texts: What's the meaning of idioms "school in" and "get something into bones"

texts:
School in:
I searched for it on the internet but couldn't find its meaning or anything related to it. I found this idiom in a past year question paper.
Get something into bones:
I found this idiom in essay "First year at harrow" by Winston Churchill. Here is link to pdf version of essay.

  Thus, I got into my bones the essential structure of the ordinary
  British sentence -- which is a noble thing.

I inferred from it that he learned the essential structure of english thoroughly, but I couldn't find any such idiom on the internet.


texts: What does "at most 1 of 10" mean in this scenario?

texts:
I am reading A First Course in Probability by Sheldon Ross and get stuck by this expression:

  The company sells the screws in packages of 10 and offers a money-back
  guarantee that at most 1 of the 10 screws is defective.

In my understanding, it means if 1 or more than 1 screws are defective the package should be delivered back to the company. But I am wrong because it excludes the 1.


texts: Why is there no indefinite article before the word hall?

texts:
The usage of the word 'hall' listed in ODO sounds a bit odd to me and I can't wrap my head around how it could be grammatical.

  hall [british]: A university building containing rooms for students to live in.

    for a brief time they had shared a room in hall

  4.1. The room used for meals in a college, university, or school.

    he dined in hall


texts:
Can anybody explain the phrase in bold for me, please?

  On Thursday, too, the Bank of Japan pushed back its inflation target for the sixth time and kept interest rates steady. The bank's monetary policy has "completely gone off the rails in a scorched earth kind of way," Peter Boockvar, chief market analyst at The Lindsey Group, wrote in a Thursday note to clients.

(Source: CNBC)


texts: Which kind of stay is author referring to?

texts:
The entire lake forms a shape resembling a peanut or a foetus, the
  choice of description depending, perhaps, on the kind of stay a
  visitor happens to be having.

The above is an excerpt from Wheels, a novel by Arthur Hailey. The novel is about auto-mobile industry; but I'm unable to understand what he means by stating the text above in bold. How can the mood of visitor decide whether the lake is shaped like a peanut or a foetus?

Can someone explain a little bit about this? I couldn't find the text available online, so I can not provide a link to it. :(


texts:
I have a question about the usage of the phrases "take a broad view of something" and "take a wide view of something".  Should they be interpreted to mean:

  A.--consider the general aspects, rather than specific aspects, of something

, or:

  B.--include a great variety of things when considering something

Keeping in mind the interchangeability of "broad" and "wide".

Definition 3 for "broad" in this dictionary:

  def 3:  including a great variety of people or things

with this example usage:

  She took a broad view of the duties of being a teacher.

, which favors interpretation B.

But definition 3 for "wide" in this dictionary:

  def 3:  concerning the basic aspects of something rather than the details

, with this example usage:

  Senior managers are expected to take a wider view of problems.

which favors the interpretation A.

So, if I write:

  He took a broad/wide view of the economy.

, does it mean he only looked at the general aspects of the economy,  or that he included a lot of other stuff when thinking about the economy?


texts: In science-fiction, do we use the word navy to refer to the space fleet? I am wondering if people would refer to it as "navy" or rather "space navy", which sounds a little bit weird if you ask me? What's the consensus among science-fiction authors?


texts:
I am a bit puzzled by question forms on sentences with infinitive. Could someone clarify it?

For example, I have the statement:

  We decided yesterday to do something next Monday.

I would like to know when something will happen. How should I ask a question?


texts:
Can I use 'feel' to say that I was searching with my hands?
I heard a native say this:

"He felt in his pockets for some money."

But could I have said:

"He felt his pockets for some money."

And I also heard a native say this but do I have to use 'about' here, after 'feel'?

"I had to feel about in the dark for the light switch."


texts: Is "was there anybody there" be "was anybody there" instead?

texts:
In the school book I found a phrase:

  "Was there anybody there?"

Is this a typo?

Shouldn't we say: "Was anybody there?"


texts:
Source: The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript by Nicholas C. Zakas (2014)

Example:

  My relationship with Nicholas comes from years of studying his books,
  reading his blog posts, watching him speak, and monitoring his Twitter
  updates as a JavaScript pupil. We first met in person when I asked him
  to speak at a jQuery conference several years ago. He treated the jQuery
  community to a high-quality talk, and since then, we have spoken publicly
  and privately over the Internet.

As far as I know, this idiomatic expression is usually used with food. For example: You've done a very good job for me. Now, as a reward, let me treat you to a cup of gourmet coffee you have never had in your entire life. And it makes sense because the verb treat when used with food items typically means to give someone something tasty. But I don't think I understand how it's being used in the paragraph. And what does it actually say, semantically speaking? He took all the members of the community and presented them at a very important talk?


texts: "What is inevitable is the catastrophic..."

texts:
Is the sentence below structurally correct, if not please rectify it. Furthermore, I would really appreciate it if you could also say whether it is a cleft sentence or not, and how to make the sentence of higher quality.

  What is inevitable is the catastrophic effects coronavirus has led to.


texts: Phrasing for "Attended to different levels, ending (...) Advanced Level."

texts:
Which one of the followings sounds better.

One year English course. Attended to different levels, ending at Advanced Level.
One year English course. Attended to different levels, ending at the Advanced Level.
One year English course. Attended to different levels, ending at an Advanced Level.

If none of them is correct. What would be a better way to phrase this? I'm trying to add this to my LinkedIn page. I personally would go for the second one, but I'm not completely sure.


texts:
Just the other day, I was talking to my mom about how the people who had been brave enough to take part in world war 2 were people we should look up to.
Just the other day, I was talking to my mom about how the people who have been brave enough to take part in world war 2 were people we should look up to.

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


texts:
Can you please  advise me which question would a native speaker immigration officer would ask in an airport

Where are you traveling from?     or

Where are you traveling in from?

Where are you comming from?

Where are you comming in from?

Where are you flying from?

Where are you flying in from?

Are all grammatically correct?

Thank you!


texts: Specific question with direct/indirect speech

texts:
Hi I’m a student from Germany and I have a problem with this grammatical speech.
I understand the direct and indirect speech. But let me give you an example for my question.
For example,

Luis says: I work at a Supermarket.

Now I have to write it over into:

Luis said: He worked at a Supermarket.

This one is pretty clear.
But what’s with this?:

I packed my stuff after he told me to pack my stuff.

Why isn’t it like this ?:

I packed my stuff after he told me to packed my stuff.

I mean in present "he says: pack your things"?
I know that the second sentence is wrong but why?
So can I say "he said: Packed your stuff"?


texts: When we join two past events, must we use the perfect participle or can we use the present participle as well?

texts:
When two incidents happen in past one after another we use past perfect tense.

  By the time she got to the theatre, the play had already begun.

Is this rule also apply when we make a sentence using participle? I mean when we join two sentence happened in past one after another do we use only perfect participle or can we use present participle as well?

If we have these sentences:

  We started early. We arrived at noon.

Joining using present participle:

  Starting early, we arrived at noon.

Or joining using perfect participle:

  Having started early,we arrived at noon.


texts: We've had a lot of people stop by our booth -> "Have + people +stop" why is the verb form stop not stopping?

texts:
please help me with this.

So I heard today that a native american person said "We've had a lot of people stop by our booth"

and I though it should be "we've had a lot of people stopping by our booth"


texts: Can I say "Have a good week." to somebody I know I will see every day of the week?

texts:
When speaking with a co-worker of mine, who doesn't work during the weekends like me, I could tell him "Have a good weekend." before returning at home. If I tell him "Have a good weekend." on a different weekday, that would mean I will not see him again before Friday, or I think that is going to happen.

If I say "Have a good week." before leaving work, does that mean I will not see him for the rest of the week, or is that something I can say even if I will see him throughout the week?


texts: We know "am/is/are/was/were" are "to be" verb but some people say those verb are "be verb".which is correct? I think "to be" sounds like infinitive.Am I wrong?


texts:
Consider this question:

Where are they (things or people)?

Would the following answer be with (at), without it or either one?

I left them (at) home

I have done a quick Google search and found quotes for both cases, with and without:

This Widow's 4 Kids Were Taken After She Left Them Home Alone.
Leaving Your Child Home Alone - KidsHealth
Gerry said, "I left them at home." Gerry sat down and turned on the TV
set just as Mark would have done.

I read about "home" being an adverb but also know "stay at home moms" for example. So you see I need definite answers.


texts:
I generally see and have a difficulty in understanding of usages "as" and "being". The question is about the latter. When I was glancing at Oxford's learner dictionary for the meaning of masochistic, I read the following:

  getting sexual pleasure from being physically hurt

Why is the "being" usage necessary there? What if it wasn't? I know only the usage of "being" with passive continuous tenses, nothing else. What is the usage mentioned as known? Are there any other usages?


texts:
Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.
BY POE

Why is this "Only" used here? What is it trying to modify?


texts: 'At the weekend' or 'At weekends' for regular occurence

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  I go running at the weekend.
  I go running at weekends.


texts: Is "lovely" a common word in American English?

texts:
I hear the word "lovely" a lot in British English TV shows, movies and dramas etc. British people tend to use it a lot. I have been searching for its use in American English but sadly, I found nothing. Various sources on the internet associate it only with British English. I have an American friend who told me that they did not use it a lot.
I don't think I have heard it in American TV shows or programs. If I have, I can't remember.
According to Dailymail article, "lovely" is very British.
I am now wondering whether it is common in the USA. If not, in what contexts do Americans use it?


texts: Are "thinking" and "while thinking" the same thing?

texts:
I am not sure, but in some situation both seem to mean the same thing. Is it? I feel "thinking" implies that you are doing it now so "while" is redundant. If that's the case, why would you use "while"?

For example:

  He was laughing while thinking at the things you said yesterday.

  He was laughing thinking at the things you said yesterday.


texts: The definite article before the word "precedent"

texts:
Why is the used before the word precedent, even though there was no information as to which precedent was meant?

  Judicial restraint is the idea that the judges must pay close attention to the precedent when they make decisions.

