texts:
My question touches on the following set-phrases which are: would-be someone, someone in-the-making, someone-to-be. I think they all have something common to share in their meanings.

The first problem which I have with “would-be” is that it has two substantial meanings such as:

1)  •  wishing or pretending to be: a would-be expert  (a person who is not really the one he or she poses as. In other words, a phony someone, a so-called someone).

2)  • attempting or desiring something Would-be marines have to get through a rigorous examination. (a person who wants to be someone)

The examples and definition are taken from here http://www.yourdictionary.com/would-be (there are more definitions there but these two are the most problematic for me)

I found those two definitions quite contradicting to each other as pretending to be someone is nothing close to desiring to be someone at least in a moral aspect.

Now my question is how to tell one from the other.

How can I know that in “Would-be marines have to get through a rigorous examination” we deal with the marines who desire to become real marine and not with the ones who pretend to be marines. Of course, this issue is not limited by this example as this ambiguity remains all the time in all examples possible. Any treatment?

The second issue deals with “someone in the making”
Is it always used figuratively only? If I say “he is a doctor/actor/musician in the making” can it really mean that he studies to be one of those or does it only mean that he acts as if he is one of those but in practice he is not involved into official studies which would certify him as being a doctor/actor/musician one day? Or can it mean both at the same time?

The third issue is about someone-to-be
I heard that “someone-to-be” should be limited by kin relationships only. It means that “a mother-to-be” is OK. But it’s not OK to say “He is a doctor-to-be”? Is it so or not? Would it change anything in the issue if I said “He is a-soon-doctor-to-be?” Does the word soon allow to use this phrase outside of kin relationships or not?


texts: How many are you guys? or How many people are you guys? which one is correct?

texts:
When I ask "How many are you guys?" or "How many people are you guys?",

Which one is correct?

I am confused. Can anyone let me know?

Thank you for help!


texts: Would you tell me more info about Minced and ground?

texts:
I would like to know some info about minced and ground. I think there's no big difference in meaning. I would like to know which one is commonly used in the USA? Can they both be used with the words Chicken, meat, beef, or any other similar word?

Correct me if I'm wrong: When I say "ground beef", ground here is an adjective but it can be used as a noun with a different meaning "Land or Earth". And it can be used as a verb to mean "To punish" as in "You're grounded".


texts: How do you describe a chilly/fresh smell of water?

texts: The good smell that you experience once you get out of the car at a beach in wintertime. Would "the chilly smell of the sea" work? Or fresh / odor / some other words?


texts:
I wish to write something like

  I am astonished by the power of maths in solving complex problems in physics, chemistry and economics

Is it a bit of cliched to say 'the power of maths'? Will it be better to use the word 'ability' or are there better alternatives that would make the sentence more sincere and reflecting the author's true feeling?


texts: "On Friday..." __ "play/plays" or "are going to play"

texts:
In this sentence:

  On Friday I’m going to a concert with some friends. Two local punk bands _____ – they’re quite good.

Can I write "play" or is it "are going to play"?
And in this sentence:

  On Saturday my basketball team _____ an away match.

Can I write "plays" or is it "are going to play"?
Thank you :D


texts:
Is it correct to use two past forms in one sentence.
For example:

  I got owned.

or

  She got carried by her friend to her house.

"Got","owned" and ""carried" are past forms.


texts: "some friend" in positive and negative senses

texts:
I pretty much hear some friend in the negative sense as in

  Some friend you are!

How can some friend be used to express approval?

Please, provide examples and you may want to find out how you could help put some light on normal and sarcastic situations. The problem is that tone and context may play a significant role in catching on to the meaning.

Merriam Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

  Some

  3 informal

  a - used to express approval

  That was some game! [=that was a very good/enjoyable game]

  b - used to express disapproval, disappointment, etc.

  You have some nerve [=a lot of nerve] to say that!
  You don't know how to get there? Some navigator you are! [=you're not a good navigator]
  Some friend he is—he left me stranded at the train depot.


texts:
Case : a doctor wants his pregnant patient to turn her belly toward him.

Sentence A : "Please turn your belly around toward here"

Question : please reword the sentence above into a politer one, and what would a native english speaker would say in this case ? especially correcting the phrase : "turn toward here"


texts:
What does "penned down" mean in the below?

If it's the past form of the verb "pen" then I couldn't find any particular meaning of "pen". I came across a sentence:

  Don't worry if you are single, trust on destiny and remember destiny has penned down for you a lovely soulmate. Just be patient. Till then keep improving.

Could anyone please explain this to me?


texts:
When I want to narrate or tell someone about a conversation that I or some people were involved in, it seems wrong to me to represent the participants with, for instance,

Sam said...blah blah blah

Then james replied....blah blah blah

The. Same said.......

The james replied ......

And so on....maintaining the narrating with the same pattern.

Here, my tuition of narrating a story sounds weird to some extent with saying: he said, then he replied

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

However, I see that some people use something like

Sam go like......,

James told him like......

Then, Sam was like
........

My question, what is the best way to narrate a story and sound natural in English when making the switch of back and forth between the participants in a dialog?

I mean retell it with being formal and make it look more idiomatic.

How do native speakers do it?


texts: Is it grammatical to use the phrase "floating and lost in the dark"?

texts:
Floating and lost in the dark, everyone's morale started to crack.

In the sentence, is the phrase floating and lost in the dark a dangling participle?
Is it grammatical to use the phrase floating and lost in the dark?


texts: Can I use "supported" here to mean that he physically helped her?

texts:
An injured woman was limping down the stairs supported by a man.

Is "supported" a bad word choice if the man is physically helping her down the stairs? Or what do you imagine when you read the sentence?


texts: what are the things you put in a showcase at home?

texts:
Is decorations the right word to describe things such as figurines, candelabra, handicrafts you put in a showcase to make it look attractive?

  Oh you got nice decorations in there.

  I need to get some decorations for my new furniture.

Do these sentences sound natural to a native speaker?


texts:
What's the right way of using this "so... that..." emphasizing construction?

  At times her guesses are so accurate, it makes me suspect that she has
  some special ability to read my mind.

  At times her guesses are so accurate, that it makes me suspect that she has
  some special ability to read my mind.

Do I need "that" or can I drop it?

Also, is comma necessary there?


texts: The difference between "common" and "commonly"

texts:
The adjective "common" has the meaning of "shared by".
Does the adverb "commonly" have such a meaning?

For example, does the sentence below I created make sense? I am trying to describe that each bulb is supplied with the same voltage of 120 volts.

  A voltage of 120 volts is applied commonly to three bulbs.


texts: I'm writing an English essay and I just wanted to check if this makes sense :

texts: ..... I agree with the statement that Boland's reflective insights are expressed through her precise use of language. We see this statement to be true in 'Child of Our Time'.....


texts: Difference between "spearhead" and "lead"

texts:
New onsite graduate programs are bringing DePaul through the door at
  some of the area’s most prominent employers. This summer, two
  corporate onsite cohorts began with the delivery of a Master of
  Business Administration degree program at Medline, a major
  manufacturer and distributor of healthcare supplies, and a Master of
  Public Health degree program at Lurie Children’s Hospital—resulting in
  70 new graduate students and $3.2 million in revenue over the duration
  of the program.   These partnerships were spearheaded by EMM’s
  Corporate and Employer Outreach (CEO) initiative.

  From
  https://offices.depaul.edu/enrollment-management-marketing/enrollment-matters/Pages/ceo-launches-corporate-onsite-graduate-programs.aspx

Could you explain the connotation of ‘spearhead” here?  How is it different from “lead”?

  spearhead /ˈspiɚˌhɛd/ verb

  : to be the leader of (something, such as a political movement)

  http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/spearhead

Here is research I have done. I am not sure if it is correct.

  Spearheaded

  Meaning: To spearhead means to be the leader of something. But more
  important is the word's connotation. This word just oozes leadership,
  taking charge,  and being a self-starter.

  https://www.pongoresume.com/blogPosts/152/5-power-words-to-make-your-resume-get-noticed.cfm


texts:
Would there be any difference if "namely" were replaced by "e.g." in the following? Some say "namely" means "that is (to say)" or "i.e." and is used to explain a more general term. But in the following sentence, "namely" is used rather like "e.g."

The disease can be prevented, namely, by exercising, eating right, and not
smoking.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Time expression in Present/Past Perfect tense

texts:
My questions are about being able to use a past time expression in a Present/Past Perfect tense.
An excerpt from: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc.

My example #1: First Conversation for sending on same day:

Boss: Have you sent that email?
Me:   Yes, I have sent that email.
Boss:     When?
Me:   Today.
Boss:     Ok.

My example #2: Second Conversation for sending on previous day:

Boss:     Have you sent that email?
Me:   Yes, I have sent that email.
Boss:     When?
Me:   Yesterday. (Or Last week or when i was in Japan etc.)
Boss:     Ok.

My questions are:

Are both conversations correct?

Can I use a time expression in my answers to avoid the 2nd question from my boss?


texts:
Let's say my friend and I want to bet that something will happen, say, he says his favorite team will win, and I say it will lose. If his team wins, then he will have to make dinner for me, and if it lose, it is the other way around. How do I suggest in English that the prise is dinner? Which one of the following sentences sound the most natural?

  Let's bet dinner?

  Let's bet on dinner?

  Let's bet for dinner?

  I will bet you dinner that your team will lose.

What would a native English speaker would say that?


texts: Should one write Abelian, Noetherian, Artinian by a capital or not?

texts:
Which one is the correct way to write abstract algebra?

  Let A be a Noetherian ring.

or

  Let A be a noetherian ring.

I guess the cases Abelian/abelian, Artinian/artinian behaves similarly.


texts: The differences between "make a living" and "earn a living"

texts: Who can say the differences between them?


texts: "I used to" and "I was used to" - What is the difference?

texts:
Don't the two sentences:

  I used to drink coffee every day.
  I was used to drinking coffee every day.

refer to a past habit? If not, what is the difference?


texts: Corporate-sponsored terrorism of little children – meaning?

texts:
What does this sentence mean?

