is there other single word which delivers the same meaning?


texts: Which one is the best for this exercise and why

texts: We should answer “Yes” first to the question “May/Can I help you?”, right? So I think the answer is B. Am I right?


texts:
I'm from Russia, and of course my native language is Russian. But I read a lot of English books. And periodically I meet word "being". I think it's like be + ing, but don't fully understand word "being". I know that word use in bible, and it meant all around what exist, time + space. But what mean this word in ordinary life?
I meet this word at like following sentence:

  This makes constructing entities easier, and it also allows the developer to define a set of entities that are interesting for the game that’s being developed.


texts: What does "its windows" refer to in this context?

texts:
The Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling 1997, Ch. 6, pg. 83)

  The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

'It' is used when we mention what we had just said in the previous sentence, so I thought 'it' here means a mountain because there's nothing else that can be 'it' in 'Perched atop a high mountain on the other side'.

But what is 'mountain's windows' then? Does a mountain have windows?


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to put an "article" before "follow the rule"?

For example:

If the product follows the ABC design rule,......
If the product is made by following the ABC design rule, .....

I know the second one is correct, but if possible, I'd like to simplify the sentence as much as I can.


texts:
I would like to know what the states where data is pronounced like "Dayta" are or what's this accent called?

Also, where is it pronounced normally like "daata"? and what's the name of the accent?


texts:
"He can not be helped."

Is this possible and a way of saying that the person, he in this case, has no chance of being helped? (I'm not sure if "being helped" is possible either)
I think "It can't be helped" is a set phrase but I didn't find anything beside that. Would I have to phrase this in the active voice? "You can't help him" "There is no help for him/ no helping him."


texts: "Was never heard from ever again since" and should I be using Present Perfect Continuous

texts:
Let's say we have someone of whom we've never heard of ever again since some event.
Do I say:
"And he was never heard from ever again since" or "He has never been heard from ever again since".
The latter seems much more correct to me, but the fact that the former is much more widespread keeps throwing me off.


texts:
What is the meaning of the phrase in the same breath, in the context of the following sentence

Once the complainant opted for the refund of the amount deposited by her, later on she could not turn around and say that she be allotted a unit. She could not approbate and reprobate in the same breath


texts: Is there any rule that governs whether we will use hyphen or concatenate two words like homemade?

texts:
I mean is there any rule to avoid spelling mistakes in these cases?

Why we write homemade but we cannot write readymade, and we write ready-made instead?

Also why shut down and hand over are verbs while shutdown and handover are nouns?


texts:
What is the difference of customers(plural) to clientele?

  The customers of Computer XYZ xyz are not happy with the products anymore.

Vs.

  The clientele of Computer XYZ are not happy with the products anymore.

Is this a formality matter or better vocabulary skills?


texts:
Robert and his family will move to the country and live there for a short period of time.
  Will Rob return to his home country?
  He will live in a remote country where has fewer friends.

In the three sentences, can the word country be replaced with word nation? Are they always same to interchangeable?


texts: what is the common terms for different types of phones?

texts: There are different kinds of phones, portables, fixes and among portables there are android/ios/windows phones smart as computers and other far more simple devices just with  function to call/answer. How they are called in common language? i especially look for name of simple non-smart gadgets.


texts:
Friedrich Nietzsche, the philosopher thought to have died of syphilis, was the victim of a posthumous smear campaign by anti-Nazis, new research shows.

Source: https://www.smh.com.au/world/nietzsche-died-of-brain-cancer-20030506-gdgprc.html

Do you find the passage in bold OK? It is as if Nietzsche himself thought to have died of syphilis. I presume that the correct meaning suggests that this is the opinion shared by the public. So I would write "the philosopher who is thought to have died of syphilis".


texts: are "clothes of a particular type" & "a particular type of clothes" the same?

texts:
Now, are "to wear clothes of a particular type**" &
"to wear a particular type of clothes**" the same?

