texts: Special usage of verbs - like "to have [some property]" - in sentences

texts:
What is the "grammatical category" of "to have" in these contexts?

We choose these words to have length at least two.

He built this car to have better aerodynamic properties.

Surely, "have" is a verb, but it is not used as a verb "in the strict sense" in the above sentences. Why we do not say, for example, "He built this car to has [...]" - it seems that only "to have" is possible here. Similar sentence:

I learn to write better.

The part "to write better" seems to be an object, and the verb "write" does not seem to obey the usual "subject-verb-object"-scheme?
Can anyone please explain the rules behind this usage of verbs, and how this is named?


texts:
I read this. I know that 'non cricketing' in various contexts such as non-cricketing nations, non-cricketing players has been used by many editors. I found this:

  -ing is a gerund, a noun formed from a verb.

In this sense, cricket (as a verb) became 'cricketing'.

Now the question.  Given examples like the following:

  If Japan is a non-cricketing country, is there any non-soccering nation? ALSO,
   Do non-chessing people have low IQ?

How do we use gerunds when talking about games/sports? Or is the game of cricket an exception?


texts:
Do you ever use "being" instead of because or since?

is sentence 1 = sentence 2 ?

  1) because / since I'm clever I can solve difficult problems.

  2) being clever I can solve difficult problems.


texts: Using 'she don't care' in The Beatles' song 'Ticket to Ride'

texts:
She's got a ticket to ride,
  She's got a ticket to ride,
  She's got a ticket to ride,
  But she don't care.

It sounded odd to me. So why is it used that way?


texts: Using the past tense to describe unreal, hypothetical, or impossible situations

texts:
I know that when the situation is unreal, we use the "if" clause plus past tense.

  If you didn't know English, you would not know how to solve these problems.
  [The fact is that the person knows English and probably knows how to do the problem]

My question is that: Will it be ok if I also use past tense to describe an unreal situation without using "if".

  He is pretending he didn't know how to speak English.

or

  He acts like he didn't know how to speak English.
  [the fact is that he knows English]


texts: Does the sentence mean what it is meant to mean?

texts:
Happiness is about health of body and soul.

The sentence is intended to mean that "happiness is health of body and soul" or that "happiness consists in health of body and soul".

Does it mean so? Is "to be about" used in such sense?


texts: "read and accepted" or "read and accept"?

texts:
Is this phrase correct?

  By purchasing this product, you certify that you have read and accepted the Privacy Policy
  and Terms and Conditions...

Is it just me or it feels like "read and accepted" should be "read and accept" only, or is it already grammatically valid?


texts: Does "efficiently monetizing" sounds awkward?

texts:
I'm improving a website and hope someone could help me see if the sentence below has any problem.  In particular, does "efficiently monetizing" sounds awkward?

  "It helps you acquire targeting users and efficiently monetizing, as well as rapidly occupying overseas market."


texts: Why ought I not use 'hope' passively, if it has a subject?

texts:
Source: Rebecca Gowers. Plain Words (2014 ed). p. 228 Bottom.

    Hope should not be used in the passive except in the impersonal phrase it is hoped. We may say [1.] "It is hoped that payment will be made next week", or [2.] "payment is expected to be made next week", but not [3.] "payment is hoped to be made next week". The phrasal verb hope for, being transitive, can of course be used in the passive.

If 2 is acceptable, then why isn't 3?


texts:
My mother had unlocked her phone (by accident) with her finger.  So my brother realized that,  whereas my mother did not. He told our mother that she had unlocked her phone and when our mom didn't believe it, he said:

  There was an unlocking sound as well.

Is the use of "there was an unlocking sound" natural?


texts:
(from Seinfeld)

-- We could build a cabin like that.
-- Well, maybe not us, but two men could.

I would use we instead of us. Is us here grammatically correct?


texts: What are the rules of "on me" in sentences like "You fell asleep on me?"

texts:
There are some phrases I have heard, such as

"Don't sleep on him" meaning don't disregard/neglect him

EX: Billy might have been the best kickball player last week, but don't sleep on Jimmy. (gives the feeling that Jimmy might be better than Billy, but you have to watch to find out.)

"You fell asleep on me"* implying I expected something from someone (such as to meet up, receive a call, etc) but they slept instead of following through.

EX:  You said you were going to meet me for coffee but instead you fell asleep on me.

Please describe how "on me" works here and what the rules are.


texts: What does "It was my summer job" mean here?

texts:
I would like to know what "It was my summer job" means in the following sentences:

‘So Charlie boy,’ Johnno says, ‘tell us. How did you two first meet?’
I think at first he means Charlie and I. Then I realise
he’s looking between Charlie and Jules. Right.
‘A millions years ago . . .’ Jules says. She and Charlie raise their
eyebrows at each other in perfect unison.
‘I taught her to sail,’ Charlie says. ‘I lived in Cornwall. It was my
summer job.’
‘And my dad has a house there,’ Jules says. ‘I hoped if I learnt he
might take me out on his boat with him. But it turns out taking your
sixteen-year-old daughter for a sail along the South coast wasn’t
quite the same as having your latest girlfriend sunbathe on the prow
in St Tropez.’ It comes out more bitterly than I think she might have
intended. ‘Anyway,’ she says. ‘Charlie was my instructor.’ She looks
at him. ‘I had a big crush on him.’

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 12

This is a thriller novel published in 2020 in the United Kingdom. One hundred and fifty guests would be gathering at some remote and deserted fictional islet called Inis an Amplóra off the coast of the island of Ireland to celebrate the wedding between Jules (a self-made woman running an online magazine called The Download) and Will (a celebrity appearing in a TV show program called Survive the Night). The day before the actual wedding day, Hannah, the wife of Charlie (Jules' friend), arrived at the island and is now at the dinner party for the rehearsal dinner with only some selected guests. And during the party, Johnno, Will's friend, asks Charlie and Jules as to how they came to meet each other in the first place. At first, Hannah thinks the question is directed to Charlie and herself, but soon realizes that it is for Jules and Charlie.
In this part, I wonder what he means by his "summer job."
Does he mean that he worked as a sailing instructor in summertime, and worked in other profession in wintertime, such as a skiing instructor?
Or, would it be close to that he was not permanently hired, but only worked as a part timer in summertime, probably for just one summer rather than for every summer of each year?
I am just wondering what "summer job" would mean to English speakers.


texts: Is the definite article omitted in this sentence?

texts:
I ran into this sentence in a Fortune article:

  The life sciences arm of Google umbrella company Alphabet is bugging out.

Is the definite article missing in this sentence? Should it be written as:

  The life sciences arm of the Google umbrella company Alphabet is bugging out.

or

  The life sciences arm of Google's umbrella company Alphabet is bugging out.


texts:
Here's a context.

  Sales team is thinking of expanding their business in Chinese market, but one of their members, who speaks fluent Chinese, has been assigned to work in the marketing department. So the team leader is really worried that it could become a serious problem doing business in Chinese markets.

And now, as a person in personnel, I'd like to do something for them. So,

  Seeing that you are in trouble doing business in Chinese market, we need to do something for you. After checking into the situation, we've decided to let him with you.

Here is it possible that I write doing business in Chinese market right after trouble in the same way that we do in this sentence: We have a trouble doing our business in China.


texts: What's the meaning of ''bore'' in the sentence?

texts:
"Platitude in bad Greek written by a Roman bore," the priest growled.

What's the meaning of "bore" in the sentence?


texts:
This one is a little bit of tricky because I do not have a context.

There's even a saying that says "Every day is arm day".

Does it mean workout day?


texts:
I am confused vs. I feel confused

Since both are grammatically acceptable, I don't see any difference as a non-native English speaker.

Is there any particular difference?


texts: How does this sentence have past tense and adverb tomorrow at once?

texts:
You said the finals started tomorrow. (The Cambridge Grammar
  of the English Language, p29)

Preterit tense and tomorrow are mixed in the subordinate clause. Does it mean that the finals do not start yet at the speech time? And the started’s reference time is not speech time but the time of ‘you said’?


texts: Which preposition for '___ the exclusion'?

texts:
Second, the consumers with most money have the greatest pull in the market. As a
  result, resources may be devoted to producing luxuries for the rich to the exclusion of
  necessities for the poor. While this is really brought about by the unequal distribution
  of wealth and income rather than by the market system, the fact is that the latter tends
  to produce, and even to increase, such inequality.

Why isn't at used, or some other preposition? What are the similarities and differences?

Source: p 118, Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law, Mark Shepherd


texts:
Source: https://autos.yahoo.com/news/russian-driver-shakes-off-massive-accident-nothing-happenned-120025524.html

  Think you’ve got good reflexes? See how you’d stack up against this Volkswagen Touareg driver in – what else – another bowel-clenching Russian dashcam video.

How do you understand the expression what else used in the way it's used in this sentence?


texts:
If someone keeps entering and exiting my bedroom, and I want him to stop. Should I say:

don’t come in and out of my bedroom.

Or

don’t go in and out of my bedroom.

Is this just a case of directional difference between the verbs ‘come’ and ‘go’, or is it that only one of them fits as part of an idiomatic construction?

Also, apart from ‘in and out’, are there any other expressions/phrases that can express the same idea succinctly?


texts: Investment Of Bank VS. Bank Granting A Credit

texts: When a bank is granting a credit for a single person - can I say the Bank is doing an investment in this person or is there a different meaning of investment vs. bank granting a credit? Can I say that "granting a credit" is a special case of investment?


texts: What is the difference between "it" and "that"

texts:
I can't understand the difference between "it" and "that".

What is the difference between:

  Was it a problem?

Or

  Was that a problem?


texts: How to designate the X5-(X+1)0% range? (e.g. 85-90% range)

texts:
How to designate the X5-(X+1)0% range?