  Corporate-sponsored terrorism of little children.

In

  Corporate-sponsored terrorism of little children. In English. With English. Over English.

which appears on this ELL user profile

Does it mean that a company invests to support kids terrorists?


texts: Is it correct to use 'should' in the second conditional main clause?

texts:
Context:

  I have a toothache. I don't have any chocolate.

I wonder if it's correct to say:

  Even if I had chocolate, I shouldn't eat it.

The problem is the main clause doesn't change in the first and second conditionals here:

  Even if I have chocolate, I shouldn't eat it.


texts:
What does it mean "To Teach The Young Idea How To Shoot"?

This quote was taken from  "Spring" by James Thomson:

  Then infant reason grows apace, and calls
  For the kind hand of an assiduous care.
  Delightful task! to rear the tender thought,
  To teach the young idea how to shoot,
  To pour the fresh instruction o'er the mind,
  To breathe the enlivening spirit, and to fix
  The generous purpose in the glowing breast.


texts: How to understand "or so it seemed to Harry" in this context

texts:
Seconds later, or so it seemed to Harry, he was woken by what sounded like cannon-fire as the door burst open.

  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I'm not quite sure how to understand "or so it seemed to Harry". Should it be "[or] [so it seemed to Harry]" or "[or so] [it seemed to Harry]"? Is it a common expression? Are there other ways to express it?


texts: Is not being able to lick your elbow a "disability"?

texts:
I've been thinking this for quite a long time now, and while I know it doesn't make outright sense, but please take a minute to digest this question.

Consider the definitions for "disability" given by popular websites:

Oxford

  a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.

OED (second edition)

  a. Want of ability (to discharge any office or function); inability, incapacity, impotence. b. An instance of this. (Now rare in gen. sense.)

World Health Organization

  Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.

Collins

  A disability is a permanent injury, illness, or physical or mental condition that tends to restrict the way that someone can live their life.

I have a specific reason for why I think the above three definitions are wrong. The reason is that they are mixing up incapacity along with disability. Incapacity is an umbrella term to refer to any kind of non-ability in any regard, eg: incapacity to cast a vote in elections, incapacity to walk on two legs, incapacity to lick your elbow, etc. Oxford defines it as:

  Physical or mental inability to do something or to manage one's affairs.

which matches nicely with the above examples. However, I believe disability is specifically a term made for referring to activities which a normal person can do while the affected ("disabled") person cannot. These websites get the definition right the way I wish it to:

Merriam Webster

  a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions

Western Australia government

  A disability is any continuing condition that restricts everyday activities.

Oxford dictionaries

  an illness, injury, or condition that makes it difficult for someone to do the things that other people do.

Certainly, licking your elbow is neither an everyday activity nor what other people do. thus it makes absolute sense to not define it as a disability.

Having clarified my question, I wish to ask if: (1) the aforementioned dictionaries have wrongly defined the term "disability" (2) I have incorrectly interpreted the otherwise correct definitions.

I am a learner of English and have tried to post a properly structured question, so please consider clarifying in comments in case of confusion.


texts:
He draw masks on 2300 images a week.
He draw masks on 2300 images in a week time.

Is it grammatical and idiomatic to use both a week and in a week time?


texts: "leave for office" or "leave to office"?

texts:
I want to know which of these is correct

  When did Rob leave for office?

Or

  When did Rob leave to office?


texts:
In the sentence below (which is written in the context of Deterministic Theories):

  All events are determined by cause external to the will

What is meant by 'external to the will'?

I think it has a different meaning from an outer sense.

Thank you all!


texts: To-infinitive or participle modifying noun?

texts:
What is difference between to-infinitive and participle when they modify noun like the below sentence? Is it the same meaning that using ‘distributed’ instead of ‘to be distributed’?

  Although the health information campaign is scheduled to begin tomorrow, the staff have yet to finish printing the handouts to be distributed at medical clinics.


texts: which one: "'Id prefer to drink tea rather than drink coffee"/ "I'd prefer to drink tea rather than coffee" / "I'd prefer to drink tea to coffee"?

texts:
Based on the instruction in this website, I can come up with some following sentences:

I would prefer to drink tea rather than to drink coffee.
I'd prefer to drink tea rather than drink coffee.
I'd prefer to drink tea rather than coffee.
I'd prefer to drink tea to coffee.
I'd prefer tea to coffee.
I'd prefer tea rather than coffee.
I'd prefer tea.

I think (4) is wrong, (1), (2) & (7) are definitely right. But not sure (3), (5) & (6).

So, which one is correct?


texts: I'm a newbie in English. While I was reading a book, I found that phrase in "(something) will be the topic of the following chapters up through Chapter 3.", but I don't understand what it means.


texts: Is the use of 'vestige' correct in this context?

texts:
The following is an excerpt from this newspaper article, it is about Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's previous leader who recently died,

  Throughout, Mr. Mugabe remained inscrutable, some would say conflicted. Remote, calculating, ascetic and cerebral, a self-styled revolutionary inspired by what he once called “Marxist-Leninism-Mao-Tse-tung thought,” he affected a scholarly manner, bespectacled and haughty, a vestige of his early years as a schoolteacher. But his hunger for power was undiluted.

It is my understanding that vestige means some trace, trait or ruin that proves something existed before. I can't really think of what vestige above could possibly be referring to, is it the fact that Mugabe affected a scholarly manner? if so, isn't the bespectacled and haughty in the middle kind of strange, since it's completely unrelated to what is before it nor after.


texts: Have I correctly rephrased the sentence?

texts:
The field of business requires multifaceted practices for real-world problems as much as or more than any other field.
Revised: ...as much as or more practices than any other fields' practices.
..............
I would like to know if I have correctly rephrased it. In doing so, then, I could get its meaning better.
Meanwhile, would you please show me what as much as means here? or rephrase it simple, so that I could get it?
Thanks


texts:
I read a sentence in Merriam Webster dictionaries which was:

  The misery was general, where not glossed over by liberal application of alcohol.

Does "where not" here mean somewhat like "not a place where it was not"?
I was confused because I have never seen this sort of grammatical construction before.


texts: I need to praise my PhD supervisors kind assistance. Can I use the sentence of 'your assistance is always appreciated' for that. I doubt that whether it is grammatically correct?


texts: They would have liked (their friend to drink less) or (that their friend drink less)

texts:
How should it be:

  1) They would have liked their friend to drink less.

  2) They would have liked that their friend drink less.

If none of the two sentences is correct then how should I say?


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct ? #27

texts:
In the sentence:

  You know, there are a lot of nice places you can spend your time there.

Is it grammatically correct or must it be ...there are a lot of nice places where you can spend your time.? And could the first sentence be corrected with commas or full stops to be used?


texts: Difference between "trust", "trust in", and "trust on"

texts:
I don't know the exact meaning of these sentences.

I trust you.
I trust in you.
I trust on you.

I have heard all these sentences. But usually use the 2nd one whenever I need to say it to someone.


texts: is it deliver positive influence on "consumers' life" or "consumers' lives"?

texts:
So my writing has "to facilitate the clients’ businesses and deliver a positive influence on consumers’ life."
Should it be consumers' lives or consumers' life?
Is there a difference in the meanings?


texts: Where is the subject of the sentence "and were enabled"?

texts:
The people felt this, without knowing why, and recognized it in every deed or word or touch, so that those who have once felt the grasp of his great warm hand seem to have been drawn into the strong circuit of "Lincoln fellowship," and were enabled, as if by "the laying on of hands," to speak of him ever after with a deep and tender feeling.

My question is where is the subject of "and were enabled"


texts: Are these inversions correct and have the same meaning?

texts:
He came, and in such very good time, that the ladies were none of them
  dressed. In ran Mrs. Bennet to her daughter’s room, in her
  dressing-gown, and with her hair half finished, crying out,

  “My dear Jane, make haste and hurry down. He is come—Mr. Bingley is
  come. He is, indeed. Make haste, make haste. Here, Sarah, come to Miss
  Bennet this moment, and help her on with her gown. Never mind Miss
  Lizzy’s hair.”

  from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

I could get the meaning of the sentence, and I understand it as an "inversion“，often seen in literature.

My question is that if all the following versions are the same meaning and grammatically ok:

In ran Mrs. Bennet to her daughter’s room
In to ran Mrs. Bennet her daughter’s room
Into ran Mrs. Bennet her daughter’s room
Into her daughter’s room ran Mrs. Bennet

Could someone help? Thanks.


texts: When what we are talking about is a general idea, we use present perfect to refer to the past event instead of using simple past?

texts:
I have a feeling that when what we are talking about is a general idea, we use the present perfect to refer to the past event instead of using simple past.
Is that the way to look at it?
Is that a difference between British English and American English?
Examples:

(1) When people make friends with other people, people try to understand what others have said / what others said.

I think "what others have said" is more idiomatic than "what others said."

(2) Students in class often listen to the teacher and write down what the teacher has said / what the teacher said.

I think "what the teacher has said" is more idiomatic than "what the teacher said."

(3) When people want to learn cultures of different countries, they have to pay attention to what has happened in the country / what happened in the country.

However, in this case, I think simple past is better.


texts: May I use "data treatment" to mean "data processing"?

texts:
The word treatment, as in handling, is used in several Latin languages (e.g. traitement in French, tratamiento in Spanish, trattamento in Italian, tratamento in Portuguese, etc.) in the context of data processing, as a synonym or sometimes even as the de facto term.

In English, however, it seems that treatment is still associated strongly (if not exclusively) to medical practice and related health applications; processing seems to be the appropriate choice here.

However, while an expression such as data treatment sounds clearly incorrect (at least to my ears), in other expressions, such as:

  The (computer) program is treating this data as expected.

the distinction is less clear.

Could a native English speaker please confirm if this usage is indeed unusual/incorrect, or if treatment here is indeed a commonly accepted synonym of processing/handling?


texts:
From the "Repo men" movie (2010).

In the future humans have extended and improved our lives through highly sophisticated and expensive mechanical organs created by a company called "The Union". But there are the Repo Men who take the organs back if the clients are in arrears which causes their death.