Wouldn't it be better to use a precedent in that situation?


texts: Stumped by a verbal analogy: “pencil is to sharpen as...”

texts:
Pencil is to sharpen as

  A. knife is to cut
  B. carpenter is to build
  C. wood is to saw
  D. well is to fill
  E. saw is to ax

The answer to this verbal analogy (from here) does not seem the best to me.  I'd have chosen D.  My reasoning is:  When a pencil gets worn down (blunt), it's "out of lead," it won't write anymore, so it can't serve its purpose anymore, till it gets sharpened.  Similarly, when a well runs out of water, it no longer serves its purpose, so it has to be filled.

The correct answer (C) doesn't fulfill that type of qualification.  The only analogy with D. that it has, is that a pencil's made of wood, and both a saw and sharpening involve a form of cutting.

Can anyone explain why C. is the solution?


texts:
Here is the sentence.

Where were you yesterday? - I was at home the whole day. - How strange. I (ring) you up at two o'clock, but nobody answered.

  The Past Simple would be:  I rang you up at two o'clock, but nobody
  answered.

  The Past Continuous would be:  I was ringing you up at two o'clock,
  but nobody answered.

I am wondering why the authors of the grammar book where I took the sentence from tell me that I have to use the Past Simple. In my opinion the Past Continuous is more appropriate, for we have the exact moment of the action in the past.


texts:
Why is the past tense of "quit" not "quitted?"  Same for "hit" and "hitted?"  It's clearly not just words that end in "t", because "rot" becomes "rotted."

Are words that end in -it the same in the past and present tenses? Or is there some other rule? Or no rule at all?


texts:
Such expressions as

  Drama series

and

  TV series

are plural or singular?

E.g. I like to watch drama/TV series or I like to watch a drama/TV series?


texts: What is the meaning of the verb "bear" in this context?

texts:
I read a sentence in a chapter named "The Last Lesson" which was:

  Then he turned to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk, and, bearing on with all his might, he wrote as large as he could: "Vive la France!"

"Bear on" means "to be pertinent" but that doesn't seem to fit here.

Note: Some translations (like this one) use bear down:

  Then he turned to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk, and, bearing down with all his might, he wrote as large as he could: "Vive la France!"

but others, such as this version, use bear on:

My question is about the bear on version.


texts: As far as meaning, does the omission of the article "the" in this prepositional phrase changes anything?

texts:
It is possible to remove the article the from:

  In the previous chapters, we saw the importance of communication.

to obtain:

  In  previous chapters, we saw the importance of communication.

the is used to further specify the nouns that it precedes. That being said, I don't see how the PP containing the adds more specificity to  chapters when compared with the one without the.


texts:
I found out 'every bit' is similar expression to 'entirely'
while reading through another post put up on here.

So in this line (from the movie 'Dead poets society' Source:Yarn Clips):

  "It's every bit as tough as they say unless you're genius like Meeks."

Does "every bit" function as an adverb which modifies 'It's as tough as ~"?


texts:
On the instant of his departure, which I noted, a bright star or
  vapour leaped forth above his head (as though he had heaved up his
  sword), and broke all about in fire. The cocks crowed midnight through
  the valley, and I sat me down by the mill-wheel, chewing spearmint
  (though that's an herb of Venus), and calling myself all the asses'
  heads in the world! 'Twas plain enough now!'

This is from "A DOCTOR'S MEDICINE" by Kipling.
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/k/kipling/rudyard/rewards/index.html

I am glad if someone kindly teach me the meaning below
"calling myself all the asses heads in the world"
strong text


texts:
In a live debate on a news channel with English subtitle.I saw this sentence when a person(named Ram) was pointing to another person(named Sam) by saying this "you talk as if you were a child"

1.Sir my question is do this sentence above denote a report by the verb "talk" made a few seconds ago? and why is present simple "talk" here not present continuous "are talking"?

2.One more question why past tense "you were a child" It should be "you are a child"?

Sir Please get me clear I am confused.


texts: Using "one" with "their" in formal and written ENGLISH

texts:
Is it correct to, for instance, write in a lecture:

  "One must answer the court's questions with due respect in their case/if they are called upon"

I know such structure is admissible in colloquial English but I wonder if the same is applied in formal or written English, too.


texts:
Say, a person posts a topic in a forum, asking for an appropriate English word to be used in a particular context. I reply with one that seemed fitting to me, and add:

  "All I could recall beyond that was (here comes one additional
  word)."

Is that correct in terms of tense choice or should I rephrase it to

  "All I can recall beyond that is ..."

Or even:

  "All I've been able to recall beyond that is ..."

I'm also curious whether the addition of "so far" would make sentence 1 outright erroneous:

  "All I could recall beyond that so far was ..."

Sorry if the question is too simple. I catch myself making mistakes and find asking  questions a good way to make myself pay attention.


texts: Which is right between these two sentences? "much easier" vs. "more easily"

texts:
The children learn a new language much easier than adults.
  The children learn a new language more easily than adults.

I think 2 is right because easy modifies the verb, so it needs to be written in adverb forms, doesn't it?


texts: Should I use "are" or "is" in this question?

texts:
If I want to ask what days that a restaurant opens to public, which the following sentence is correct?

  What days are the restaurant open?
  What days is the restaurant open?

The answer is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.


texts: how to pronounce "causa causans" in american english?

texts:
How to pronounce "causa causans" in American English?

  The simple explanation which was given by the Spiritualists of the time
  is not to be set aside readily—and least readily by those who know most.
  It was that a medium who ill-uses her gifts and suffers debasement of
  moral character through bad habits, becomes accessible to evil
  influences which may use her for false information or for the defilement
  of a pure cause. That may be true enough as a causa causans. But we
  must look closer to see the actual how and why.

from The History of Spiritualism, Vol. I by Arthur Conan Doyle


texts: Elderly, Eldest, Elder, Elders, Elderlies

texts:
There is so much information on the internet and different sources tell us different information. Are my guesses correct?

All the five can be used only with living creatures, not objects/things?
All the Elder-like words have a negative shade compared to Old-like words?
Elder and Elderly are both nouns and adjectives?
Elderly - means old person.
Elder - means old but less old than elderly
Eldest - means a very old person, the oldest.
Elders - means old people
Elderlies - means old people in general.


texts: What does "getting our values straight with ourselves" mean?

texts:
getting our values straight with ourselves so that we can get our
  values straight with the world.

I know get something straight means: to correctly understand something.

But I don't get the point. So could you please explain it to me?

The fuller text is:

  The Thinking Brain is objective and factual. The Feeling Brain is
  subjective and relative. And no matter what we do, we can never
  translate one form of knowledge into the other.33 This is the real
  problem of hope. It’s rare that we don’t understand intellectually how
  to cut back on carbs, or wake up earlier, or stop smoking. It’s that
  somewhere inside our Feeling Brain, we have decided that we don’t
  deserve to do those things, that we are unworthy of doing them. And
  that’s why we feel so bad about them. This feeling of unworthiness is
  usually the result of some bad shit happening to us at some point. We
  suffer through some terrible stuff, and our Feeling Brain decides that
  we deserved those bad experiences. Therefore, it sets out, despite the
  Thinking Brain’s better knowledge, to repeat and reexperience that
  suffering. This is the fundamental problem of self-control. This is
  the fundamental problem of hope—not an uneducated Thinking Brain, but
  an uneducated Feeling Brain, a Feeling Brain that has adopted and
  accepted poor value judgments about itself and the world. And this is
  the real work of anything that even resembles psychological healing:
  getting our values straight with ourselves so that we can get our values straight with the world. Put another way, the problem isn’t
  that we don’t know how not to get punched in the face. The problem is
  that, at some point, likely a long time ago, we got punched in face,
  and instead of punching back, we decided we deserved it.


texts: What's the meaning of the phrase "may be bound for reference"?

texts: I don't understand the meaning of the phrase "...and may be bound for reference"? Could you please rephrase the second part of this sentence?


texts: What are these parts? -- "So she just stood there, ..., like in a trance, listening to ..., hoping that ..."

texts:
"So she just stood there, her head tilted to one side, like in a trance, listening to that wistful whispering, hoping that it would never end"

I wonder why V-ing (listening, hoping) are used here?

And "like in a trance"- I learned of "such as/ like" but I have never learned that it' used with a prepositional phrase. What is it?


texts: What is the meaning of "No doubt a rabbi or two were also arrested"?

texts:
Hodel, who is ready to go to Serbia, told her father, Tevye, that her future husband Perchik got arrested in Serbia & she going there to marry him & also she promise him marriage will be done under canopy. Tevye said this words to himself.

  No doubt a rabbi or two were also arrested


texts:
What is the meaning, origin and earliest use of the phrase "to take the biscuit"?

In the British comedy TV serial I am watching, the guy is upset because things are not happening as per his wishes. He is assembling a do-it-yourself baby cot for his daughter's baby, finishes assembling it, and goes out of the room. Then, when he returns to the room after some time, he sees that the baby cot is undone and all the parts separated, so he becomes very angry.

He is talking to his wife narrating all things during the day that went wrong, and when he comes to mentioning the baby cot, he says "...but this one takes the biscuit".


texts:
I did a search on Google and found that the phrase "relish a smoke" is more or less never used, while  "enjoy a smoke" gives me more than 14 million results. I thought "relish" means "enjoy" and thus could be used interchangeably. But apparently not.

What is the difference between relish and enjoy?

Would it be wrong to say "He relished a smoke in the sunny weather"?


texts:
I am wondering if I can say

  In the case of A and B, the book does provide much information.

I am asking this question, because "case" is a singular noun but A and B imply a plural phrase.
I mean, I would understand why it is fine if some one said

  In the case of A or B, the book does provide much information.

However, I am having a sort of logical debate with myself on the first one with and. Shouldn't it be actually "in the cases of A and B"?


texts: Can I use "trimming" in the meaning of "add or remove extra materials and obtain the final format"?

texts:
We are writing a journal article with some friends. I want to tell them that we have to finish the main part of the work by mid-May, then we have time to "add or remove extra materials and obtain the final format". Can I use the word "trimming" in this context?

