texts: "It takes a lot of time" vs. "it takes up a lot of time"

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between it takes a lot of time and it takes up a lot of time? For example, in the 9th episode of the 10th season of Friends the latter was used. Here is the context:

Erica: I was wondering you both have such serious jobs. (to Monica)
Would you have time to take care of a baby and your flock?
Monica: Oh, you know, my flock is good, I mean, yeah, my flock pretty
much takes care of themselves at this point. Good flock. Flock, flock,
flock.
Erica: (to Chandler) Being a doctor must take up a lot of time.
Chandler: No-ot for me it doesn’t.

I wonder if the meaning somehow would change if Erica dropped the up?


texts: There are many times when at the time of giving condolence or showing sympathy to someone, we say "Sorry for your loss". What does the word "Sorry" signify here? Why it is "Sorry for your loss" and not," Sad to know about your loss"? The word sorry is used basically for apologizing then why not in this phrase?


texts:
Find the mistake in each of the following sentences:

Oil is an important tropical material that can be processed into many different products.
I am sorry, I cannot see what do you mean.

My thoughts :

In first sentence: I am not sure the mistake in “that” and it will be “which” or the mistake in “tropical” and it will be “financial”

In second sentence: i think i will remove “do”


texts:
Shortly afterwards German politics will turn inwards ahead of a parliamentary election in September, probably re-engaging in earnest with Brexit only in November, once a new coalition has emerged in Berlin.

Does it mean the election will soon happen? Or Germans will care more domestically because of the election?


texts: Like/as meaning difference in given context

texts:
He treated me like a dog.

He treated me as a dog.

Here, do both sentences mean different things? Are as and like interchangeable here?


texts:
Is it permissible to use 'over short or long' instead of 'sooner or later'?

On the internet and on Google Books I have only found 'over short or long' as 'over short or long time periods'. I would like to know if it is permissible to use it without 'time periods' and whether it would keep its meaning.

Specific example:
Over short or long, the side effects of the inebriant will build up to a point where they will significantly affect one's cognition and emotional state.

Thank you.


texts: Is it correct to use 'wet cold' as a compound adjective?

texts:
Is it correct to use 'such a wet cold weather' in the following sentence?

  It was such a wet cold weather that we could not go out.


texts:
1) I saw him walk last night.

How is the phrase ‘him walk last night’ functioning in the sentence? Why did we use bare infinitive as the object of the verb in the above sentence? Is him the subject of the phrase?


texts:
I want to create a quote which is:

  "You have everything when you had nothing".

Is it correct?

I am trying to say that once one starts to realize that we have nothing, that is the moment we just have everything.


texts: Is “healing faster than I thought I was going to” grammatically correct?

texts: I told I friend that “I’ve been healing faster than I thought I was going to” in relation to a breakup. I’ve been thinking that I should’ve said “I’ve been healing faster than I thought I would.” Which one would be grammatically correct?


texts: "Your fingers" include "the thumb" or not?

texts:
Your fingers is defined, by the dictionary on my phone, as:

  Your fingers are the long thin parts at the end of each hand, sometimes also including the thumb.

But according to Collins dictionary:

  Your fingers are the four long thin parts at the end of each hand.

So, I am wondering if your fingers indeed include the thumb or not? If yes, under what circumstances it does?


texts: According to my dictionary, the word vial should be pronounced /vaiəl/. But I've heard the pronunciation /faiəl/. Is that a mistake or merely a dialect?


texts:
I was doing some exercises with must and have to.

I learnt that "have to" have to be used with laws or obligations, something you must do because of a external factor.

But in these exercises they use "must" to say a obligation about traffic signs,
what I think must be "have to".

For example:

"You have to turn left." is replaced by "You must turn left."

Is this choice because many laws have the negation option?

So, by convention they use "must" to negation be implicit like "mustn't" and not "don't have" what may cause some misunderstoods.

Or this is because we suppose that sign is "speaking" with us?

Can I use "You have to turn left" instead of "You must turn left" ?

Thank you.


texts: Noun form at the end of a sentence with many objects

texts:
If there is a high school student and a university student.

Can we say,

  There are a high school student and a university student.

or

  There is a high school student and a university student.

or

  There is a high school and a university student.

or

  There are a high school and a university students.

But if one group is greater than one. Let's say

There is a high school student and three university students.

Can we say,

  There are a high school and three university students.

or

  There are a high school student and three university students.

or

  There is a high school student and three university students.

I am confused here how to make the sentences right according to the grammar rules.


texts:
I keep having difficulties with past tenses:
1. If action has started and is still going on we can ask "how long have you been doing that", right?
2. Is Present Perfect Simple possible here? "How long have you done that?" What would that express?
3. If action is something general we can simply ask "how long do you do it?".
4. If action is a thing from the past should we ask "how long did you do it"?
5. And if we want to underline that the action was in progress for some time should we ask "how long were you doing this"?
6. What with preposition "for"? We can put it at the end:
"How long have you been doing that for?"
and at the beginning:
"For how long have you been doing that?"
Any other combinations?


texts: Date format differences: “1 January(,) 2018” versus “1st January(,) 2018”

texts:
I have seen four different styles on how to format a date:

1 January 2018
1 January, 2018
1st January 2018
1st January, 2018

Which is used when and where? Which are common and why are there these four different types?


texts:
How can I write the following sentence in a more formal way?

  you can classify your questions from easy to strong.


texts:
You cannot harm me before you have strong evidence.
You cannot harm me until you have strong evidence.

I think 1. is more natural than 2.
Am I right?

Maybe 2. isn't correct at all.
Is it so?


texts: How to analyse the grammar of this expression "have negative ramifications for the GOP ticket up and down the ballot"?

texts:
I read this sentence on the Washington Post website,

  Party leaders and donors fear that nominating either man would have negative ramifications for the GOP ticket up and down the ballot.

I'm confused by "would have negative ramifications for the GOP ticket up and down the ballot".

What does "up and down the ballot" mean? UP or Down?

How to analyse the grammar of this expression?


texts:
I do not have a clear understanding about adjectives and am having trouble identifying the adjective in the following sentence:

  Sally doesn't have a sign.


texts: Repeating an infinitive at the end of a sentence

texts:
Are all these correct? Do they have the same meaning?

To be able to say whatever you want
To be able to say whatever you want to
To be able to say whatever you want to say


texts: What sentence pattern is followed in exclamatory sentence

texts:
How lovely these flowers are!
  How lovely flowers these are!

I would like to know if the formation of above 2 sentences is correct. I personally feel the first sentence is correct as the word "THESE" modify the noun flower.


texts:
So I've been wondering which one sounds more natural if I want to compliment someone for something they have done? Do they have different meanings? Or perhaps they can be used interchangeably?

  Good job, you did well

or

  Good job, you have done well


texts:
In the following sentence, why have author used "did have" instead of "had" ? Is it grammatically correct at all ?

  I don't want to diminish her achievements, but she did have a lot of help.


texts: How can an uncountable noun be associated with plural nouns?

texts:
I collected data on income in some countries and found that (all) the
  income data is close to each other.

I am not sure that the expression "is close to each other" in the sentence above I created is correct.  I use data as a singular mass noun.


texts: Is this expression a financial term or simply literally what it means?

texts:
In the second paragraph of this newspaper article, the author said,

  On Wednesday, Ito disclosed that he had separately received $1.2 million from Epstein for investment funds under his control, in addition to five hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars that he acknowledged Epstein had donated to the lab.

Ito above is the former MIT Media Lab head, who recently over a scandal tying him with Epstein.

Does investment funds in this context mean funds which are to be used for investing, or is it this type of investment funds, defined as "a way of investing money alongside other investors in order to benefit from the inherent advantages of working as part of a group"?


texts: What this person is saying in "American English" accent?

texts:
Video

At 1:02: He says

  Human beings should be ..... from each other.

Also a little bit confusion between 0:02 and 0:10. I believe it is:

  Went through .......


texts: Which sentence correctly uses the verb "stand"?

texts:
I am not sure which sentence is normal or how they differ.

The lighthouse was standing on a cliff.
The lighthouse stood on a cliff.

Which one can I use? Also, is the stood in sentence number two a “state”?


texts:
He kissed her during a drunken night.

  He kissed her in a drunken night.

Can "during" be always substituted with "in"? I am always wondering about it, because I use during as a synonym for in. Is it correct to do so?


texts:
His take on the theme is clever, alarming and blackly funny, although
  he spins out to more than 300 pages a tale that Borges would have
  elegantly dispatched in three. (here)

While reading an article, I saw this sentence above and I can't understand the structure of the marked phrase, especially the position of "300 pages".

I think this version seems more natural : "spins out a tale to more than 300 pages"


texts:
He can convert a meaningless sentence to a meaningful one?
He can convert a meaningless sentence to meaningful one.

Will it be okay if we don't add article 'a' after preposition 'to' here? Will it still be correct?


texts: What's the difference between "wrap" and "wind"?

texts:
I've looked them up in several dictionaries, but I find them very similar in meaning because both mean to turn something around something else, for example:
She wound a scarf around her neck.
She wrapped a scarf around her neck.


texts:
From his confession results that the father raped his own daughter.

Recently I have posted a question on movies.stackexchange.com. The sentence above is the part of my post. I am not sure whether "it" should not be before "results". I have doubts even if the clause was not corrected until now.


texts:
I'm reading an article about "object permanence" in Wikipedia. Here is a link to the article. This is the part I'm having trouble to understand:

  Evidence suggests that infants use a variety of cues while studying an
  object and their perception of the object's permanence can be tested
  without physically hiding the object. Rather, the object is occluded,
  slightly obstructed, from the infants view and they are left only
  other visual cues, such as examining the object from different
  trajectories. It was also found that the longer an infant focuses on
  an object may be due to detected discontinuities in their visual
  field, or the flow of events, with which the infant has become
  familiar.

