texts: Which is correct? They have been married for 5 years. They have been married 5 years

texts: I have learnt I have to use the word "for". But in an English lesson the teacher said, "They have been married 5 years". Is this sentence correct without "for" before the number?


texts: If I visit someone in the middle of the day and they look like they have just woken up, can I say, "Have you been sleeping?" or does that sound like I am criticizing? Should I just say, “Were you asleep?"


texts: Can I use the adjective "illusionary" to describe a person's apparent trait?

texts:
Can I use the adjective "illusionary" to describe a person's trait of character that is not real but is highly suggested by their appearance?:

  It’s funny, but she always has this look on her face as if she were
  bored and not willing to talk to you. That is, however, quite
  illusionary – you just need to ask her only one small question to know
  that that’s not true.


texts:
In the following sentence we use the past perfect tense:

  He had probably crashed because he had gone to sleep while he was
  driving.

I thought the past perfect is used when we're talking about "before-past-events". What in the sentence we're talking about? He have already crashed or it is less direct predicting to the future?


texts: Why is present perfect used with specific date in this sentence?

texts:
As far as I know, it is an absolute rule that present perfect is not used with specific date. However, I saw this sentence in the beginning of a video in this TIME article:

  11 people have died in a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, authorities said.

I have two reasons for this usage:

It is a custom in news/journalism.
The shooting occurred on Oct. 27, but 11 people have died so far.

Am I correct?


texts:
(1) As our employees acquire more seniority in our company, they will be eligible for promotion.

(2) As our employees acquire higher seniority in our company, they will be eligible for promotion.

Which word is correct: more or higher?


texts: How can I rewrite this sentence without repeating of a word

texts:
The features range from DOM-level features to more complex visual features and densitometric features like text density or link density.

How can I rewrite this sentence with leas "features".

Can I factor out "feature" and say:

  The features range from DOM-level to more complex visual and densitometric features, like text density or link density.

Features are characteristics of webpage elements. DOM-level features are like heading, paragraph, divisions,.. etc. (in HTML source), visual features are like text color, back color, font weight, ..., densitometric features are like the number of links or words in a section.


texts:
Do "lamp" and "torch" work in #1 or only "lamp-like" "torch-like" appendage? And do native speakers use "face" when they talk about "fish" and "animals"?

"A sea devil is a fish with a torch-like appendage on its front."

"It's a fish with a spine (or "fishing rod") pointing straight up with a "lamp" or "fishing lure" dangling in from its end."


texts:
I have occasionally heard or seen the verb "sit" used in the passive. My initial impression was that it was a typo/error. But I have seen it occur enough to start to doubt that. For instance:

  Shaun is sat on a bus crowded with blank passengers. (source)

  On the evening of December 1, 1955, Parks was sat on a bus in Alabama, heading home after a long day of work. (source)

I have consulted enough dictionaries to be fairly confident that this is not a dictionary usage. This is not to say "sit" is intransitive only. You of course can sit a child on your lap or sit your friend down. But it seems really rare that someone is sat there. Is it regional?


texts: Can I say 'If you don't like me, then don't put coffee for me!'?

texts:
Recently my friend from another country stated this phrase

If you don't like me, then don't put coffee for me!.

I was puzzled when I heard it for first time, then I asked him what the meaning of it was, and he said it meant

If you don't like me, then don't prepare me food along with yours.

Is this phrase correct? How could one create more phrases like this?


texts: When THINK is followed by another verb, this should be with TO or without TO?

texts:
Maybe I did not make the question in the best way the first time, I am sorry. What I meant by "basic" form of the verb is the verb without "TO".
Another examples related to my doubt: 1.- "I think to walk up the hill will be good for you" OR "I think walking up the hill will be good for you"   2.- "I think to work on Sunday, it's a good idea" OR "I thing working on Sunday it's a good idea" Thank you.


texts:
We don't have to worry much, for with as so small an amount as is in his possession he won't go far and we'll eventually catch him.

I've made up this sentence and I'd like to know if the "for with as so" and the "as is in" parts are okay? Didn't I break any English rules here?


texts: Did I make any mistakes in usage of tenses?

texts:
1.They say that he might not have done all he could to keep her safe.

2.There are many things they could have done over the years to improve,but they didn't.