E.g. for the 85-90% range, which one(s) amongst the following are correct, which one sounds the best, and is there any better alternatives?

the high 80%
the top 80%


texts:
I am faced with 2 multiple choice questions and I'm not sure of the answer. If anyone knows the answer I would be appreciated to explain it to me.here are the questions:

It is the fact that all people are ready to try as hard as possible to become happy,      ?
I think the question tag that fits here is "don't they?" But in another view it makes sense to ask it with "isn't it". Now I was wondering which one would be correct.
The picture painted by the child was so fantastic that even great painters wondered if she ...... without any help.
A. Had painted        B. Was painted
C. have painted       D. Would paint
I think the answer is "had painted" because the first sentence is simple past. But I guess another correct option is " have painted". What is the correct answer and why?


texts: What is a chain of words like this called?

texts:
Take this for instance:

  Organelles --> Cell --> Tissue --> Organ --> Organ system --> Organism

How about "order of development"? I'm really clueless actually, but I'm pretty certain there is a specific term for it, though I may not be able to recall it now.


texts: It has rained / been raining for one hour

texts:
Imagine it's raining, and it started one hour ago and it's still raining, which sentence is correct:

  It has been raining for one hour
  It has rained for one hour

And if we say:

  It has been raining.
  It has rained.

Are these sentences true for this situation (without for or since) or not?

I think the former two sentences are true, and the first one is better, but we use the latter ones for finished actions or situations (It isn't raining right now).

Am I right?


texts: What is this prepositional phrase modifying?

texts:
A cabin stood at the end of the trail, on the edge of a mountain lake.

My analysis on what "on the edge of a mountain lake" modifies in this sentence is that it can modify "a cabin" or "the trail".


texts: Do I need an object after the following verbs?

texts:
Since Mary had neither complained nor lamented [...], I thought our
  dynamic had been enough for her.

Do I need an object after complained nor lamented? Why or why not?


texts:
Company profits are down from last year's figures.
(Copied from Cambridge dictionary.)

1) Why don't we use a possessive s?

2) Why do we use plural profits?

3) Why don't we use “the”?  When you compare with last year figures then you are talking about a specific profit.  Also, If you are not talking about a specific profit then you should use the uncountable singular form “profit”.

The company's income has greatly improved: profit rose more than 50 percent last year.  (Copied from Cambridge dictionary.)

4) Please try now to apply what you have just said on this sentence.  :) because I am very confused.


texts: Translation for "calificador" (from Spanish to English)

texts:
In Spanish, calificador means someone (or something) that examines some score or performance and gives you a grade or a score.

Wich is the best and commonly used term? I've found this one:

grader: a person or thing that grades

But I'm not sure if is the correct use in this context:

"There's a part of the system that calculates what's the user score, this calculation is performed by a Grader object which will output none, bronze, silver or gold"


texts: “It is the fifth anniversary of his death” vs “This is the fifth anniversary of his death”

texts:
If I want to mean today is the fifth anniversary of someone’s death, are these two sentences interchangeable?

“It is the fifth anniversary of his death.”
“This is the fifth anniversary of his death.”


texts: Is it correct to ask : How did it go at doctors?

texts:
Is it correct to ask:

  How did it go at doctors?

Not sure how to ask.


texts:
I have happened upon it in the online journal Psychology Today. Here it goes:

  if their priorities don’t allow space for you to pursue your own favorite pastimes, you might want to re-consider the longevity potential of the relationship. Also, ask yourself if you feel good about his choices or are you already of thinking of ways that you’d need to “cover” for his behavior?

I can understand what think of means, but I cannot get why the preposition of was used there.


texts:
I am now writing a report which requires me to use formal, academic English...here's the question. I want to describe a task as more difficult, or more challenging than other ones. Can I use the word "tricky"?

If not, is there any other word other than "difficult" and "challenging"?
My first report in English, :) Thanks


texts: what are the differences between "pass a message" and "forward a message"?

texts:
I decided to call professor C on his office phone number,
it was redirected to the telephone enquiry center of my former school.
A telephone answering machine was greeting me, and then the machine said:
"Press 1 if you want us to pass your message to Department X."
"Press 2 if you want us to forward your message to Department X."
"Press 3 if you want to cancel your message."

What are the differences between "pass a message" and "forward a message" in academia, if any?


texts: "Man is mortal." What should its tag question be?

texts:
Man is mortal.

How to make its tag question?
Explain it with reasons please.

Are these correct?

  Man is mortal.
  Aren't they?
  Isn't it?
  Isn't he?


texts: Can we use uncountable noun with plural verb?

texts:
I found this passage from a test.

  The typical way in which the piranha attacks is by swimming directly
  into a shoal of fish. The attacked shoal scatters in all directions,
  and the piranha quickly overpowers individual fish. Small fish are
  swallowed whole. Larger prey have chunks ripped out of them,
  which the piranha swallows instantly so it can immediately take
  another bite.

I wonder why “prey” can be used with “have” since “prey” is uncountable noun.

And the answer key tells that “them” refer to “larger prey”. Why don’t we use “it” to  refer to “large prey”?

I’m not sure if all of this passage is correct. And for that sentence I think it should be “Larger prey has chunks ripped out of it.”  Could you explain it to me?


texts: As soon as possible vs as early as possible

texts:
What is the difference between "as soon as possible" and "as early as possible"?

I want to say:

  I'll release it as soon as possible

  I'll release it as early as possible

"As early as possible" sounds wrong to me but I am not sure. Is it correct to use "as early as possible" in this sentence or not?


texts: How to say a technique "allow something to be born"?

texts:
How to natively say that without the technique or knowledge (projective geometry), a style of art cannot exists (anamorphosis). My current attempt is:

  Projective geometry allows the anamorphosis style in art to be born.

But it doesn't sound right to me.


texts: Could calling someone "nice" be taken the wrong way?

texts:
I am in the U.S., writing an anonymous review for my professor. In the middle of some other praises of her, I am thinking to write the following:

  She was always very nice and open to questions.

By "nice", I want to say that she was always very polite and made an effort to seem interested.

Can "nice" be misunderstood here? Is there a better word to use?

I do not want to actually use the words "she was very polite and made an effort to seem interested", as they are too specific; my impression of her is just overall that she was very "nice".


texts:
I have found  poem "For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry" of Christopher Smart
(http://www.creekcats.com/pnprice/Jeoffry.html). The first paragraph is the following:

"For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry.

For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him.

For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way.

For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.

For then he leaps up to catch the musk, which is the blessing of God upon his prayer.

For he rolls upon prank to work it in."

What does mean "rolls upon prank"?

Thank you!


texts: Word used to describe pointing out how someone is less than someone

texts:
What would you call a statement aimed at pointing out how someone else is less than someone else, perhaps even in an attempt to squabble the other person.

I don't know whether a precise word for this exists in the English language.

Thanks.


texts: How to use would have+past participle in sentences?

texts:
I have a question about the usage of (would have +pp)

I've come across lots of sentences like these:

we’d rather do something else with the money we would have spent on a reception!

I would have felt a bit shameful about getting married even though it wasn’t what I wanted.

Wouldn't they have called your father to tell you it's closed by now?

She would have said no whatever we picked.

Iv'e been looking for it's usage for a while but all my attempts are in vain.
So could you please tell me how do you use  this tense as native speakers?

Thanks


texts:
How do you usually ask your mother/wife etc. "what they have cooked to eat for a meal like a lunch or a dinner?
Does it sound idiomatic and polite to ask:

  What's on the menu mom?

If not then please tell me what shall I ask such a person?


texts: Do "this tension" and "this formula" refer to the same thing?

texts:
Do this tension and this formula refer to the same thing?

Social connections are so essential for our survival and well-being
that we not only cooperate with others to build relationships, we also
compete with others for friends. And often we do both at the same
time. Take gossip. Through gossip, we bond with our friends, sharing
titillating details. But at the same time, we are creating potential
foes in the targets of our gossip. Or consider dueling holiday parties
where people compete to see who will attend their party. We can even
see this tension in social media as people compete for the most
friends and followers or the most likes and retweets. At the same
time, competitive exclusion can also breed cooperation. High school
cliques, fraternities, and country clubs use this formula to
great effect: It is through selective inclusion and exclusion that
they produce loyalty and lasting social bonds.

Friend and Foe: When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both


texts: What does "get down and dirty" in this passage mean?

texts:
American gossip magazines have gotten down and dirty to show off the
  uglier side of fame and fortune, yet despite some pretty reprehensible
  headlines, U.S. tabloids generally pale in comparison to those found
  across the pond

Source : https://www.rd.com/culture/why-british-tabloids-are-more-extreme-than-americas/

What does "get down and dirty" in this passage mean ? I have google-ed it but there are many definition and I don't sure which one is appropriate.

Hope someone could help me.


texts:
I found a question in a textbook:

"All the employees at SEI Corporation are invited to the meeting _____ the new internal communications system that the company is about to bring in."

A: at
B: with
C: over
D: on

The answer from book is "on".

However, when I check Oxford: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/over_2

At the meaning no. 12, it says that "over" can also mean "about something". So I wonder if we can use "over" in this sentence. Is there any difference between "on" and "over" in this case?

Thanks all.


texts: Is it correct to ask "What special in me"?

texts:
Someone ask me to me on Facebook to see me (yes, I know it's strange), I asked him back

  "why, what is special in me"

.


texts: “The death of two protesters” vs. “the death of the two protesters”

texts:
Two anti-government protesters kiss during a protest against Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro’s government in Caracas. An intimate moment during a demonstration which resulted in the death of two protesters. The number of those dead since the start of anti-government protests two months ago has risen to 33. Source: euronews.com Picture of the Day Mar. 23, 2014 – Respite During Anti-government Protest in Caracas

My big deal is that I cannot actually figure out if it is talking about the death of the young girl and boy in the picture or two other persons.

Based on my perception, because the writer did not put “the” before “two protesters”, the deaths have nothing to do with these two young people captured in the picture. The writer just wrote “the death of two protesters” not “the death of the two protesters.” Is this correct?


texts: What's the meaning of "feed" in this context?

texts:
This is a comment from a poster made on an article about texting:

That's my issue with it. I have Tweeted nearly a thousand times. I have texted like 20 times, and only at gunpoint.
It's prolly great for sending pure data, here is Joe's address, see you at the corner of this and that, the project is finished, please call me tomorrow. That sort of stuff.
It is going to change the brains on the kids are being fed this stuff for sure though. Will that be good? Who knows, but most everyone will be in the same boat, so it will become like stupid tattoos, everyone will have one, so who cares?