Could you please explain a bit about the bolded part? Does it mean "detected discontinuities in the visual field of young children, or the flow of events, causes the children to spend more time looking at the object"? And, what does that "which" refer to? The flow of events, or looking at the object, or both?


texts: "In your home, what percentage of daily use products are made of plastic or have a high plastic content?"

texts:
In your home, what percentage of daily use products are made of plastic or have a high plastic content?

I happened to see this sentence in some survey. However, I think "what percentage of daily use products made of plastic or have plastic content is" would be appropriate sentence. Am I thinking incorrectly or does the sentence of survey have a problem?


texts: How to use the phrase through the "eyes of"?

texts:
I want to say that I am writing this article to understand the concepts of Set-top from the angle of Broad-com. Can I say the following -

This brings an end to the topic of "Set-top through the eyes of a chip vendor - Broadcom".

or

This brings an end to the topic of " Understanding of Set-top through the eyes of a chip vendor - Broadcom."


texts: The activities are 'in line' or 'aligned' with the needs?

texts:
Which is the correct word to use to imply that the activities are chosen regarding to the needs?

I would be happy to communicate the matters discussed in the meetings with all students, which will guarantee the activities of the Student Association are in-line/aligned with the students' needs.

Is there another more suitable word to use here?


texts:
I have this sentence:

"Body can get used to medications"

What articles could there be before "body" and when and why?

What article is there if I want to state that in general?


texts:
He went in his sister room.

  "Don't go inside. She doesn't like you go in her room."

  "Don't go inside. She doesn't like you to go in her room."

Go or to go？Which one is the correct?


texts: Does the definite article provide optional clarification?

texts:
I think the question is rather philisophical. I wonder if articles are used to make what we say more clear and using zero/indefinite article with the noun known or already introduced can be the reference to that noun or any other since we do not specify.
Like here:

I was walking with some friends. Friends were very funny.
We made a stop. After making a stop, we moved on.

The grammar tells us - use "the" when referring to something known. But what if I do not use "the" - can it refer to those friends/stop, since I do not specify? Will it be a lie to talk like this, and what do native speakers think in such situations? Will it really be a grammatical mistake?
Thanks.


texts:
Great campaigns aren’t easily forgotten. Nor are those who created them.

I want to change the above to:

  Great campaigns aren’t easily forgotten, Nor those who created them.

Would that be grammatically correct?


texts:
I'm preparing a resume and wonder what is correct?
My experience ...
1) consists of ...
2) includes ...
two years of digging holes and 1 year of filling them up [that line is just a silly example of some activity].


texts:
chip (n) 4 MARK a small hole or mark on a plate, cup etc where a piece
  has broken off

  chip in    There’s a chip in this bowl.

The edge of a wall is very prone to get broken since hard objects might bump into it when being carried by people. This might cause some small holes in the wall (see the picture)

Is it idiomatic to say "There are some chips on the wall"? (I am not sure we use "in" or "on").

The dictionary suggests "in", but this video on youtube says "on".


texts: How to say "You may return to your seat" in polite way

texts: How does a native English speaker say "You may return to your seat" in polite way? I've ever heard my lecturer said, "you may return to your expected chair." But I'm not sure about the "expected" part, maybe I heard it wrong.


texts:
I have a question about the possible usage of "take something to":

  He took a knife to her neck.
  He held a knife to her neck.

Is the "take... to" pattern a standard English variant of the "hold ... to" pattern?


texts:
A character in the movie The Kingdom says:

  They celebrated her graduation at the IHOP until some townie called Janet something. I don't know, something not very nice. So the townie didn't see Fran coming out of the head, but he definitely felt Fran's uppercut shatter his jaw.

What does "coming out of the head" mean here? It doesn't appear to be idiomatic, according to Google. For a second I thought it was "coming out ahead", but all sources point to "coming out of the head".


texts:
I was watching an American drama and I heard 'second stroke of midday'

When is second stroke of midday?

Does it indicate a specific time???


texts: The "to" in the idiom "be on a hiding to nothing" means "or." I'd like to know whether it is found in other expressions.


texts: Which makes a stronger suggestion: subjunctive or should clause?

texts:
(i) It is important that she be reinstated immediately.
  [subjunctive] (ii) It is important that she should be
  reinstated immediately. [tensed] (The Cambridge Grammar of the
  English Language)

What is the semantic difference between the two?


texts: What does 'unlike' mean in this passage about Markdown?

texts:
I've also asked this question on meta.mathematica.se

The original text (it has been updated) at https://mathematica.stackexchange.com/editing-help said:

  Like code blocks, code spans will be displayed in a monospaced font. Markdown and HTML will not work within them. Note that, [unlike] code blocks, code spans require you to manually escape any HTML within!

I cannot understand what's the word unlike referring to, and the meaning of manually escape any HTML within.

In my present knowledge of 'manually escape HTML within' is to remove  manually, however we should manually remove  both in code blocks and code spans in the example above. So where I went wrong in comprehending this sentence?


texts: meaning of the phrase "as far as" in context

texts:
It is from Crash Course Big History. It is 12 minute and 45 second . Here is the context:

  As far as we have come in the past century in crafting a history of the universe, there still many things cosmologists have yet to discover.

Besides as far as, I cannot get whar the first part of the sentence means. What does come in crafting mean?  Could you please rephrase the first part of the sentence for me.


texts:
I'm writing this question from my office so kindly allow my rough style.

Becuase I am a guid tour, I am checking the site in English where I will bring the non-native ( to my country ) visitors.

I will bring them here.

It says

  he ceiling of the inner chamber is coffered and decorated with paintings of over a hundred flower varieties found around Nikko.

I am very sorry I am unable to copy the explanation by Merriam Unabridged, because I don't understand at all.

Could the verb "coffer" here, simply be almost the synonym of "to decorate"?

Thank you for your kind assistance in advance.(m_m)


texts: What is the meaning of 'cogs and cogitations' here?

texts:
To be sure, $2.4 billion is a lot of money. You could cancel a lot of
  gas plants for $2.4 billion. And all of this was for nothing. Do you
  think there might be something wrong with a “process” that takes eight
  years and sucks up the energy and hopes of hundreds or thousands of
  people, in order to reach a purely negative conclusion? Does it occur
  to anyone that something that sounds so clinical and neutral as an
  “environmental review process” is actually neither clinical nor
  neutral? Do people realize that behind the cogs and cogitations, it is
  just a political stage show, an act during which politicians can
  temporize and equivocate?

An environmental review process is an organized procrastination

Does the'cog' here mean  'one of a series of teeth' or 'cogwheel'? What about the 'cogitation'? Does it mean 'pondering' here? Then how should I deduce the meaning from the combination of the 'cogs and cogitations' here?


texts: What does the bold sentenc imply in the paragraph?

texts:
The real estate market can be terrifying, which is part of the reason
  I love it so much. But it can be downright petrifying when it involves
  what may be your most valuable possession: your home. The market
  changes every day, sometimes every minute. For home buyers, some of
  whom will buy one house in a lifetime, trying to time the market
  perfectly can be a ridiculous waste of time. In ten, twenty, or
  forty years, any small variations in the price of your house will have
  amortized into a blip on your financial radar screen.

  You have to go with your gut, and if you love a house and you can
  afford it and your broker assures you that you are paying a fair
  market price, you’re paying the best price. It’s as simple as that.
  When it comes to your home, don’t be concerned about spending more
  than it’s worth if you know that you will be there forever and you’ll
  be happy there. Sometimes the emotional price you put on a house may
  exceed the market price. Buying a home is different from the pure
  economics of investing in real estate. If you simply cannot afford a
  house that you love, don’t be shy about underbidding; sometimes the
  seller will surprise you.

What is the meaning of the bold sentence in the above paragraph? Will the change of the housing price affect your financial situation or not? I think it won't affect it at all. But the Chinese version of this book translates it into 'will affect your financial situation'. Is that right?


texts: Could you tell which of the following are correct and why?

texts:
Could you please tell me which one of the following is correct and why:

The song releases on (a specific date)
The song is releasing on (a specific date)
The song will be released on (a specific date)
The song will be releasing on (a specific date)
The song is to release on (a specific date)
The song is to be released on (a specific date)

And in all the of above sentences the (a specific date) is in the future and is yet to come.
I personally think that the ones in passive form are the correct ones as it is the song that will be released and I think the ones in active somehow convey a sense that the song is going to release something which is wrong, but I am not at all sure.
Please correct me and help me get the right concept or rule or grammar. Thank you.


texts:
Is the one necessary in cases like these?

Example sentence:

  The machine had a lumpy side and another flat (one).


texts:
I have seen phrases like

  'What judge?'

and

  'What prisoners?'

But I feel that 'which' is a more appropriate pronoun for living things.Why not 'which' has been used there?


texts:
What is error in the following sentence?

The deliberations by the committee are completely confidential.

On googling I found by should be replaced with of.
But I think there is nothing wrong with by, because deliberation is a process and it can be done by a person.


texts: In Adjustment bureau a reporter tells a young Senate candidate: Whenever I see you on C-SPAN, I always think you're about to go: "Chug!" and lifts his elbow up to his shoulder. What does he mean?


texts:
Here two examples:

  "But I don't think football's in crisis because a crisis would be if
  you can't see the way forward."
  "There are those who see the way forward as limited to securing
  investments and channeling all resources to expand access to available
  diagnostic services and curative drugs."

What does the phrase "see the way forward" mean?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to put "more" instead of "more of" immediately before a predicative noun in this sentence?

texts:
I came across this sentence and I'm not sure if it is grammatically correct.

  Are the dinosaurs of Jurassic World more fact or fiction?

The word "fact" and "fiction" are nouns. I'd use "more of" instead of "more" and I would say "a fact" and "a fiction". Anyway, I don't think it is right to say "That meal is more breakfast."


texts:
So even if Gettysburg was less than decisive in strictly military terms, it was decisive enough to restore the sinking morale of the union.

What does in strictly military terms mean? I am at a loss to make sense of it. Also can I replace in strictly military terms with in a strictly military sense? Would they both mean the same? If not, the please tell me the difference between them.

Thank you.


texts:
It's ok to write:

The Queen listened to their pleas.