  When is it appropriate to wear clothes of a particular type?

and

  When is it appropriate to wear a particular type of clothes?


texts: Present Continuous Passive Voice & Modal Verb

texts:
I'd like to explain the following:

  (1) Only one simulation can be published at the same time.

emphasizing the continuous aspect of publishing, like::

  (2) Only one simulation can be being published at the same time.

so it won't sound like we can have only one simulation published, while we can have multiple ones, but only one can be in a process of publishing.

Since the (2) doesn't sound right, I wonder whether it's correct? And how to explain it properly, if it isn't?


texts:
Why does a man use 'yourself' but not 'you'?

  I take an interest in people like yourself. Creative people.

from Pawn Sacrifice film about Bobby Fischer


texts: Are you up for it? OR Are you down for it? If I want to convince someone

texts:
This was surprising for me.

  "I am up for it" = "I am down for it!"

Let's build a case.

Case:

We are a group of 5 people. Two want to watch 'Titanic', I want to watch 'Avengers'. Now, I want remaining two to be with me! Shall I use 'down' for 'Titanic' to ask them?

  Hey, you both... are you 'down' for Titanic?

I'm actually giving them a hint by having 'down' and 'Titanic' together.

On the other hand,

  Hey, you both... are you 'up' for Avengers?

Here, should they consider 'up' and 'Avengers' and say, 'yes'?

Furthermore, do these sentences have any other impact semantically? Am I going to 'lose' those two votes if say like this -

  Hey, you both... are you 'down' for Avengers?  Hey, you both... are you 'up' for Titanic?


texts:
I wrote:

  Before bringing more examples of how the extraction rules are used, let us review the data extraction algorithm.

I know "let's" is not formal, but what about "let us" in written language. Which alternatives can be used instead of it?


texts: Expression UK radio hosts and MCs use to shout out to friends/fans

texts:
I notice this mainly in drum 'n' bass/grime/dubstep radio shows from UK where an MC or the host frequently talks over the tune. Similar to terms like 'shout out to xxx' or 'big up xxx', where xxx denotes a fellow artist/listener/twitter user, they greet them with an expression that sounds to me like 'anti', 'n-type' or 'entire'.

What are they actually saying, what does it mean, where does it originate from?

Example: https://youtu.be/U6mIumn0Fck?t=15m42s

I assume this is urban UK slang because I haven't noticed it anywhere else.


texts: Is there any difference between adept at and adept in? Should you believe it utterly depends on the context, I would be grateful if you would at least provide a brief explanation of how it depends.


texts: Of high stature or just "a man" of high stature"

texts:
Once when someone was talking about someone else's high stature, I heard he said a sentence; I immediately took a note and wrote it inside of a paper, but whereas he was a non native person for a long time I had some questions in this respect; He said:

  ...; he is a man of high stature.

1) My first question is that whether this sentence is idiomatic and natural to you or it doesn't?

2) The second question is that if it is possible to omit the bold part "a man" in the manner that the sentence would sound natural again or not?

3) Can this sentence be interpreted as "He is a great man"; I mean if these two mean the same or not?


texts: Just turn around from there or right there

texts:
If we want a person to turn around from where he's standing, and don't want that person to enter our room, will it be natural to say:

  Just turn around from there.

  Just turn around right there.

Are both of them equally natural? Can both of them be used and are they common (especially the first one).


texts: I have a problem with this sentence.'Sometimes you will be asked to identify how one paragraph relates to another.'

texts:
Please can anyone explain why 'Sometimes you will be asked to..' OR 'In Factual Information questions you are asked what information an author has presented.' ?
Why not "Sometimes you will be ask" or 'In Factual Information questions you are ask..'????
As I know Asked is the past simple but why there is I see will be + asked.


texts:
I have come across it in this news article.