Let's finish the main part by mid-May, then we have time for trimming.


texts: Why have "my" and "your" been used in place of "me" and "you" in "...There is no connection between **my** having no pencil and **your** having..."

texts:
Following is an excerpt from The Evolution of Physics, by Albert Einstein and Leonard Infeld:

  Let us follow the motion of the idealized car on the idealized switchback as it begins to roll downward from the starting-point. As it moves its distance from the ground diminishes, but its speed increases. This sentence at first sight may remind us of one from a language lesson: "I have no pencil, but you have six oranges." It is not so stupid, however. There is no connection between my having no pencil and your having six oranges, but there is a very real correlation between the distance of the car from the ground and its speed. We can calculate the speed of the car at any moment if we know how high it happens to be above the ground, but we omit this point here because of its quantitative character which can best be expressed by mathematical formulae.

I wonder why have the author used "my" and "your"  in place of "me" and "you" in the sentence, "...There is no connection between my(me) having no pencil and your(you) having six oranges..."

I am confused, about when to use "me" and when to use "my". E.g in the following sentence should I use "me" or "my"?

  I was in real, no King, of the forest in the past. I am asking the Tiger to imagine a scenario in which I be king of the forest in past. Since, the sentence is present perfect the fact of my being the king in the past has present consequences and I am for sure, not King of the forest at present in that imaginary scenario --- the consequence is the fear of me in the pythons. The Tiger thinks that the fear in the Pythons would be because of something else not because of my(me?) being the King in the past. I am asking him, wouldn't my being the King in the past enough to make a fear of me in pythons?

Please explain me in simple English, when to use me and when to use my, while referring to myself? How do the sentences appear to native English speaker, when we replace me with my? I do not know technical English grammar, like gerund, verb or noun things.


texts: How to refer to a television series in UK English

texts:
This has been bugging me for a while, and I did attempt a google search on "British word for TV series" but I was unable to unearth anything helpful.

In the US, a season of a TV show refers to the group of episodes produced in a single run. Each year a show can be renewed for a new season. In the UK, this is called a series.

In the US, a series is the group of all the seasons together; a series might culminate after seven seasons. The series refers to the entirety of the show itself; it is a compilation of all seven of those seasons.

So, to get to my question: what is the British term for the American series? The US has a series composed of multiple seasons; for the UK, a series of series(es?) doesn't make much sense. So I imagine there has to be another term for it, but I've never heard it and can't seem to find it through google. Is there a Brit in the house who can shed some light on the matter?


texts:
Is there a word in English that denotes a person who expects something to happen?

writer writes
reader reads
? expects


texts: In "I want the following: butter, sugar, and flour" "the following" seems a "direct object", "following" seems like a verb. I thought nouns seem like objects?


texts: imprecate - Direct or Indirect Transitive?

texts:
Does imprecate admit of a direct or indirect object or both? What prepositions must be used?
Examples of prepositions don't exhaust, and the Google Books contains against, not mentioned on OED.

This is a rare verb, yet there are instances of both uses:

Direct object:

Indirect object:

Source: P184, How the Law Works, Gary Slapper


texts: What is the opposite of the word 'smelly' for the following context?

texts:
XXX fertilizer is an organic degradation that can produce non-smelly waste and increase the plant growth.

Is "non-smelly" appropriate?


texts: What does "Take on Me" mean in A-ha's song?

texts:
Doe it mean the same as "Take on your enemies" in this question?
Or does it mean to confront me as an enemy?

I can't figure out the meaning even from the context of the whole song...

Update:
After reading the lyric again, I am not sure what "Take me on" means as well...

Full lyric.


texts: Which is correct between these two sentences?

texts:
Context:

  1: Who the hell he is?
  2: Who the hell is he?

I have come across both of them and both of them are spoken frequently, so which is correct grammatically?


texts:
If someone walks/runs around a ground (or maybe anything like school.)

  I walked one round. (Or should it be "lap"?)
  (Or: I've walked  ten rounds)

  I ran one round. (Or should it be "laps" instead of "rounds"?)
  (Or:I've run ten rounds; I ran ten rounds).

Like: "I've walked around this ground once." (I guess that this sounds really long and maybe it does not flow well)

  Walk/Run ten rounds of this ground.

Or

  Take/Walk ten laps of this ground.

A teacher asks a kid to do this.


texts: Had become / have become / were becoming / something else?

texts:
I imagine this is how it sounded to you. His ramblings had become so insane, as had every expression he made.

Is this sentence grammatically correct? Would it be better to replace the "had become" with "have become" or "were becoming" or "became" there? Is the "made" correct or is it "had made," "was making"?


texts:
Are "listen" and "look" interchangeable in contexts like this? This is a phone conversation if that makes any difference.
Listen/Look, Jeff, I don't know who told you that, but it's not true.


texts:
I want to ask my friend about how his relationship with a girl he's with is going. Are these completely natural:

How's it going with Hannah?

How's it going with you and Hannah?


texts: Can you say "I met ", eg. "I met a book"?

texts: Can you meet an object (not a person)? For example, is it allowed to say "I first met The Bible when I was seven years old"? In this case "to meet" would mean "to encounter" or "to get to know". Is it correct?


texts: "An otherwise hopeless situation" meaning

texts:
3  . in other respects   ⇒ an otherwise hopeless situation
— Collins English Dictionary

What does "in other respects" mean? In the end, is the situation hopeless or not?


texts: Can't parse "He never went ..THAT he did not glance..." from John Williams

texts:
I'm reading Stoner by John Williams and there is the following sentence:

  He never went into that room that he did not glance at the seat he had once occupied, and he was always slightly surprised to discover that he was not there.

Given the context, I assume the sentence means something like 'He never went into that room without glancing at the seat he had once occupied, and he was always slightly surprised to discover that he was not there.'

Is my interpretation correct?  If yes, is the original construction maybe of a somewhat outdated form or is that really proper and common English?

I already asked a native speaker and a non-native English teacher, but they both couldn't help me out.


texts:
The sentence below

  A protocol is the language that a computer uses to communicate with other computers on the network.

Is the usage of a/the correct?

Can I change it to

  A protocol is a language that computers use to communicate
  with other computers on a network.

And are there any good sites/books to know how I can use a/the/-s correctly?


texts:
We say:

  Having completed the work, I came back to home.

Instead of that can I say this?

  I completed the work and came back to home.


texts: Why do we have to use a determiner "their"?

texts:
To begin with, I think, the reason why it is vital to work in a desired profession is that people spend a major amount of their time at their workplaces, so job satisfaction becomes an important aspect of life.

An Ielts teacher corrected the above sentence by adding their. If it is right, then Why should we add their in the sentence? Could we omit it?


texts: "Could not but" in interrogative sentence

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct to write in literature?

  How could I not but close my eyes?

As "I could not but close my eyes" is a valid sentence, I felt like this one should also be valid. But I am confused whether 'could not but' can be used like that in interrogative sentences.


texts: How to describe duration of, and duration since, a finished past event?

texts:
If I ate from 7:00 until 7:30am,

At 7:10, could I say

  I am eating for 10 minutes?

At 7:40, could I say

  I ate for 30 minutes, 10 minutes ago?


texts: Where does "jump off the deep end" come from?

texts: I know "jump off the deep end" means to abruptly step into something but I'd like to know what it means in terms of actual physical jumping - because you usually "jump off" something not deep. What does a native speaker imagine when hearing the phrase?


texts: equal size, equal-size or equally-sized?

texts:
What of the following is the most correct and best styled?:

  There is a desert with two equal size water pools.
  There is a desert with two equal-size water pools.
  There is a desert with two equally-sized water pools.
  There is a desert with two water pools of equal size.


texts:
It was no longer possible to enter the temple, for it had filled with rubble years ago, but they admired the exterior, as did all the tourists Mr. Kapasi brought there, slowly strolling along each of its sides.

Another sentence -

  He plays the piano as does she.

My specific question:

Is the function of as  which has been used in the two sentences the same?


texts:
How can I draw my school principal's attention from distance?
Can I say:

  Hello sir, I need to speak to you. (out loud)

Now, my friend is passing by my house. I want to talk to her just for one or two minutes.

Can I draw her attention by saying:

  Hey Feifei, listen a minute

The above two sentences are translations from my native language.

I wonder how a native English speaker would say these?

What are the proper conjunctions to be used in these contexts?

Thanks in advance.


texts: In "Steve left Kristina to deal with the creditors," can Steve be the doer of 'left' and 'deal'?

texts:
Steve left Kristina to deal with the creditors.

Under a grammatical perspective, could Steve be the doer of both verbs left and deal?

If so, can anybody explain what the implications on the sentence's meaning are?


texts:
As you know the word "notoriety" often has a negative meaning:

notoriety :the state of being famous for something bad.
notoriety : fame for being bad in some way.

But it seems notoriety has a posetive meaning here:

  Basically, notoriety administration is the process that is carried out
  keeping in mind the end goal to track the notoriety of your
  organization.
  https://belowthelinemarketing.com/about-btlmg/what-is-notoriety-management/

Or here:

  Bernays went on to pull off these kinds of cultural coups regularly
  throughout the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s. He completely revolutionized the
  marketing industry and invented the field of public relations in the
  process. Paying sexy celebrities to use your product? That was
  Bernays’s idea. Creating fake news articles that are actually subtle
  advertisements for a company? All him. Staging controversial public
  events as a means to draw attention and notoriety for a client?
  Bernays. Pretty much every form of marketing and publicity we’re
  subjected to today began with Bernays.
  (Everything is Fcked* by Mark Manson)

I wonder why "notoriety" has a positive meaning in marketing and branding area. And what does it mean here? Fame?
could you please explain it to me?


texts:
What is the function of "storm" in this sentence? Is "assured" a transitive or intransitive verb? Is it dynamic or stative?

  Typhoon Nangka is coming closer to he Philippines but PAGASA assured us that the storm will not hit the philippine lands..