What does feed mentioned above mean? I've looked it up in the dictionaries and the closest definition I found is from OALD, but I'm not quite sure if it's correct:

8 [transitive]
feed something
to satisfy a need, desire, etc. and keep it strong
For drug addicts, the need to feed the addiction takes priority over everything else.


texts: they or he/she when the gender/count is not known?

texts:
Consider the following sentence. Which one is correct? Why?

Someone called but as soon as they heard my voice they hung up.
Someone called but as soon as he/she heard my voice they hung up.


texts:
Joe: Yeah, but, as a rule I usually don’t bring up the topic of
  vegetarianism with people. I mean…

  Kristin: Yeah, I, I don’t like to either, actually.

  Joe: Yeah, the way I figure it, if the person’s already a vegetarian,
  then it’s pretty much preachin’ to the choir.

1) Does "the way I figure it" mean "from my perspective and from where I stand; from my point of view; the way I see it"?

2) Why did the author use the -ing form of the verb "It is pretty much preaching to the choir" in the context above?

Source: A.J. Hoge, Effortless English, Real English Conversation


texts: Meaning of "for 2 of every three weeks"?

texts:
Someone asked me how to understand "for 2 of every 3 weeks" in the sentence below.

  If findings are negative, patients are given capecitabine for 2 of every 3 weeks until transplantation.

I said that's the contracted form of for two (weeks) of every 3 weeks. Is my explanation correct? If not, what's the meaning of it?

If so, shouldn't there be a definite article- "of the every 3 weeks"?


texts:
As far as I know "For the last Х years" requires the Present Perfect (continuous) and means that the action is still taking place.

I have been building a house for the last three years.

However, I have come across a puzzling example in an American magazine.

"..... Today is my first day driving a cab. I've been driving a hearse for the last 25 years."

I understand it as he doesn't drive a hearse any more. Why the Present Perfect then? Driving a cab is in the past now. Wouldn't it be better to say :"I was driving a hearse for the last 25 years"? or "I was driving a hearse for 25 years"? Or is it OK to use the PPC in such contexts.

Another example,
"For the last 30 years our Institute offered a summer math program..." (found in the same American magazine)
I understand it as the Institute doesn't offer the summer program any more. Am I right? We can see that the writer uses the Past Simple here. I thought it would be very fitting to do it in the first example as well.

So, I'd like to know: Is it OK to use either the Present Perfect (Continuous) or Past Simple (Past Continuous) with "for the last Х years"? But it seems like it:

"I have been driving a cab for the last 25 years." may mean two different things

1) I am still doing it.
2) I am not doing it any more.
Is it possible?

Let's take the last example:

You were waiting for a person for 30 minutes but the person didn't show up and you went off. What would you say to the person on the phone 2 minutes later after you went away from the waiting spot?

1) Hello John, you know I have been waiting for you for the last 30 minutes. But - alas!

2) Hello John, you know I was waiting for you for the last 30 minutes. But - alas!

3) Hello John, you know I was waiting for you for 30 minutes. But - alas!


texts: "I would make sure your future {will/would} be bright" - what is the difference?

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences?

I would make sure your future will be bright.
I would make sure your future would be bright.

I understand that the first would signify conditions as in "If things aligned I would do X". I also know that the first line says that if things did align, I would 100% make your future bright. I am just not sure what the second "would" in the second line would mean.
And is it correct that the usage of dependent clause after a would line is independent of the first would? So like there is no backshift and it's just about what I want to express in that dependent sentence?


texts: Which is the correct one "the next day" / "on the next day"

texts:
He came the next day/
He came on the next day

Please tell which sentence is correct. Please explain why.


texts: In passive voice, Is using "by" after verb a rule?

texts:
I am learning how to change Active Voice to Passive Voice.

Consider the following:

  He pleases everybody

Everybody is pleased by him/Everybody is pleased with him.

  Your behavior surprises me.

I am surprised by your behavior/ I am surprised at your behavior.

In both example I think the latter one is correct. So how will I know whether by is correct or some other preposition is to be used.

I mean does it depend on the context and verb?

Please clarify>


texts: Proper sentence structuring: "They would even throw him under the bus if it means that they could make more money."

texts:
How do I say this thought properly?

They would even throw him under the bus if it means that they could make more money.

Can anyone help me to find the right words for this?


texts: How do you call the wear for legs in general? That which includes trousers, breeches, leggings, jeans etc? Or do you use "trousers" as this general word? How then you call the trousers proper (those from a modern business suite for example)?


texts: how to say"expect my self to be in such situation"

texts:
Have I correctly written this?

Once he became mentally incapable ,he didn't expect to find himself to be sad, for instance in public.

Thanks


texts: Is this sentence correct? "Is this the reason for you neglecting doing your homework?"

texts:
The main question is:

Find the mistake in this sentence:

  "What is the reason for you neglect your homework"

So, what is (are) the correct answer(s) from the following sentences?

Is this the reason for you neglecting doing your homework?
Is this the reason why you neglect doing your homework?


texts:
"We can even shut out everything external to us, and concentrate on an internal dialogue, as when we are lost in thought."

Is "as" a preposition or an adverb?  Thanks.


texts: "I haven't heard" or "I didn't hear" while asking to repeat something

texts:
I wonder how I should reply if someone said something to me, and I haven't made out some words.
I fluctuate between these two options:

I'm sorry. I haven't heard what you've just said.
I'm sorry. I didn't hear what you said.

The first answer seems more grammatically correct. However, the second answer sounds better to me, and I'd use it in a real conversation. Or probably both of them are fine?


texts:
Modern sculpture rarely surprises us any more. The idea that modern art can only be seen in museums is mistaken. Even people who take no interest in art cannot have failed to notice examples of modern sculpture on display in public places. Strange forms stand in gardens, and outside buildings and shops. We have got quite used to them. Some so-called 'modern' pieces have been on display for nearly fifty years.

In spite of this, some people--including myself--were surprised by a recent exhibition of modern sculpture. The first thing I saw when I entered the art gallery was a notice which said: 'Do not touch the exhibits. Some of them are dangerous!' The objects on display were pieces of moving sculpture. Oddly shaped forms that are suspended from the ceiling and move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody. These objects, however, were different. Lined up against the wall, there were long thin wires attached to metal spheres. The spheres had been magnetized and attracted or repelled each other all the time. In the centre of the hall, there were a number of tall structures which contained coloured lights. These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. Sparks were emitted from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off angrily. It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment. These Peculiar forms not only seemed designed to shock people emotionally, but to give them electric shocks as well!

Why use ‘have’ there？ I feel that using ‘had’ is better way. Am I right？


texts: "I counted with that", is it correct in this sentence?

texts:
I heard very little about count with:

  Count with me" means that we both say "1... 2... 3... 4..." at the
  same time.

I have an equation and I'm saying to myself "Yes, I counted with that" meaning I didn't forget to include a certain variable in my calculation.

With this meaning, I suppose Count with me could also mean "Include me into your plan".

Can I use it that way? If not, what would you say in my place?

EDIT:

The meaning I seek is: be aware of and take the appropriate action/precaution/..

[...] that tomorrow we leave early. (So I should not forget to prepare myself for early exit)
He's leaving in two weeks, [...] . (So I should talk or do anything with him while he's still here because I should be aware he's leaving)
I [...] the velocity so the result is correct. (Saying that I was aware of the velocity and so I calculated it correctly)
[...] that I will go with you. (Make sure you don't forget to include me as well)

EDIT (after a few years):
I should rephrase the question like this:
Often I tend to use the word "count" when in my mind I'm thinking, doing some calculation or reckoning.

Best way to put it: I counted with {something} being on my mind, hence I want to just shorten the phrase, not having to always say "being on my mind" at the end.

For example:
I'm in the middle of cooking dinner. Woman comes in and says: Do you realize we are going to a restaurant tonight? Yes, I counted with that, but {some clever answer}.

Given this explanation, the "with" is used correctly (with something being on my mind). Which makes me wonder why is it still so wrong?


texts: What do we call the small towel that we use only for hands

texts: What do we call the small towel that we use only on our hands (not the big one that we use on our body after a shower)? It usually hangs beside the basin.


texts: "if any dog could talk" vs "any dogs who could talk"

texts:
I wonder whether the two sentences below are interchangeable.
i)  If any dog could talk, it would be the dog that communicates with people.
ii) Any dog who could talk would be the dog that communicates with people.
Besides one being conditional and not so for the other. Is there any other difference in their implication or tone?
Thank you very much,


texts: "This is my job on the line." Is it grammatical?

texts:
I have seen/heard this several times, for instance:

  This is my job on the line, and you are gonna talk to me. (Movie Glengarry Glen Ross)

  [A]nd it is my job on the line, and hers too. (a book)

It makes me wonder about its grammaticality. Shouldn't it be

  It is my job that is on the line.

How should "This is my job on the line." be parsed?


texts:
1 I prefer English lessons rather than Spanish one.

2 I prefer English lessons to Spanish one.

3 I prefer coffee to chocolate.

4 I prefer coffee rather than chocolate.

5 I would prefer to make a copy than to take this whole book home.

6 I would prefer to make a copy rather than to take this whole book home.

Are these sentences correct? Can we always replace "prefer to" with"rather than" ?


texts: Should I use is or are after the word family

texts:
Should I use is or are in this sentence? I don't know what the difference is. As I was trying to figure it out, plural and singular came to mind. Is family plural or singular and is that a factor?

Family is very important to me.
Family are very important to.


texts: Should I use past perfect tense in the sentence?

texts:
past simple

  He went for a week, so he took only hand luggage

past perfect

  He went for a week, so he had taken only hand luggage (the first action- had taken luggage; the second one- went)


texts: "travel as countable noun" vs. "journey"

texts:
First: Not part of my question are sentences like:

  Travel by air nowadays is cheaper than before.

I know, that in sentences like this we use travel, because here "travel" is uncountable and used in a general sense. I read in a lot of dictionaries, that we use "travel" in this case. So I was sure, that I have now completely understand when I can use "travel" and when not.