The main character, one of the Repo men, comes to work and sees how a manager tries to assure another client to buy an organ mentioning that Repo men are almost never utilized. After that the manager tells the mail character this:

  You're killing me, coming in the front like that. l got guys trying to make sales out there, l don't need you on the floor spooking clients, all right? We want them buying, not thinking.

What does "coming in the front" mean?


texts:
Employees who dress in a uniform every day might get bored.

  Employees who dress a uniform every day might get bored.

Which one is grammatical and which one is more idiomatic?


texts: Use of negative to emphasize rhetorical question

texts:
How many of you despised him unfairly? / How many of you didn’t despise him unfairly?
How much money did you throw away last month? / How much money didn’t you throw away last month?
Once all questions above are rhetorical, they're technically equivalent. But I want to know if the negative ones have more emphasis (like it happens in my native languague) of if it doesn't work like that in English.


texts: "we are only given something" or "we are given only something"?

texts:
chapter 1 of the book "Machine Learning - A Probabilistic Perspective" says

  The second main type of machine learning is the descriptive or
  unsupervised learning approach. Here we are only given inputs ...

similar expressions

expression_1

Here we are only given inputs

expression_2

Here we are given only inputs

which one is more idiomatic?


texts: Why 'past perfect' is changed to simple past in this context?

texts:
He had served in the Army for ten years; then he retired and married. His children were now at school.

As I know the past perfect is used for actions which happened before another action or time in the past. So according to my knowledge the above sentence means something like below.

The grammar book which I copied this sentence says,

  "If we put the last verb in this sentence into the present tense, the other tenses will changed to the simple past."

2. He served in the Army for ten years; then he retired and married. His children are now at school.

Questions:

If my diagram forms are correct, In the first sentence , why has simple past tense been used in the phrase 'he retired and married'? Shouldn't it also be in past perfect since it had happened before another action which describes children's school period?
In second sentence; When the last verb was put in present tense, why do the other tenses change into the simple past?
Is it wrong if we use the past perfect for second sentence?


texts: Sentence with 'issue' and 'issue': Is it even grammatical?

texts:
Does this make sense and is this grammatical?

  It’s a very difficult issue to push because of the issue that security comes first.

  -- The Accidental Victims of Morsi's Fall, New Yorker, September 2013


texts:
1.I read in a grammar book that the gender neutral word for alumna/alumnus is "alum", but I couldn't find the word anywhere else.The word alum also means-a specific chemical compound.So is the usage of "alum" common enough for me to use it?

2.Can someone suggest me a gender neutral word for air hostess?


texts:
The original sentence is below:

  The problem with my other half is that he has no ambition.

If I use the word 'of' instead of 'with', how does the meaning of the sentence change? When should I use 'of' instead of 'with'?


texts:
What is the meaning of "lecture-agent" here? Do author wants to say that the failure of her lecture is because of funds?

  To give greater authenticity to the interview, at her suggestion the
  following open letter was written to which she placed her signature:
  128, West Forty-third Street, New York City, November 16, 1889. TO THE
  PUBLIC. The foregoing interview having been read over to me I find
  nothing contained therein that is not a correct record of my words and
  truthful expression of my sentiments. I have not given a detailed
  account of the ways and means which were devised to bring me under
  subjection, and so extract from me a declaration that the spiritual
  phenomena as exemplified through my organism were a fraud. But I shall
  fully atone for this incompleteness when I get upon the platform. The
  exactness of this interview was testified to by the names of a number
  of witnesses, including J. L. O'Sullivan, who was U.S. Minister to
  Portugal for twenty-five years. He said, "If ever I heard a woman
  speak truth, it was then." So it may have been, but the failure of her
  lecture-agent to keep her in funds seems to have been the determining
  factor.

from http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301051h.html


texts:
I wish to know if I should use Instead of or Rather Than in this sentence:

  Sometimes, people use pencils instead of/ rather than pens.

I'd rather use "Rather than" (since it is used for preference), but I'm not so sure. Could you help me?


texts:
Why the definite article is used before "soundtrack"  but not used before "movie" in the sentence below since both words are unspecified for listener:

Name a movie where the soundtrack is better than the movie itself.


texts:
When can we use nouns like adjectives? For example “Apple tree” where “Apple” functions as an adjective. But I saw the following as an example of a grammatically wrong compound on a website:

“When they fight against other opponent teams.”

Why is "opponent teams" grammatically wrong but is "Apple tree" correct?


texts:
In an application letter, I'm having a bulleted list of educational tasks I performed in the past. One of them is

  setting up exam texts and grading exams

How is "grading exams" understood?  Does the reader think that

the exams I set were used to determine the students' (say, semester) grades
or that I gave grades to the students' submissions?

If it is ambiguous or if 1. is read, how can I express option 2.?


texts: Is "get away with you" command related with "be/behave yourself"?

texts:
I see in my dictionary that a fool is asked to stop kidding either by the command "be/behave yourself" or "get away [with you]". I am curious to know what is denoted with "with you" in the latter? Does it tell us that person is serious when she it herself, as in the former, or something different?

I see that in English, "yourself" and "proper" stand for "serious and good", likewise if person is good inherently. Now, does "with you" stands for "be good" or "talk you yourself"?

I am looking at these entries

  get away with you

  be yourself


texts: When to use 'loquacious' and 'talkative'?

texts: Both of the words are kind off synonyms or meaning of each other


texts: How would I best simplify “engaged in quickly and properly by everyone”?

texts:
She said Ukraine needed “a political process that is engaged in quickly and properly by everyone”, adding: “The responsibility is inevitably going to fall on government to do that as quickly as possible.”Source: BBC News - Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych defiant amid turmoil

I do not understand what this really means. How could it be rewritten in simple English without shortening the extract?


texts: What is the difference between "research" and "survey"?

texts:
Many times I have seen these words "research" and "survey" in newspapers. Like a research shows that... or a study shows that... or a survey conclude that...

From these statements it is not clear that what is the difference between the words research,study and survey.

Previously I was thinking that research is a scientific word where as survey is a non-scientific word. Also I thought that survey is done over a large group whereas research is done over a small group.

Please help me in understanding the basic difference between these words.


texts: What does "solutions in need of problems" mean?

texts:
Can anybody explain it for me, please? I know what "in need of" means, but I am confused with the whole phrase. http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/in-need-of-something

"Silicon Valley is criticized for creating solutions in need of problems, showering consumers with referral codes and discounts to gain traction. Entrepreneurs don’t have that luxury in secondary and tertiary cities, where typical consumers have different mindsets and needs from their coastal, urban counterparts. For the “rest of America,” immediate practicality matters just as much as long-term vision."

Source: https://venturebeat.com/2017/05/22/the-trick-to-a-successful-company-start-it-outside-silicon-valley/?google_editors_picks=true


texts:
Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present

What does the author mean by saying 'design for the future'?


texts:
I am not sure whether the last part of this sentence is grammatically right:

  My dream is to see an innovation of mine is one day being used inside automotive industry, such as General Motors or NASA, so that I would have [played an important role / made and important contribution] in the high-end technologies.

What I mean by the above sentence is that: "I want to invent something that will be used by those famous companies, and if that happens, then I have made an important contribution."


texts: What does the *borrow in somebody* mean?

texts:
I'm in and Jupiter works for me (have a client with a lil waterfront shack I can borrow in Jupiter).

The comment of the article.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/4027602-ding-dong-net-worth-sweep-dead-yet

I understand the sentence omitted in Jupiter.

  I'm in and Jupiter works for me (have a client with a lil waterfront shack I can borrow ).

What does the  in Jupiter mean?
There is no idiom borrow sth in sb,just borrow sth from sb.


texts: Shouldn't there have been a question mark after "do you" in this context?

texts:
I read this in Kafka on the shore:

  Man alive, how'd you get all that blood all over you? What the hell were you doing? But you don't remember a thing, do you.

I strongly believe there should have been a qestion mark after "do you" in the latter sentence. Am I right? But can it be that the writer want to imply that the only thing you do remember is that you don't remember a thing?


texts: (1/2), (a/b) I'd like to know which sentence is the best choice

texts:
There is a time when I drink too much to hang out with my friends

until they think they drink enough to call it a night.

as much as they'd like to.

I think both are possible to use and natural.
I always end up being the only one who has to go home

a. because I'm too drunk to be with others.
b. because of being too drunk to be with others.

I think b is better because it is not mentioning a specific person who is too drunk, so it is more of a general sentence than a sentence illustrating my situation.


texts:
After he had taken great pains to finish it, I took upon me to revise
  and correct it, that nothing might pass but matter of fact, apparent
  against them by record. It is very little he hath inserted, and that
  necessary, to show what their offences were, what people, and of what
  condition they were. The whole proceedings and evidence against them,
  I find upon examination carefully set forth, and truly reported, and
  judge the work fit and worthy to be published.

I'm having a difficulty of understanding the bolded part. Is it okay to understand there was an omission of 'is' between 'that' and 'necessary'?


texts:
He has taken a picture.
  The picture he has taken become popular

  He has his picture taken.
  The picture he ...... become popular

Fill in the blanks please. I don’t think I can say something like
“The picture he has it taken become popular” so don’t know what to say. Thanks


texts:
If something is just going to happen,is it common to use "off"?

Like:

  It's just a few weeks off.( Like something, well anything could be used instead of "it's " ,to mean that thing is just a few weeks away?)
  The due date is just a few weeks off(away).
  Exams are just a few weeks off(away.)

So what should be used :off/away?


texts: "Something unusual in them" vs "something unusual about them"

texts:
Example:

  "Did you notice anything unusual in the cows during the day?"

  "Did you notice anything unusual about the cows during the day?"

What's the correct wording? And why?


texts: Can I rewrite the first sentence as the second one?

texts:
By using 'it-cleft', can I rewrite the first sentence as the second one?

  Learning can help us experience the beauty of the world.
  It is the beauty of the world that we can experience by the help of learning.


texts:
I have two sentences.