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

  living cost has increased every year.
  living cost increases every year.


texts:
"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"
    "School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but --"
    "I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

I bet there should be are in there’s four, but I’m not quite sure if there be is or are in Hufflepuff are a lot o’ duffers. (I guess it may depends on which is the head of a lot o’ duffers: lot or duffers)


texts: "Has taken" or "takes"? "Are feeling" or "feel"?

texts:
People whose health (has taken / takes) a turn to for the worse should not drink.

Personally I think it is more suitable to use 'has taken' because this means that the people are ill or unhealthy now, so they need to go to the doctor and get  medicine, not to drink. However if I used  'takes', it would be awkward and I don't know why.

If I used 'takes', what happens?

  people who (are feeling / feel) slightly under the weather with a cold should not drink.

I think both of them are right. because present tense can describe the idea that an action is happening now and present continuous tense  can also deliver that meaning too.

Are there any subtle differences between 'are feeling' and 'feel' in this sentence?


texts: Condescension is much appreciated [meaning]

texts:
We have following dialog from the movie Inception (2010):

  Arthur: Eames, I am impressed.

  Eames: Your condescension, as always,
  is much appreciated, Arthur, thank you.

I can't get the point of what Eames said. Of course, I was trying to find condescension and appreciated in a dictionary.

So, there is the only one possible meaning for condescension. Now, I assume that appreciated means to recognize how good someone or something is and to value him, her, or it. But when I tried to couple these meanings I've found it perfectly nonsensical. Did Eames recognize that Arthur is good? ... Or what? What's that got to do with Artur telling Eames that he's impressed?


texts: On parsing "The more you have, the more you want."

texts:
How would one parse

  The more you have, the more you want.

?

I can't even tell which clause is independent and which one is dependent. Is more here acting as an adverb or a determiner? And isn't this a comma splice since each clause has a subject with no conjunction to link them?


texts:
I wanted to know which phrase would be grammatically correct?
Should I use;

I was teasing you.

OR

I was teasing with you.


texts:
I'm preparing for academic IELTS by writing some essays and then correcting those using a grammar correction app.
In the following sentence,

It cannot be denied that many people struggle to fit into the modern
academic environment, since it was never meant to be focussed on
individual needs of the students.

The app suggests using "the" before "individual needs of the students". Why is it so? As far as I understand, "the" is used when we're talking about something specific, but in this sentence, I'm talking about needs of the students in general.
Also, why there's "the" before students? I just feel that it has to be there, but again we're talking about students in general.


texts: "has to be canceled" vs. "has had to be canceled"

texts:
A post says

  we are sad to report that the 2019-2020 Serve City club volleyball season has had to be canceled for all 12U to 18U teams.

can I just say "... has to be canceled ..." or "has been canceled"?

what is the difference?


texts: "as ... as" or "so ... as" for comparison?

texts:
I read in a book that for comparison, as ... as is used for affirmative statements, and so ... as is used to for negative statements. For example:

He is as tall as his brother.
He is not so tall as his father.

I did not find any other sources where such a "rule" is either confirmed or denied. Personally, the construct not so ... as sounds rather odd, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with not as ... as.
What is the correct "rule" in such cases, if there is one?


texts:
In a forum thread, someone posted a video of a guy throwing a racoon down the stairs because the racoon was fighting with his dog (named Toaster).

One user commented:

  Get your shit together Toaster.

What does that mean?


texts: When describing an action in a picture should I use present progressive or simple tense?

texts:
When describing an action in a picture should I use present progressive tense or present simple tense?

For example if I want to write a title for the following picture, it should be:

  "This gentleman asks his girlfriend "will you marry me"

or

  "This gentleman is asking his girlfriend "will you marry me"
  ?


texts:
Here a user TRomano gave me advice to ask this question that I don't understand.

  I can come back later, off to work now. But why not ask a separate
  question about "shall have had to" and "should have had to" and I'm
  sure others will answer.

What do "Shall have had to" and "Should have had to" mean?

We should have had to work diligently.
We shall have had to work diligently.


texts:
a person is inquiring about another person's decision on being included in a bridesmaid thing, then he asked:

Inquirer:

  Are you sure you know where you get yourself into with this whole bridesmaid thing?

Or

  Are you sure you know what did you get yourself into with this whole bridesmaid thing?

I am watching a movie, and the #1 sentence is, I think, the closest to my ear when the inquirer said it. Upon googling, however, ''what did you get yourself into'' appeared many times. Is it possible that #1 sentence can also be used?


texts:
In my native language, Persian, we do much use "Ke" which almost corresponds to "which, who, that" in relative clauses and many other cases (maybe in conversations to start or continue a narration or relate somethings ..., I myself don't know why or where)

Then, I would like to know how much it corresponds with "that" in English and if the sentences bellow with "that" are grammatical or sensible in a conversation or not?

Ummm.... (just literal translations)

  1) The students who were absent, that I prefer not to mention their names, should do this practice...

  2) We were walking, that suddenly a car stopped in front of us...

  3) that you said I can't catch you, OK, now you see I did that... (conversation and not usual)

  4) I was reading a book that he came

  5) People who (that) can't accept it, that by accident are from your country, that off course are respectable, should know ....

  6) I was so happy that I started to cry.

  7) However, there could be other examples that I can't think of now.

If they are not grammatical, and if you yet understand them, what would be the correct sentence for each?


texts:
Rachel: So, got any advice? Y'know, as someone who's recently been- dumped?

Ross: Well, you may wanna steer clear of the word 'dumped'. Chances are he's gonna be this, this broken shell of a man


texts: "(An) exactly (the) same": two articles ok?

texts: Does it make sense when two articles are used, for example “An exactly the same”? If the former conveys inspecific/abstract item, then what does the latter do?


texts:
What verb or phrasal verb do you use to describe the process of copying a piece of writing onto another piece of paper by hand? Can I use the verb copy? For example:

  The teacher told me to copy the essay onto another piece of paper.

What is the most natural way to comunicate the idea?


texts:
We sometimes say, "What a catch!" (in Spanish, "Qué atrapada!) or, "What a wonderful world!" (in Spanish, "¡Qué mundo maravilloso!")

Why do we use "a" in those phrases? After all, when we translate "¡Qué elegancia!" that just becomes "What elegance!"

So, my question is: When should I include the "a", and when should I leave it out?


texts: "Crave" as a verb vs "craving" as a noun

texts:
Imagine you and a friend of you are having your lunch in a first class restaurant. You have never had lunch with him. You find the manner he has his meal pretty interesting and appetizer. Which one of the following sentences would work properly and correctly here to be said to the friend in our scenario:

  The way he is eating is giving me craving too.
  The way he is eating is making me crave too.
  The way he is eating is making me to crave too.
  The way he is eating is craving me too.

I didn't find any useful link in internet in this respect so I decided to share it with you and ask about the acceptable structure here.


texts: Wondering what "go through" means in this context. (it differs from my perception)

texts:
Scuffles broke out when some family members tried to cross a bridge to the mainland, reportedly to march on the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, some 420km (260 miles) to the north. "Bring me the body so that I can see the face and hug my child," shouted one woman. Lee Woon-geun, father of missing passenger Lee Jung-in, 17, said: "We want an answer from the person in charge about why orders are not going through and nothing is being done. They are clearly lying and kicking the responsibility to others." Relatives are anxious for the bodies to be retrieved before they decompose.

My perception was that it is about fulfilling or complying in obeying an order. But when I checked it in dictionary (link below) I noticed it is about approving and being accepted. I am confused.
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/go-through


texts:
The banks have made it clear that there's no question of customers losing their credit status in light of the recent mortgage rate scandal.

According to the dictionary:

  there's no question of (something):

  There is no doubt that something exists or is the case.
  There is no possibility that something is the case or will happen.

So actually this sentence has 2 meanings which contradict each other, although I'm aware that the most possible reading is: customers won't lose their credit status.

My question is why this construction has 2 opposite meanings.  Could you explain the logic behind this?


texts: "Almost all workload is done by me" — is it correct and formal?

texts:
Is it correct to say, "Almost all workload is done by the server computer"?
What I wonder about is the almost at the beginning of the sentence, and the usage of done. Is this suitable for a formal letter?


texts:
1.In the/that moment.
2. At the/that moment.
What is the difference?

Also I read:
1.”On another ocassion”
2. “In another ocassion”
what’s the difference?
Could I also use “at”?


texts:
When we say "car-related" industries, does it refer to only the "peripheral" industries like petroleum/maintenance/OEM/distributorship industries that have a relationship with cars, or does it refer to both the car industry itself as well as the peripheral industries?

In other words, let's say if I want to refer to both the car industry and its peripheral industries in my speech, should I say "the car industry and its related industries", or should I just say "car-related industries"?

I'm having trouble identifying the range of coverage that the word "RELATED" implies.


texts: The use of the phrasal verb "factor in" in context

texts:
Here is the sentence it was used in:

  "Many doctors and patients are uncomfortable with the idea of having cost of care factor into end-of-life decisions."

I am confused with the sentence because I have checked a lot of dictionaries and found that "factor in" or "factor something into" apparently must take an object, but in the sentence it did not. At first, I thought that there was a mistake in the sentence, namely I thought "having" had been used there as a modal verb "have to". But as Stoney B put it in a comment "to have something do something" means to experience something.

So was "factor into" used as an intransitive verb there as is it correct to do so?


texts: They place their live in forfeit for what they say

texts:
I'm reading the Godfather by M.Puzo and here is the paragraph I was confused about a bit:

  Don Corleone asked only one question at the end.  "Is it certain my son
  is dead?"

  Clemenza answered. "Yes," he said. "The bodyguards were of Santino's
  regime but picked by me. I questioned them when they came to my house.
  They saw his body in the light of the tollhouse. He could not live
  with the wounds they saw. They place their lives in forfeit for what
  they say."