But in my English course I came across example sentences like the following ones. (These must be correct, otherwise they would not have occurred in the course):

  1)  The travel was too dangerous to take it on my own.

-> Here travel is not general. "Travel" here refers to a concrete journey, that is in the mind of the speaker.
-> Here travel is not uncountable.
-> Before of the discovery of this sentence in my course I would have used "journey" in this sentence.

  2)  Her second travel around the world took her more than four years.

-> Here travel is not general. "Travel" here refers to a concrete journey, that is in the mind of the speaker.
-> Here travel is not uncountable.
-> Before of the discovery of this sentence in my course I would have used "journey" in this sentence. Or "tour" because several places were visited.

  3)  I need a really sturdy suitcase for my travel around the world.

-> Here travel is not general. "Travel" here refers to a concrete journey, that is in the mind of the speaker.
-> Here travel is not uncountable.
-> Before of the discovery of this sentence in my course I would have used "journey" in this sentence. Or "tour" because several places were visited.

So I am totally confused now.
Is both OK. Travel and journey? If yes: Would there be a slight difference in the meaning?


texts: Should I write "it's just that he broke" or "it's just that he would break" in the following case?

texts:
It wasn't that my mother and I didn't care about Spike; it's just that he broke/breaks things faster than we could fix them.

Over

  It wasn't that my mother and I didn't care about Spike; it's just that he would break things faster than we could fix them.

What's the right form? (By the way, should I write it's just that... or it was just that? The sentence is in the past tense.)


texts: Optimal synonym for "Prototype" or "Skeleton"

texts: We have to present the development plan for a new feature in a software product. To properly capture the use cases I want to implement a prototype first and then analyze this prototype together with the customer. The problem is the customer often asks "if it's a prototype, does it mean you'll throw it away when the analysis phase is done?"; my team does not work this way: although we call it a prototype, the team members always write production-quality code and when the analysis phase is done at least 80% of the "prototype code" will be used in the production code. So I try to use the term "skeleton", but I'm not sure it's the optimal one. Can you suggest a better term?


texts: What is the difference between "how could you do" and "how could have you done" when used to express critisism or annoyance?

texts:
What is the difference between how could you do and how could have you done when used to express critisism or annoyance? For example:

  You took Dad's car without asking. How could you do that!

  You took Dad's car without asking. How could you have done that!


texts: Participial Construction or omitting of relative pronoun?

texts:
The following passage comes from a New York Times article:

  Several days ago, additional actresses began sharing with The Times on-the-record stories of casting-couch abuses. Their accounts hint at the sweep of Mr. Weinstein’s alleged harassment, "targeting" women on the way to stardom, those who had barely acted and others in between. Fantasies that the public eagerly watched onscreen, the women recounted, sometimes masked the dark experiences of those performing in them.

I can't figure out the subject of "targeting".

What's the difference between
"~ harassment, targeting ~" (<- with comma)
and
"~ harassment targeting ~" ? (<- without comma)

Is the sentence "targeting women ~~ in between" a participial construction?

Or

Does the relative pronoun "which is" omit?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Is there an idiom for "I know you have good intention, but we need to stick to the rule"?


texts: Is it necessary to have a clause after word "that"

texts:
It has long been known that the sea otters living along the West
  Coast of North America help keep kelp forests in their habitat
  healthy and vital

A. NO CHANGE

B. living along the West Coast of North America, they help

C. that live along the West Coast of North America and help to

D. that live along the West Coast of North America, where they help

Here, B can be eliminated because it creates a comma splice. D can be eliminated because it converts an important information in the sentence as non-essential.

Now, when it comes to picking between A nd C, A I thought could be eliminated because it doesn't encloses the non-essential information in a comma pair.

C seems to be okay. However, the correct answer is A. Does it means that all the sentences which come after that need to be a complete clause with a subject and a verb? As in the given question, "and help" have no subject to refer to; maybe it refers to "that," acting as the subject.

Please explain me this question.


texts:
It's Helen's birthday soon. You want to give her a present, but what?
You ask your friend: ______? Any ideas?

My answer: What shall I give to Helen?
Is that correct? My book solution gives the different answer:
What shall I give/buy/get Helen (for her birthday)?
I'm wondering why is there no "to" there?


texts: Word order: "10 minutes more" or "10 more minutes"?

texts:
I'm still packing my clothes. I'll need 10 minutes more.
  I'm still packing my clothes. I'll need 10 more minutes.

Are both grammatically correct?


texts: The difference between "Older" and "Elder"

texts:
What is the difference between "Older" and "Elder" ?

And are they interchangeable ?


texts:
I have a sharp dispute with my friend regarding English. It is about correct and accurate translation of the following German sentence into English:

  Er machte ein bisschen weniger Fehler.

My translations are as follows:

  He made slightly fewer mistakes.
  He made somewhat fewer mistakes.
  He made a couple fewer mistakes.

I have only a few doubts about the third sentence.

Me friend thinks that the following translation is correct too:

  He made a bit fewer mistakes.

I think this is bad English. In my opinion you can always say in English "a bit more" but never "a bit few".
I didn't find any example frase wity "a bit fewer" in British or American dictionary.

My friend found examples from New York Times on the following website: https://ludwig.guru/s/a+bit+fewer

  The number of potholes is reportedly on par with, or a bit fewer than, those caused by the brutal weather of the previous two winters. (New York Times)

  There are a bit fewer people flying because of scare-mongering that its dangerous to fly, that you're going to get held up at the airport for a long time. (New York Times)

He thinks the New York Times authority ends the discussion.

I would love to hear your opinion on this subject.


texts:
I made up a sentence:

I was suspended from school for a week for fighting.

Does it suggest that the period of suspension, which is a week, elapsed or I'm still not allowed to attend school?

Another sentence:

The ferry service has been suspended for the day because of bad weather.

Is "the day" the period of suspension or the time that has passed since the suspension started? Why is "the day" used and not "a day"?
Thank you all!


texts:
A person who is a big fan of big pop star finds a cardboard poster of that celebrity  takes a picture of himself with the cardboard. And says,

  'Since chances of meeting my idol in this life are dim. This shall do; provide the satisfaction.'


texts: While looking for etymology of word Chemistry. I found it's derived from word Kemia or Alchemy which means "Cast together". Now I'm struggling to know its meaning/translation. I've looked in the dictionary but it gives different meanings for word "cast" I don't know which one is correct in this context. Moreover, there is no phrasal verb like this.Yet I am of view that it means "to put things together".


texts:
As Kim Ends Beijing Visit, China and North Korea Craft New Messages

  Mr. Kim's father, Kim Jong-il, also visited the agricultural research
  institution while he ruled North Korea, in 2006, one of more than two
  dozen factories and plants he inspected during seven trips to China.

Maybe it means "one of his 7 trips"?
That means, one of his 7 trips, he inspected more than 2 dozen factories and plants?


texts: What's the difference between brand and company?

texts: I find them confusing. Please make me clear about these.


texts: When there is a mention of time then present perfect changes to simple past..is it applicable in all cases

texts: Many journalism organizations,over the last three decades,have been working on glossaries to deal with loaded terms...last three decades is time mentioned then why is it in present perfect tense


texts: What does this sentence from King's "End of Watch" mean?

texts:
“Not that this daybreak would be up to much even when it finally got rolling; call it dawn with a hangover”

I don't quite understand 'up to much even' and 'got rolling', thank you. And actually not so sure why he call it dawn with a hangover?
Excerpt From: King, Stephen. “End of Watch"


texts: What do you call a floor made of glass so you can see through the floor?

texts: I am not sure if this has a particular name, but I am thinking it might, because I see it a lot on modern bridges and tall towers that serve as tourist attraction. What is it called, is there a name for such a thing?


texts:
Should I use:
 I would like to have two fried rice.

Or

I would like to have two fried rices.


texts:
There was a question asked in an exam to find the antonym of "Urbane".

I don't understand how "Crude" is the antonym of "Urbane". Crude means raw, e.g. a food can be crude. I think "Rural" should be the correct antonym. Please tell me some official reference which mentions "Crude" or "Rural" as the antonym of "Urbane".

Thanks in advance.


texts:
On google, I found sentences using the preposition "into" like this:

  He was halfway into a bottle of wine.

Could sentence 1 be a slangy version of this:

  He was halfway through a bottle of wine.

which replaces "into" with "through"?


texts: Paraphase of "the power to conjure reality through writing"

texts:
It was like an enactment of the world inhabited by the protagonist of Moshfegh’s forthcoming novel, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” who works at a gallery in Chelsea, amid objects like a quarter-million-dollar “pair of toy monkeys made using human pubic hair,” with camera penises poking out from their fur. “Did I do this?” Moshfegh said, only half kidding. She sometimes gets the sense that she has the power to conjure reality through her writing.

  The New Yorker, Ottessa Moshfegh’s Otherworldly Fiction By Ariel Levy

Is the bolded part trying to say she felt she was a magician can turn reality into fiction? I don’t think it makes sense.


texts:
I already consulted Is it "less than" or "lesser than"? (but the answers are contentious) and Using "lesser" or "smaller" in reference to an abstract quality. Mod RegDwight's comment under:

  Lesser is an adjective. Less is an adverb. Everything else follows.

Source: p 56, The English Legal System 2012-2013, Gary Slapper

  In Fitzpatrick
  v Sterling Housing Association Ltd (1999), the House of Lords had extended the rights
  of such individuals to inherit the lesser assured tenancy by including them within the
  deceased person’s family. It declined to allow them to inherit statutory tenancies,
  however, on the grounds that they could not be considered to be the wife or husband of
  the deceased as the Act required.

assured is an adjective. Is this why lesser is the only choice? Why not less-assured or less assured?

https://english.stackexchange.com/a/24749 says "Less refers to quantity, lesser refers to quality."
Aren't we concerned with the quantity of the 'assured tenancy' here? So why not less?


texts: Right or left? When the teacher says: "If you look at the diagram on the left hand side, you will solve this question!"(In a position like this?)

texts:
● Right or left? When the teacher says:

  "If you look at the diagram on the left hand side, you will solve this question!"