In the second case I'm not sure whether I used addition of contrast correctly.Maybe instead of didn't I should have put hasn't done or did nothing?Can somebody explain me how to use addition of contrast correctly in this sentence?


texts: "during the agglutination process" or "in the agglutination process"

texts:
Which is the best variant between the two?

  A downside of population migration is considered to be the forfeit of unique cultural aspects in the agglutination process.
  A downside of population migration is considered to be the forfeit of unique cultural aspects during the agglutination process.

I have read the explanations in the Cambridge Dictionary and, as I understood, both variants are correct, but I favour the variant with “in” while my colleagues voted for the variant with “during”.


texts: Who can be a member in "Membership was restricted to people over 30"?

texts:
What does the following sentence mean?

  Membership was restricted to people over 30.

Only people over 30 can be member.
Only people under 30 can be member.
It can be both.


texts:
source: https://www.amazon.com/Barrons-GRE-Verbal-Workbook-2nd/dp/143800379X

It is commonly believed that war is sometimes not only ________ but the only ________ moral choice between the evil of war and some greater evil.

a. decisive
b. draconian
c. expedient
a. facile
b. viable
c. salient

Dear experts, the book mentioned the answers (expedient, viable) but did not explain why the other choices are not right.

I'm having trouble with the answer choices (decisive and facile).
Can anyone please explain?


texts: I am familiar with using the word subtle with differences (subtle differences), but not sure how does it sound if used with observation (subtle observation). I want to say important observation that not anyone can see.


texts: What does "put mileage on somebody" mean?

texts:
Could you help me to understand the meaning of put mileage on you in the following context, please? Thank you very much!

  But she could not let herself forget that he was the kind of guy who
  would find his way past your guard, take what he wanted, and convince
  you that it was what you wanted as well. He would run you in circles,
  put mileage on you, and then go on to his next conquest without a backward glance. And you wouldn’t be able to complain, because he
  hadn’t put up a pretense of being anything other than what he was.

  From Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas


texts: Alternative way of asking "how long does a certain event/activity take?"

texts:
If I want to ask how long an event/activity lasts, can I ask "what is the time period of this event/activity?"

Is there any other ways of phrasing this?

Also I'm confused between the time period and the period of time. If I want to refer to something happened in the middle of an event/activity, should I say "during the period of time of this event" or "during the time period of this event" or just simply "during this event"?

Thank you


texts: What does the phrase "know no bounds" mean?

texts:
I am trying to get the meaning for the word vitriol from a dictionary. It gives this sentence as an example.

  The vitriol he hurled at members of the press knew no bounds.

I understand the main parts of the sentence is 'The vitriol knew no bounds'. But how 'the vitriol' could 'knew' something? The subject for 'knew' should be a person. Am I getting it right?


texts: "What have you done since you got up this morning?" or "What have you been doing since you got up this morning?"

texts:
Why I have to use here Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continous? Do both mean the same?

What have you done since you got up this morning?
What have you been doing since you got up this morning?


texts: Which is correct "If I find a good job..." or "If I will find a good job..."?

texts:
If I ____ (find) a good job, I'll move to Madrid.

  If I find a good job, I'll move to Madrid.

or is it

  If I will find a good job, I'll move to Madrid.

Or is both? What rule applies here? Thank you very much!


texts: What does "a man lives after his life but not after his Dishonor" mean?

texts:
I read a book some days ago and couldn't understand the meaning of this sentence:
"A man lives after his life but not after his dishonour."
I've searched for the meaning of this sentence several times but didn't get any results. Anyone can tell?
(Just in case if anyone wants to know, the name of the book from where I got this sentence is "Millicent's Gift" written by Ann Rinaldi.)


texts:
Which one is correct?

  I will be at the office at 9.

Or

  I will be in the office at 9


texts: A verb 'biodegrade' as transitive and intransitive

texts:
As you can see from these examples the verb 'biodegrade' is intransitive (it no longer requires direct object = who is going to biodegrade something)

  I feel like using this verb as 'passive voice structure' like in all these examples

Question:

For me this sentence (most plastics will not biodegrade in landfill sites) sounds odd, it feels like passive voice should have been used (most plastics will not BE biodegradeD in landfill sites),
but I trust Oxford, is it some kind of exception?


texts: Which is correct by 5:00pm or at 5:00pm?

texts:
Which one of the sentences below is correct?

Please be ready by 5:00pm.
Please be ready at 5:00pm.
Please be ready on 5:00pm.