I understand all the meanings of the words in the final sentence. But cannot catch the meaning of the whole sentence. I could guess that it meant that if they made a mistake they would shot to death then. Right?


texts:
According to dictionary.com,
Gnaw means

  to bite (at) or chew (upon) constantly so as to wear away little by little

or

  to cause constant distress or anxiety (to)

In this case, in this sentence,

"Four-eyes is just a small-fry who gnaws at tactics. He has no chance of winning against someone who can both strategize and fight", what is the meaning of "gnaws at" in this context?


texts: The "would have been" construction - correct or not?

texts:
BBC\World:

  A baby has been born from an embryo frozen for nearly 25 years -
  possibly the longest gap between conception and birth since IVF began.
  The embryo was donated by a family in the US and has become the first
  child for a woman who would herself have been only one when the baby
  was conceived.

The "would have been" constructions are used primarily to refer to unreal situations (mainly past events which cannot be undone or done otherwise): It would have been nice if he had thanked you. But here we've got a precisely defined occurrence, nothing uncertain about it. Why does the sentence not go then as a woman who herself was only one when the baby was conceived? What's the point of using "would have been" here?


texts:
Which option fits best in the following sentence?

  Most human beings are _____________ to kindness.

sensible
susceptible
vulnerable
impressionable

Because the words 2, 3 and 4 overlaps in terms of meaning I cannot decide which one fits in the sentences.I think the word sensible has a bit different meaning. The words susceptible, vulnerable and impressionable has a connotation a sense of being gullible and naive as children or elderly people.On the other hand for me the sentence seems to say "you can get people to do what you want if you be kind to them" as sense of "Achilles's heel "


texts: Shouldn't it be "HAVE been put on hold" instead of "HAD been put on hold"?

texts:
I'm studying TOEIC through a book published by ETS.
As always, I was reading scripts and got stuck in one script.

  The repair of the 300-year-old building began nearly a decade ago but had been put on hold because of a lack of financial support.

In this statement, I think instead of 'had been put on hold', 'have been put on hold' should be there.

If the book is right, the status "being put on hold" happened before "repair" and that's so awkward to me. Am I missing or misunderstanding something?.

I've always been having some difficulty regarding tense issues... too difficult to me.


texts: 'Can't you roll the dice' meaning in lyric of Still standing by The Rasmus

texts:
The quoted text is part of the lyrics from the song Still standing by The Rasmus.
It's about friend who died.

  Cause I've been down
  Now I've been crawling
  Won't get down no more
  Can't you stop the lies
  Falling from the skies
  Down on me
  I'm still standing
  Can't you roll the dice
  I might be surprised
  Conscience clear
  I'm still standing here

By and large, the meaning of this song is very difficult to understand.
But most of all, the part can't you roll the dice / I might be surprised

According to the dictionary, roll the dice means taking risk.

How I understand that part in lyrics context?

You can read the complete lyrics here


texts: I will suck the blood out of your body or I will suck the blood from your body

texts: So friends what is the difference. A couple of days ago i was watching an Indian sitcom named Bhabi Ji Ghar  Par Hain. In it I saw  one of the main leads of the show saying it to the other person. I am sorry if the context is not clear. So please tell me which one is correct and if both are correct, what do they mean?  Thanks in advance


texts:
preposition + which = where
If I turn "preposition + which" to relative adverb "where"'
the prepositions have to be only "in, at, on"+which?
or it is flexible like "to which", and "from which" etc also can cahnge to "where"?


texts:
I paid 30 dollars for the deposit and pay monthly rent.

What I want to write is "this apartment costs 30 dollar for the deposit, and I pay monthly rent(, which means I don't have lots of money.)"

I know in English we try to keep the tense in the sentence, but here, it's obvious that I paid the deposit in the past, and I still pay monthly rent since the apartment isn't mine.

Is it okay to write like this?
I also tried to start the sentence with "the apartment costs...", but I wasn't sure if it's gonna work in English.
Or could you tell me a better option?


texts: "I wash clothes on my own" and "I wash my own clothes"?

texts:
The following sentences randomly crossed my mind and I would like to know if there is any difference in meaning.

I wash my own clothes.

I wash clothes on my own.

As far as I am concerned, 'own' in the former sentence aims to emphasize that it is the clothes washed are mine not someone else's. As for the latter, it can mean I also wash my parents' clothes and 'on my own' here implies that I don't get help from anyone. I also assume the phrase tells that the clothes are hand-washed.
Am I correct?
So what about the following.

I wash my (own) clothes on my own.


texts: What does "scramble to one's hands and knees" mean?

texts:
“You moron, Dudley!” Harry yelled, his eyes watering with pain, as he scrambled to his hands and knees, now feeling around frantically in the blackness.
  —Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I get what "scramble to one's feet" means but what about knee and hands?
It's quite hard to picture. Are they two separate postures, first to hands and then to knees?


texts: Which one is more natural? What's the differnece in meaning?

texts:
● Which one is more natural?

● What's the differnece in meaning?

● Which sentence would you prefer to be used in an informal conversation?

  1.You know what does cardiac mean, From what I can gather.

  2.You know what does cardiac mean, as far as I can gather.

  3.You know what cardiac means, I gather.

  4.You know what cardiac means, this is what I believe to be true(=this is my guess).

  5.In my point of view, you should have learned what (does) cardiac mean(s) till now.

● And my emphasis is on this question:
What's the difference between "You know what cardiac means..." & "You know what does cardiac mean..."?

● Is one of them grammatically wrong?


texts: What's the meaning of "thus far only" here?

texts:
Is the writer saying that the US hasn't banned chloramphenicol?

  Many countries have not banned the usage of these harmful drugs in apiculture. The EU has banned all three while the US has thus far only banned chloramphenicol.


texts: What do you call the y shaped support for the camera in this weird camera apparatus?

texts: There is the weird support attached to the weird bar with 2 handles that's shaped like a curved Y, what do you call this set of metallic bars? Is there a name for it, what is the general term and the specific term for it?


texts:
Which one is correct;

The Employer’s Representative completely rejected granite and terazzo skirting payment items with no clear reasoning

The Employer’s Representative completely rejected granite and terazzo skirting payment items with no clear reason


texts:
Which is the correct way to paraphrase the sentence using the possessive case:

Everyday at noon we have a break, which lasts fifteen minutes.

a) Every day at noon we have a fifteen minutes' break.

b) Every day at noon we have fifteen minutes' break.

thank you in advance for your attention to the question above.


texts:
As you are fully aware, the using this idiom within the construction below:

  I don't think we are on the same page.

means: I don't think we understand each other.

This idiom on the other hand has a direct connotation of agreement as Macmillan says:

  To understand and agree with what is being done or suggested:
  - I think we’re all on the same page.

I was wondering if it can imply both concepts. Please do me a favor and illustrate its common meaning by some examples.

PS, I have read the similar thread, but it didn't give me the requisite information.


texts:
Is there any difference between these two sentences?

The room that is provided with polished chairs...
The room provided with polished chairs...


texts: Word for a pupil who attends university courses

texts:
I am looking for a term that describes a pupil (in secondary school) who, attends university courses just as a regular student would.

The German term for someone like that is "Schülerstudent", which roughly translates to "pupil student", but that sounds weird to me.

Is there either an applicable term or an elegant way to paraphrase this?


texts: what does "confess" mean in this context?

texts:
I have been reading A History of Britain and encountered this sentence,

  Sparks flew between them, kindling a fire of mutual recrimination. Henry accused Simon of provoking insurrection and made it clear that he would not 'keep covenant with a traitor', but de Montfort spoke back to the king as if he were a peer, upbraiding and even threatening him,...At another point Simon glared furiously at Henry and asked him if he had been confessed, since he seemed no Christen at all.

I'm confused. Shouldn't the sentence use the active voice to mean 'confess a sin'?


texts: What does 'take a shower' or 'shower' mean?

texts:
There are two sentences below:

She took a shower in the bathroom.
He showered in the bathroom.

What is the difference between 'take a shower' and 'shower' in meaning?


texts: Meaning of "anyplace useful" in this sentence?

texts:
While writing or speaking informal American English, can we use the adverb "anyplace" this way? Or is the preferred usage "any place" (separate words)? As I understand it, the adverb "anyplace" means "anywhere," but can it be used this way?

"Let's find a place to eat."

"Is there anyplace useful within the campus?"

"I'm not sure. Let's find out."


texts: What's the subtle difference between the sentences ' where is he going ?' and 'He is going where'


texts: I go to my house, my school, my church, my office - (mis)use of my

texts:
I go to my church on Sunday.

Someone keeps arguing it is correct but it feels like my church implies that the speaker owns or runs the church.
I feel that the more appropriate sentence could be

  I go to church on Sunday.

But then argument continues,

  My church is in this/that area.

However, I feel the more appropriate sentence could be

  The church is in this/that area.

Also, office (where the person works but doesn't own), school(speaker goes to this school but doesn't own, house(speaker lives here but doesn't own) are used in the argument.

Is the use of my in the sentences above correct ?


texts: She was sitting with the Princess, all smiles and admiration

texts:
There is a sentence from GoT:

  She was sitting with the Princess Myrcella, all smiles and admiration.

Could you explain the meaning of the second part of the sentence

  all smiles and admiration

What are the parts of speech words "smiles" and "admiration"?


texts: Would vs must, which one is better and why? Thanks

texts:
A grammar question states that “must” is better than “would” for the following sentence.

Could anyone tell me why?

Because, grammatically speaking, these two sentences should be correct.

  We must follow these steps to use the new photocopier.

  We would follow these steps to use the new photocopier.

Is it because of the meaning?

Thanks


texts:
On twitter:

  New phone, who dis?

I found dis is an informal word meaning speak disrespectfully to or criticize. and it needs an object adhering, like I don't like her dissing my friends. But the grammar doesn't fit and the meaning is strange to me, so what's the usage of dis here?


texts: Is using both “What has just happened?” and “What has been just happened?” fine?

texts:
What has just happened?

  What has been just happened?

The first one is right, but my friend told me that we can't use “has been [...] happened” because it has two past participles, which is ungrammatical.


texts: Why "be dealt cards" rather than "be dealing cards"?

texts:
I encounter such a confusing sentence:

  You are dealt two cards.