Is it the teacher's left hand side or students' left hand side?

Imagine, you are in a position like this:

Where is right? Where is left? (You can use the colours).

The example I have in mind is this Cardiac Muscle: Function & Main Parts – Histology | Lecturio. There is a speaker off-screen. Referring to this image, he says

  And cardiac muscle has structures called intercalated disks, which if you look at the diagram on the left-hand side, it explains what these intercalacted disks actually are and what their functional role is.


texts: Is the following sentence still grammatical even though I omitted the verb?

texts:
”OK, I'll tell you the story,” he inhaled deeply, as if his tale would
  take all of his energy. “It started ...”

So the full version would be something like:

  ”OK, I'll tell you the story,” he inhaled deeply, as if telling his tale would
  take all of his energy. “It started ...”

Is it still understandable/grammatical if I omit the verb in this case?


texts: Can we say "I like there" or "I like here" in American English?

texts:
Let's say someone told me that he was from a particular country, can I say "I like there." to that person to mean "I like that place."? Also, can I say "I like here." to mean that I like the place I'm at?

I'm wondering if we can say these in American English because there is a difference between BE and AE in terms of the usage of "there" in those kind of sentences as far as I know. For example, from what I heard, British people don't say sentences like "I visited there." while Americans can say it.


texts:
Consider the following sentence

  It will/would rain tomorrow.

I understand "would" usually means something that is really improbable.

So "it would happen" means it might happen but it is very unlikely; while
"it will happen" means it is going to happen

But what if I want to say

  It will not happen?

Because the meaning of "it will not happen" represents something that is unlikely or, worse still, not going to happen, shouldn't it be more accurate to say "it would not happen"?

However, to contravene the aforesaid suggestion - if I am confident that the thing is not going to happen, should I use "will" to indicate the definite nature of my statement?

To further complicate the issue, what if I want to say

  I think you will not be able to do it.

or

  I think you would not be able to do it.

Which one is more accurate/correct,
given that "I think" already conveys a sense of "less than definite" and "will/would not be able to" conveys the same sense as "unlikely"?


texts:
Dan has already given you a sense of the dramatic change that occurred between the '20s and the '30s.

Can I omit the second highlighted the in this sentence? I know there is a thing called ellipsis, that allows you instead of writing the A and the B just write the A and B.


texts: What's the meaning of "in [...] respect"?

texts:
fundamentally is defined on Google as:

  1 - in central or primary respects.
  two fundamentally different concepts of democracy

  used to make an emphatic statement about the basic truth of something.
  fundamentally, this is a matter for doctors

In the first definition, what does in [...] respect mean of in central or primary respects?


texts: What does "as popular as it has ever been" mean?

texts:
It is as popular today as it has ever been.

What does it mean by "as popular as it has ever been"?

The level of popularity today is the same as the one in the past when it was the highest.
The level of popularity today is the same as it always has been.

or something else? I am not sure what it means exactly and I can't find it in any dictionary.


texts:
How do you natives say the following sentence; I guess it should be said in another way, but I do not know how:

We are proud to announce our readiness for manufacturing any type of toys.

PS: I need to write this sentence at the end of a very official letter.


texts:
I came across the sentence below:
”Honestly, I thought everything went wrong and I will have to take the test again.”
Or should it be written this way:
”Honestly, I thought everything went wrong and I WOULD have to take the test again.”
What's the difference? Are the both sentences correct?
Thanks, Emilia


texts: In 1913 they tried to make planes that take off (or took off) from water?

texts:
What is the right choice here, take off or took off?

  The float-planes were in fashion that time. Like many others, the Wright factory was really trying to make and sell machines that take off/took off from water as can be seen in an interview given by the superintendent of the company, in 1913.

("Machines that take off/took off from water" is used as a synonym for float-planes)


texts: "Since" vs. "because" in specific sentence

texts:
A student wrote the following:

  Is it possible for you to use a wired connection from next time on, because wifi tends to be an unreliable connection?

I corrected this by changing "because" to "since," but when she asked me why, I couldn't explain. Can someone help me understand why "since" must be used here?


texts: How do I say "remembering the order of something"?

texts:
How should I say something like this?

  The system I designed can remember the order of messages.

I think that remember doesn't suit this sentence. What word should I use?


texts: When you meet someone somewhere by chance

texts:
Which choice sounds natural in the following made-up scenario?

  a) Have you heard from Tom? There is no word from him recently!
  b) I was at a party last night. ................................ But unfortunately we didn't come up to each other at all.

1) He was there by chance too.
2) Accidentally he was there too.

I wonder if there is a better choice in natural and idiomatic English. I have an intuition that my construction of the sentence is not valid and there is a much better way to convey the same concept.


texts: Usage and meaning of the question "when have you/I/we ever done...?"

texts:
Every grammar books that the of the question word when with the present perfect is a big no-no because it's totally incorrect. But in the sixth episode of the eighth season of Friends they actually used it that way. Here is the context:

Joey: (entering) Hey!
Monica: You didn’t dress up either?!
Joey: Yes I did! I’m Chandler. (Looks at Chandler) Dude, what
happened?
Chandler: How is that me?
Joey: Okay. I’m Chandler (makes a growling/gurgling sound at the end
and the girls laugh.)
Phoebe: (To Chandler) That is so you!
Chandler: When have I ever done that?!
Joey: When have I ever done that?! (And does the sound again.)

Here is scene. It's at 2 minutes and 16 seconds. What is Chandler trying to communicate by using the present perfect in an obviously incrrect way?


texts: "off colour" and "out of sorts" in British English

texts:
I am wondering whether "off colour" and "out of sorts" are completely interchangeable idioms in British English, and if not, what the difference is.

  John {looks/feels} a bit {off colour/out of sorts} today.

An Australian co-worker of mine told me it could mean "upset", but I find his explanation contrary to dictionary definition.


texts:
I read the following sentence from an article online:

  We are a species trapped by a series of brightly lit screens.

Is it grammatically correct? Or should it be "We are the species..."? Are both correct?


texts: Meaning of "you got a piece of it" in this context (from Modern Family)

texts:
Below is a scene from Modern Family, and Phil is Jay's son-in-law. Phil tries so hard but Jay never seems to accept him as a "manly" man, and this time Phil, after all sorts of shooting practices to prove that he can do what Jay might want him to do, actually shot a bird with a gun in front of Jay,

Phil: (proud, looking for approval) That oughta fix it, eh, Jay?
Jay: (looking unimpressed) You got a piece of it.
(And Phil is dissatisfied. He looks dejected.)

Is the phrase connoting derision? Like is it underestimating the achievement or something? How should I interpret it in this context?
Thanks in advance!


texts:
From a post

S09E03 The One With the Pediatrician, Ross says "You can't go. I mean, you're the glue that holds the group together." about Monica.

The more I think about it, the more is true ...

I guess I understand the meaning, that is, the poster strongly agrees with what Ross says.
However, Ngram Viewer shows no writer says it that way

Is it missing something grammatically?


texts:
What is the difference? How is the first used?

  What in the hell?
  What the hell?

and

  How in the hell?
  How the hell?

And what other examples are there?


texts:
Here's a quote from the New York Times.

  But the president will also use the annual primetime address to sketch an activist vision for his final two years in office and to set the terms of a debate that will sharpen the distinctions between the two parties in advance of the 2016 elections.

What does the phrase "the terms of a debate" mean?


texts:
I'm not a native speaker so it's quite confusing.
A guy said:

  "Vietnamese girls enjoy their popularity among Chinese man and I'm one of them"

My question is: This guy here is trying to say that "young Chinese man like Vietnamese girls and so do I" - Am I correct? Or I should understand that "Vietnamese girls are famous in China and they (Vietnamese girls) enjoy that"?


texts: Is "chicken" a modifier in "chicken soup"?

texts:
Wikipedia says "chicken" is an adjunct which modifies the head noun "soup."

But I think this analysis is a little bit weird. How could it be modifying "soup"? "Chicken" doesn't seem to be describing the property of the soup?

Also, to me, using a proform 'one' results in an ungrammatical utterance. So it must be a complement.

  A: Do you want some soup?

  B: *I need a chicken one.

Can anyone please shed some light?


texts: Is there any difference between predisposition and tendency?

texts:
Here is this sentence

  The most regular patterns originate from a universal human predisposition to conceptualize time in terms of space in certain preferential ways.

Can I replace predisposition with tendency without damaging the intended meaning in this context?


texts: Does "as" mean "while" or "because" in this sentence?

texts:
I didn't want to go out as I was reading a book.

  I didn't want to go out while/because I was reading a book.

What does "as" mean in this sentence? How can I know if "as" means "while" or "because" here? What about this sentence?

I can't go out as I am busy.


texts: How to explain an adverbial modifier being between a verb and an object?

texts:
In any Grammar I read I see:

"We don't put adverbs between the verb and the object"
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/adverbs-and-adverb-phrases-position

but when I read a book, for example, Conan Doyle's narrative "Behind the Times", I find such examples that violate that alleged rule:

Dr. Winter (the subject) introduced (the simple predicate or the verb)
into a wound (the adverbial modifier or adverb) a finger (the object).

Unless I haven't mixed up some Grammar terms, what accounts for this contradiction between the rule and the aforementioned sentence?


texts:
Consider these two sentences I wrote:

  Relaxation is an issue for interfacial systems in general, especially when there is an IL on one side of the interface.
  Regarding the interfacial systems, relaxation is an issue in general, especially when there is an IL on one side of the interface.

The sentence is going to be the opening sentence of a paragraph. So, I changed the sentence 1 to sentence 2 to have more focus on the topic of the paragraph. Are these two sentence equivalent? Which is more idiomatic? which one is preferred in the situation I mentioned?

In fact, I still have a problem using "Regarding something", I feel it's not as idiomatic as I think! If "Regarding X" is not a good choice to shift focus on X, I would like to know which other structures are used.


texts:
Say I have one old and one new bike.