However, I am unsure if it's necessary to write 'to' after 'listened' if the sentence is inverted, for example, in a conditional. What is correct?

If their pleas are listened to, they will...

or

If their pleas are listened, they will...

Is there are rule to decide in cases like this?


texts: "We missed the bus, which made us late for school" - erroneous use of "which"?

texts:
From a discussion at Lang-8:

  Kim and I ran fast as we could, but we missed the bus, which made us late for school.

I believe the sentence's use of the relative clause to be okay: the relative pronoun which refers to the whole preceding clause "but we missed the bus".

But both the author of the post and one other non-native English speaker believe this use of which to be erroneous, since in their view the antecedent is bus: "the bus made us late for school."

Gleb quoted a SAT preparation course in which the following use of which is apparently described as erroneous:

  "Marylin and I ran as fast as we could, but we missed our train, which(C) made us late for work."
  ... Which is a pronoun, and needs a noun as its antecedent. The only available noun is train, but that doesn't make sense ... So there is your error, choice C.

Is that really so? In Michael Swan's PEU, topic 494.9 says that which can relate to the whole of a preceding clause. I'm a bit baffled. Is this a typo in the SAT course, or am I missing some point?


texts: Do you end pleads with an exclamation point?

texts:
In my language an exclamation point is used at the end of a sentence if it is emotional, an order or if you are asking something of someone.

For example:
I am angry! - conveys a strong emotion
March forward! - gives an order
Please, write this!  - asks someone to do something

Does the rule for pleads (asking something of someone) hold true in the English language, as well?


texts: How do I convert these headings into questions?

texts:
Sectional Differences Divide The Union
The Ongoing Debate over Slavery: 1850-1856
From Compromise to Crisis:1857-1861

Thanks for the help guys!


texts: How should numbers be spelled on a receipt?

texts:
One of the most confusing things for me is spelling English numerals.

What is grammatical way to spell the following numbers in the context of writing the numeral in a receipt?

  $100 — a hundred dollars or one hundred dollars?
  $201 — two hundred [and?] one dollar[s?]?
  $1500 — fifteen hundred dollars or one thousand five hundred dollars?
  $1525 — fifteen twenty-five dollars or [one/a] thousand five hundred twenty-five dollars?

Also, is there any difference between UK and US systems? If so, what are they and what system do I use in a non-English speaking country?


texts: What does " expand our reach" mean in this context?

texts:
"Lachlan will help us lead News Corp forward as we expand our reach and invest in new technologies and markets around the world," Rupert Murdoch said in the statement.

................

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSBREA2P0JQ20140326?irpc=932

...............

My perception is that it means : strengthen our powers and abilities.


texts: Wanted: an idiom to direct/point someone's attention to a specific point/location

texts:
In German, there is an idiom "Hier spielt die Musik!" (with intonationally emphasized "hier"). Translated literally: "Here is the music playing!" It is used with an accompanying pointing gesture to direct/point someone's attention to oneself or to a specific point in space/location. It is mainly used to grab someone's attention, or to regrab her attention because the person had become distracted by something else.

In plain words, you could say: "Look here/at me (again)!", "Listen to me (again)!", or more generally (but less correct): "Pay attention to here/me (again)!"

Does an idiom with the same function exist in English?

If you are a native speaker and not aware of such an idiom then an answer like "I am a native speaker and not aware of such an idiom" is absolutely fine and will be highly appreciated.


texts: Converting the past into reported speech

texts:
My grammar book says that if somebody says to me something and he uses the past tense, I can report his speech using either the past or past perfect. (In the first case I don't change the tense at all.)
For me it yields ambiguity. For example I hear this:

"John said that he was not enjoying his job very much."

My understanding is that John could have said two different things. And I'm not sure whether John is still working there or not.

John: "I am not enjoying my job very much.
John: "I was not enjoying my job very much.

Do native speakers always rely on the context in these situations to avoid ambiguity? Or there is something I'm missing?


texts:
I am reading this article about Margaret Hamilton, a computer scientist who wrote code for the Apollo program.

Being a computer scientist (and probably also a geek to some degree) I’m afraid I don’t get this joke:

  She liked .. the geek jokes, like saying she was “going to branch left minus”
  around the hallway.


texts: Is "hunch" the right word for this situation?

texts:
When I was leaving home for a language learning center, something inside my mind was trying to tell me to walk instead of taking a bus or I would be late for the class.
I might be too tired to walk so I chose the bus, and then I was late.

Given that situation, is it formal to use "hunch" in the following sentence?

  A hunch was trying to stop me from taking a bus to the English learning center.

Or using the sixth sense is better?


texts: When to use to-be verb and when to not using to-be verb?

texts: I'm still learning Part of Speech and some tenses, but in the basic, I got confused. Like this, "I work" and "I am Work" Why is the one using "am" and the other one is not using "am". Another example is "She studies computer science" why the sentence is not using "is" which matches with "she" (She is studies). When to use the to-be verb and when to not using the to-be verb?


texts: functions that are great for timing code to run after a delay -- is "timing" an adjective or gerund?

texts:
Source: JavaScript for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming by Nick Morgan

Example:

  In this chapter, you learned how to write JavaScript that runs only when you want it to. The setTimeout and setInterval functions are great for timing code to run after a delay or at certain intervals. If you want to run code when the user does something in the browser, you can use events like click and mousemove, but there are many others.

I'm a little bit confused with whether the word timing is used as an adjective that describes code or a gerund with code being the object of the verb timing. I'm leaning more toward the gerund option, however, because that simply makes much more sense here semantically. I'm not sure though. What do you think?


texts:
Is it okay to say "Is the statement below correct?" to mean that "Are the four sentences below correct?"? or do I have to say "Are the four statements below correct?", since the phrase "the statement" can only refer to a single sentence? In other words, can "statement"(i.e. not "statements") have two or more sentences, not just one?

Thank you,


texts: Does 'flavor' work for types of 'non-edible' things?

texts:
Is it possible to use 'flavor' to refer to different 'TYPES' of non-eatable things?

Say, there's a deodorant. And it has four labels - Wild, Cool, Naughty and Anger. But then, all fall under 'Adidas' for example.

Now, is it possible to use 'flavor' in this way?

  Here it is! Adidas Wild. You'll really love it.  Hmm...but it's not something I'm looking for. What are the other flavors in this. Show me.

In simpler example:

  I know you use Set Wet deo, but which 'flavor'?

Here, Set Wet is a brand under which, there are many types of deo - stone, sport, lazy etc.

I think 'flavor' goes better with something we eat - chocolate flavor, cola flavor etc.

Also, I hesitate using 'types' there. Not sure why, but it does not seem to be a proper word with no ambiguity in this context.


texts:
Please give me a hand to fill in the blank with the most appropriate verb:

Scenario:

She is the most gorgeous actress among all the female players and this is why most of the men try to flatter her and lay it on thick for her! I've heard many times that her blue eyes was the envy of the entire class!

  I think her beauty................other ladies jealousy.

I am looking for a verb that fits best in the above sentence; according to the dictionaries definition the verb "arouse" seems to be idiomatic, but I have no idea weather it is natural as well! I would be grateful if someone could help me in this regard.

P.S. The reason I doubt about this verb is that, I found only one single hit on google search.


texts:
Is "hello" followed by an exclamation mark or a full-stop? How about "Have a nice day"?

I normally type "Hello!" However, I got corrected to be "Hello."
Which punctuation mark should I use?


texts: How to ask for a Non Refrigerated bottle of drink

texts:
Normally how do you ask for Not Refrigerated soft drink bottle, when it is not suitable to use without ice as the drink is served in a (may be unopened) bottle, not in a cup.

Is there a common word other than Non Refrigerated?


texts: Conditionals: "if after all," "if after life," and "as if I'm/I was/I were"

texts:
Does the use of "if after" change nothing with the rules of if-conditionals?

Are these sentences okay?

  If after all we'll do will make no effect, then why are we still trying?

  If after all we('re) do(ing) will make no effect, then why are we still trying?

  If after all we're about to do makes no effect, then why are we still trying?

I know you can't will or would in the if-clause, but I'm confused because there can be two will in this example.

Should I choose one and leave the other? Or get rid of both of them?

  If after all we do makes no effect, then why are we still trying?

What about "if after life"? Should I use the type 1 conditional (possible) or the type 2 conditional (hypothetical). And is it okay to combine if-conditionals?

  If after life I go to your room, will you be scared as if you see a zombie?

Lastly, is it never okay to say as if I'm or as if I was, so always use as if I were? Or it depends on how likely something is, but still never as if I was?

Mini question, shouldn't I use the there? Why or why not?


texts:
The sententence is from an article about "Looking Good".

  People with all kinds of beauty handicaps have
   easy, loving relationships.

I am so confused with the meaning of "beauty handicaps".
Does it mean being ugly  or being disabled?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is it OK to use "slowly" after "to edge"?

texts:
I came across a sentence

  Why does a car have to edge forward slowly when turning from a side street into a main street?

The use of slowly made me look up the definition of edge as a verb in a dictionary. It says to edge basically means to move slowly.

  He clutched them to his body and began to edge slowly toward the door.

  The crowd that was entrenched around the two men began to edge slowly backward to give the contenders more room to harass each other.

  Again he sort of drifted into the herd, mixed with it, and began to edge slowly toward Mrs. Tompkins.

I turned to a collocation dictionary to figure out if slowly is commonly used with edge. Apparently, it is, and I don't truly understand why. Is it a tautology?


texts: What does "I have times from Tuesday on" mean?

texts:
I wanted to arrange an appointment from my professor on Skype, then he answered my email:

  I have times from Tuesday on

What exactly does it mean?   does he mean I can have the time just on Tuesday or does it mean he has time from Tuesday onward?


texts:
Meaning of 'My friend is shouting at his dog running"

  My friend is shouting at his dog running.

I think this sentence can mean one of three below according to context. I wonder whether my thinking is correct.

  1.When the sentence means "My friend is shouting at his dog running so that it keeps running" :

  My friend is shouting at his dog running even though it looks
  like his dog doesn't want to run anymore.