  The cars underwent a rapid change from the application of mechanical technology to digital, that currently takes advantage of
  artificial intelligence. Currently, they have become large.

Can I say: Currently, the ones have become large?


texts:
I think ‘I was near to death’ semantically correct, not ‘I almost died’, so I wonder ‘I almost died’ is literal or figurative.
hyperbole (hahy-PUR-buh-lee): Extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement that is not meant to be taken literally. For example: “I almost died of boredom.” Hyperbole is frequently used in humorous writing.
www.hcfalcons.org › storiesPPT


texts: What articles (if any) are needed in "...achieve __ maximum value in __ function"?

texts:
"We derive a condition to achieve the maximum value in a function"

versus

  "We derive a condition to achieve a maximum value in the function"

versus

  "We derive a condition to achieve maximum value in a function"

which is correct?

My first concern is whether to use "the function" or "a function". I understand "the function" is implying reference to the specific function. However, the function I have in mind is a generic function that models some events. So depending on the event, the generic function is changed. On the other hand, implying reference to the specific generic function is also correct. So is there a grammar rule to determine whether to use "the function" or "a function"?

My second concern is whether to use "the maximum value", "a maximum value" or "maximum value". Since I can have many different functions, I have many different maximum, so "a maximum" seems to make sense. But grammar checks tools are telling me to use "maximum" without the article. So which is correct?


texts:
Source : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/man-shares-photo-that-perfectly-shows-why-he-loves-his-hardworking-girlfriend_5697bf18e4b0ce496423637b

In the article ;

  This is how I found her tonight. I'm so proud of this woman I could burst.

I am fine with this sentence except the word burst, what could it mean?

Also in the same article :

  "I'm gonna take all of y'alls advice and marry the sh*t out of her," he wrote.

What does the phrase (the sh*t out of her) mean? Also, how polite is it?


texts:
As a German willing to learn the English rules for apostrophes, I am confused about using it for possessives because I don't know what is exactly a possessive. Is it only for objects which someone owns or is it also if I just "have" something, or I borrow or rent something and for abstract things.

So, can you tell me, which of the following are possessives and which aren't?

Morgan's house is red.
Morgan's appartement, which he bought last year, is red.
Morgan's appartement, which he rents since last year, is red.
Morgan's love is endless.


texts: Difference between 'consecutive' and 'contiguous'?

texts:
Are consecutive and contiguous interchangeable? Or they should be used in different situation? Anyone can tell me how they are different?

I tried to find the two words in Longman dictionary, but it didn't help me a lot.

contiguous
consecutive


texts: "ticking" meaning in the context: "She was wrapped tight and ticking, this one"

texts:
A nervous young woman went to the police station and made a complaint. An old policeman comforted her. Then she relaxed a little, but still "was wrapped tight and ticking ..."

What does "ticking" mean here? and what does "this one" refer to?

Single White Female

  “My name is Allison Jones, and I live at One Seventy-two West
  Seventy-fourth Street.”

  He smiled. “And you sound like a very nice and well-prepared
  twelve-year-old reciting in front of the class. Relax, Miss Jones.
  Like the PR ads say, your police department cares. This old cop does,
  anyway.”

  “Not so old,” she said, smiling back as the tension loosened its grip
  on her. The set of her shoulders changed beneath the blue coat, became
  less squared and then slumped wearily. But the rigid cast of her jaw
  and mouth remained grim. She was wrapped tight and ticking, this one.


texts: Can I replace "that" with "because" in the sentence？

texts:
I just read a sentence:

  My employees got furious that new features were not being added as fast as they wanted.

Can I replace "that" with because here? Also, I want to confirm what is the function of the clause preceded by "that".

My first thought was that the clause in the above sentence is an adverbial clause which tells the reason that the employees got furious, but I did find any evidence to prove it. Since mostly, because or since would be normally to precede an adverbial clause.

Second, I though this clause worked as the object of furious, is that right?


texts:
A: Are you a politician?

  B: No, I'm not a politician.

When we report the B's reply as: B replied negatively that he was not a politician., is the sentence ambiguous - whether B denied the fact that he was not a politician or he denied that he was a politician?


texts: use of the word 'salve' instead of ''ointment''

texts: A few days back I popped in a question  here on this forum about the use of 'salve' as a remedy in figurative language. Later on, another question pinched my mind that is, do native use this word 'salve' for "a substance that you put on a wound or sore skin to help it heal or to protect it"  or they simply prefer to use the word 'ointment'?


texts: "Beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles protruding from it glimmered the silver figure fifty-three"

texts:
"Yeah," breathed Harry, looking up at the end of the closest row. Beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles protruding from it glimmered the silver figure fifty-three.

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I don't quite understand that sentence in bold above. I think the main verb is 'glimmered', but I failed to identify the subject of it.

I'm not sure what 'it' in "protruding from it" refers to.

And what does 'branch' mean in this context?


texts: How should I understand "I will read pages that only weary me"?

texts:
This is a quote from W. Somerset Maugham's On Reading as a text in our textbook. And the whole sentence look somewhat like the following:

  To know how to skip is to know how to read with profit and pleasure, but how you are to learn it I cannot tell you, for it is a trick I have never acquired. I am a bad skipper; I am afraid of missing something that may be of value to me, and so will read pages that only weary me [...].

Since the paragraph is talking about the skill of skipping, how to understand that he will only "read" pages that weary him rather than "skip" them?

I tried to google the original text but only found some quotes. Could it be a typing mistake of the publishing house?


texts:
The rescue capsule Fénix was designed by the Chilean Navy in collaboration with NASA to rescue the 33 miners trapped underground in Chile's San José copper mine. Painted in the red, white, and blue colors of Chile, the Fénix looked like a military missile. The device was nearly 3.95 meters high on the outside, and the inside was 1.9 meters high and about 51 centimeters across, which was just enough room for an adult male. When mobilized by the rescue team, the Fénix was equipped with an emergency oxygen supply. The bottom of the capsule held three tanks of air, which would provide enough air for one person to breathe for about 90 minutes. This amount of air was more than needed for the 15 to 20 minutes that the trip to the surface was expected to take. It also had a communication system so that the miners could speak to the surface while being lifted up.

Hi, I'm curious to know what is the object of "take" as in this sentence "This amount of ait was more than needed for the 15 to 20 minutes that the trip to the surface was expected to take".

This amount of air.
The 15 to 20 minutes.
Either 1 or 2 according to context.

I think the right answer is 1.


texts: Do I need "the" in this sentence? "The morality of a person is not just a matter of (the) acts she does"

texts:
The morality of a person is not just a matter of the acts she
  does.

Is the sentence correct without the bold "the"?


texts:
The team, led by Vincent Chalgneau, the bank’s head of fixed-income strategy, and Guy Stear, its head of emerging markets, concluded that a Trump victory would likely hurt emerging-market currencies as investors brace for more protectionist trade policies in the U.S. Indeed, many emerging-market currencies are already responding to tightening election polls, it appears. The correlation can be seen in the graph below:

source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-the-us-election-might-impact-the-currency-market-2016-09-09

What does "tightening" mean in the phrase "tightening election polls"?


texts:
I saw this in a post:

  ...it is okay or at least not immediately wrong.

What does immediately mean in this context? Although I have looked up this word in several dictionaries, its use in this context still remains vague to me. I really do need clarification on this.


texts: Confusion regarding usage of "know" and "understand"

texts:
In the following sentence, which word should be used: "understand" or "know"?

I do think it is important for us to try to understand/know different cultures

The actual answer and even I guessed that 'understand' is the correct word to fill in, but I am not sure why 'know' can't be used here?


texts: Plural and singular in the parallel structure with OR

texts:
John, Anne, or Peter (is/are) going to do it.
Giving your mother flowers or buying a card (is a great idea / are great ideas) for Mother's day gift.
I am aware of the rule saying that two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb. My American friends say that "is" does not sound natural in the first sentence and "are" sounds valid in the second one (as well as "is"). I am a bit confused
What grammar rule have you used? Is the alternative option grammatically correct or incorrect? If it was incorrect, why?


texts: Is a word by default a verb or noun, or does it not work like that?

texts:
How does one determine if a word is a noun or verb, and do words have a default state?
Or does it all depend on how the word is engaged with?


texts:
"Exactly," said Harry. "And we know you get in using those funny coins, or tokens, or whatever they are, because I saw that witch borrowing one from here friend -"

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I looked up "get in", but it seems to me that none of definitions could fit for the context. If I have to guess, I think it probably means to succeed in doing something. However, I don't know if I'm getting it right. Is it a common usage? What does it truly mean?


texts: Do we use "would rather" for past tense?

texts:
"I would rather go swimming with dad"
Does the sentence above refer to the past? If not, how can I rephrase it so that it does?


texts: Literary device for sound ending similar to the next word's beginning

texts:
What literary device is it if a word begins with the sound the previous word ends in?
such as 'doubt' and 'truth' in: Doubt truth to be a liar.


texts: is it possible to put an atelic activity into the past perfect tense?

texts:
Is it possible to put an atelic activity like "browsing the internet" into the past perfect tense?

For example: I browsed the internet from 2 o'clock to 4 o'clock. At 7 o'clock I start making dinner.

Is it grammatical to say "I had browsed the internet when I began cooking"? Or do I have to use constructions like "I had stopped browsing the internet"?
I know I could say I browsed the internet before cooking dinner, but I really want to know about the past perfect.

I assume browsing the internet is atelic, because there is no clear end to it, the internet is infinite, or am I wrong?


texts: Why are "is" and "remembered" used together in "M S Dhoni is remembered by the era he forged..."?

texts:
M S Dhoni is remembered by the era he forged after those dark days in
  West Indies in 2007 when India crashed out in the group stage of the
  World Cup after having gone down to Banglades

In this sentence, why is and remembered used in combined?


texts:
Meaning of "they inflicted serious injuries on three other men".
I understood like this "they beated three persons".


texts: What is the difference between realised and decided?

texts:
In this sentence

  Hazel says 'funerals I'd decided are for the living, not the dead'.