The protests were not authorised and in Khabarovsk the meeting point
had been taped-off overnight, supposedly for Covid 19 disinfection.
But the crowds marched in any case, and the police - on this occasion
didn't intervene.

I would like also know whether it was used as an adjective or phrasal verb.


texts: What is the difference between "in a bit, shortly, soon" vs "later"?

texts:
When texting via Instant Messaging apps, what would be appropriate to say when we do not intend to respond to the other person?  "in a bit, shortly, soon" vs "later" - The first three phrases here literally mean the same thing and mostly interchangeable compared to the phrase "later".
Can we use all of them interchangeably?
Would it be a mistake to say I'll respond to you shortly/soon/in a bit and take days to respond? Can we substitute the phrase "later" in this context?


texts: Should we always use "between" with "and"? What about using "between" with "or"?

texts:
I know I can say

  I have to choose between A and B.

I am wondering if I can say something like:

  I have to quickly decide between doing it now or tomorrow.

And generally speaking, is it correct to use between and or together?


texts:
Sulinor rubbed his wrists again. 'We were towing our longboat
  half-full. I steered somewhat that day.'

  'What sail were you showing?' Baeticus demanded.

  'Nothing--and twice too much at that. But she came round when
  Sulinor asked her, and we kept her jogging in the lee of the island. I
  said, didn't I, that my girt-hawsers were on deck?'

This is from "The Manner of Men" by Kipling.
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/k/kipling/rudyard/limits/chapter19.html

I do not understand the meaning  below.

What sail were you showing

and

and twice too much at that.

I am glad if some one would kindly teach me.


texts:
'past perfect tense' or 'present perfect tense': Which one should I use in the following context?

The FIFA World Cup is one of the greatest shows on Earth. Of all the FIFA World Cups I have watched, the 2014 competition is the most memorable for me. The goal that Rodriguez scored is my favourite goal ever. I have/had never seen a goal like that before.

Here I want to mean that I hadn't seen a goal like that before and I haven't seen one since then.


texts:
In this video The Truth About Sugar - New Documentary 2015, a woman holds a donut in her hand and says 'I love my sweet treats'.

Does sweet treats mean sweet food in general?

Please give me some examples of this phrase.


texts:
Military conscription is required of all Israeli citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 years old.

Is the usage of "between the ages of 18 and 25 years old" correct here? Is the word "old" acceptable or necessary here?

  Dad retired at the age of 56.

Can I say -"Dad retired at the age of 56 years old?"


texts: A question regarding using the definite article

texts:
Supposed that I already stated earlier that it was raining for while and I gave a good description of how it looked like. Now, I am wondering if I can use Rain without any articles so that only the general idea of raining is conveyed?

  Once rain was down to drizzle, I decided to move on.

I also, searched the internet and it seems for the new status of the weather, an indefinite article is usually used. So, if my sentence is wrong without any article preceding drizzle?


texts: Contradiction abide or contradiction abides

texts:
In the following sentence

While the contradiction between modernity and deeply retrograde systems of discrimination abide, the acknowledgment by the world’s leading space agency of those that helped it become so is a welcome correction.

I think contradiction is the subject and therefore abides should be used. Am I correct?


texts: Is "you can enjoy local foods, which are very cheap and exquisite, enjoy shopping, and more" grammatically correct?

texts:
There was a line in a tourism pamphlet that caught my eye. It was like the following:

Nearby the hotel is a one of the world's largest commercial complexes where you can enjoy local foods, which are very cheap and exquisite, enjoy shopping, and more.