  2.When the sentence means "My friend is shouting at his dog that is running" :

  My friend is shouting at his dog running so that he(my friend)
  is going to sleep.

  3.When the sentence means "My friend is shouting at his dog while running" :

  My friend is shouting at his dog running so that it can follow
  him.

Regardless of the awkwardness of the original sentence, is my thinking correct that it can be one of them according to context?


texts: Is it better to learn English grammar separately or learn the language then the grammar follows

texts:
I studied grammar in my school days but I don't remember most of the rules. Still, I am able to manage somewhat. So is it necessary that we learn grammar thoroughly or just read a lot and grammar will follow?   What is the better option?
And what are the best resources/sites to learn grammar for intermediates?


texts: In red color or red color of... Which one is better?

texts:
These shirts are popular in red color .

  Red color of these shirts are popular this year.

Is there any difference between two sentence or both are correct ? I couldn't understand difference  between two of them in meaning.


texts: what the "welcome son" means in this sentence?

texts:
The 37-year-old royal - who welcomed son Archie Harrison
  Mountbatten-Windsor with husband Prince Harry earlier this year - is
  reportedly planning to become a published author

Is the grammar of that sentence standard(true)? .I searched everywhere for "welcome son" but I didn't find anything.


texts: How should this sentence structure be interpreted?

texts:
it will be mandatory for you to provide this information in order for
  us to meaningfully be able to respond to your query or provide the
  information or service that you have requested.
  (https://sea.filmbankmedia.com/privacy-notice/)

The bold part is confusing. Does it mean:

  (to meaningfully be able to respond to your query) or (to meaningfully
  be able to provide ... )

or

  (to meaningfully be able to respond to your query) or (to provide ...)


texts: What does 'a quarter of three' mean in AmE?

texts:
of
preposition
10 North American Expressing time in relation to the following hour.
'it would be just a quarter of three in New York'

(from  Lexico here)
What is "it"? 2:15 or 2:45? Lexico simply says that in this sense, 'of' "expresses time in relation to the following hour" without elaborating on this.


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say

  High standards are a very good thing?

Or should it necessarily be ‘things’?


texts: Some ways to encourage a discouraged person

texts:
Which choices below do not sound natural when you want to say someone "be hopeful" using a hopegiving sentence:

  Don't lose your hope.
  Don't be hopeless.

Why Ngram doesn't show any particualr result for them?


texts: Dialogue consisting of questions and answers?

texts: Is there a specific word for a dialogue between two characters in a play or novel, where that dialogue only consists of questions and answers?


texts:
Is it OK to use if at the end of a sentence as opposed to the beginning? For example, are these expressions correct:

  The weather is good if, we can play tennis.

And this sentence:

  I will play tennis hopefully the weather is good if.


texts:
**A parenthetical element is a phrase that adds extra information to the sentence but could be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence-**grammarly*.*

1.This strange inertia of the camera, its refusal to get involved in the drama, renders the film superficial and the drama diseffecting.

2.Morning all, up bright and early, ready to start the day.

Is the first examples parenthetical element a phrase? The definition suggests phrases are parenthetical but you could have a sentence with em-dashes...would that not be parenthetical too.

Also, is my other example accurate for an interruption?


texts: how to parse " progress the enemy of a more modest open ended and sustainable effort"?

texts:
From The economist :

But its objectives were often self defeating: an exercise in making pursuit of dramatic, unachievable progress the enemy of a more modest open ended and sustainable effort.

How to parse the bold text? How is it related to the preceding noun phrase?


texts: Using adjectives at the beginning of sentence

texts:
I saw this picture on the internet. As you can see, there is a sentence written on the picture.

  United we are

The meaning is somehow clear. I think it means that "We are united". But i have 2 questions :

When do we use adjective at the beginning of a sentence? What's the usage?
Can we change the place of adjectives in order to fix the problems like "poetic meter"? If yes, how far can we go? Is there a rule?


texts: What is the correct placement of an adverb of degree/manner with an auxiliary verb and a main verb?

texts:
I have two questions relating to the sentence I wrote in bold.

  In 1990, the federal government eliminated its share of contributions to the UI program. And since then, UI has been entirely funded by contributions from workers and employers.

Question 1: This link and this too, says that adverbs such as completely/entirely should be placed between the auxiliary verb and the main verb. So I placed "entirely" in between has been and funded. But when I googled "has been entirely funded" it returned 6,200 results, compared to 23,000 for "has been funded entirely". What is the correct position for "entirely"?

Question 2: For some reason, I am having difficulty parsing "And since then, UI has been entirely funded". I feel the use of "since then" and "has been" with "funded" is not grammatical. What is the correct tense for this?


texts: How to distinguish between "each" and "every"?

texts:
A.  She gave an apple to every of the children.

B.  She gave an apple to each of the children.

Would you please show me which one is correct? or if they both could be considered correct?


texts: which one is more appropriate when talking about part of something, "is" or "are"?

texts:
per wiki

  In mathematical optimization and decision theory, a loss function or
  cost function is a function that maps an event or values of one or
  more variables onto a real number intuitively representing some "cost"
  associated with the event.

there are a lot of loss functions, such as "squared error loss", "triplet loss"

in the context of grammar, which expression is more appropriate?

Loss functions are important parts of machine learning.
Loss functions is important part of machine learning.

machine learning has a lot of parts, such as objective function, loss function, it seems that expression_2 is more appropriate. i just need a double confirm.

ps:

when I talk about the whole picture of Machine learning, and don't want to go with detail of loss function, should I say "Loss function is an important part of machine learning"?


texts: What is the meaning when asking about the striking areas and qualities for improvement

texts:
I have faced a question during my application for Master program, in the section of Personal evaluation of the applicant, as: "what are the most striking qualities and areas for improvement? It's required to fill in the qualities and areas separately.
As I know, the areas for improvement should be related to Time management, Delegating, handling stress, Accuracy and so on. But, what's about field of "qualities for improvement" ? What does it should be filled in?


texts:
I have seen:

  Fill out the form in block letters.

and

  Write your name in small letters.

But I wonder what I should say

  when I am using both.

Is it,

running letter?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Kristina 'stopped'/'finished' drinking [a cup of] tea and then went to sleep

texts:
(1) Kristina stopped drinking tea ...

  (2) Kristina finished drinking tea ...

  (3) Kristina stopped drinking a cup of tea ...

  (4) Kristina finished drinking a cup of tea ...

Are the sentences above somewhat different if they are referred to the situation in which Kristina is drinking and then, when she has finished, she has to go to bed? More precisely, which of the sentences above might be successfully ended with:

  ... and then went to sleep.


texts:
Is the future perfect tense still common in English? If not how could I say this sentence instead?

"I will have typed all the letters by next two hours."


texts: What does "into the end of next year" mean?

texts:
I wonder if it means "from now to the end of next year".

As a result, Thin expects the greenback to strengthen another 5 to 10 percent into the end of next year as Trump likely implements business-friendly policies and the Fed raises rates.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/15/euro-could-finally-reach-parity-with-the-dollar.html


texts:
I saw this on twitter and I'd like to know what he meant with that, because it seems that "Do you" is a question but he is using it as an answer.

Question:

  Is it ok if I spent $55 on pokecoins?

Answer:

  Do you, bruh.


texts: An easy to way improve my phonetic knowledge?

texts:
This question might sound a little silly but is there an easy way out to improve my phonetic knowledge?
Do I have to learn every single word in phonetics? Because It's been a couple of months and I still am not where I want to be. I understand and decode what I hear also I speak fluently yet when it comes to writing or typing(in phonetics) what I hear,  I fail. Is there any static patterns? I don't want to fail my next phonetic exam. What should I do?


texts: What is the meaning of ' I don't want him in the room.'

texts:
I think the sentence means that I don't want the situation that he is in the room.
Am I right?
I want to know the meaning of the sentence.


texts: revising sentence with more clear explanation

texts:
I have written the following sentence.

  Although Sampath and Shan (2010) reconstructed 3D buildings by
  intersecting adjacent planes derived from segmentation, mesh-patches
  are employed by Lafarge and Mallet (2012) when presenting planar faces
  and irregular roof forms, cones and spheres.

But, I have been told that, this sentence should be revised and it is not clear. I am doubted what is the error and how readability of this sentence can be improved.

helps are most welcome.


texts:
I know my dream is absurd and that I must face reality. So, I'm studying English now like this. However, I can still imagine me singing and dancing on a stage.

I know my dream is absurd and that I must face reality. So, I'm studying English now like this. However, I still imagine me singing and dancing on a stage.

I mean, "I can still imagine" vs "I still imagine"


texts: Please help me identify the subject and predicate in this sentence

texts:
On the top of the hill lives a hermit.
Please explain as well.


texts: Is there a rule to know when to pronounce letter c as a "soft c" (s) or "hard c" (k)?

texts:
Is there a rule that would help me to learn when to pronounce the letter c as an "s" sound or a "k" sound?

For example:
 - cat (kat)
 - center (sinter)

Are there any rules, or is it all memorization?


texts: When “cocker spaniel eyes” is used to refer to a person，what does that mean？

texts:
I read such a sentence：

  The days on which the slim boy’s cocker spaniel eyes shone brighter than ever, and his brown wavy hair seemed to have a movement of their own, they knew that he must have read a ghost tale and was hatching a plot to scare someone.

Isn't cocker spaniel a dog？When “cocker spaniel eyes” is used to refer to a person's eyes，what does that mean？


texts: Is the sentence correct without an article?

texts:
In the following sentence:

I would go there by 'a' tractor.

What if I omit the article 'a'? Would the meaning change if I omit 'a' from the sentence?


texts: Pronunciation rules on words like deprivation/deprive or reciprocal/reciprocity?

texts:
Every day, I learn that English pronunciation is not the easiest to learn.

I've noticed that there are some words whose pronunciation changes as they are transformed into different forms, in these particular cases from nouns to adjectives:

reciprocal/reciprocity
deprive/deprivation
democracy/democratic

These are the ones I can remember now that follow the pattern.