Should I write:

  Both the old and the new bike should be there.

or

  Both the old and the new bikes should be there.


texts: Meaning fo this. How utterly “Rob Thomas” of me!

texts:
There are this dialogue in Drama, Psych season 8.
I know Curt smith and Rob Thomas are singer by googling. By the way, what is the meaning of the bold part?

  Curt Smith: Guster, what a surprise! You caught me listening to my own music. How utterly “Rob Thomas” of me!


texts: A proverb / saying that says: keep away from people because they have potential to harm you

texts:
I am looking for a derogatory proverb including a negative approach toward social associations that conveys the meassage that it would be better to stay away from most of the people! Because many of them are going to inflict you damage. The proverb in my question should indicate that to be on he safe side you'd better treat others (regardless of how much they are close to you) warmly and in a diplomatic way, but do not socialize with them to a large extent.

I think one of the following possibly current proverbs can work in this sense, though I have my doubts:

  Familiarity breeds contempt

  Friends agree best at distance" --> Perhaps a Chinese proverb.

  Men are best loved furthest off

  Respect is greater from a distance

  absence makes the heart grow fonder

The concept in my question may sound a bit weird in English, but it comes from a deep cultural belief combined with a poetic and extremely emotional pain from the bad effects and influences of human today to his own kind.

Please kindly let me know if any of these phrases work in English or if you have any further suggestions to what I might use.


texts: How to idiomatically suggest someone should live the day and forget about tomorrow?

texts:
In Arabic, we literally say:

  Give me life today, and kill me tomorrow.

We use it to say we should only care about the present time and forget about the future. For example, when my mother advises me against spending a lot of money on a single day, I would use this expression in response. How would you normally go about this in English?


texts:
Can someone tell me if this sentence is correct? If not, how could I arrange it?

"For these reasons, it has been developed and validated a program to predict..."


texts:
The phrase "come a time when you will be the ancestor" sounds to me to mean "come a time when you're the only survival (except your wife or husband) on Earth". I am not sure it is what Dawkins meant.
What does it mean to you native speakers?

Richard Dawkins tweeted just now:

There will come a time when you will be the ancestor of either every human on Earth or none.


texts: Meaning of 'MAGA gaslights and spins it'

texts:
In a tweet talking about Ivanka Trump, @OperativeXRay says

  No matter how MAGA gaslights and spins it, here is proof that Ivanka Trump had a rather cold reception at the UN today:

as quoted in https://popculture.com/trending/2019/09/26/ivanka-trump-blouse-wardrobe-malfunction-united-nations-twitter-talking/

What is the meaning of MAGA gaslights and spins it?


texts:
Which of the following examples are more correct?

Concerns for global warming are rising and with them the urgency to cut carbon emissions.
Concerns for global warming are rising; with them the urgency to cut carbon emissions.


texts: Difference between "at this point", "at this stage" and "in this point"?

texts:
I think that "at this point" and "at this stage" are pretty much interchangeable, however I perceive that there might be a slight difference. I have been looking into the internet and have not found anything clear enough. Can anyone offer a substantial clarification about this topic?
In addition to this, I am also interested in getting to understand the difference between "at this point" and "in this point". So I would also appreciate any  resource or explanation in respect to this.


texts:
Which one is correct?

  If you select this mode, no more question is asked.

  If you select this mode, no more question will be asked.


texts:
What is the difference in the meaning between following sentences which BBC learning English is saying like this:

  Note from the above examples that the -ing form participle is used to talk about past, as well as present events, e.g.:

  Talking to you I always feel that my problems will be solved.

  By talking to you, I always feel that my problems will be solved.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv305.shtml


texts: When do we double the consonant before '-ing' affix?

texts:
My son is learning how to spell. He is doing a good job listening to sounds and working out spelling that way (which doesn't work for many words, but at least a lot of common ones), but although he's gotten the -ing chunk, he frequently misses doubling letters in these words.

Is there a guideline for when the end consonant is doubled? He's working on these sorts of words:

  riding
  sitting
  skating
  writing
  getting


texts: the wife of the king of the Island or island king's wife?

texts:
How can I rewrite this sentence?

  1- He gave a letter to the wife of the king of the Island.

  I can think of:

  2- He gave a letter to the island king's wife.

  3- He gave a letter to the King of the island's wife.

How it should be if we try to write it with the possessive form ('S) ? and what is the difference between these two forms if any ?

ِAlso, what if the king's wife was tall or short ?
what is the different ways to add this as well ?

Thank you


texts:
I want to know in which situation we don’t use the indirect object.

For instance,

Hand over:

  He also handed over a letter of apology from the Prime Minister.
  'I've got his card,' Judith said, handing it over.
  Albert bowed and handed over the letter.

These examples are extracted from dictionaries.

Non of them showed the indirect objects

Usually when we use these verbs like give and take, we mention the indirect object.

For instance,

  Sam gave the Medal to his friend.

Here, as far as i am concerned, I cannot only say “Sam gave the Medal” and stop. I should mention the indirect object “friend”.

But why hand over can be put in a sentence without indirect objects.

For instance,

Hand the money over : which means give me the money.

While with give, i should say “give me the money” here i mentioned “me”.


texts: Power plant systems: feedwater line or feed water line

texts:
How do I have to write feed water line or feed water preheater?

"feedwater" as a single word or as two words "feed water"?

I have seen both versions in scientific publications.


texts: I saw both of them in websites. But in my IELTS exam they have written 'photo card' as the answer. I couldn't find it in Oxford and Longman dictionaries. It was 'photocard' in Collins dictionary. So which one is correct and is there any difference?


texts:
I am a bit confused about these two forms
For example :

John reads books all of the time/all the time
All the students/All of the students have participated in march against smoking in the campus

are they both correct?
or it depends on the context?


texts:
What the gloves without the part of the fingers called in English?

I know 2 types:

Gloves without the part that covering the fingers (pic.1)
Gloves with half covering of the fingers. (pic. 2)


texts:
Let's say I'm playing COC(clash of clans), and a clan member donated me troops.

Do I say:

  A clan member already has donated me troops.

Or

  A clan member already have donated me troops.

P.s: I'm confused now which one is correct, I think 'has' is more correct than 'have' but it doesn't sound right to my ear. Pls. Help.


texts: Meaning of the verb "swing", Can we swing while our feet are in contact with a surface?

texts:
swing 1 MOVE FROM A FIXED POINT [intransitive, transitive] to make regular
  movements forwards and backwards or from one side to another while
  hanging from a particular point, or to make something do this

  Let your arms swing as you walk.

  a sign swinging in the wind

  He was swinging his bag back and forth.

  She swung her legs from side to side.

  swing something by something

  He marched around, swinging the gun by its handle.

I often see my child standing on the bed with his 2 hands gripping the headboard. He then "swings" from side to side (he moves his body side to side while his 2 hands are fixed to 1 point on the headboard). See the picture

I often think the verb "swing" is used when the feet are hung off a surface. I am not sure if we can use  the verb "swing" when the feet are in contact with a surface.

Can we say "He is swinging from the headboard by his arms" to express the action in the picture?


texts: The definite article before “of-phrases”

texts:
I have asked simular questions quite a lot, but no one could give a clear answer, so I am desperate. I can not figure out when I need to omit or use "the." Here are a few examples.

I slipped over last month and I led to (the) disruption of my knee tendon.
They are thinking about (the) closure of the bank.
(The) distribution of wealth in the world in unequal.
We must reach (the) consistency of our learning.
We must promote(the) teaching of English.

Is the use of "the" is optional or necessary if it is necessary explain it for me why, please!!!


texts:
Can I say...

  About that you talked about the other day,

  I have a question about that you talked about the other day

  The issue is about that you were late last night.

Are they good to use?  These are from my head. I wrote these things translating my thoughts directly into English, and thinking that it would be much easier if I could say this way.


texts:
I can use the sentence "I have stayed there for three weeks" for meaning that I stayed somewhere (an apartment, a hotel, a city etc.) for three weeks any time in the past, right? It doesn't matter if I stayed there twenty years ago or if I recently left that place, does it?

Context: Let's say we are talking about hotels with a friend, and he mentioned the name of a hotel in a city which has beaches. And let's say I said, "I know that hotel, I have stayed there for three weeks" as a person who stayed there in the past (maybe many years ago, or maybe recently).


texts:
Can we call the processes and rules required to get an official permit "red tape"?

I want to know that.


texts: Is it possible to use "best" without an article?

texts: Is it possible to use the word "best" without articles before of it? (the best quality, a best quality) For example in case of advertisement "best store around here!"


texts:
Please, help me to understand what does "draw ire" mean in the following phrase:

  Game industry vet draws ire from developers for defense of 80-hour
  workweeks.

Does it mean that some veteran developer angers other developers, or the opposite - gets their support when he defends 80-hour workweek?

Of course, after reading the whole article, I get some idea, but it would be nice to understand the meaning of the title without reading the whole piece.
(The source: http://www.polygon.com/2016/4/18/11452564/would-you-want-to-work-for-this-guy)


texts:
In the following sentence, why has it used in a -ing having form? In general, when should we use gerund or infinitive after preposition of "to"?

  Like Hercules, he devotes his life to making the world a safer place.


texts: What role does this to-infinitive phrase play among adjective, adverb? And what does it modify in this sentence?

texts:
Below is a sentence you can see in Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Ease of Access Center in Windows.

  You can use the tools in this section to help you get started.

If that sentence alone doesn't seem to make much sense, then please look at the screenshot below.

I wonder which "to help you get started" modifies in that sentence. Is it an adjective phrase that modifies the noun "the tools"? Or is it an adverbial phrase that makes the sentence mean "You can use the tools in this section so that you can help yourself get started."?


texts: Is "for which" synonymous to "because of which"

texts:
Those are the reasons for which they won't be here.

  Those are the reasons because of which they won't be here.

I am wondering if in this context the two means the same thing. What about other contexts? Are these two only equivalent in this particular sentence? Why?


texts:
What's the difference between 'to find out' and 'to figure out'?

Are they exchangeable in any context  all the time?


texts: The use if the future progressive in context

texts:
Tell me please if the following use of the future progressive is correct.

  If I am using my phone, that doesn't meant that I will be ignoring you. What that means is that I will be checking some information.