I think it wanted to say that visitors can shop, have some exquisite local foods, and enjoy more activities. I am not sure that is grammatically right though (how they write "~ and more" at the end). I have always thought "~and more" and ", etc" were for lists of nouns. Plus, the relative clause in the sentence ("which are very cheap and exquisite") only makes the sentence more complex and chaotic.
Is the grammar and syntax of this sentence apprpriate?


texts: What does "Methinks the lady does protest too much" mean here?

texts:
I would like to know what "Methinks the lady does protest too much" means in the following sentences:

‘Yep,’ says Will. ‘Lost all the feeling in the pads of these fingers.’
He holds up one hand towards me. ‘The fingerprints have gone from a
couple of them.’ I squint. They don’t actually look all that different
to me. And yet I find myself saying, ‘Oh yes, I think I can. Wow.’ I
sound like a fangirl.
Charlie turns to me. ‘I didn’t realise you’d seen the show,’ he says.
‘When did you watch it? We’ve never watched it together.’ Oops. I
think of those afternoons, setting the kids up with CBeebies, and
watching Will’s show on my iPad in the kitchen as I heated up their
dinner. He looks to Will. ‘No offence, mate – I do keep meaning to
catch it.’ This isn’t true. You can tell from the way he says it that
it isn’t true. He hasn’t made any attempt to sound genuine.
‘No offence taken,’ Will says mildly.
‘Oh,’ I say. ‘I’ve never watched the whole thing. I . . . caught the
highlights, you know.’
‘Methinks the lady does protest too much,’ Peter says. He takes hold
of Will’s shoulder, grinning. ‘Will, you’ve got a fan!’

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 12

This is a thriller novel published in 2020 in the United Kingdom. One hundred and fifty guests would be gathering at some remote and deserted fictional islet called Inis an Amplóra off the coast of the island of Ireland to celebrate the wedding between Jules (a self-made woman running an online magazine called The Download) and Will (a celebrity appearing in a TV show program called Survive the Night). The day before the actual wedding day, Hannah, the wife of Charlie (Jules' friend), arrived at the island and is now at the dinner party for the rehearsal dinner with only some selected guests. And during the party, Hannah accidentally reveals that she saw Survive the Night, and nearly fangirled Will. At this, Charlie, who has always been disapproving Will, asks his wife when she watched it. So Hannah says she didn't watch the whole thing, but just caught the highlights. Then Peter says, "Methinks the lady does protest too much."
In this part, I wonder what "Methinks the lady does protest too much" means.
Is it right to understand that "the lady" here refers to Hannah, and that Peter is basically saying "Stop negating, I know you're already in love with Will!"?
In short, I am finding it difficult to understand what "methinks" and "protest to much" mean here, and who "the lady" refers to.


texts: Are arguments for a point the same as benefits of a point?

texts:
When there is a question asking for arguments for something, is that the same as asking for the benefits of the point I am taking about?

This is the actual question:

  "Answer with reference to arguments for and against ideas of capitalism based on shareholder value."


texts: reduced oxygen levels is / are a problem?

texts:
I'd like to know whether "is" or "are" should be used in the following on standardized tests:

  Reduced oxygen levels in the river is / are a problem for aquatic life.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Meaning of "all the way" in "all the way on the right"

texts:
In this dialogue:

  Which one is your mother?
  The one all the way on the right.

I don’t get the meaning of “all the way”.
Does that mean on the distance?


texts:
What does "doing X on the go" mean?

Example:

  Use your phone camera to turn anything into a PDF on the go.

What I have read so far:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/on_the_go lists 2 meanings for "on the go":

(idiomatic) Actively traveling; busy; moving often. Example: "A good suitcase is essential for someone who is on the go as much as he is.".
In progress; having started. Example: "The new initiative is now on the go".

None of these two meanings match the "doing X on the go" pattern.

The following dictionaries also don't have any meaning  matching the "doing X on the go" pattern:

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/on+the+go
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/on-the-go


texts:
The question that I have is how to describe a side dish for my main meal. The options that I have in mind:

I had a steak with fries as a side dish.
I had a steak with some fries on the side.
I had a steak with fries side dish.

Of course, it might happen that all these options are incorrect. I would like to know what the most common expression is.


texts:
I was taught like,  one can switch "Could" with "Would Be Able To",
in a sense of hypothetical usage, and the future in a past tense like this one below.