Is there any pattern or rule for these words?


texts: How to learn spoken English from audio books?

texts:
My written English is fine. Now I have gotten audio books to listen to for improving spoken English.

I wish to know whether I need to pause every once in a while to write down what I hear in order to remember it?

Would that be useful for learning spoken English?
How should I make the most of these audio books?


texts:
I'm here.
I have been here.

In this two sentences, I'm confused  "here" is whether adjective or adverb. As I know linking verbs follow adjective not adverb, it (here) would be adjective, isn't it?


texts: How to ask someone to get back to the main subject of the discussion?

texts:
Imagine in a conversation over an important issue, between two people, the other side starts talking about a different topic which differs with the main subject under discussion. This way in an unwanted manner he is misleading the conversation. In other hand you intend to come back to the subject you started to talk to him about it at the beginning. Which one of the following sentences sounds natural in (especially American) English?

  1 - Let's get back to the main subject.

  2 - Let's get back to the main matter.

  3 - Let's get back to the main topic.

  4 - Let's get back on topic.

If no one, then please tell me the most common way to say that.

Added: to clarify the matter in my question I will make two different scenarios:

case 1)

  Father: You have put much more time for your studies. You don't study as hard as you should recently David. I was shocked when I saw your last report card at the end of the previous semester just a couple of days ago.

  Son: I will do that dad. Meanwhile, did you know that tomorrow will be a derby between Manchester City and Manchester United. (Smilingly says the son.)

  Father: Yes. I'm informed about it. But......[the phrase]........

Case 2:

  Professor: Today we are going to discuss about the latest discoveries in the field of oncology. But before that I have some small grievances against some students that do not pay attention to me when I teach. Last week, at the end of a session, a student came to me and asked me about a subject that we had discussed about it at least 30 minutes during the last three sessions. ....[The professor asks them to pay more attention to the course topics.]
  Well. ......[the phrase]........


texts:
I've seen many times in journals and books, they (the writers) omitted the possessive noun in a name of something (methods, rules, problems, etc.).
Look at these examples:

Coombs method/Coombs' method.

Trapezoidal rule/Trapezoidal's rule.

Cauchy problem/Cauchy's problem.

Newton method/Newton's method.

I could say so, because some of them wrote the possessive form as well. Also, actually at first I'm not really sure either whether it's a possessive form or not. In terms of methods' names, do we really need aphostrope and "s"?
For example, the second of the examples is abstract and the inventor of the method is not mentioned (Trapezoidal is a term related to a shape that has four sides) . Whereas the first, the third and the fourth have real people' names on it (Coombs, Cauchy, and Newton are people).
Is there a general rule to write "something's name" like this? I couldn't find related topics so far.
For further explanation, those examples are nouns. The third example, "problem" is meant as a phenomenon in mathematics not an actual somebody's problem.


texts: "...{when/that} creator Ruth Handler first came up with the idea."

texts:
Does "when" work here? And, does this sentence make sense?

  It was while she was watching her daughter Barbara playing cut-outs of adult women {when/that} creator Ruth Handler first came up with the idea.

The answer key uses "that" instead of "when" and I was wondering if my sentence also works.


texts: Which is the subject in "Because he felt tired was not a reason for skipping class"?

texts:
Because he felt tired was not a reason for skipping class.

I am confused which is the subject. Is "Because he felt tired" the subject?


texts:
Is the subject I necessary in the following paragraph?. I feel I am using this subject too many times, but I do not know how to avoid it without confusing the reader.

I see in Gustav the same desire to improve India that I had when I traveled to Belgium to attend my master and PhD degree, which was the opportunity that allowed me to contribute to the development of the social sciences in my country. It is because of this and all the mentioned above that I am completely convinced he is the right candidate to be backed with your valuable loan.


texts: Someone who pranks someone else is called a prankster. What is a person who gets pranked called? Is the term "prank victim"?


texts: Which is most common/correct "come in" or "step in"?

texts:
Which is most common and correct ot use; "come in" or "step in"? And is there a difference between these?

I want to use it in the scenario where someone is welcome to take a look into a house (from a realtor perspective).


texts:
According to Google Search, "if it wasn't for you <verb>ing" and "if it weren't for you <verb>ing" are both used.

What is the correct usage of wasn't or weren't in this case?


texts:
Strange Obsessions has long been the holy grail of fervent record
  collectors worldwide. Rumors abound that this album had been
  released in Holland and or that there were a small number of white
  label test pressings in existence but none of these claims have ever
  been substantiated. As far as I can ascertain, this is the first time
  that ten of these tracks have become commercially available anywhere.
  The fruits of these Chas Chandler sessions had only been
  previously hinted at with the bands final singles and the track
  "All I Wanna Do Is Rock ‘N’ Roll" that appeared on the American only
  Polydor compilation album Made In Britain.

I don't see the necessity of the past perfect in this extract. Could you please explain it simply?

Why is it not and or that there had been a small number?


texts:
I work as a Dr.
I am a Dr.

I am wondering if the two mean the same thing as well as whether the former is ambiguous.
Please fell free to ask me any question so as to specify the question.
Any comment or feedback would be highly appreciated


texts: Services has been closed Vs Services are shutdown

texts:
I need to inform a group of people via email about some services which can no longer be provided/available to them. Now I am confused whether i should use "has been closed" or "services are shutdown".
I don't want to use word terminated, as it usually create a negative impact and let the other feel about some inappropriate/untimely action. Rather the service is not available because the company has decided to close the service and will not be available anymore for anyone.


texts:
I was reading the Wikipedia's page on RMS Titanic and just noticed numerous references to the ship by possessive her.

Why don't they simply use "its" for Titanic?


texts: Uses of PLEASE with COULD in formal email/conversation

texts:
Should we use 'please' in formal emails/conversation?
Example: Could you please provide your views on this PPT?
'Could' here is stating request and we are also using please for the same.
Is it appropriate to use please in this case?


texts:
Do the following bold time adverbs mean the same? If yes do they both sound natural to you?

  The king was crowned 150 years ago to the day.
  The king was crowned 150 years ago at this day.

My third question is that if it is possible to omit the to be verb 'was' from the sentence above without losing any sense or making the sentence seem unidiomatic or strange?


texts: is this a descriptive sentence "one should not dismiss an argument by pointing out the arguer's behavior."

texts:
There are two sentences from an LSAT question, whose task is to pick a sentence that is most similar to this model sentence:
"In response to an argument, drawing attention to the arguer's behavior is irrational."
The answer sentence is "one should not dismiss an argument by pointing out the arguer's behavior."
Even though the task is to pick the most similar, but I felt the above two sentences are clearly mismatched: the first one is descriptive, the other prescriptive. Or, is it because the answer sentence can be read as a descriptive?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


texts:
Their pale and colourless  looks are not liked by slender girls.
  Their pale and colourless looks is not liked by slender girls.

I cannot choose which verb [is or are] is suitable for above sentence. From my point of view, I choose are as I think "looks" is a plural noun.


texts: Should I use plural or singular when saying a range

texts:
e.g. Should I say  the colors of tube 1-3 or the colors of tubes 1-3?

I know there are more than one tube, but we usually say tube 1 and tube 3 and I feel strange to say tubes 1 to 3.


texts:
Is it grammatically correct?:

  What letter isn't written on the board?

for the structure of Interrogative negative passive?


texts: Shall I use "am" or "is" following a sentence prefixed "Me"?

texts:
The sentence structure is a bit unusual, like this:

  me is tired this morning

Is this proper use of the sentence structure? Shouldn't it be "Me am" instead? Considering sentences starting with "I" are in the form of "I am...".


texts:
Which is correct?

  Did you both get (yourself or yourselves) some ice cream?

Note: This is from an English exercise. You can see the whole worksheet scanned here.


texts: "Recently my imagination works badly" is the sentence correct or not?

texts:
I want to know what time tense should I use in this sentence? I know that an adverb "Recently" is allowed to use only with the present/past perfect tenses. So I can't use it with the present simple, can I? The same question about an adverb "already".
Is it correct "I already finished" or is it necessary to use the "I've already finished" instead of that?


texts: Is such participle clause reducing usage constrained to only past tense?

texts:
As I saw on a grammar website, "She went into the home and left her shoes" equals "She went into the home, leaving her shoes".  Can this usage also be used with other tenses? Like future tense, present perfect tense, etc..

P.S. I mean, does the sentence "she has been working AND WRITING composion in her office" equal "she has been working, WRITING composition in her office".  .... and does "I will pay for it AND GIVE SOME PAMPHLET to you" equal "I will pay for it, GIVING SOME PAMPHLET to you"...etc.

Here is the source that describes an action that happens just before another action.


texts:
Is it possible to say so, meaning "like this"?

  I know I used to be selfish, but I'm not like that anymore.

  I know I used to be selfish, but I'm not such anymore.


texts:
I am writing a short text involving the notion of "Eulerian path".
My problem is that I'm not sure about the pronunciation of the word "Eulerian", so I don't know whether I should write "a Eulerian path" (in case it sounds like "you-lerian") or "an Eulerian path" (in case it sounds like "oi-lerian").
After some research, it seems that the correct English pronunciation for "Euler" is "oiler" (source: OED). However, my version of the OED does not seem to have an entry for "Eulerian". A few people over the internet seem to claim that OED states that "Eulerian" is pronounced "you-lerian" although "Euler" sounds like "oiler". A few other people claim that "Eulerian" should be pronounced "oilerian".

So, what is the correct pronunciation?

NB I know "eu" is pronounced "oi" in German, but I'm interested in the English pronunciation of the word "Eulerian" (each language has its own conventions about words derived from foreign names).


texts:
As he didn’t like meal he want to make a few dollars short payment.

  As he didn’t like meal he want to make payment a few dollars shor .

Is there any difference between two sentence. I thought when I changed the place of “payment” the meaning doesn’t change but payment is used as an adjective in the first sentence and it is used as an adverb in the second sentence please correct me if I am wrong


texts: Are you a couch potato if you spend days lying on a couch with a smartphone in your hands?

texts:
A couch potato is someone who spends most of their time watching television and does not exercise or have any interesting hobbies (Collins Dictionary).