Would the use of the present progressive be better? For example:

  If am using my phone, that doesn't meant that I am ignoring you. What that means is that I am  checking some information.

The context is that I tell students that if they see me using my phone, that only means that I'm checking some info.


texts:
We use the preposition at with specific places. For example,

  I work at Intel.

In the following sentence I think that we should use in instead:

  I work in a kindergarten.

Is it also correct to say

  I work at a kindergarten.

Assuming that at is also correct, then is in better than at here,
or are they both equally acceptable, or is at better?


texts: Should this reported speech use "was" or "had been" to convert "was"?

texts:
When you have a sentence in the direct speech talking about someone’s age such as “a producer discovered me when I was 13”
How does it change into the reported speech?

  he said a producer had discovered him when he was 13

  he said a producer had discovered him when he had been 13


texts: 'Such [something/someone]' OR 'Such a [something/someone]' -Any diference?

texts:
Is there any difference between 'such a something/one' and 'such something/one'?

  He is such fool

over

  He is such a fool

Is the former one possible in any context or style?

If the article is must; does including 'no' makes the former sentence valid?

  He is no such fool

Why?


texts: Why mustn't the negatives be cancelled in: 'enumeration … does not presuppose something not enumerated'?

texts:
Source: United States v. Lopez, 1995, US Supreme Court, majority opinion by Rehnquist

  To uphold the Government's contentions here, we have to pile inference upon inference in a manner that would bid fair to convert congressional authority under the Commerce Clause to a general police power of the sort retained by the States. Admittedly, some of our prior cases have taken long steps down that road, giving great deference to congressional action. The broad language in these opinions has suggested the possibility of additional expansion, but we decline here to proceed any further.   [1.] To do so would require us to conclude that the Constitution's enumeration of powers does not presuppose something not enumerated, and that there never will be a distinction between what is truly national and what is truly local. This we are unwilling to do.

1. This superlative answer and its use of logic  especially helped me, but doesn't duplicate this;  I still wouldn't know how to parse the bold text until after determining that the negatives in the bold text mustn't be cancelled. Why not though? How can you discover or foreknow so?

2. This question reaffirms my categorical misunderstanding of StoneyB's answer and my gnawing plight with negatives. So how can I learn about and delve into  'cancellations', 'predications', 'scopes'?


texts:
In the following example of mine, is it possible to substitute "until" for "by" or not?
- You must be home by 7 o’clock.
I guess until doesn't work here.


texts: "Really + (Object)" vs "Really just +(Object)"

texts:
I'm really a driver now.

I'm really just a driver now.

Which one would a native english speaker use or widely used in english speaker environment ?


texts:
I’m just wondering what is the difference between the following sentences?

  How was your weekend going?

and

  How did your weekend go?


texts: Why is the definite article used in each of these places in this sentence?

texts:
I found this sentence on the British Council website. I don't know why "the" is used in the sentence because all of the nouns seem indefinite:

  Imagine a beach; a quiet place, with only the noise of the sea and the gulls in the background.


texts: "works" in " Good works could not save those"

texts:
Since the first moment of creation, some souls—the elect—had been
  destined for eternal bliss and others for eternal torment. Good works
  could not save those whom “predestination” had marked for the infernal
  fires.

  From “The American Pageant” by Thomas A. Bailey

I would like to know why the writer is using "works" instead of "work" here.  As far as I know, "work", when functioning as a countable noun, means books, paintings and music.


texts:
Past participles can modify nouns in much the same way as adjectives. For example

I am told = I am a told man.

You are invited = You are a invited man.

He is questioned = He is a questioned man.

Are these sentences correct in adjective sense? If all past participles are used as adjectives then how can we identify which are in passive sense or adjective sense (be forms+past participles) without "an object" and "by" phrase?


texts:
If someone wants to say that "We have Saturdays and Sundays off", is it okay to use:

  We are off on Saturdays and Sundays.

Is the use of "we are off" natural?


texts: "To infinitive" VS "coordinating conjunction"

texts:
Can you please help clarify my uncertainties regarding the use of to infinitive and coordinating conjunctions in each of the examples below? I like to know when we should use one over the other. Are there any rules or something I should look for?

  I took the psychology class to acquire basic understanding TO understand more about human behaviors.
  I took the psychology class to acquire basic understanding AND understand more about human behaviors. Which one sounds correct?

When would you use "to infinitive" over coordinating conjunction like "And" in this case?


texts:
I have always thought the proper preposition in collocation with list should be "on", as in

  These are the items on the shopping list.

However, I saw this sentence in the Oxford Dictionaries:

  So, generally, I put chocolate Easter eggs in the list of things that are different strokes for different folks. (source)

Is it ever correct to say "something in a list"?


texts:
Consider how long it has taken something as simple as battery-powered vehicles to carve a niche for themselves. After a couple of decades, hybrid and electric vehicles still account for no more than 2% of new-car sales in most countries. Battery prices and storage capacities are finally approaching a point where sales could feasibly take off. But even under the most optimistic of assumptions (say, electrics accounting for half of all new-car sales), it would be 2035 at the earliest before they represented half the vehicles on American roads. Expect fully autonomous vehicles to face an equally long and winding road.

What's the meaning of 'sales could take off' in that sentence?
and does 'sales' in that sentence mean general cars' sales?


texts: Meaning - '"guilty pleasures" have been so thoroughly recuperated...'

texts:
Source, penultimate para: 'Readability Is a Myth' by Noah Berlatsky, The Atlantic, 2015 Jan 2

  "I'll be grateful," Megan Stephan writes at Public Books, "when the back-and-forth chatter about whether our reading should make us feel guilty fades to a silence that allows me to hear the sound of pages turning." That's a widely held sentiment.  In our poptimist era, "guilty pleasures" have been so thoroughly recuperated that it sometimes feels like the only thing about which you're allowed to feel guilty is feeling guilty. But despite this broad validation of reading enjoyment, or perhaps because of it, displeasure continues to be viewed with unease.

My guess of the bolded: The prevalence of poptimism supports 'guilty pleasures', and so helps people recover from guilt due to 'guilty' pleasures. So now, no actual guilt exists, excepting the feeling of guilt.

1. Yet I doubt my guess, because the only thing about which you're allowed to feel guilty implies something still causing the feeling of guilt? I thought that poptimism eliminated this completely? Please explain the bolded sentence which seems abstract?

2. What are some formal terms describing the bolded italicised phrase? Am I right in denoting it 'the subject of the second independent clause'?


texts:
In the Western countries like USA and Canada, there is a shopping fest(festival) called Black Friday, I wonder why the word 'black' is added to it?

I think the 'word' black denotes some negativity or darkness. Why not call that Friday a Green or Yellow Friday because everybody is happy, everybody wins!


texts: 4 questions about the sentence “I wish I was a doctor who could cure all the cancers.”

texts:
I have 4 questions about this sentence below,

  “I wish I was a doctor who could cure all the cancers.”

The first is if it is a grammatically correct sentence.

The second question is if it is the best choice to use "was" instead of "could be" or "would be".

The third is if it is OK to say "...who can cure all the cancers" in this sentence.

The fourth is if I can use "hope" instead of "wish" here.


texts: Nature of the use of -ing after some 3rd conditional constructions

texts:
Good day.
I am a student currently about to finish English Studies at college. I usually have observational competence to whether a sentence is grammatically correct or not, but I am now trying to also learn and develop an explicative competence to some somehow miscellaneous uses and features of English.
I have observed that, when presenting a "reason" for the past perfect part of a 3rd conditional structure, as in the example given below, sometimes the verb comes in its -ing form. I would like to know if there's a specific grammatical rule for this, if there's maybe a semantical reason in which English just conceives and conceptualises that specific experience of reality in a gerund way (in Spanish, my native language, that -ing form would be in past simple) or if it's just something rather arbitrary.
Example: Had it not been for you forgetting your keys, we wouldn't have had to sleep on the rough.


texts: Is inserting the definite article here possible? Does it make the sentence change its meaning?

texts:
They were not democratic in a modern sense in that slaves, resident noncitizens, and women were excluded from political life. (source: A History of Europe)

This sentence reads fine to me, but I am just wondering if a difference in meaning will be made with the insertion of the definite article before "political life".

  They were not democratic in a modern sense in that slaves, resident noncitizens, and women were excluded from the political life.

It seems in the context "political life" is a clear and specific entity. Does it make more sense to include the article?


texts:
Can you please help me understand to which noun do it [pronoun] refers to in the below sentences?

  He is the murderer. Later it was found he is not.

The it in the second sentence: " Later it...", what does it refers to?


texts: do vs make in the sense doing on a regular basis

texts:
I'm trying to understand th edifference between do and make by example provided in this article.

  They do a very good lunch at this restaurant

and

  Have you made dinner yet, darling?

Can I say in the same way something about doing sport:

  I do sport every day

and making sport:

  I'm going to make sport tommorow

In the last one I meant that... I'm describing a one-time activity that's going to happen tommorow.

Can I use do and make in this way or there some limitations?


texts:
Example:

  In the following sections, you’ll consider how to build better forms with some codepowered
  features. The following forms are covered:
  • PlaceOrder lets you create a new order. It works in conjunction with the PlaceOrder_
  Subform, which lets you add individual items to the order.
  • AddProduct lets you create a new product. You can use it directly from the
  PlaceOrder form to add a product in mid-order.
  • ShipOrders lets you update an order with shipment information. It also works
  with a form named ReviewOrderDetails to show the items in the order.

How do you understand that phrase grammatically? I don't think I have ever seen that kind of phrase used before.


texts: What article to use in that particular case?

texts:
How should I say:

I would like to hang out with friends.
I would like to hang out with some friends.
I would like to hang out with the friends.
I would like to hang out with my friends.