Shouldn't there be realised instead of decided?


texts:
I am often confused with the usage of since and from.

I know him from 15 years
I know him since 15 years.

Which one is correct? How would I decide which is the right preposition to use?


texts: Difference between "stammer" and "stutter"?

texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "stammer" and "stutter"? Are they completely synonymous?


texts: "A math class", "math classes" or "math class" in context

texts:
Tell me please which sentence sounds the most natural.

  What are you doing after a math class?

  What are you doing after math classes.

  What are you doing after math class.

What I am trying to ask is what the person is doing after they are done with their lesson in math.


texts:
Is the phrase I am flattered inherently negative?

for example

A : you're my favorite

B: I am flattered


texts: Which one is correct - "Good morning both of you" or "Good morning to both of you"?

texts:
I'm quite confused whether good morning everybody, good morning all of you, etc. are correct or good morning to everybody, good morning to all of you, etc. are correct. Please let me know the correct phrase and point out the incorrect ones. If these are correct, what's the difference?
My question is different from the existing question "Good morning, Brian" vs "Good morning to you, Brian".
I want to know which of these are incorrect:
 Good morning everybody!
 Good morning to everybody!
 Good morning all of you!
 Good morning to all of you!
 Good morning both of you!
 Good morning to both of you!
 Good morning, everybody!
Good morning, both of you!


texts:
My Japanese friend asked me why we can say "Is he gone?" but we can't say "Is he arrived yet?". I corrected it to "Has he arrived yet?".

I'm not sure how to explain this grammatically :( Can someone please help me? Thank you.


texts:
In the sentence "This can be mitigated at/in [the] implementation by using", should I use at or in? Also, should I put a "the" there?

What I mean by this sentence is that when someone wants to implement the method, the aforementioned problem can be mitigate by using ...


texts:
Are any of the statements below grammatically correct? If any of them is wrong, what is the correct way to state them?

  There has been some rapid progress ...
  There has been some rapid developments ...

or

  There have been some rapid progress ...
  There have been some rapid developments ...


texts: how to do you end a call at work for a tornado warning

texts: What is the best way to end a call at a business for a tornado warning when you are advised to go to the shelter?


texts: Why is it incorrect to use “how” before an infinitive here?

texts:
On a forum about English grammar, a user (a native speaker) wrote that the sentence below is not grammatically OK. Can you please explain to me why not?

  This is the only chance how to win money.


texts:
I would like to say :

  "I have been coming across these kind of news lately that many people who studied abroad become more successful than others who studied in their countries."

but we cannot use 'these' with 'news'.If I say "this kind of news", for me, it does not connote plural sense I want to imply either. So how can I say it properly?


texts: Is the usage 'biscuit got over' correct?

texts: Is the usage 'biscuit got over' correct meaning biscuits are finished?


texts:
Why do we need to repeat the verb "to be" in this kind of statements?:

She is being kind to me.

It is supposed that the second "be" takes a meaning of the verb "behave".


texts:
From "What the People Said" by Rudyard Kipling:

Hissed up to the scornful dark
Great serpents, blazing, of red and blue
That rose and faded, and rose anew
That the Land might wonder and mark

Is serpents of red and blue idiomatic? I am guessing it means "red great serpents and blue great serpents", but I am not sure "of" is correctly used. Is it?


texts: How can I use "Must" to express guessing?

texts:
I know how to make sentences in the past but I don't know how to make them in the present and future tenses.

  He looks happy, He must have heard a good news.

I think the previous sentence is correct. How can I convert it into present tense?

  He looks happy, He must hear a good news.

Is the previous sentence correct? Does it sound native?

Can I use must also to express future? or should I use another verb like "Would"?

Thank you very much,


texts: Is phrase "for the love of design" correct?

texts:
I have a question regarding phrase "for the love of design"
Is it gramatic/semantically correct?
I want to use this phrase as engraving on some project and it's supposed meaning is to be "I did this because I love designing"
English is my second language so please feel free to propose some other phrase if you think that it could be more fitting than what I proposed


texts: Could you tell me "the extent to which" is a noun phrase or a clause in this sentence?

texts:
I have a sentence in my textbook confusing me. The sentence is: Another influential factor for brokers is the extent to which the authority is centralized or decentralized.

My concern is what the role of “to” in this sentence is. As you can see, here “extent to something” looks like a noun phrase, “to which …” is usually a clause. So when the two are linked together “extent to which …”, it is a noun phrase or a clause in this sentence?

Please give me some clarification or ideas about it.

In addition, I modify this sentence as “Another influential factor for brokers is the extent that the authority is centralized or decentralized." The meaning is the same to or clearer than the original sentence?


texts:
Suppose I am having a conversation with someone. I ask a question like "Can we meet at place A?". They reply "It's ok, you can just come to place B". I would much rather prefer to meet at place A, since this person is a stranger, so I wish to meet in public.

How can I word my reply to insist on meeting at place A, without offending this person?

(By the way, if you feel I have mistagged this, please feel free to edit to correct)


texts:
Let's get started!

In this sentence "get started" means that "to begin or start".But as far as I know "get + v-ing" has that meaning too .Such as in the following examples :

  We have to get moving now.

  It's getting dark.

So can we use "get+past participle" to mean "to begin or start" ? or "get started" is just an exception ? I mean can I say

  I have to get written.

instead of

  I have to get writing.


texts:
From The Economist, November 19th 2020 edition, “Joe Biden’s China policy will be a mix of Trump’s and Obama’s” we read:

Early in his campaign for the presidency, Joe Biden rejected the notion that China was much of a worry. He argued that no leader in the world would trade the challenges facing China for their own.“China’s going to eat our lunch? Come on, man,” Mr Biden scoffed. “I mean, you know, they’re not bad folks, folks. But guess what? They’re not competition for us.” He was speaking in May 2019. Tempered by his contest with Donald Trump, who tried to rally support by highlighting the threat posed by China, Mr Biden now avoids such words.

What does it mean (the text in bold)?


texts:
Context: Parcel shipping. A parcel has been lost and the client has been refunded. However, in case the parcel would be found and delivered, the client should refuse it.
Phrase: “If the courier will still deliver your parcel, we ask you to refuse it.” or “If the courier still delivers your parcel, we ask you to refuse it”
Which one is correct?


texts: Why is there no preposition in between "idea" and "what" in the sentence "I have no idea what he likes."?

texts:
I have no idea what he likes.

In the upper sentence, there is no preposition in between "idea" and "what".
I wonder the reason why this is.

I already checked out other questions similar to this one, but there was no reason explained for this.
All answers say that it is just the way it is.
But could you give me any proper guess for this?

Thank you.


texts:
Does this expression said by a child sound natural?

  My mum is growing a baby!

If not, could it be considered a stretch?

What could a child say other than i.e. in child's language

  She's pregnant


texts: Future tenses (asking about plot in tv shows)

texts:
So, the situation is following: I am watching a TV show that my friend has already watched prior to me. I want to know something about the plot. How should I ask her?

"Are they going to find her in that room?"
"Will they find her in that room?"


texts: Choosing between present and past participle phrase

texts:
I read in this source that the past participle phrase is used in a passive sense, in which the action is done to the subject described by the phrase. It gives this example:

  Exhausted by the morning's work, I got myself a cup of coffee and sat
  down.

But I've come across this news headline which seems to contradict that:

  Bomb explosion hit Magallanes City, killed 7 and 9 others wounded.

Here, the past participle phrase killed 5 and 28 others wounded is done by the subject Bomb explosion. The rule(?) above says that the subject of the sentence must not be the doer of the action in the past participle phrase. Instead, it must be the receiver.

So I think it must be corrected to use the present participle to describe that the doer is the subject:

  Bomb explosion hit Magallanes City, killing 7 and wounding 9 others.

Do you think the original headline is correct? How about my revision?


texts:
The only person who/that can read and write English well is my friend.

In this sentence why that is preferred?


texts: What's are some natural expressions to say when you pick up the order?

texts:
Suppose I ordered some food online. What are some natural (and preferably concise) expressions to say when I arrive at the store?

Here are some that I can think of (they may not be natural or grammatical):

  Can I get the order for Alex?

  Is the order for Alex ready?

  I placed an order online in the name of Alex.


texts: What is the meaning "as much for, as for" in this sentence?

texts:
Jack's mother got angry at Jack because he exchanged her cow for
  beans.

  "And now off with you to bed. Not a sup shall you drink, and not a bit
  shall you swallow this very night." So Jack went upstairs to his
  little room in the attic, and sad and sorry he was, to be sure, as
  much for his mother's sake, as for the loss of his supper.

This content is from "Jack and the beanstalk" in English fairy tales.

I couldn't understand this sentence "as much for his mother's sake, as for the loss of his supper". Could you teach me?


texts:
What is the difference between happened to me and happened with me?

How can I use them in different situations  ?


texts:
I was practicing with a key word transformation exercise, and I had trouble with the following sentence:

  Is it possible to smoke in this room?

The key word given is "allow".

  Is __________________ this room?

My choice was this:

  Is it allowed to smoke in this room?

But it led to a mistake. Why was it not correct?


texts: Two-layer bag vs. bilayer bag vs. double-wall bag vs.

texts:
I'm translating a paragraph that describes drug product packaging:

  Packaging: From 50 g to 500 g in a transparent polyethylene bag (either double-wall or bag-in-bag).

Which would be the better choice: "double-wall", "bilayer" or "two-layer"? The meaning is, the polyethylene bag has two similar layers in order to ensure the safety of the product (alternatively, two single-wall bags could be used, hence "bag-in-bag").

Maybe all three options are okay? I'm looking for one that would sound more natural to native speakers.


texts: As soon as structure: save/ saved/ have saved?

texts:
I'm currently very confused about the structures of 'As soon as'. There are three sentences that I can't decide which is gramatically correct.

  As soon as I save enough money, I'll get a new bicycle.

And

  As soon as I saved enough money, I'll get a new bicycle.

And

  As soon as I have saved enough money, I'll get a new bicycle.