Would it be correct to use the phrase to refer to a person who spends most of their time at home (lying on a couch) overusing social media and/or playing video games (not exercising or having interesting hobbies)?


texts:
Excerpt the title from techrepublic.com:

  Google Deepmind AI tries it hand at creating Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering cards

The only possible way I can interpret this title is to change it to its, is it a typo?


texts:
From Polygon:

  During the stakeout, Watson and Holmes are forced to sit by each other in cramped quarters, and with nothing to do until the bride shows up, actually attempt to have a personal conversation that isn't at all work related.

Why is not used the preposition "to" at the end of the above sentence: "…that isn't at all work related to" or "that isn't at all related to work". Does the verb "relate to" not belong to the same category, like for example, "hide from", "protect from", "accuse of" and so on?


texts:
"'Poor', yeah," said Lee Jordan. "Still, better than 'D', isn't it? 'Dreadful'?"

  Harry felt his face grow warm and faked a small coughing fit over his roll. When he emerged from this...

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

What does "over his roll" mean in this context? Is 'roll' referring to "bread roll"?


texts:
In http://research.google.com/archive/gfs-sosp2003.pdf Section 3.2 (page 6):

  Suppose the client is pushing data to chunkservers S1 through S4.

Does it mean client -> S1 -> S4 or client -> S4 -> S1 ?


texts:
1) An elevator arrived and a man walked out into the hallway.

2) An elevator arrived and a man walked into the hallway.

Is it correct or not to add "out" as in the first sentence?


texts: Right verb(s) to welcome the guests at the door

texts:
When we have guests at the door, we welcome them. Which verb can show this action more properly, greet or receive?

Say:

  I greet Mr. X and his family at the door.

Or

  I receive Mr.X and his family at the door.

Which sentence looks more proper? Or Can we use both of them interchangeably?


texts:
Is the following sentence correct? The part after 'called upon' sounds a bit strange to me.

'SIRE (a company) calls upon to keep hands off our social workers, so this video must be aimed at individuals who use violence against the people that are always ready to help us.'


texts:
He has been working ________ several years on this theory.

a) off and on
b) on and off

It sounds to me ridiculous but my book says it should be "off and on".
Aren't they interchangeable? And if not, what are the nuances?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Tag question: Two hours should be enough time, ________?

texts:
The complete sentence is:

  Two hours should be enough time for passengers to travel from Taipei to Kaohsiung by high speed rail, isn't it?

Is it grammatically correct to use "isn't it" in the above sentence?
If not, how would you revise it?


texts:
What does 'explanatory foil' mean?

  Ortony's construct of linguistic metaphor (1975) as an explanatory
  foil.

Article: 'Meaning and visual metaphor' by Hermine Feinstein


texts: usage: "Neither or either" plus "singular or plural noun"

texts:
In Western blot analysis, expression of either proteins resulted in the down-regulation.

In the above sentence, should I use either proteins or either protein? Can I replace it with neither protein?


texts: Isn't has a general verb when followed by an object and then Ing

texts:
The restaurant has a lot of customers stand in line every lunch time
  The restaurant has a lot of customers standing in line every lunch time

I know for the fact that the verb "has" in sentence 1 functions as a causative verb like "make" or "let". But, how about the one in sentence 2?   I am not so sure.

I think the verb has in sentence 2 is not a causative verb but functions as a general verb with standing as a modifier.

Could you help me clarify it? Thank you.


texts: Is 'nomenclature' grammatically correct in this sentence?

texts:
Is 'nomenclature' grammatically correct in this context?

  Pseudo-code contained in the article will be presented in a
  programming language [name of programming language], which combines
  informatics and mathematical nomenclature.


texts:
I am trying to learn English and I really appreciate your help. my question is:

What is more common in the native speakers, when u don't know about one person?

WHO'S THIS? - WHO'S THAT?

or

WHO'S SHE? - WHO'S HE?

Thank for your help.


texts: "the chapter has been published" or "the chapter was published"

texts:
My understanding is that the difference between 'was' and 'has been' means that something beginning in the past either ended or has not yet.

  My neck was sore yesterday. <- ended at some time

  My neck has been sore since yesterday. <- continuing up to the present

How does this apply to the following two sentences:

  An earlier version of this chapter has been published as 'Author A., Author B., 2016, ...'

  An earlier version of this chapter was published as 'Author A., Author B., 2016, ...'

Which is correct or are they equivalent?


texts:
Source: http://www.commarts.com/column/prototype-party

I am not sure what do they mean by prototype party.


texts:
I know that things might still be difficult for you, so if you need my help I'm there.

What does "things" mean here? Could I put "everything" instead and it would mean the same?


texts: "to sue somebody over" vs "to sue sb on" vs "to sue sb for"

texts:
Source

On the website, we see the sentence 'man sues his wife over ugly children.'
I would like to know the difference when we use 'for' or 'on' instead of 'over' in this sentence in meaning.

man sues his wife over ugly children.
man sues his wife on ugly children.
man sues his wife for ugly children.

Could you please explain the difference in meaning and usage.


texts: "I'm going home for a shower. I'm going home and pack some things, we're getting out of here."

texts:
I'm going home for a shower. I'm going home and pack some things, we're getting out of here.

Are these sentences actions that happening 'now' he is 'going to somewhere' or is it a 'plan'? He's planning to go home to take a shower?

How can I differentiate it from just an action like in "Where are you? I'm going home right now."


texts:
I have came across a sentence made without "for" or "to", therefore I have a little confused.

The sentence is:

  It can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Don't we need to use preposition before "maintain", such as "to" or "for"?


texts: BBC News Sentence: Isn't it an indirect speech? If yes, where is 'that'?

texts:
I have often come across sentences of an indirect speech that do not contain 'that'. As a standard rule taught in schools here, we include 'that' when we turn a direct speech sentence into indirect.

  He said, "I'm coming"

should be...

  He said that he is coming.

But on the BBC, I found this sentence:

  Search and rescue agency chief Bambang Soelistyo said an underwater vehicle was being lowered to take pictures.

On the same page:

  He said the larger of the objects was 10 metres by five (32ft by 16ft) but that strong currents made operating the underwater vehicle difficult.

BUT

  Mr Soelistyo said on Saturday that the large objects had been detected by sonar from an Indonesian navy ship.


texts: I need a book which/that(?) is cheap enough, but in which/that(?) there are cute photos

texts:
On the one hand the clauses are restrictive, on the other hand, there is a preposition in the second case, So, it seems the correct version is "I need a book that is cheap enough, but  in which there are cute photos", but this sounds awful.

So, what is the correct choice?


texts:
'This video is aimed at individuals who use violence against social workers, because they are called upon to keep their hands off these/the persons that are always ready to help us.'

Do I have to use 'these' or 'the' in this sentence?


texts:
Is it possible to make intransitive verbs into a passive form?
For example,

  Most of the representatives said they plan to take the subway train to the convention building rather than ride a cab paid for by the sponsors.


texts:
What is the right answer ?

I think it is kind of reversion but I cannot figure out which one is.

  ..... beneficial vitamins may be, they mustn't be taken excessively.

  A) How

  B) Despite

  C) However

  D) Though


texts:
“Once you crossed the whole camp on foot, asking for a glass of water is not a surprise”.

I used the gerund (asking) because it sounds to me like the correct form in this case, once I couldn’t find an explanation which helped.

Should I have used simply “ask” or “to ask” instead?

Moreover, when I add an adverb to the sentence, I feel like I should use the root form (bare infinitive, without “to”) of the verb:

“Once you crossed the whole camp on foot, politely ask for a glass of water is not a surprise”.

Is it right?


texts: Does "have never done...before” match “sit and watch”?

texts: I have never done this in my life before, simply sit and watch clouds.


texts: What's the verb form when use "I am" with "Who" restrictive clause?

texts:
In grammaly software, When  I wrote "I am" with Restrictive clause  "who" , for a  simple present sentence,
with verb in it's  base form, it suggests to change  the verb to singular form.
I'm a  person who take notes.
I'm a  person who takes notes.
Could someone  please confirm that  is the "take" is the correct verb form for "I am" when it used with who?


texts: I need a clarification on the word "structure" please?

texts:
Structure means the way something is built or arranged. So we know that built means construct (something) by putting parts or material together.
if it's the way of something built doesn't that mean you can ask "What is the structure of this dish?" to know how it was made? instead of asking "How did you make this dish?". Please tell me if something is off.


texts:
I found some sentences that in which  by is not used. Such as:

  I did it myself .
  I will kill you myself .
  he cooks food himself.

  Why by isn't used with these sentences like: by myself, by himself?


texts: Do both of them correct? & "Are both of them correct?"

texts: Any grammatical errors in these sentences? Thanks in advance.


texts: "I do nothing but!" acceptable ellipsis?

texts:
A: You probably do that a lot, don't you?

  B: I do nothing but!

Does that ellipsis in B's answer sound correct?


texts:
How do I write address properly in a full sentence?

Ex) I am Michael Jordan who is living on 111 street at ABC district in Chicago in Illinois in the U.S..

Can I repeatedly use “in” there?
Any suggestions?


texts: What is the subject of "get the wrong idea" in the following sentence?

texts:
What is the subject of "get the wrong idea"?

Please explain the meaning of "get the wrong idea."

This book is "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney.


texts:
What do you do in your spare time?

What is the proper way if I want to convert above mentioned sentence into reported speech.

  He wanted to know what I did in my spare time.

or

  He wanted to know what I do in my spare time.

or

  He wanted to know what did I do in my spare time.


texts: Ways of applying the phrase: "in/after the fashion (of)"

texts:
A situation relates to a not well-off person trying to live large anyway while being on vacation.
Is it possible to exploit the phrase "in/after the fashion" as it stands in the following patterns?