I don't understand why we should use "dealt" rather than "dealing"(Present Progressive Tense) here? What is the normal tense of "dealt" here?


texts:
Sentence:

I want to read tenfold faster than now = I want to read ten times faster than now

Question:

Can I use the word 'tenfold' in this way?


texts: Can't you use 'could be' instead of 'would be'?

texts:
✲ If you came tomorrow, [you were able to help with the flowers].
  We can correct the apodosis by changing were to would be, but this change involves adding modal would.
  (The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, p.107)

CGEL only says were needs to be changed to would be. Can't could be be used instead of would be? If it can, what is the semantic difference?


texts:
I am newbie here have been learning English since few months I recently heard a song 'Rockabay' (Google Play lyrics) and couldn't get the meaning of 'By the water' in this context.

  She works the night, by the water
  She's gonna stress, so far away from her father's daughter
  She just wants a life for her baby
  All on her own, no one will come
  She's got to save him (daily struggle)


texts: "in a measure for the bustle and blare and intrigue" - meaning?

texts:
Reading another story from C.A. Smith, I have been trying to figure out the following sentence, to no avail:

It consoled him in a measure for the bustle and blare and intrigue of
the imperial court, where he held an official post of no small honor;
since he was not altogether native to such things and would have
preferred, like the olden sages, the philosophic peace of a
leaf-embowered hermitage.

I understand most of it, but not the first part marked in bold. What does it exactly mean?


texts: Is it possible to embed a dependent clause within an infinitive?

texts:
To boldly go where no man has gone before.

I think where no man has gone before is an dependent clause. But I cannot find its independent clause. Is this sentence correct? If it is correct, please tell how To boldly go is related with where no man has gone before. If it is possible, please discuss the construction of this sentence.


texts:
What is the meaning of "you were great with it" in the following sentence,

  "Your board is totally awesome! I have to get mine in shape," X said,
  looking at his old orange board. "I think you were great with it,"
  said Charlie. "See you around!"

? (Source: Skateboard moves by MATT CHRISTOPHER)

Does it mean " you were great because of having your board" or "your board that you have is very good board" ?

Does "I have to get mine in shape" mean "I want to buy a good board" ?


texts:
Are the following sentence grammatically correct and semantically identical?

The surveyed people were not congruous.
The people surveyed were not congruous.
The people whom surveyed were not congruous.
The people that surveyed were not congruous.


texts: "the whole thing isn't necessary" meaning not all is necessary?

texts: I'm writing some technical explanation, and I've written this sentence The whole thing isn't necessary, we mostly use what's in the devices folder. This should mean that not everything is necessary but only what's in the mentioned folder. I have no doubt that the meaning is clear from the context, but I'm wondering if the first part of the sentence is correct. I know it would be in French, but I'm not sure about English. Thanks!


texts: Let me change the meetings timing. Which is correct form from the below options

texts:
Let me change the meetings timing.

or

Let me change the meetings timings.

or

Let me change the meetings time.


texts: "that" vs. "if" in the context of indirect question

texts:
This post is derived from another one (Is it idiomatic to say "I am not sure if I used the right ..."?), where someone claims that "if" can be replaced by "that".

I went through a nice tutorial if and whether: indirect questions on Cambridge grammar just now and didn't find any proof that "that" could be used in "indirect yes-no questions".

I guess the substitution would be applicable for some specific situations, such as

  Actually I am not sure if I dealt with that problem in the right way.

However, I don't think "if" can be replaced by "that" in general, without affect the implication of "yes or no". For instance,

  Managers are discussing that Alice would work in Africa next year.

  Managers are discussing if Alice would work in Africa next year.

The meaning changes when "that" is substituted for "if".

Another example, adapted from (What is the opposite of hungry?)

  I wonder if there is a more formal alternative?

I guess "if" cannot be replaced by "that" in this kind of scenario.

Is my understanding right?


texts:
I am curious to know about structures similar to below examples:

  It must be obtained from food .. (ACADEMIC)

  It must be obtained from the food ...( My manipulation !)

which one is correct grammatically ? why some prepositions are followed without article ? Are those, 1 and 2, conveying different meanings ?

Note: We know the food addressing in both sentences.


texts: "He sees her take..." or "He sees her takes..."?

texts:
He sees Sophia hurriedly take a syringe  and inject it into Alex's forearm.

  He sees Sophia hurriedly takes a syringe and injects it into Alex's forearm.

Which one correct? Up to my knowledge, the first is correct and the second is wrong.


texts:
"In July she was working at MacDonald's."

I am not sure which aspect of the past continuous applies in this case. Action in progress around a specific time = in July she was working there, we don't know when she started or finished or the temporary aspect = she didn't work there long, maybe a summer job. But the temporary aspect doesn't mean she worked there only for the month of July, does it? What do I say if I want to convey she only worked there for the month of July? She worked at MacDonald's in July?


texts:
I asked this question on english.stack but was told to post it here, even though I'm not a learner. I am only not sure if I understand the meaning of the sentence in bold.

  The second [technology] provides measures of hemodynamic or metabolic consequences of neural activity such as local changes of blood flow, glucose consumption, or blood oxygenation (especially positron emission tomography [PET]; and functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]). All these technologies are complex and expensive, and they tend within and between classes to have complementary strengths and weaknesses. (see, e.g., Nunez & Silberstein, 2000;
  Toga & Mazziotta, 1996; Wikswo, Gevins, & Williamson, 1993). Together,
  they undoubtedly constitute a major methodological advance for cognitive
  neuroscience. Indeed, scarcely an issue now goes by of any cognitive neuroscience
  journal that does not contain one or more papers featuring images
  outfitted with colored spots identifying regions of "significant" brain "activation"
  produced by some stimulus or task.13


texts: The difference between: I’ve been rescued and I was rescued?

texts:
Can you tell me what is the difference between:

I have been rescued

and

I was rescued

I know the first one is in the present perfect tense (so it’s an unstated time in the past and has an importance in the present, is it right?) and the second one, is in the simple past tense but I can’t seem to understand the subtle differences.


texts:
Yesterday, I suddenly woke up at midnight in the middle of terrible dream.

Sometimes, when you have bad dream, you wake up suddenly scared. So when say about this to another person, what is better word to use instead of "woke up"?

I came to know about a word "bolts up". But I'm for some other word that native speaker use.


texts: "My friend gave me this book", what is the passive voice?

texts:
What is the passive voice of the following sentence?

  My friend gave me this book.

Is it:

  I was given this book by my friend.

or

  This book was given to me by my friend.


texts: Is 'She has been taken' active or passive voice?

texts:
She has been taken

I want to know - Is it passive voice or active voice?

If it is passive, then what is object, subject, verb in this sentence?  If it's not a passive voice, then we use 2 two past participle in this sentence.


texts:
the joy of not being sold anything

This message was written on an advertising panel.

Though I guess I get the meaning, the grammatical structure is not fully clear to me.

Is this using present progressive tense in passive voice?

Normally, I expect something like "to be + being + past participle". The form of "to be" is missed in this phrase. Can one skip the "to be" in this case, or am I totally wrong with my assumption?

I found some other phrases which appear to be quite similar:

“I live in terror of not being misunderstood.” – Oscar Wilde
“The Joy of Not Being Married” — The title of a book

The first seems to be same like the original example, but the second confuses me even more.


texts:
I am wondering if "studies performed" and "studies" can be used interchangeably?

Such as:

I think that the studies performed, may be fundamental for ...
I think that the studies, may be fundamental for ...


texts:
We use 'be+ to- infinitive' when discussing formal or official arrangements or to give formal instructions or orders.It is also used frequently in newspapers, radio and television reports to refer to future events. It expresses near certainty that what is forecast will happen.
Ex-
A man is to appear in court later this morning charged with the murder of the footballer, Darren Gough.
I found this explanation in BBC Learning English.
I have a doubt that infinitive verbs have any hidden future sense. Like the event of infinitive verb will happen after the main verb or linking verb.
Ex- I am to go. The event of 'to go' will happen in future.
And, even in the case of 'Infinitives of Purpose' it holds the same future sense.
Ex- He is going there to meet his friends.
The event of 'to meet' has not happen yet it would start after reaching there which is also the purpose of his going.
I searched the meaning of  'to be' in a dictionary (Cambridge Dictionary) and in one of its many meanings it gives the idea of something will happen in future.
Ex- We are to(=we are going to) visit Australia in the Spring. ( I haven't done any changes in the example it is written as it was there)
And, in Mediam Webster the definition of 'to be'  is 'that is to be: Future).
Ex- A bride-to-be
So, my question is    do all simple Infinitives  have any future sense hidden in them?


texts: In graph's axis, can we say "somewhere between year1 and year2"?

texts:
Here is a graph I get somewhere in the internet for illustration:

Can I say

Somewhere between 2006 and 2010, first three lines raise significantly

...?
If we mention about lines, I think using somewhere is not wrong. But if we using the legends directly, can I use somewhere or I have to use some times?
I find that we can use somewhere down the road and some times down the road at the same time.


texts: Meaning and difference of *is finished* and *have been finished*?

texts:
What is the difference between is finished and has been finished?

What is exact meaning of have been finished?

Example
a)  My Tablets are finished

And

b)  My Tablets have been finished

Correct me if I am wrong
Meaning of Sentence

Meaning of Sentence a)To Tell someone Present status of finished tablet to someone

Meanings of Sentence b)To tell someone time frame that my tablets are finished since some time back i.e. Since 3 days.

Or

To tell someone that somebody has finished my tablets i.e. another patient.


texts: How to express the quantitative difference between the itmes

texts:
In a group A there were 20 people and in a group B there were 21.

How to suitably express the quantitative difference between the groups? Can I say "In a group B there was one man (person) more or "In a group B there was one man (person) in addition“? At first glance a trivial question but I am really not sure.


texts:
"It doesn't matter to me if you were a thief, I'd still love you the same way."

Does this question follow the rules of how the 2nd conditional should be used?
If we changed the highlighted doesn't to wouldn't, would the meaning of the sentence still be the same? How do you interpret the sentence?


texts:
Research in the workplace reveals that people work for many reasons _______.