Also, I do need examples about 'as soon as' sentences. Like how tenses can fit in with 'as soon as', please give me as much as tenses with this 'as soon as' as you could. Thanks for reading.


texts:
Recently, I have written somewhere.

  Your offers are amazing. Keep me amazing!

I think it should be

  keep me amazed

as this  post suggests.
Still I am confused about it. Which of them is correct?


texts: If "who" is for people, which word conveys a similar expression for animals?

texts:
Martin's dog is the one which was hurt in the stampede.

Is this statement correct? I'm told that we should be using "that" in place of "which".


texts:
He showed a much improved grasp of the English language than a year ago.

This sentence is supposed to be grammatically wrong (the usage of the phrase "than a year ago"). Can you please explain to me why?


texts:
When will you compete?
Or
When will you going to compete?
Which one is correct, and more appropriate to use?


texts: "Why don't you" vs. "Why won't you" in suggestions and questions

texts:
What is the difference between,

  Why don't you decorate the house yourself?

  Why won't you decorate the house yourself?

Are both of these sentences grammatically correct?

And what changes when we are not making a suggestion to somebody directly but speak about something in 3rd person, i.e.,

  What doesn't/won't Cameroon intervene?

  What doesn't/won't she marry?

  Why don't/won't these people leave?


texts: I saw a sentence labeled on a packaging, saying Do not reheat once cooled. I am wondering why here they used cooled rather than cool. and in turn, another question that can we say eat (serve) cool (cold) or serve cooled follows.


texts:
It's the line from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I couldn't figure out the meaning of this word: hellfire

Here are the full lines:

  Mom: I thought you smoked.

  Daughter:Not pure hellfire, no.

  Mom: Well, put it out; I'll smoke it later.

Basically is the character's mom gave her a cigarette, she smoked and coughed. And Hellfire is the reason.

I don't know whether the character means the smoke is too smoky or the cigarette doesn't have filter tip... or some other meanings...


texts: An awkwardly repeated sentence needs some polish

texts:
What would be a better expression for the following?

  Kudos to Peter FOR his volunteering FOR Sunday school FOR both Jan and Feb.

There certainly are many OTHER ways to express my gratitude to Peter's help. But I feel a "lengthy" expression can easily diminish the "sense of gratitude" I wish to convey so I am hoping for a concise expression that gets right to the point but won't be hampered by the repetition of 3 'for' in a row.

Details: I was suggested to add more details so that people can provide on-point corrections: Peter, when approached, chose to help out church's Sunday school (but not the outreach programs due to scheduling conflicts) and volunteered for two months' time instead of the regular one month. His spirit exemplified an exceptional role model at church and I would like to encourage others to emulate Peter by expressing my gratitude to his altruism.


texts:
What is the meaning of this sentence? I completely don't understand it.

Sleep loss will leak down into every nook and cranny of your physiology, even tampering with the very DNA nucleic alphabet that spells out your daily health narrative. And at this point, you may be thinking, “Oh my goodness, how do I start to get better sleep? What are you tips for good sleep?

Source : https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_sleep_is_your_superpower/transcript#t-44349 (13:20)


texts:
what does "insofar as" mean in this sentence?

Does it mean "because"? Does it refer to although? Can we use "but" before "this"?

  Although it is difficult to put ourselves behind the veil of ignorance,
  insofar as we are conditioned by the place we already occupy in society, this
  thought experiment will help lead us toward potential grounds for
  agreement.


texts: Can't figure out the types of clauses in these sentences

texts:
Please help me to define types of clauses 1) main/independent 2) subject,object, predicative, adverbial...

  La Falterona began to sing, in an undertone, but as she heard the
  sounds come from her lips and found that they were clear and pure she
  let herself go.

La Falterona began to sing, in an undertone - independent.
"she let herself go" - also independent.

And what about subbordinate clauses "as she heard the sounds come from her lips" and "found that they were clear and pure" - what do they depend on?

And one more thing."Go" in "let herself go" is a verbal (simple infinitive)?


texts: How to use CHARACTERISTIC and FEATURE figuratively

texts:
what is difference between these two sentences in terms of meaning and how can I use characteristic and feature figuratively

the characteristics of modern life has changed a lot.
the features of modern life has changed a lot.


texts: Is "squared up to" natural in this context?

texts:
The man shoved me hard into a wall and then laughed at me. I recovered and squared up to him, but then a bouncer came over and pulled us apart.

Is "squared up to" a completely natural expression to use here? Or what else could be used?


texts: What does "in accord with" mean in this conext?

texts:
Types 2)–4) are fundamentally different from plebiscites. In those
cases, a pre-defined class of government decision is always subject to
a constitutionally required (mandatory) referendum;, or and citizens
can, by petition, challenge government decisions (optional referenda)
or even hand in their own proposals for constitutional or legislative
reform (popular initiatives). The difference is that all these devices
sanction or correct government policies and politics even when the
government might not wish for popular interference. Under these
institutional arrangements, direct democracy thus gives citizens an
independent voice in politics and policies. This may be in accord with
governmental policies, especially in the case of constitutionally
required referenda. But the voice of the citizens can be, and often
is, also raised against the government. To challenge government
decisions in a selective way is the ‘natural’ use of popular
referenda. The idea of ‘correcting’ representative democracy is
further developed by the popular initiative, which allows the people
to not only approve or reject government decisions, but also offers a
group of citizens the chance to have their own propositions put to a
popular vote.
- Swiss Democracy by Wolf Linder

I don't understand what does "in accord with" mean in this context?
Does it mean: it is in favour of government in constitutionally required referenda cases?


texts:
I read somewhere that the day precedes the month in British English, as in "John arrived on 5 December."
But is it ok to write "on December 5" in British English? I seem to have seen the Independent adopt this practice, but I'm not sure.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Take me on, take on me (not in the song)

texts:
I'm not interested in speculation about the meaning on the Aha song that uses these expressions. This was addressed here (or not, the question was closed): [What does "Take on Me" mean in A-ha's song?.

Anyway, I want to know whether "take me on" and "take on me" are used in colloquial English.

For example, could 'take me on' be the short form of 'take me on this trip with you'?

I can also imagine that when you want to give someone a chance, someone could tell you: 'take on me' as meaning 'try me.'


texts: Is this correct "with my head faced up" "with my face faced up"

texts:
I don't know if this expression is correct.
I looked up at the sky, with my face faced up.
I looked up at the sky, with my head faced up.

with my face faced up

with my head faced up


texts:
Others, more creative solutions to the congestion problem are to increase tax on fuel so that it is more expensive, or make people pay to travel on certain roads such as in the centre of a city or on a motorway.

I want to know what the word "it" means in this sentence.


texts: I wanted to ask my friend what color his car is. It seems to me that there are two sentences for that. "what color is the car? "or "what is the color of the car?" Which one is correct? If both of them are correct, which one makes more sense to a native English speaker?


texts: Does changing the position of "more...than" change the meaning of a sentence?

texts:
I'd like to know whether changing the position of "more..than" changes the meaning of a sentence.

Jake, as the captain, has won 5 matches for Australia.

Andrew, the captain of England, has won 3 matches for his team. Similarly, Dean is the captain of Canada, and he has won 2 games for his team.

Jake has won more matches for Australia than Andrew and Dean have for their respective teams.

a)Jake has won more matches for Australia than any other player has for his team.

b)Jake has won matches for Australia more than any other player has for his team.

Does "a" have the same meaning as "b"?

Also, the "his team" in the last part of the sentence confuses me. Does "his team" refer to Australia or does it refer to England and Canada?

Any help will be appreciated.


texts: The use of verb "make" with the verb "be"

texts:
Tell me please if this way of using make is correct.

  The manner in which the host presents the show makes it be fun watching it.

I have quite often heard people use a phrase like It is fun watching someone/something, but I have never heard them say make something be fun. That is why I am wondering if the latter phrase is grammatically correct, if not, what is the correct and natural way to say it?


texts: Is it right to ask " How much are you done with the assignment"?

texts: Is "How much are you done with the assignments?" grammatically correct? If not, How can it be rephrased?


texts:
I captured these two shots from Transformers Dark of the Moon.

The lady was pissed when addressed as "Ma'am". However, Colonel Lennox surely meant no disrespect, as military protocol advises that officers may use "sir" or "ma'am" when addressing anybody.

My question is: In real life, if I don't know her name, real age or occupation, how should I address a lady like her in an elegant way without offending her?


texts: Is there a difference between "come" and "come out" in the sense of arriving at a place?

texts:
I have noticed that people, particularly Americans, sometimes say come out instead of come in the sense of arriving at a place. For example, in the 23rd episode of the fifth season of Friends Joey, who is in Las Vegas says to Chandler, who in New-York the following.

  Don't come out here!

Interestingly enough, I couldn't find any dictionary that defined come out as arriving somewhere.
Is come out used when talking about coming somewhere from a different city? If so, then is it totally synonymous with come in that sense?


texts: Produce or Produces. Why should I choose one of these options and, what is the grammatical rule for its use in this expression?

texts:
Our company ________a wide range of products for industrial machines. It started operations in 1978 and was originally a family company. It has been a marked leader for several years. We are based in Japan and have a subsidiary in Malasya. At presente, we are setting up a new distribution center in England. Next quarter, we are going to start a sales campaign in Europe. A)Produces B)Produce

P.S. Could you please explain to me with gramatical references? Thanks.


texts: How do I use "I had been watching" in a sentence?

texts:
Please help me to write a sentence with

  I had been watching

What does it mean exactly?

When do we use it?


texts:
Consider this byline from a magazine article:

  Eleanor McCain and Jeff Melanson were the city’s most influential arts duo—an heiress with deep pockets and powerful friends, and a charismatic executive known as a turnaround king. When their marriage fell apart, the fallout was explosive

What does explosive mean?


texts: He/him and I/me: How to use personal pronouns?

texts:
I have a problem sometimes to determine when to use these pronouns.