  I thought you could catch it.

  I thought you would be able to catch it.

Q.1) But, can you put "Would Be Able To" into the place of the "Could" which is a past form of can?

  When I was young, I could touch a bug with bare hands.

  When I was young, I would be able to touch a bug with bare hands.

Q.2) How about the polite version of can?

  Could you do this for me?

  Would you be able to do this for me?

I'm not worrying about the subtle nuance differences. I'm just worried that they can't be exchanged at all.


texts:
Heidegger responded to this expression of philosophical comradeship with gratitude, and for the next year a flurry of letters passed between them, as did copies of writings that, by that point, reflected utterly different approaches.

May be I'm wrong but I presume that the core of the above sentence is: Heidegger responded to this expression of philosophical comradeship with gratitude, and for the next year flurry of letters passed  between them reflected utterly different approaches; and the bold passage is some sort of parenthesis but I am not able to decipher what is mean by this part. Does it mean that we have at disposal only copies of the letters?


texts:
When I was a senior in high school, there was a contest to memorize the value of pi. I started to memorize the number the night before, and I wrote down over two hundred digits after the decimal point during the contest. This earned me first prize (a pie) and an illustrated article about my exploits/feats in the 2016 yearbook.

Which is a better fit here? Why?

  Choose the Right Synonym for feat (Merriam Webster)

  FEAT, EXPLOIT, ACHIEVEMENT mean a remarkable deed. FEAT implies
  strength or dexterity or daring.  an acrobatic feat  EXPLOIT suggests
  an adventurous or heroic act.  his exploits as a spy  ACHIEVEMENT
  implies hard-won success in the face of difficulty or opposition.  her
  achievements as a chemist


texts:
In the Cambridge learners dictionary the meaning of the phrase in the flesh is described as follows:

in the flesh: in real life and not on television or in a film

But I want to know if it can be used in a more general way as a synonym of in reality? For instance suppose the following sentences:

I have always dreamed of having my own business but it is very
difficult in reality.
I have always dreamed of having my own business but it is very
difficult in the flesh

These sentences do not have anything to do with TV and movies. So is it correct to use in the flesh instead of in reality? do they have the same meaning?


texts: Someone who has passed lots of difficulties in their lives

texts:
Please suppose someone who has had lots of difficulties in his life and has passed many problems so far. Someone who had been without money, food and even a home to live in for a long time and as the saying goes a destitute one at the real meaning of the word. He has gained lots f success because of hardworking during the last several years and he is over the hump at the time being and at the time he is talking about his past to someone who is going to know about his past and he is telling to that individual about his hard times in the past. Which one of the following sentences sounds more natural to you:

  I had a lot of hard times in my life.
  I have gone through a lot of hard times in my life.
  I have had a lot of difficulties in my life.
  I have suffered a lot of hardships in my life.

Please let me know if they all sound weird to you and then tell me what shall I use instead in normal English?


texts:
1)Nobody likes being  cheated

  2)Nobody likes to be cheated

Are both sentences correct? If yes, what is the difference in meaning of the two sentences?


texts:
Is it natural to say in American English, "I live at house #7"?

What about a character introduced as "the lady who lives at house #7"?
The characters say the numbers because all of them are tenants of a small community with a shared gate and a patio. The "houses" are like apartments but on the ground level.

Is there a more concise way to say that without adding "who live(s)"?


texts: "Which number of apple looks the best?" Is "number of apple" correct to refer to the index?

texts:
Imagine having 10 items in a stack.

  Which item would you like?

  I'd like item number 3 as counted from the top.

No problem with this sentence. But what if I continue like this:

  And you sir, which number of item would you like?

Is this last sentence correctly written? Is the number of item correctly used?

If I said number of items, then I would be referring to the total sum. I would be refering to the number 10, because there are 10 items in the stack.
Is it then correct to refer to a particular item inside the stack as a number of item?