If there are semantical differencies, please explain.


texts:
Which one is correct:

Happy 50th anniversary to the world's best grandparents

or

Happy 50th anniversary to world's best grandparents


texts: Do you speak out /k/ and / ɪ/ simultaneously in 'outbreak in'?

texts:
The announcement that Canberra-based Aspen Medical will step into the front line of Australia's response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has been widely welcomed.  (Aussie ABC, its audio is here)

Does he put a gap at all between /k/ in outbreak and / ɪ/ in in? Or does he pronounce the two sounds simultaneously? What I want to know is if you put a gap between an NP - the Ebola outbreak - and a modifier - in West Africa. If there isn’t a gap, you, even though using your own mother tongue, could be confused. If there was a gap, I might not have listened to this sentence this much, over about two hours. Still, I don’t sense the gap, and that bothers me to follow him up.


texts:
How should I connect multiple clauses(because, when, while, as, etc)?

Should I use the same words or that?

Example 01

    That information is wrong, because it is unpredictable how the building or furniture might collapse during an earthquake, and because it is more likely to injure ourselves that way.

Example 02

    That information is wrong, because it is unpredictable how the building or furniture might collapse during an earthquake, and that it is more likely to injure ourselves that way.


texts: Can I say "I'm making power to get out from my bed."?

texts:
When you wake up lazy and don't want to rise up, can you say:

  "I'm making power to get out from my bed."?


texts: I don't understand exactly this sentence

texts:
I read this sentence on this image :

  She smelled of sun and daisies with a hint of river water.

I don't get at all why do we say "She smelled of", why is there "of" after smelled ? Couldn't we get rid of that ?
My other question is about "a hint", although I think that I understand what it means, I would appreciate to have the opinion of you guys.


texts: Executable, executor: correct way to stress syllables

texts:
Google, when searching for executable define or executor define shows that second syllable is stressed, i.e. exEcutable, exEcutor.

Speech on http://www.thefreedictionary.com/executable suggests that exEcutable is British and execUtable is American.

Single variant on https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/executable is exEcutable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HivZxn5bwa8 -- execUtable.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/english/executable -- Executable as British and execUtable as American.

All my colleagues -- execUtable.

Is it dependent on whether it's British or American?

Can it be generalised to more common rule?


texts: “The heat button” or “the button of heat”

texts:
then, press the button of heat.

I extracted this sentence from my own paragraph.

My teacher told me that I cannot use “the button of heat”; instead, she told me to write it this way:

  Then, press the heat button.

My question is why can’t we use the first version with “the button of heat” or “the switch of light”?

Why should we say the “light switch or heat button”.

I learned that x of y is the same as y x.

So why cannot we apply this approach to my example?


texts: "I am meant for you" - should "am" be used or not?

texts:
"I am always meant for you".

or

  "I always meant for you."

Should "am" be used or not?


texts: Should "risk rape" instead of "risk raping" be used in the sentence?

texts:
She had once risked rape herself, when militiamen stopped her car on the road to Kigali at night.

The sentence is from an article.I'm confused about the bold part, I think "risked raping herself" would be more appropriate.


texts:
I'm having a hard time understanding native speakers when they speak like these examples below.

1.

  It's a book (of) pictures.

I know native speakers tend to pronounce of as a schwa sound, but here I can only hear a /k/ sound of book, there's no of at all!

2.

  It's not finish**(ed)** yet.

In this example, the -ed sound of finished is also disappeared. Sometimes native speakers stop sounds like /t/,/p/, etc... But in this case, the /t/ sound is for people to know it's a past tense, I don't think it's fine to be omitted.

3.

  I'(d) like that.

Again, I can't hear the /d/ sound here, but this time, I have my own understand and want to check if it's right. I think this situation is about the rhythm thing if it is I like that. the rhythm is like:

If it is I'd like that. it would be:

Am I right?


texts:
see this picture

The boy seems to expel food out of his mouth.

I don't think we use the word "spit it out" because when you spit you use some force. But when you expel food out of your mouth, you don't use much force.

how to express "a baby expels food out of the mouth"?


texts: Error Spotting : I am better adapted to the climate than you

texts:
What's the error in following sentence?

  I am better adapted to the climate than you.

The book says it's error free but I guess it's printing mistake because from what I have learned is that when we compare, we compare two equal things so the correct sentence should be : I am better adapted to the climate than you are. Am I right ?

Consider this example:
Incorrect:

  The streets of London are cleaner than New York.

Correct:

  The streets of London are cleaner than those of New York.


texts:
What is the right way to say "Smb. was/is understood by smb."? I suppose that this sentence is incorrect in English, so I'd like to know how to express this idea the right way.

E.g.:

  He understands me the right way. So...

  I am understood by him the right way. (Sounds awful but how to say this in English)

Is there any passive voice construction to express that?


texts:
Are there any specific rules that restrict the use of "couple" and "couple of"?

  I have a couple of months left.

versus

  I have a couple months left.

Are the both sentence above correct and formal? and if we are talking about other object —aside from time/duration — , are "couple" and "couple of" still interchangeable?


texts: Why doesn’t “sound” end in “s” in this sentence?

texts:
Here’s the sentence:

  Did you ever hear anyone sound so peculiar?

Is it the same rule as in these sentences?

  I made him do it.

  I’ll have her go to take it back.


texts:
It's a line taken from One Direction's song History.

  You and me got a whole lot of history

Shouldn't we use "You and I" instead of "You and me" in above sentence.


texts:
Consider:

  Got 3000 words to write this morning before racing north to Edinburgh
  for the BBC Q&A for new writers at the Filmhouse this afternoon.
  Speakers include the BBC's Creative Director of New Writing Kate
  Rowland [pictured] and River City executive producer Sandra MacIver. I
  plan to take copious notes and will hopefully share some of those here
  in the next few days. I'd say tomorrow, but I've got enough deadlines
  to contend with at the moment without inventing new ones.

  --source

I'm wondering what's the meaning of "I'd say tomorrow."


texts:
My question is how to ask him to call me

  "Whenever you're free call me once"

Is this the correct way of telling him to call me? If not, what would be the correct sentence?


texts: "May" meaning in biblical/religious language

texts:
I have learned that in the biblical language, in religion or for prayer "may" is used to express a wishful benediction. As in the following examples:

  May God bless you.
  May your children always be healthy and happy.

But my problem is with the following case:

  "Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation." (Exodus 32, 10)

What is the meaning of "may" in this last example (example 3)? possibility?

Also, I wonder if "let me alone" in this context means "I don't want company" or "Stop bothering me".


texts:
In grammar, may you get to place em-dashes former to placing parenthesis?

The tired, hungry — (and probably unfriendly) — lion roared.

And which sentence contains all right punctuation?

The tired, hungry—and probably unfriendly—lion roared.
The tired, hungry, (and probably unfriendly) lion roared.
The tired, hungry, (and probably unfriendly), lion roared.
The tired, hungry, and probably unfriendly lion roared.


texts: Why do native speakers dislike/disallow "Films with lots of gratuitous violence are liked by Tony"?

texts:
Tony likes films with lots of gratuitous violence.

  Films with lots of gratuitous violence are liked (by Tony).

Might I enquire of you why native speakers do disallow/dislike this passivisation?


texts: Does "and not to" best fits in "Our purpose is to help the people in the disaster area, ______ go there just out of curiosity"?

texts:
The following is a question from my text book.

  Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

  Our purpose is to help the people in the disaster area, ______ go there just out of curiosity.

  (1) and in order not to, (2) and not to, (3) but to, (4) not so as to.

The answer is (2). But, I have a doubt about it.

Take the following question as an example.

  He asked us to leave and not to return again.

He asked us two things: one is to leave, and the other is not to return again.

So, the sentence in the question with (2) inserted in the blank will mean that there are two purposes: one is to help the people in the disaster area, and the other is not to go there just out of curiosity, which sounds strange. Am I wrong?

The true answer should be "not to" as in.

  This is a dog, not a cat.


texts: Does "see" means taking some action in this context?

texts:
So far, the inauguration of a ‘Tripartite Agglomeration Conference’ is
an interesting innovation because it brings together all three federal
levels in order to deliberate on common problems. A stronger
institution-building could follow two courses. Either cantons and
communes will see a revitalisation of historical districts, , with the
advantage that the old geographical patterns of common political
culture can be utilised. Or the consolidation of urban government will
be achieved by the statutory creation of a special region. Urban
regions can be designed to effectively cover effectively the common
entire geographic range of public goods. Yet people may consider them
artificial because their boundaries do not represent patterns of
common political culture or reflect a sense of political community. If
both ways are unsatisfactory, a third option may be considered. It
consists of a flexible organisation in which just those communes
cooperate who are willing to share part of their facilities and public
services. Prices for common public services are higher for non-members
than for members. This organisation helps to restrict the benefits of
cooperation to members and creates incentives for initial non-members
to join (Arbeitsgruppe 1992; Lehmann et al. 2003).
- Swiss Democracy by Linder Mueller

According to Cambridge Dictionary the word "see" have several meanings:

to be conscious of what is around you by using your eyes:
to be the time or place when something happens:
to understand, know, or realize:
to consider or think about, especially to think about someone or something in a particular way, or to imagine someone doing a particular activity:

I am confused. Because the writes here talks about creating something (institution-building). But seeing something means that you have no influence to occurings.
What does see means in this context? Does Cantons and Communes have an influence on ongoing events or they just "seeing" them?


texts:
Is it right sentence when I want to express that I totally agree with the decision which my friend made?

  if I were you, I would not make a better choice!

Also what is better & right shortage

  "I'd not" or "I wouldn't"

Thanks.


texts:
There are several shows or books called "Family matters". To me, there's a double meaning. "Matters" is either a noun, meaning "something regarding the family", or it's a verb, something like "family is important".

Is this intended ? Do you, as native speakers, understand one of the meanings more than the other ?


texts:
I just met a minor ugh, to say, uncomfortable situation.

When I was reading a Japanese Manga ( Anime ), the fictional billionair says,

"I have many many money with Yen, Euro, Dollar, but not enough at all!"

So on the premise that the speaker ( writer ) is Japanese, would it be correct
or swappable by By instead of With when you are trying to say you have a lot of money by/with several varieties of currency?

Thank you so much for your great help in far advance.


texts:
Source

In the video, at 17:40, a guy says:

  I wasn't much of a big brother.

Isn't it incorrect to say? I think it should be elder brother.