I have read other articles before on this subject but I still can't grasp how to use them properly. Can someone explain to me some rules or ways to know how to use them right? Sometimes I do translations in English or write short stories and whenever it comes to this, I'm not sure if I write them correctly, I just write them how I feel it sounds right to me. "Him and I", "me and him", both sound well to me but, so how should I decide what to use?

Recently I had to translate something from Japanese and it was just this, no verb whatsoever, just 2 pronouns and the coordinating conjunction "and".


texts:
You any good?

I found this line in the movie Cable Guy. I really like it and have never heard it anywhere before.

In what situations could I use this line?


texts:
That is not a reason to try and use every arcane style in your posts one-by-one to see what sticks.

Does 'what sticks' mean 'appropriate'?

I cannot find a dictionary meaning for the use in this sentence.

(And a side question: Is this question too brief?)


texts: Is the word "bill" considered an abstract noun or a concrete noun?

texts:
Is the word "bill" considered to be an abstract noun or a concrete noun?

It is not clear to me whether it is an abstract noun because it talks about something that we cannot feel with our senses, or it is a concrete noun because we can touch the paper which represents the bill for payment.


texts: How to say something happened one hour back

texts: I wanted to say that someone went out one hour before the current time, can I say it as "he went out one hour back", or does it sound awkward?


texts: I know that “men” sounds like “Ben” and nothing else. But I heard First Lady Michelle talked in this video around 7:00, she said men like min(t). It makes me nervous. Is it true in everyday conversation or is it just her style of speaking?


texts: What does 'a hair above the cycle low' mean in this context?

texts:
But credit card delinquencies cover just one kind of consumer debt. The New York Fed's report also showed that in the fourth quarter, total delinquencies were roughly stable. Balances that were 30 days late made up 1.1% of all balances in the fourth quarter, a hair above the cycle low of 1% recorded in Q1.

source: http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/bear-case-for-us-economy-slowdown-recession-torsten-slok-2017-2-1001761729-1001761729


texts: Does this sentence makes sense? "Who is the responsible for let the window opened"

texts:
I have two sentences:

  Who is the responsible for let the window opened?

and this one:

  Who is responsible for leaving the window open?

My question is, are both sentences grammatically correct? Do both sentences makes sense? And finally, are they equivalent?


texts: Use of metric prefixes for small numbers

texts:
These days many I see many websites shortening large numbers with the metric prefixes, for example Twitter does it like this:

replacing 35 400 with 35.4K, and 34 700 000 with 34.7M. One might also write the current year as 2k17 (though I don't understand what's the point of this as it doesn't save any letters).

Am I also allowed to use the same principle for shortening small quantities with the corresponding metric prefixes, like 0.0042 with 4.2m (m for milli) or 0.0000042 with 4.2μ (μ for micro)?

I'm primarily asking for the technical and scientific fields, but if you can also elaborate on usage in everyday life, this would be a nice addition.


texts: "This several minutes" vs "These several minutes"?

texts:
What is more suitable for the following context?

This several minutes is important for me"
These several minutes are important for me"


texts:
Could anyone possibly let me know whether using the gerund form of the verb "have" after the simple verb "start" is natural and idiomatic English or there is something wrong with it grammatically.
Example:

As the wedding day neared, I started having second thoughts about getting married.

I am quite confident that the infinitive form would definitely work here, but I have my doubts whether the gerund would work and mean the same as it.
PS. I have read the similar thread, but while the verb "have" is a particular one and sometimes its gerund form would be unnatural (with reference to the Practical English Usage by Michael Swan,) I decided to make a new thread and ask about it here.
Please do me a favor and explain that to me.


texts: Why this is happening to me? vs Why is this happening to me?

texts:
1) Why this is happening to me?

  2) Why is this happening to me?

Which is correct while speaking (not written English)? Which native english speakers user mostly?


texts: AFAIK, the subjunctive should be used in the sentence "They wish it were June", but I have seen "They wish it was June" in this blog: https://blog.abaenglish.com/intermediate-grammar-how-to-use-wish/ . Am I mistaken about using the subjunctive here,  is the sentence in the blog wrong or may the indicative replace the subjunctive?


texts:
Is "rest" a countable noun? Can we use it as below:

  We took three rests on our way to here.

Note: maybe it is better if we use it as verb "we rest three times ...", but it just an example. please suggest better one.

I think  (not sure) it is countable because we use indefinite article with it.

  I need to stop for a rest. I can't walk any further.


texts: is it correct to ask "Have you come out of some place"

texts:
I want to know if this sentence is a proper way to use.

  Have you come out of the shop.

  Have you come out of the building.

thanks for any help.


texts:
I can give to Sophie a lot more than what she expects.

or

  I can give Sophie a lot more than what she expects.

Which one is grammatical?


texts:
I'm trying to figure out why it is okay that "it" stays the same but "lead/leads" changes with just the addition of "can." Can someone explain this to me? It does not follow the rules of subject-verb agreement, does it? Or is this just something else?

It can lead to success.
It leads to success.


texts: Do I write "I wonder why I exist" or "I wonder why do I exist"?

texts:
As the title says, do I write "I wonder why I exist" or "I wonder why do I exist"?
 In this case, I am not expecting an answer, if that makes any difference.

If I were to ask someone, I would write (say) "why do I exist?", but what about in this case?

Thank you!


texts: How should I understand this sentence grammatically?

texts: The sentence is, "She is as tall as I am." I'm having trouble with the "as ... as ..." structure. I understand that the second "as" is a preposition followed by a noun clause. My guess is that the first "as" acts as an adverb which modifies "tall" and that the "as I am" phrase also modifies "tall"?


texts: Is It correct to say Let's never surrender

texts: Is it correct to say "Let's never surrender"? Or should we say just "Never surrender"? Thank you.


texts:
I read the word esplanade might not common anymore, so I would like to ask a synonym used commonly for it?

Can I name it as a coast-road, a road made by concrete or chemicals by sea that for only walking or cycling ?


texts: How do you express any radical root of a number?

texts:
I'm writing a reference for my piece of code, and one of the sentences is bugging me. The line I'm trying to express is something like:

  The value is raised to the power of the reciprocal of x.

Did you get that I was trying to mean radical root on the first try (for example, if x = 2, the value will be square-rooted?) I think this line is little too complex for some people to read. I'm writing a document that can possibly be read by anyone (even people whose mother tongue isn't English,) so I want to be as clear as possible.

The sentence would be simpler if there were an expression I can use to represent any radical root. just as simple as 2^5 expressed as

  2 to the power of 5

However, I haven't been able to find any. Are there any, or do I have to stick with "to the power of?"


texts:
A Canadian police officer interviewed in a documentary says:

  "Both (guardians) on Saturday and Sunday believed that Jonathan was with the other guardian. On Sunday evening the two of them met at some location in La Ronge and identified that, you know, mom's saying to grandma "You don't have Jonathan?" and vise versa. At that point in time they became concerned because neither of them had seen Jonathan for the previous day."

The preposition "for" strikes me as unnatural. I would have used either "on" or "in". My understanding is that the definition of "for" invoked here is lasting, an indication of duration of time, as in "I was digging holes for the entire day."

However, for the previous day doesn't sound idiomatic at all. Google Books hits all point to other usages of "for", e.g. "Let's pay for the previous day". People don't say "I did that for yesterday," but rather "I did that for the entire day yesterday." By the same token, "I kept hearing about the event for the entire year last year" instead of "I kept hearing about the event for last year." Is "for the previous day" idiomatic?

Also which preposition would best replace "for" here? Since this line talks about a length of time, "on" sounds better to me.


texts:
In It-cleft sentences, can which  replace that?
For example,

It was ancient history which attracted me.


texts: Difference between verdict and conviction

texts:
According to my dictionary:

verdict

  an official decision made in a court of law, especially about whether someone is guilty of a crime or how a death happened

conviction

   a decision in a court of law that someone is guilty of a crime, or the process of proving that someone is guilty

Both look very similar in meaning. What's the difference between these two words?


texts: What is the meaning of go places in this context?

texts:
Boy: Why do you ride a bike?
Mom: To go places.
Boy: Well, you can go places on foot; you can walk.
Mom: Yes, if I want to go fast I ride my bicycle.
Boy: Why?
Mom: Because riding my bicycle is faster than walking.
Walking is too slow.
Boy: Why do you want to go fast?
Mom: Because if I want to go very far, travel a long way,
it's quicker to go by bicycle.
Boy: Is the bicycle the quickest way to travel?
Mom: Oh, no, there are lots of ways to travel.

What does "go places" mean in this dialogue?
Does it mean "go somewhere"?


texts:
As I find out some verbs in Oxford, well (up) and fill (up), has the particle given in round brackets, so...

  ...Is there a difference in meaning between the verb well and
  well up; fill and fill up?

Meanings of well (up) and fill (up) in Oxford:

well (up) (of a liquid) to rise to the surface of something and
start to flow => Tears were welling up in her eyes.

well (up) (literary) (of an emotion) to become stronger => Hate welled
up inside him as he thought of the two of them together.
fill somebody/yourself (up) (with something) (informal) to make
somebody/yourself feel unable to eat any more => The kids filled
themselves with snacks.

fill something (up) to use up a particular period of time doing
something => How do you fill your day now that you've retired?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "drive past something/someone" and "drive by something/someone"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between drive past something/someone and drive by something/someone? For example:

Even though I hailed the taxi it just went and dvrive by me.
Even though I hailed the taxi it just went and drive past me.
I aways drive by the store on my way home, so I can pick up something for you.
I aways drive past the store on my way home, so I can pick up something for you.


texts: Why can't we say "**What job** are you?" instead of "What is your job?" to ask one's job?

texts:
We can add something to "what" to specify what we are asking, for example "What color is the flower?".
But I am wondering why we can't say "What job are you?" instead of "What is your job?" to ask one's job.

By the way, can I say "What is the flower's color?" to ask for the flower's color?


texts:
Fill in the blanks:

  The phone is ringing, ...

  1.I'll pick it up

  2.I'm going to pick it up


texts:
What's the difference between freedom and ''the freedom'' here?