I know that the word index covers this, such as in:

  The index of the item I choose is 3.

But isn't the word index far too technical? Can I use the above number of item as a more colloquial way of saying it?

Some more examples:

  I will decide which number/number of item/index to pick out later.

  Apple number 5 looks rotten. Which number of apple looks the best?


texts:
Is it correct to fuse and use "in order to" + "there is" in this way:

  Could you send me the documents before the end of September in order
  there to be enough time to ensure...

, please?


texts:
It would be greatly appreciated if somebody could throw a light into if there is any difference between these? It would be necessary that I mention the fact that I know we could omit "that". Just my specific question is about only the following.

provided that

providing


texts: Is "get something straight for" an idiom?

texts:
He really needed to get his accent straight for, although in Europe he was considered something of a prodigy in Persian, South Asians found Jones impossible to understand when he spoke to them in that language, taking it to be English. (source)

Is the phrase "get something straight for" idiomatic? I have heard, very often, "get something straight". What does "get something straight for" mean?


texts: "I realized I had forgotten something" vs "I realized having forgotten something"

texts:
Are the following expressions both correct?

  I realized I had forgotten something.
  I realized having forgotten something.

What is the difference in the meaning (if any)?


texts: In 'call someone here', is 'here' locative or temporal?

texts:
I was looking at the meaning of call, one meaning says

(transitive) If you call somebody somewhere, you ask or tell them to come there.

One sample usage is

My boss called me to his office and explained the problem.
In the afternoon she called me to the cafeteria to discuss the issue.

Let's say my colleague calls me and asks me to be at a particular spot at 2 o'clock, So I at 2 go to that place and wait for him to show up. Say my other friend finds me there and asks me what I am doing there. So, can I say

X(my friend) called me here to meet him.

My question is that does here convey the message that my friend asked me to be at a particular point, Instead of saying that he called me at this point say my desk or my house?


texts: What does `in the decade after 1994` mean?

texts:
Does it mean from year 1995 to year 1999 or from 1995 to 2004?

Can you explain some more usages of the word decade. Thanks.

Edit:
Source is here

  Radiation therapy was used less frequently in the decade after 1994
  than in the prior.


texts:
"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library -- Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit -- It's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here -- how ter recognize diff'rent eggs -- what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

What's the sentence "They're rare, them" conveying?  I can figure out 'they' refers to "Norwegian Ridgeback eggs", but I don't understand what 'them' is doing there? I feel the structure of the sentence is unusual, so I'm not sure if this kind of sentence construction has some special effect. Is it a part of standard English structures, which I'm not yet familiar with?

-- Excerpted from Harry Potter.


texts: What does the word "which" refer to in this sentence?

texts:
"Association with real life events helps the author maintain the suspension of disbelief without which, a science fiction story becomes unrealistic."

I feel like "which" refers to "suspension of disbelief", but some people say it's "association with real-life events". Which interpretation is correct?


texts: Use and meaning of "wouldn't" in "you wouldn't" and "a speaker wouldn't"

texts:
I have asked many questions about "would" both in ELL and ELU. But I still have a question about the use of "would". I have recently asked a question which @Jay also answered.

He used "wouldn't" in the following sentences:

  Here, you wouldn't say, "May I ask you what is your name?" Though we break this rule for questions sometimes
  Well, someone might say that in informal speech, but you wouldn't write it or use it in formal speech.
  "May I ask you what's your name?" is awkward; a fluent speaker wouldn't say that.

Why "wouldn't" has been used there and in which sense or meaning? Does it mean "refused to do (something)"?

Am I quite right here in thinking that:

'Would' is a little milder than 'will' and it's also used to show the intention of the person rather than the actual action.'Will' refers to something which will actually happen. It shows strong certainty of occurring or actual intention of the speaker.