"I've decided to spend my vacation after the fashion of the rich".
"...in/after a rich man fashion".
"...in/after a rich man's fashion".
"...in/after a rich men fashion".
"...in/after a rich men's fashion"
"...in/after a rich fashion"

or

"...in/after a mendicant fashion".
"...in/after the fashion of the mendicant.
"...in/after the fashion of mendicants.

Which of them can be discerned rightly and are relevant and correct?


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct?

"The current flowing through the transistor positioned at VCC5 is smaller than at VCC3."

The meaning should be:

"The current flowing through the transistor positioned at VCC5 is smaller than the current flowing through the transistor positioned at VCC3."


texts: I was happy because I (had) passed my final exam

texts:
Is this sentence correct:

  I was happy because I passed my final exam.

Or is it better to use the Past Perfect:

  I was happy because I had passed my final exam.


texts: Which tense should I use with so far in the following sentences?

texts: How many ice creams did you eat/have you eaten in the morning so far?


texts: You said you are/were going to start a new job

texts:
Which sentence would be proper to use if somebody said that he will start a new job at somewhere about a week ago and if I would like to mention about it now on a mail.

  You said you are going to start  a new job last week.

  You said you were going to start a new job last week.

  You said you will going to start a new job last week.


texts: Is there a word for the piece of clothing worn on the head by a bride?

texts: I am wondering if there's a word for it.


texts:
Please tell me if the following sentence is correct.

  You should be proud with your achievements.

Should I use "of" or "with"?


texts:
ABC is a communal obligation that, if, is not discharged by all, then every individual stands criminal.

Here what do we infer by not discharged by all?

  Some have done it and some haven't.

OR

  None have done it.

Shouldn't we say:  not discharged by any?

In short, if we say: It was not done by all. What does it mean?

  No one did it.

OR

  Some did it and some didn't.


texts:
Please consider the following sentences:

  It is an act which will make the audience think that I (have/will have) used too much time.
  The man never wants to buy her the ring, which will leave the impression that he (has/will have) bought her with it.

My question is: do we need to use "will" there just because they haven't happened? Or should we not use "will" because they are viewed from the particular future points in time?


texts: Why should I use 'the' before 'phone' but 'a' before 'voice message' in these sentences?

texts:
If I write the sentence below without an article, it will be wrong, and the article required is definite (the):

  [1a] *May I use phone in your office?
  [1b] May I use the phone in your office?

If I write message without an article, it will also be wrong, but the article required will be indefinite (a).

  [2a] *I will leave voice message.
  [2b] I will leave a voice message.

Why are 1a is wrong and 1b is correct? What is the difference between 2a and 2b?


texts:
Please look at these two sentences:

Young people buy the red sports cars.

Or:

Young people buy these red sports cars.

Which is correct for you first, second or both?


texts: "a pitch to a company" What does this mean?

texts:
This is also a TOEFL listening question.

An outside class student is taking a game creation class ( computer programming ) and in order for him to pass the class, he has to demonstrate his own project.

Here is the conversation between a professor and the student.

Professor

  Alright, that sounds like it would consititute an appropriate amount of work on your part. Now, the project also incorporates a presentation where the students demonstrate their prototype.

Student

  Yeah, I was figuring I'd present my project as if it was a pitch to a company. I figure it would be boring if I went through the whole design document in front of the class, so I'd create a slideshow and present it as if I was looking for investors or a publisher.

Could this mean, possibly, something like a submitting a resume to a company??


texts: matching the verb form with complicated subjects

texts:
I recently came across a sentence:

  The second class of disparates have more to do with the particular foibles of the aperture involved.

Here, the verb is in plural form, I guess, in relation to the plural subject, 'disparates'.

So, my question is when a subject is in the form of 'a particular class of A' does the verb match A?

But, isn't 'class' treated as both plural and singular. So in this case,

  The class (of 2018) is graduating today.

  The class (of 2018) are graduating today.

would both be right?

If so, can class in the meaning of social group based on the status of the members, also be used in this way, or is it more limited?


texts: exact position of the asterisk in a sentence

texts:
If I want to annotate a word in the middle of a sentence, should I put the asterisk immediately to its right, or at the end of the sentence?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Meaning of "chase away" in "chase away a feeling"

texts:
If someone or something chases away worries, fears, or other bad
  feelings, they cause those feelings to change and become happier. (The
  Collins English Dictionary)

Several examples I have found on the internet.

"Chase away the winter blues"

https://www.dermatologytimes.com/article/chase-away-winter-blues
"Here are three great hiking destinations to chase that June Gloom away."  https://www.rei.com/blog/hike/how-to-beat-l-a-s-june-gloom

Perhaps I am overthinking. Does "chase away a feeling" mean make the effects of the feeling gone(the feeling is gone temporarily) or does it mean make the feeling gone for good(eradicate the feeling)?

For example, if a hike chases my June gloom away, will my gloom come back after I have finished the hike?


texts:
"He wins the league" vs "He will win the League"

Do both sentences express same meaning?


texts: Indefinite article before "given" in "We should consider it a given that no one thought Pavlik Morozov a hero in his lifetime"

texts:
We should consider it a given that no one thought Pavlik Morozov a hero in his lifetime.

(Source)

What kind of the part of speech is "given" in the sentence? I suppose it is the adjective and the presence of the indefinite article after it is because the noun (probably "fact") is intentionally omitted. Am I right?


texts: What is the usage of "of" in "parable of the ant"

texts: If I say "parable of the ant", is the "of" means "about"?


texts:
As far as I know that we can use "What about ...?" to indicate that we're asking the same question as before.

Example:

Gerry: Do you like bananas?

Kathy: Yes.

Gerry: What about apples?

Kathy: Yes.

Gerry: What about oranges?

Kathy: Yes.

Gerry: What about watermelons?

Kathy: No.

Can we use "How about ...?" to serve the same purposes?


texts: How to understand the sentence "I can't make up or down out of any of it"?

texts:
I was reading R.Jordan's "The Wheel of Time". I've faced the following sentence: "This time I can't make up or down out of any of it". I can't understand it.

Some previous sentences to make it clearer:

  She shook her head. "The strongest images around the gleeman are a man — not him — juggling fire, and the White Tower, and that doesn't make any sense at all for a man. The strongest things I see about the big, curly-haired fellow are a wolf, and a broken crown, and trees flowering all around him. And the other one — a red eagle, an eye on a balance scale, a dagger with a ruby, a horn, and a laughing face. There are other things, but you see what I mean.
  This time I can't make up or down out of any of it." She waited then, still grinning, until he finally cleared his throat and asked.


texts: Is a fronted phrase describing a state of mind a "fronted adverbial"?

texts:
My son's learning about fronted adverbials at school (at the age of 11). When he goes to write one, he generally comes up with things like this (when asked to do a sentence for a picture with a car in a tree [yes, really]):

  Feeling stupid, I regretted speeding.

or

  Looking up at my car, I decided to call the RAC.

Rather than simpler things like

  Hurriedly, he dialled the RAC.

Are those first two examples of fronted adverbials?


texts: use of the preposition "in" in front of here/there

texts:
I want to know if there is any difference of meaning between the following two sentences:

  1- It is hot here/there.
  2- It is hot in here/there.


texts: Can a result clause come before a conditional clause when "if" is omitted?

texts:
Quote from here: http://www.englishbaby.com

  If I were you, I would call her. --------> Were I you, I would call
  her.

  If I had known, I wouldn't have done it. ---------> Had I known, I
  wouldn't have done it.

  --> In these cases, the result clause cannot come before the conditional clause.

  (I wouldn't have done it had I known.)(x)

  (I would call her were I you.)(x)

As you can see, the above website says that the result clause cannot come before the conditional clause when "if" is omitted.

But I have found many conditional clauses come after the result clauses even if "if" is omitted. And many others insist that it is grammatically correct even if the result clause comes before the conditional clause. In this case, what shall I do? What should I teach my students? I am an English teacher in Korea.

So let me ask:

Is it impossible for the result clause to come before the conditional clause when "if" is omitted as the above website insists?
Is it grammatically correct only when the result clause comes before the conditional clause when "if" is omitted contrary to what the above website insists?
Are both grammatically correct whether the result clause comes before or after the conditional clause when "if" is omitted?
Finally, if both are correct or the number 2 is correct, should I put a comma after the result clause or not? or both are correct whether with or without a comma?


texts: As what do you read the first letter in the picture above? Is it a Greek or an English?


texts:
She had never had a husband or children, but a nephew visited her regularly, as did a police officer, and everyone in the neighbourhood liked her. My former classmate spoke of her with warmth and respect, and added that Emerence was a caretaker, someone with a bit of authority; she hoped the woman would take us on, because frankly, if she didn't warm to us, no amount of money would induce her to accept the job.

I get somehow confused to get its meaning!

Dose it mean: apart from her nephew a police officer visited her regularly too?
Or Does it mean: her nephew is a police officer?

Source: "The door: the novel" by Magda Szabo.


texts:
I know that "height" is a uncountable noun when it is a measurement. But in some scenarios I think the form "heights" is better. For example, I want to prove the performance of an algorithm on several binary trees. The trees are of different height. Then I think the following sentence should be correct:
"I will prove the performance of the algorithm on the binary trees of various heights".

How you guys think about it? Any suggestion will be appreciated.


texts: About the use of "whenever" in the headline "Why Working Till Whenever Is a Risky Retirement Strategy"

texts:
Does whenever in the construction:

  Why Working Till Whenever Is a Risky Retirement Strategy

play the role of an adverb?

And more generally is it grammatical to follow up a preposition with an adverb?

Source: link.


texts: How to use "right side up", "upside down", "sideways" correctly?

texts:
right side up (North American English) with the top part turned to
  the top; in the correct, normal position

  I dropped my toast, but luckily it fell right side up.

  upside down: in or into a position in which the top of something is where the bottom is normally found and the bottom is where the top
  is normally found

  The canoe floated upside down on the lake.

  sideways: with one side facing forwards

  She sat sideways on the chair.

  The sofa will only go through the door sideways.

They are all adverbs, but sometimes it is hard to imagine how they are used.

It is easy to use these adverbs for some even objects such as a bottle.