  The wheelchair gives him the freedom to go out on his own.

It's a specific type of freedom, 'the freedom to go out on your own'.

  Tracksuits are designed to give you freedom of movement.

Why does the sentence take no article? It's also a specific kind of freedom like the freedom to vote.


texts:
The Cambridge Dictionary says:

In English, many past and present participles of verbs can be used as adjectives. Some of these examples may show the adjective use.

So there is no escaping from it: scientific language has to be tackled and mastered if scientific thought is to be followed.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The negative approach is to defend it by showing that it represents one way of escaping a number of problems facing standard egalitarian justification.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Isn't escaping a gerund, however, in both the examples?


texts:
This extraction taken from the subtitle of the movie “the best offer”.

  He’s too put off by my illness, like everyone else.

What is the meaning of the sentence?


texts: "All (the) students of the first year are invited" - what difference does the definite article make?

texts:
1) All the students of the first year are invited.
2) All students of the first year are invited.
[ what does  first and second sentences mean with and without the ]


texts:
In my question on silent e, ctype.h's answer includes this:

  A silent e is often employed to modify the pronunciation of the preceding vowel, functioning much like a diacritic would in many other languages.

I know people are employed by companies, but can a silent letter be employed?


texts:
What's the difference between the two?

  You know that it is true.
  You know it is true.

Are those the same perfectly in conversation?


texts: When someone walks without lifting their feet

texts:
I'm interested to know when someone drags their feet along the ground in the manner that makes noise or sounds a bit crass to you or something, would it be possible to say:

Don't drag / scuff / shuffle your feet.

Would this be suffient by itself or is it necessary to add something like:

Don't drag / scuff / shuffle your feet on the ground.
Don't drag / scuff / shuffle your feet when you walk.

According to the dictionary definitions, all the three words, "shuffle",  "scuff" and "drag", are appropriate verbs here, but how do they semantically differ?


texts: Is it correct to say "four hours French" in this context?

texts:
Is it better to say:

  "French pupils have four hours French in a week"

or:

  "French pupils have four hours' French in a week"

or:

  "French pupils have four hours of French in a week"

to speak about their timetable?


texts: "No age for love" vs. "There's no age for love"

texts:
Which of the following sounds more natural?

  No age for love
  There's no age for love

The context is that in any age people may get or give love.


texts:
A friend of mine, who's a ESL intermediate student, wrote in a letter "I wait for your answer" and I found it very weird. I know it's wrong but I can't explain what is exactly wrong. I would have said "I'm waiting for your answer".

So my question is, why is it wrong? Thanks!


texts: The origin of "yogurt" __is/was__ from Turkish

texts:
The origin of "yorgurt" is/was from Turkish.

Which is correct between is and was in the above sentence?

I am very confused about this matter.
When only focused on the geography, I feel that stating the fact something is from somewhere doesn't necessarily need to express the time. But regarding the fact it happened in the past anyway, it feels somehow necessary to include time concept in the verb.


texts: finished, have finished, be finished, be done, ,have done, did,

texts:
I'd like to know the exact difference of those.

I finished my homework.

I am finished with my homework.

I have finished my homework.

I did my homework.

I am done with my homework.

I have done my homework.

Do they have different meanings?
You might say those are slitely the same, but what if the objects are replaced with other things.


texts: What is the difference of "go to", "go over to" and "go up to" to "X's place"?

texts:
In the following sentence:

  I am going to go to my daughter's house.

  I am going to go over to my daughter's house.

  I am going to go up to my daughter's house.

I have difficulty understanding these differences (my dictionary doesn't even have the definition of go over that is relevant to this usage). For me all seem the same, but what is the difference between them?


texts: A noun before an adjective without a verb

texts:
The children surrounded the new writer, their eyes and mouths wide
open

Why this sentece is correct?
As far as I know "open" has an adjective phrase functioning. So, shouldn't we write something like

..., their eyes and mouths were wide open.

or

..., with their wide open eyes and mouths.

Must not an adjective follow by a subject?


texts:
Does it mean 'many' or 'small amount'? Interestingly the words significant and fraction have opposite meanings as far as I know, and yet they create a compound word.

  Significant fraction of CO2 emissions from boreal lakes derived from
  hydrologic inorganic carbon inputs.


texts: What does “trap a bag of cement” mean in this example?

texts:
Ball Control
  This determines two things; how well a player initially
  controls the ball, then how good they are at keeping it under control.
  It’s another attribute that’s very desirable for dribblers and also
  for strikers – you could have the best finisher in the world up front,
  but if he can’t trap a bag of cement then he isn't going to get goals.Source: ea.com, The Backpage, FIFA 12 – Attributes Guide: What They Do And How To Use Them

It’s a passage about soccer (the soccer game FIFA 12) and I only understand the literal meaning: trap a bag of concrete (cement), but what does cement refer to here? I have no idea.


texts:
1)His dream is to have a big house.

  2)His dream is having a big house

Are both the sentences correct? If yes, What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?


texts:
Some people are concerned about the outlook of China-US relations.
  Some people are concerned about the prospects of China-US relations.

In my dictionary avaliable in Chinese, outlook and prospect have the same meaning(something like what will happen in the future). I am wondering if there are identical and suitable in the above sentence.

My second question is whether the two words are followed by "of" or "for", aka. the prospects/outlook for China-US relations or the prospects/outlook of China-US relations.


texts:
  "Who? "        "Well –– I don' like sayin'
  the name if I can help it. No one does."        "Why
  not?"        "Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are
  still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard
  who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His
  name was..."        Hagrid gulped, but no words came
  out.        "Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.
         "Nah –– can't spell it. All right –– Voldemort.
  " Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this –– this
  wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got
  'em, too –– some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power,
  'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days,
  Harry. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

What meaning does the 'all right' have?
OALD, adjective: #1~5, EXCLAMATION: #1~6
Dictionary.com, #1~7
(My vibe creeps onto dictionary.com #1)


texts: Past Tense or present perfect: How to correct "I have been to UK three years ago."?

texts:
How to correct it; "I have been to UK three years ago."

I went to UK three years ago.
I have been to UK for three years.
I lived in UK  three years ago.
I was in UK three years ago.


texts:
What you would use here, but or and? "beating them" is a new idea or exception of the first idea?

There are several effective ways to discipline a preschooler, but\and beating them is completely inhuman.

Also more examples will be very helpful.


texts:
I emailed my teacher a question, and he answered with the following sentence:

  Titan atmospheric conditions are nearly identical to Earth's in many regards.

What does regards mean in this context?


texts:
a. He is not a resourceful man, where he can overcome these obstacles.
b. He is not a resourceful man, such that he can overcome these obstacles.
c. He is not a resourceful man such that he can overcome these obstacles.
Are the above sentences grammatically correct?
I think (a) might work in speech, but I am not sure.
I think there's a small difference between (b) and (c). (b) is basically saying that he is not resourceful at all, while (c) is saying that he is not resourceful enough to overcome these obstacles. Is that correct?


texts: Should I use "she" or "her" in the following sentence?

texts:
The next events passed in the darkness behind her eyelids. Eri letting
  go of the barrier and leaning forward. Her/She being shoved violently
  backward. Her/She tumbling down, ending face up on the floor.

Is she or her the correct word? Why?


texts: Should I write "wouldn't know if you did" or "wouldn't know if you had" in the following sentence?

texts:
Speaker A: "I don't sleepwalk."

  Speaker B: "You wouldn't know if you did/had."

  Speaker A: "But you would."

  Speaker B: "Not if I was asleep."

Should it be did or had? And why?


texts:
I do not say all, for when the appeal is to universal suffrage unanimity is not to be hoped.
— Mathematical Creation, H. Poincaré (1913), translated to English by George Bruce Halsted (2012)

I do not understand the sentence after the comma.


texts: using 'how many' with a number and a noun

texts:
We can say:
How many hundreds are there in a thousand?
We can also say:
How many years will it take?
Do we say?
How many thousands of years will it take?

How many+  number + of+ Plural noun


texts: What is the so funny in Annie words after tasting Grape wine?

texts:
In English Movie The Parent Trap, Annie say this words to her mother Elizabeth.

  Well, if you ask me, the bouquet's a little too robust for a Merlot,
  but then again I'm partial to the softer California grape.

The Parent Trap, 1:08:07

to this words her mother Elizabeth laughs.

Background: Annie & Hallie switch their places at school picnic after realizing divorced parents are same for them, Then Annie goes to Nick (Father staying at USA) as Hallie & Hallie goes to her Elizabeth (Mother staying at london) as Annie.


texts: Omitting auxiliary "do" before "not" in coordination

texts:
I was talking to a friend of mine and I came across this problem, I was talking to her and thinking that I should go meet her and not tell her that I would be going to meet her, and I said this:

  How awesome would it be if I went there and didn't tell you about it?

And it got me thinking, if I had said:

  How awesome will it be if I go there and not tell you about it?

It wouldn't have seemed as weird as saying:

  How awesome would it be if I went there and not tell you about it?

So, I am probably wrong but it looks like when we talk about the present we can omit the auxiliary verb do and the sentence will still seem correct. Is this right?

I was just going over the question and I noticed that, instead of saying meet her and don't tell her about it, I said meet her and not tell her about it. Is it just me being weird, or is there something I'm not aware of?


texts: future continuous for a decision made at the time of phoning

texts:
Jim (talk) was talking with his parents earlier this evening when his girlfriend from Paris (telephone) telephoned to let him know that Crossinglives & Co. (decide) had decided to merge with a company in Australia. The two companies (negociate) had been negotiating for the past month, so it really ( not be) was not much of a surprise. Of course, this (mean) means that Jim (have) will have to catch the next plane back to Paris. He (meet) will be meeting with his boss at this time tomorrow.

Would present continuous be used if the meeting has been fixed before Jim went to his parents


texts:
The source is this article (The New Yorker).

  He has an affectionate but difficult relationship with his girlfriend, Sophina (Melonie Diaz), the mother of his young daughter, whom he adores.

To which person this whom refers? What are the basic rules/conventions for using it?