(1)  beside money,

(2)  besides money

Answer is given :  besides money.

But, google says "besides" means "in addition to"; and also "apart from". I am confused that here meaning is opposite each other?

Google says "beside" means "in addition to; apart from". Ok, then what is difference, between "beside" and "besides"?

  Can you explain it, please?


texts:
Here is a quotation from the movie
Great Expectations Part 2 (1999; Director: Julian Jarrold)

  If the danger would be 50 times agreat
  I should still have come to you.

The meaning is clearly "greater".
Should this be "agreat" or "a great"?
Is this correct usage?

    Having read some comments below, I listen again to the audio.
    Talking is very fast, words jumbled together.
    It could be he is just contracting "as great", and it is hard to tell if he says "had been" or "would be".
    And thanks for the "Project Gutenberg" reference.
    I will use it to correct some words I could not recognize from that movie.


texts:
What does "to balance off" mean in this sentence?

  And in the northeast, Wind’s solid-solid-broken balances off Thunder’s broken-broken-solid.


texts: usage of past participle by itself without companying "to be" or "have" verbs

texts:
In the following cloze test

  Leisure is time spent away from business, work, and household duties.
  It does not actually include time ..(1).. on necessary activities
  such as sleeping, and where it is a must, e.g. education.

Can you tell me why the answer is c, and not b?

  a) spending
  b) is spent
  c) spent


texts: How many exception related to pronunciation of 'g'?

texts:
The main rule is saying that words with digraphs 'gy' 'gi' 'ge' should be pronounced as soft 'g', but there are a few exceptions I've met:

linger, get, begin, bigger, longer, dagger, gear, unplugged


texts: Are "meet the needs" and "meet to the needs" both correct?

texts:
In order to further increase their market share, they must meet to the needs of Chinese consumers.

  In order to further increase their market share, they must meet the needs of Chinese consumers.

I'm more used to the latter, but is it also okay and grammatically correct to use as in the first sentence, meet to the demands/needs?

And do they mean the same?


texts:
I have this sentence:

  Many who started with you, won't finish with you.

Started - past tense, won't - future simple.

Shouldn't it be "would not finish with you"?

I think we can't mix the tenses like past tense and future tense in one sentence. What do you think?


texts: When you sit IN AT the controls? Is this correct?

texts:
Which form is correct?

When you sit in at the controls of a plane for the first time, everything changes forever.

Or should I say

When you sit at the controls of a plane for the first time, everything changes forever.

I'd like to describe my first solo flight.


texts: What does 'all of ... the people in it irritants' mean?

texts:
I came across a sentence:

  I woke up weary and all of the routines of life were chores, the people in it irritants.  (Source)

In the sentence, I don't understand the phrase "the people in it irritants". Please explain it to me. Thanks in advance.


texts:
In the example below which preposition is appropriate in or at?

Family will be there for you [at/in] the most difficult times no matter what.


texts:
When would it be acceptable to use the following form?

From a order paid with the credit card we get following response: ...
over
From a order paid with the credit card we get the following response: ...

I am pretty sure that saying "the" before "following" is not necessarily required here, even if it's not the most literary way of writing.


texts:
What are 'in' in these sentences for?

1. Our algebra class is a heterogeneous one in which bright students are juxtaposed with slower ones.

2. Eulogy is a speech or piece of writing in which you praise someone or something

Can I rewrite them in these forms?

1. Our algebra class is a heterogeneous one  which / that  bright students are juxtaposed with slower ones.

2.Eulogy is a speech or piece of writing  which /that you praise someone or something

How does rewriting affect the meaning?


texts:
What's the difference between "scratched/stabbed" and "scratched at/stabbed at"?
Example sentences:

He scratched (at) his ear.
It stabbed (at) her heart.


texts: Should I use an article when I'm talking about general facts in comparative structures?

texts:
Should I use an article in the following case when I'm talking about a general facts in comparative sentence structure, like the following?

For example:

Choice 1: Elephant is bigger than fox.  Watermelon is bigger than grape.

Choice 2: An elephant is bigger than a fox. A watermelon is bigger than a grape.


texts:
Can I in describing someone's ability to stay attentive use the plural noun "levels"? Or will it sound awkward? For example:

"Jim had one serious problem - he couldn't stay focused on any given topic for more than half a miinute. Teachers began to complain. So his father took him to a doctor. The doctor prescribed Jim with a special "attention pill". Jim was to take it right before his next lesson. Jim did. His attention levels soared soon after that."


texts:
Source: Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold

Example:

  Electrons from the chemicals in the batteries might not so freely mingle with the electrons in the copper wires if not for a simple fact: all electrons, wherever they're found, are identical. There's nothing that distinguishes a copper electron from any other electron.

That's a very interesting phrase. Could you please explain to me what it really means and how to use it?


texts:
forget what you said...

Could this "what" mean two things?

relative pronoun
interrogative pronoun clause? as in "Do you know what I did?


texts:
Recently I was having a conversation in which someone said something off topic:

  Person 1: Hey do you like video games?
  Person 2: Yeah my favorite is.....
  Person 3: I'm hungry.
  Person 1: How does that have anything to do with it?

Is the phrase “How does that have anything to do with it” correct?


texts:
I have doubt in using the "on which" phrase. Is the sentence below correct, as I have to write this sentence as part of research interest in my academic resume?

I’ve developed interests in the device development and characterizations, on which I have done my master research project.


texts:
Joseph puts a gun to the man's head, and looks to Angelo.
Joseph: Should I shoot him?

Joseph is basically asking: Do you want me to kill him? - Is that conveyed through "Should I shoot him?"? or does it more translate to "Do you think I should shoot him?"?


texts:
By defeating Everton, Liverpool has decreased the difference to two points behind leading Manchester City. – Manchester City has now two points more than Liverpool.

I would like to ask whether the passage in bold sounds naturally in English. I am not sure how to express that in the PL Manchester City is now leading with 38 points and the second Liverpool has 36 points.


texts: Does gammar dictate there should be an article before a noun?

texts: I saw grammar books saying how and where the article should be, but I cannot see them saying there should be an article before a noun, or a noun should have an article in front of it. Is it kind of custom or something?


texts:
Much of what he said I knew already.
Is there a specific reason for already not to be placed in mid position ...I already knew?


texts: Can the adverb "exclusively" in the sentence be replaced with an adjective without changing the meaning of the sentence?

texts:
I came across this sentence in an online article.

  Some medical literature has found that exclusively breastfeeding during the first four to six months of life may decrease your baby’s risk of developing eczema, asthma and cow’s milk allergy.

I am not quite sure why the adverb exclusively is used here to modify the gerund breastfeeding in preference to exclusive. The adverb, of course, works, but my question is would the adjective work just the same?


texts:
Every English dictionary marks the word ‘composure’ as an uncountable noun. However, sometimes I come across sentences like this:

  They had a composure and self-confidence to them I've never found in other kids.
  He withstood all that with a composure and a steadiness that astonished us all.
  She has a composure bordering on serenity.
  …teaches us how to maintain a composure even after so many hardships in relations.
  …until showing a composure that we hadn’t previously given him credit for.
  …and he handled this with a composure uncommon to a fifteen-year-old.

How come an uncountable noun is used with the indefinite article?


texts:
Imagine someone has been awake because of many thoughts and worries that has been thinking about the whole last night. (These thoughts did not allow him to sleep.)
I was wondering if you could let me know how the following self-made sentences differ in meaning and what is the subtle nuance between them?

  I couldn’t sleep at all last night.
  I couldn’t fall asleep at all last night.
  I couldn’t get any sleep last night.

For me, the three sentences mean the same.


texts:
I know "Lead" means "Cause something to happen"

  the events that led to the start of World War 1.

But I suspect it is used for bad happenings! is it right? if yes, what is the word to use for good happenings?


texts:
Is "near" an adjective here?  Does "Ouster of all Japs in California Near" mean "Ouster of all Japs in California Is Near"? That is, "is" is omitted.

Ouster of all Japs in California Near
Headlines of newspapers, in stand at 14th and Broadway, presaged on February 27, 1942, the evacuation of persons of Japanese ancestry from military areas.

Source:  https://www.du.edu/behindbarbedwire/image-48.html


texts:
Which of these two sentences is grammatically correct?

We were both lying on the bed, her in my arms.

We were both lying on the bed, she in my arms.


texts: "Is that the words?!" or "are those the words?!" when forgetting the lyrics of a song

texts:
I was watching a  video and I heard the following sentence:

We're gonna take you on a
journey here today, literally I'm about to call this guy, the scammer,
up, and we'll be watching him, [music playing] every step he takes,
every move he makes, every single day, every time he prays. [music
stops] Is that the words?!

I'm wondering why he said is that and not are those.
Is this natural in speaking?


texts:
I was studying Latin, and I came upon this sentence:

  Magister (boys writing letters) vidit.

Translated, it means:

  The teacher saw the boys writing letters.

I was wondering, what grammatical case would "letters" be in that sentence?


texts: grammatically of understand vs understood

texts:
Although, if you understand such terms of grammar, you probably wouldn't have asked the question.

I think, the past tense of understand should be used, as the next sentence is in future perfect.

  Although, if you understood  such terms of grammar, you probably wouldn't have asked the question.


texts: What does "I assume no risk for these products myself" mean in this context?

texts:
In 2015 movie "The Big Short" about 2007 subprime mortgage crisis, one of the main characters Mark Baum (MB) has a meeting with CDO manager (CM) in a sushi bar.

Among other things, MB asks:

  Are you at all concerned about the rising default rates?

to which CM leans toward MB and answers in lower voice:

  I assume no risk for these products myself, Mark.

What does this last line by CM mean exactly? Is it that I don't think there is any real problem here or rather that Even if there is a problem, I cannot be held responsible, so I don't care?

For more context - here is also a youtube clip, the part I'm quoting starts at 1:05


texts: Why are "have" and "had" not used in this kind of sentence?

texts:
I know he killed my brother 5 years ago. I saw it myself.