On the other hand, "would" also refers to something which may happen in the future but it shows less of its certainty or lack of confidence of the speaker. "Would" can be used instead of "will" if the speaker is less certain of the fact he's talking about?


texts: What does it mean to "believe what someone says"?

texts:
How would I interpret this expression:

  If I believe what someone says.

I can think of two different options:

  if the accounts of witnesses may be believed
  if the witnesses themselves are believable

Are those both valid? Is there any other option?

UPDATE

I mean if someone said what specific person in specific time (or/and place) to do specific action


texts: "never heard it before" vs "never before heard it"

texts:
Usually, people say something like the sentence below.

  (1) I have never heard such a strange phrase before.

Some of my non-native English speaking friends think it's okay to move "before" to the place between "never" and "heard" as shown in (2) below.

  (2) I have never before heard such a strange phrase.

Is (2) wrong?


texts: "The XXX path ..." vs "The path XXX ..."

texts:
My colleague and I have been discussing an error message for a piece of software that we've been developing together. The message should state that the program has been unable to find certain files at a certain path. The question is, which of the following is correct:

  1) The path 'C:\foo\bar' appears to be incorrect.

  2) The 'C:\foo\bar' path appears to be incorrect.

My colleague insists that the second variant should be preferred over the first one, but for me it looks wrong. Who is right?

In general, can I use a quoted phrase as an attribute for a noun? E.g.

  The phrase "bla-bla-bla" is...

or

  The "bla-bla-bla" phrase is...


texts:
I wish to write a sentence to ask:

  How does the weight of a car affect the speed of it?

Should I have affects or affect there?


texts: Is it better to change "wash" into "washing"?

texts:
Please take a look at the following quote:

“Happiness is a fatality,” wrote the poet Rimbaud. I remember being somewhat puzzled when I first read that line, and then feeling a sense of ease and liberation wash over me. Turning the idea of happiness on its head had suddenly made me very happy.
-- Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again! by Wes "Scoop" Nisker, page 69.

Is it better to change wash into washing? Because I think this would be more suitable according to grammatical rules.


texts: What does "bank" mean in banked oval track?

texts:
Google gives a definition about roller derbies

  a team skating competition on roller skates, held on a banked oval track.

where "bank" is used as a verb.

Cambridge dictionary gives definitions about bank as a verb.

  to keep your money in a particular bank, or to put money into a bank

  (of an aircraft) to fly with one wing higher than the other when turning

  to collect in or form into a mass, or to make something do this

None of them makes sense to me, so what does "bank" mean here?


texts: What accent shoud a foreigner use in an English-speaking country, if the foreigner can do most accents?

texts:
I've watched so much American, Canadian, British and Australian shows/videos/sitcoms/movies/lessons that I can now do most of those different accents. Of course, I will not be as good as the native speakers, but if I go to say Australia, or Canada, which accent should I use there, how will people accept it?

For example, if I try mimicking Australian accent, it will probably be good enough, but not as good as my American accent so what would be the proper way to go about this?

Or I go to Canada and I pronounce "about" and "out" in the distinctive way they do, even though Im not Canadian, so I dont have to do it?

Will I fit better in Australia as the foreigner that speaks Australian English a bit off (if thats an expression) or the foreigner that speaks American English (even though not American in the first place)?


texts:
How do the similar expressions below can be distinguished from one another?

Icy person:

  If you describe a person or their behaviour as icy, you mean that they are not affectionate or friendly, and they show their dislike or anger in a quiet, controlled way.

A cold fish:

  If you say that someone is a cold fish, you think that they are unfriendly and unemotional.

These two idioms, mean exactly the same to me and I need to inquire whether I am right or not. I wonder if you could explain that to me.


texts: The name for a sentence that uses a word that can be a noun or a verb both ways: "We swing on the swing"

texts:
We swing on the swing.
  Glue( to use glue) with Glue.
   Juice (to squeeze to make juice) to make juice.

What is the name for these kind of sentences that the noun and verb are the same?