The bottle is held "right side up"

The bottle is held "upside down"

The bottle is held "sideways"

However, how to use these adverbs for some uneven objects such as a baby cart.

This is the correct position of a baby cart (Note: I am not sure what to call it, but it is a cart that helps toddlers to learn to walk). The wheels on the floor and the handle stand upright.

What if the cart lies on its handle on the floor like this

Could we loosely say "the cart is upside down" or "it is sideways"?

What if the side of the cart lies on the floor like this

Could we loosely say "the cart is sideways"?

Or, it looks like this

Could we loosely say "the cart is upside down"?


texts: Difference between Formal and informal question?

texts:
There are two questions:

  A- How come you're a reporter?

  B- How is it that you're a reporter?

Why A is informal and B is formal?

And I found that difficult to know that making the Informal question into formal question especially there are no rules.


texts: Is "fat' in "You are not fat" being used as a noun?

texts:
Since "fat" can be used as a noun, "You are not fat" with
fat being used as a noun would still be grammatically correct wouldn't it?

Because you can say "You are not ice." or "You are not glue." or "You are not lava." Meaning you are not the noun in the sentence. Do you need to specify with an article and say "You are not the fat"?


texts: Is there a word for the diamond thing hanging on the ceiling?

texts: I am pretty sure there's a word for that, but I don't know what it is.


texts: What does "lack of practical affordances" mean?

texts:
The main motivations behind the Rust programming language are according to the FAQ:

  Rust exists because other languages at this level of abstraction and efficiency are unsatisfactory. In particular:

  There is too little attention paid to safety.
  They have poor concurrency support.
  There is a lack of practical affordances.
  They offer limited control over resources.

What does 3. mean in this context?


texts: Tense used when referring to other sections

texts:
Say I'm writing a book with three sections: A, B, and C. Say I am currently writing section B and I want to refer to things I wrote in sections C and A. How would that be written grammatically? Do I use past tense for A and future tense for C?

  In section A we saw that blah blah blah. In section C we will see that blah blah blah.

Note that the text in question is intended to not necessarily be read in order. So even though by the laws of nature A comes before B comes before C, when reading the text the reader could technically read C before B before A without any problem in comprehension (hence my confusion as to tense usage in my case).


texts: Should I say 'find...interesting' or 'find...to be interesting'?

texts:
In the sentence

  I find Area 51 interesting because there is so little information about it.

Shall I add 'to be' before 'interesting'?


texts: What is omitted between 'the task' and 'and'?

texts:
What is omitted between the more tasks and and? 'the to-do lists had'?

  The results in the Journal of Experimental Psychology confirm that not
  all pre-sleep writing is created equal. Those who’d made to-do lists
  before bed were able to fall asleep nine minutes faster than the ones
  who’d written about past events. The quality of the lists mattered,
  too; the more tasks and the more specific the to-do lists were, the
  faster the writers fell asleep. On the flip side, those who wrote long
  lists of accomplishments took longer to fall asleep than those who’d
  thought of fewer past activities.

[Source : This 5-Minute Bedtime Ritual Will Make You Fall Asleep Faster] (https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/mind-racing-sleep-trick/)


texts: What verb or phrase do you use to say that something wants someone to do something for them, but they don't say it directly?

texts: What verb or phrase do you use to say that something wants someone to do something for them, but they don't say it directly and if the person did that think for her or him, they make the person believe that it was the person who wanted to help them?


texts: A shorter way to describe a cave path of a certain length

texts:
As I have to divide caves into some groups, I need to classify them as:

caves with short path (below 100 m)
caves with middle path (between 100 - 200 m)
caves with very long path

What are the shorter words for those classification?


texts:
I would like others to explain this to me.

-He has bad temper.
-He has a bad temper.

Are both correct?


texts:
I have two sentences here :

The problem is hard to solve
The table is too heavy to lift

To the best of my knowledge, the former is an example of  tough movement, in which the subject in the main clause is the implied object in the infinitival clause.

  The problem is hard to solve the problem

As far as I know, this construction is permitted by the tough adjective (hard). But I yesterday came across the latter sentence (I don't remember where, unfortunately).  It sounds fine to me, but I got the urge to rephrase it to The table is too heavy to be lifted because I'm not sure about its grammaticality.I think it's ungrammatical because the adjective heavy is not a tough adjective.

More interestingly, the sentence becomes unnatural (and potentially ungrammatical) when the too is omitted.

  ✳The table is heavy to lift

Does anyone have an explanation about this?


texts:
I created the following sentences.

  During this process, a lid covers the opening of the container to prevent entry of water into the container.
  During this process, the opening of the container is covered with a lid to prevent entry of water into the container.

I know those like the second sentence are widely used, but I am unsure that the second sentence is grammatically correct because the subject (the opening) of the sentence does not agree with the subject (a lid) of the to infinitive.

The to infinitive in the second sentence may be considered as an adjective to modify a noun "a lid", but I think such an interpretation makes the sentence strange.


texts:
“Well, Voldemort’s going to try other ways of coming back, isn’t he? I
  mean, he hasn’t gone, has he?” “No, Harry, he has not. He is
  still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share…
  not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die;
  he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies.
  Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his
  return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to
  fight what seems a losing battle next time — and if he is delayed
  again, and again, why, he may never return to power.”  (Harry
  Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

The second may has the meaning of 2 below, while the first may seems to be 1. But it is within a while clause that has the meaning of although, it’s not clear for me. What does the first may mean?

OALD

used to say that something is possible
used when admitting that something is true before introducing another point, argument, etc.


texts: Difference between "speak of her" and "speaking of her"

texts:
I have this sentence in the story: "You've frequently heard me speak of her."
If I replace "speak " with " speaking" (as it is a frequent action) would it change the meaning and how?


texts: Are contractions discouraged in formal writing?

texts:
I remember reading something long ago that says people should avoid contractions in formal writing. I wonder whether that is true. And by formal writing, I mean specifically the four types:

(1) Academic literature, articles in academic journals;

(2) novels (aside from conversations between the characters in them);

(3) news reports;

(4) Language tests like TOEFL.

Also, I am interesting in finding out whether it annoys native English speakers to read an article, in which contractions sometimes appear and sometimes don't.


texts: I had/have never thought about until now

texts:
Someone asked me why I want to get a high score on  my test. I said the following:
"I had never thought about it until now."
I'm a bit confused between 'I had' and 'I have' since I said 'now' at the end. I know that we say things like "I had never met her until last night/recently" but 'now' doesn't sound like past to me.
Which one is correct here?


texts: "to be + V-ing / V-ed" Passive or Active?

texts:
Please read the following two sentences.

  1) "We are concerned over this issue as the list seems to be expanding from drinks to foods"

  2) "Samples have been taken to be analyzed"

Today, I found this while I was searching for "to be + ing" pattern. The answerer says that first sentence is in active voice but I can't really understand why. It really seems like to be in passive voice. Could someone please teach me that?


texts: What can one say to express the cruelness of reality? That's the terrible/cruel/harsh truth?


texts:
It seems that "Begin/start to do something" is generally the correct form, as opposed to "Begin/start doing". Are there situations in which the latter is correct?
I've just come across this interesting sentence:

"Begin reading this procedure, unless you have already begun to read it."

And indeed, to my foreign ears, the imperative "Begin to read" sounds less correct, or at least more awkward, than "Begin reading".


texts:
The medications that were prescribed me didn't work so well.

  The medications that were prescribed to me didn't work so well.

  My doctor prescribed me some medication.

  My doctor prescribed some medication to me.

Which one of those is correct?


texts:
I'm editing a medicine article and in the introduction the author writes

  We report this case of a 25-year-old female with cholestatic hepatitis

Isn't this simple present strange here? Shouldn't it be

  we are going to report

or

  this article reports?


texts: Word or phrase for behaviors that happen for a while,go away, and come back?

texts: I'm look for a word or phrase to describe patterns of behavior that happen for a while, go away for some time, and then happen again. No particular pattern with the phases.


texts: What is the difference between these two phrases: "I know it" and "I know this"? One explanation I found is that "it" means what you perceive and "this" is more abstract. Is it so?


texts:
Which one is correct:

  They each tells a story.

or

  They each tell a story.

Does "each" change the plural form of the verb? Thanks.


texts: Which of these two is correct, “What should everyone know?” or “What everyone should know?”

texts: Which of the above is correct usage and why. I saw this edit in a stackoverflow question and it got me wondering why was it edited. Is it just because the first one sounds better?


texts: "How could you have done it?" vs "How did you manage to do it"

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between the question how could you have done it and how did you manage to do it? For example:

  The match seemed impossible to pull off, but you did. How could you have done it?

  The match seemed impossible to pull off, but you did. How did you manage to do it?

I asked a similar question about the use of how could have done something question in expressing critisism and was told that the question how could you have done it sounds like a genuine question. This in turn got me thinking what is the difference between the two.


texts: How to interpret the reduced relative clause in such cases?

texts:
I found the sentence:

The man driving the car is a friend of mine.

Does it suggest the man is driving or was driving?


texts: Do plural nouns need to have preceding articles in the same way singular nouns require "a", "an" or "the"?

texts:
Can you say:
"i want apples" or "can you give me apples?" without a "some" before the plural noun "apples"?
Because something like
"i want an apple" or "can you give me an apple" requires that "a" (or in this case "an") article, but do plurals need an article? and is that article just "some"?
Sorry if this seems really simple, but if what I suppose above is the case, then might the lack of an article tell you that a noun is plural?


texts: "What songs is Johnny playing" or "What songs are Johnny playing"

texts: Which of the two is it? I would assume it would be "What songs are Johnny playing" due to the main noun "songs" being plural, but someone is telling me otherwise, and that since Johnny is the subject of the sentence, therefore the verb must be singular.


texts: Word for when someone is freed of all charges or all charges dropped against them

texts:
What is one word for someone against whom initially there were some charges of wrongdoing but later is freed of all such charges or charges dropped against them formally or by a court? Thanks in advance.

Edit 1: I think I'm looking for opposite/antonym of indict, if that helps.