It could be had killed and have seen.

  You should go to doctor. I told you already.

It could be have told.

Please explain the concept to me.


texts: What to write in mail if someone asking to reply to confirm

texts:
what to send in reply if someone asking to reply the mail to confirm

  As discussed, Please find the details below and kindly
  confirm your presence by replying to this email.

I am thinking that it should be

Ok, Confirmed, I got it.. etc

Thank you.


texts:
Does it sound better to use counted halved/ counted as halved/ or counted half? The context is below:

The amount of time used on unpaid parental leave will be counted as halved towards his/ her total years of teaching

or

The amount of time used on unpaid parental leave will be counted as half towards his/ her total years of teaching


texts: "did you sign up successfully?" - what's wrong with this sentence?

texts:
If someone says, they are going to try signing up on a certain website, how should I check if they managed to do that?

  Did you sign up successfully?

looks very odd, although I can't think of another way to say it.


texts: Word for outgoing quotation (selling an item)

texts:
I am struggling to find a word that summarizes a quotation sent from a company to a client. In our current workplace, we have to distinguish between a quote we receive from a supplier and a quote we create for a client.

Would there perhaps be a word that distinguishes them both? The best I've come up with in my limited vocabulary is "Quote to Supply" for outgoing quotes and "Quote to Purchase" for incoming quotes.


texts:
I'm writing a short story for a C2 Creative Writing course, and I couldn't help but come across this question regarding reported speech.

My main question is this: consider someone says, "I ate the whole package." Is it possible (and does it sound natural) to use the reported speech 'He said he ate the whole package' for this direct speech? I know that the rules of backshifting recommend changing the past simple to the past perfect when the reporting verb is in the past tense ("said"), but for some reason the past simple sounds natural to me in this situation.

For a little more context, please consider that there are three different characters - A, B, and C. At one point in the story, B asks A, "What happened to the cookies?", to which A replies: "I ate the whole package." Later that day, C asks B what A told them, to which B replies, "[A/He] said he ate the whole package."

Is this acceptable (even if only in spoken language!) or should B's sentence be, "[A/He] said he'd eaten the whole package"? My brain is suggesting that if B and C's dialogue takes place not long after A's (as is the case), then the past simple can be kept. But if it were to take place after a considerable amount of time, like a week, a month, or a year, then the past perfect would have to be used. I'm afraid this might be a wrong assumption, though.

I don't have a lot of contact with native english speakers so I'd be very grateful if anyone could provide some insight on this!


texts: is there an adjective could describe a very strong belief which is going to be a crazy

texts: how can I describe that i am stick to an emotion, and gradually go into the crazy way. For example, when I broke up with my significant other, I know I should calm down myself, but I still contact them thought I could change the situation. Or I did something out of the pathway, I notice it, but still keep doing and think things gonna change somehow.


texts: Future Perfect with the perfect infinitive

texts:
We have a sentence:

  I will have wanted to have gone to the party by the evening.

The problem is I don't know which verb the "by the evening" relates to.

If it goes for "will have wanted" then it's like:

  (By the evening I will have wanted) to have gone to the party (even
  before the wanting moment)

If it goes for "to have gone" then I should understand it like:

  I will have wanted (by some moment in the future) (to have come by the
  evening) (even before the wanting moment)

But the matter becomes harder for we can use Future Perfect like a prediction:

  I will have wanted (I must have wanted) to have gone to the party by
  the evening

And here we don't know which part the "by the evening" relates to:

If it goes for "must have wanted" then:

  (By the evening I must have wanted) to have gone to the party(even
  before)

If it goes for "have gone" then:

  I must have wanted (to have gone to the party by the evening)(even
  before the wanting moment)

Am I taking it right?


texts:
I know "have to" expresses 'obligations to do something' and I know how to use it in the sentences. For example:

  People have to leave their rural areas.

But I have seen ‘having to’ being used as gerunds and in the present continuous tense. For example:

  People are having to leave their rural areas. Source
  She is having to look after herself now. Source
  "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Source

Having read them all, I came to think the first and second sentence are in the  present continuous tense.

I'm not sure but my opinion about these three sentences are as follows:

First sentence means:

people are obliged to leave their rural areas (The obligation of leaving rural areas is continuing in present and they are now leaving their areas)

The second sentence means:

She is in the obligation of looking after herself now. (she didn't have to look after before but now she is in the obligation to look after herself)

I think the third sentence is not in present continuous tense.

  "Love means never having to say you're sorry"

It means: Love means you never have to say you're sorry.

Here Having to replaces you have to

Am I correct in my opinion? Please correct me If I'm wrong about the meanings of those sentences.

I think one more example could be:

  Employment means you have to work

  Employment means having to work.

Again, here having to replaces you have to. Do both of these sentences convey the same meaning?


texts:
I want to ask someone if his town on the coast or not.

  A: I'm living in X.
  B: Is it on the coast or on the ____.

What is the antonym of "on the coast"? I don't think it is "on the land" because everything is on the land.


texts:
I have been taking a look at the verb approach, which is a verb that I find very interesting, containing many different meanings, and one from which works in many different ways. However, when talking about the verb approach that means something moving nearer something/one: I was able to hear the sirenes of the ambulance approaching to the local. Must "to" be proceeded after "approach" when it implies to say something moving nearer or getting closer to someone/thing? Is this how it was supposed to be: I was able to hear the sirenes of the ambulance approaching the local or otherwise?

Also, check these examples out: As I walked down the hill two thieves came out of an alley and approached to me

Or

As I walked down the hill two thieves came out of an alley and approached me.

I can hear an airplane approaching us

Or

I can hear an airplane approaching to us ?


texts:
In my thesis I want to write the following:

  Second, by using the [...] and [...] it was tried to find an appropriate model.

I am not sure about the "it was tried". Can I use it? What would be better?


texts:
I like a visit to this farm.

  I like visiting this farm.

As the word "like"  is transitive verb, can I use both usage, like a visit and like visiting?


texts: "Did the cleaning of the car" vs. "Did clean the car."

texts:
I did the cleaning of the car early yesterday.

  I did clean the car early yesterday.

Are they both correct?I was studying the use of 'the' when I found the first sentence in which the author said that when being specific , 'the' is used.

Also can we write as 'clean the car at early , yesterday'?


texts:
Let's look at this conversation:
A: My friend will start her studies in October.
B: I know! And I will have finished my studies by the end of June. (that's okay)

What about Person B saying "I will have finished my studies IN June?" Can I replace "by" with "in"? Is that okay or is it better to use Future Simple here? It's important for me to say I will finish my studies first.


texts:
For each tuft to be inserted along the width of the axminster carpet, there is a corresponding metal gripper which rises from the bed of the loom to grip the appropriate coloured end of yarn from the vertical yarn carrier.

This sentence has been taken from this link.

Please, say details about the uses of to be. I don't know the way of using to be in the way it has been used in above sentence. What does to be mean in this sentence?


texts:
My question is what is correct to say :

  This concerns you.
  This is concerning you.


texts: Could you let me know the differenct between 'of' and 'on''?

texts:
If the evening 'of' the 18th has been booked up already, then what about lunch time on saturday the 20th?

Above is wrriten on my textbook, but I'm not sure why 'of' is used. I think we usually use 'on' with the specific date. What is the difference between 'of' and 'on' in this situation?


texts: Do watch the episode Vs. Watch the episode

texts:
I want to know the difference between these two sentences,, when should I use?

Do watch the episode
Watch the episode


texts: Meaning of "consolation" in the following context

texts:
"He took me down, and tied the placard, which was neatly constructed for the purpose, on my shoulders like a knapsack; and wherever I went, afterwards, I had the consolation of carrying it.
What I suffered from that placard, nobody can imagine."

(David Copperfield By Charles Dickens)

I understand the general meaning and usage of "consolation", but not in the above example. So I appreciate your help.


texts:
Can you say "economic agnostic" like in the following sentence?

  Strategy cannot be economic agnostic.


texts: Usage of "very" in passive constructions

texts:
He got to the top and was (1) very frustrated when he found that (2) someone else (3) had reached it earlier. (4)

This is a question which I came across while attempting a test.

It asked me to find out whether there is any grammatical or idiomatic error in it. And the error, if any, will be in only one part of the sentence.

It seems there is no error it. But the test claims very is wrong here.

And the explanation is as

  Very is used with adjectives, past participles used as adjectives and adverbs.

  E.g. I am very pleased to get your letter.

  But very is not used with past participle that have a passive meaning. Much, very much or greatly is used instead.

  E.g. He was much loved by everyone.

  Here, the past participle frustrated is in passive form. Hence, much must replace very. Thus, the error lies in part 2.

Shouldn't we use very in this case? Is there any rule such that we shouldn't use very in passive voice?

Could anyone please explain to me?


texts: Why is 'The Chinese have invented the printer' wrong?

texts:
In the textbook by by Raymond Murphy, Intermediate English Grammar, 2nd edition, on page 26:

  "The Chinese invented printing."

Raymond Murphy says that we can't use the present perfect here. I question  why?

According  to Murphy:

  "We can't use the present perfect if there's  no connection  with present."

But I guess there is a connection/result in the above example because we have printing now.

So why can't we say:

  "The Chinese have invented printing."

Why is version #2 wrong?


texts: "that way" or "this way". Is there some rules or convention about this?

texts:
I asked a question (Is it a grammatical requirement to put a "do" between "not only" and main clause?) just now

  ... which put a "do" between "not only" and the main clause.

  Is it a grammatical requirement to construct a sentence that way?

I referred to a sentence structure I just talked as that way, though I am not quite sure I should use "that way" or "this way". Are there any rules or conventions about this?


texts: What does the dot in the English transcription of the word "eerie" mean?

texts: Here is the transcription /ˈɪr.i/. It is from Cambridge Dictionary. Does it mean that I need to say the letter r and i separately? If so, then I am confused because I thought that it is the role of the apostrophy to separate sounds like in the word interact. It is clear that we read this word as two separate words inter and act. Here is the transcription  /ˌɪn.t̬ɚˈækt/.