I'm really confused about this.

Can anyone explain all the sentences above please?


texts: How can one differentiate between "who" and "whom"?

texts: Many times, I've been asked the difference between "who" and "whom". I myself know the difference, but it is hard to explain to others. What is the easiest way to explain it to those with a basic understanding of English? A mnemonic (if possible) would help.


texts:
He is not in bed but for his goodness he needs to go to bed latest at 10 o'clock.

Q: I think in this sentence, it is correct to use "at the latest" instead of "latest". What is your opinion?


texts: On behalf of the government & the people of . .

texts:
Is there anything wrong with the following Tweet? It's understood that the person who offered her good wishes is the leader of a country. I'm wondering whether there's a contradiction involved, since I suppose the "on behalf of" implies that she is not a member of the government.

On behalf of the government & the people of Taiwan, wishing @POTUS & @FLOTUS a swift recovery.


texts:
You use could for general ability, but if you want to say somebody did something in a specific situation, you use was/were able to, or managed to (not could).

  I looked very carefully and I could/ managed to see somebody in the distance.

Having taken into account the explanations above, I think we couldn't use could, could we?-- because it's a specific situation, isn't it?


texts: Difference between 'elementary school students' and 'elementary students'

texts:
Is there any difference between 'elementary school students' and 'elementary students'?

I am writing an essay for my graduate application.


texts:
I'd like to know whether the order of "barely" and "had" can be turned around in the following:

  John had barely / barely had arrived home when / before the phone rang.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Is this a run-on?: does "by which" create a subordinate clause?

texts:
Sentence in question:

  Myths are often marked by anthropomorphism, the concept by which animals and inanimate forces are invested.

The quote above has two subjects and is not separated by a conjunction. Does "by which" make the second clause subordinate?


texts:
A river is an open curve of water.

What is a name for a closed curve (e.g. a circle) of water?

For example, what is the name of the digging around castle walls, that is filled with water to prevent enemies from getting near the wall?


texts: Feel/believe someone to be adjective/noun VS feel/believe someone adjective/noun

texts:
The company believes their software to be useful for Internet users.
The company believes their software useful for Internet users.
Do you feel beauty to be important in getting a job?
Do you feel beauty important in getting a job?

Which numbers are correct?

And any reason why you didn't choose the other numbers ?

And what are the differences in meaning?

Some native speakers I asked about them argue that they're all unnatural.


texts: is it appropriate to use "was being" when referring things that happen in the past

texts: I am looking for clarification: can I use "was being" to refer to things that happen in the past? If so, please give example in a sentence.


texts: Weather conditions were bad enough or too bad even to give a pause to the most experienced climbers

texts:
Weather conditions were bad enough even to give a pause to the most experienced climbers.
  Weather conditions were too bad even to give a pause to the most experienced climbers.

I believe both bad enough and too bad are correct to say. But if I choose bad enough my answer is wrong. Is there any rule I can go through or it is just the way of saying so?


texts:
Please take a look at these sentences:

A: He recommends/urges (that) she goes to a doctor.
B: The doctor recommended (that) he gives up smoking.
C: It is essential (that) you are given your medication by a properly qualified nurse.

Which of those sentences is correct grammatically?


texts:
Well, I am an Asian who study English as a second language. My question arose because I wanted to translate from my own language. Suppose that I am pondering while walking on the street that I want to see someone, and suddenly I run into that someone. I think I might say something that translate to "Oh! I am wanting to see you. Such a nice timing!"

May I ask a few questions as follows:

Among English speakers, is it usual to say it like this?
Are there other alternatives which are more common.
I guess "I've wanted to see you?" is OK too? I guess from the meaning of other usage I've found on this ELU question.


texts: Be VS are, which one in first conditional is correct?

texts:
If you are tactful, your friends will admire you.
If you be tactful, your friends will admire you

I know, that would be better to use if you use tact, my concern has to do choosing between be and are in all conditionals.


texts: Is ``to get more practice of the concept of management" correct?

texts:
Which of the following statements is grammatically correct?
A. Let us bring another example to get more practice of the concept of management.
B. Let us bring another example to get more practice in the concept of management.
C. Let us bring another example to get more practicing of the concept of management.
D. Let us bring another example to get more practicing in the concept of management.
E. None of them above. In this case do you have any idea how to write it correctly?


texts: What does "look out over something" mean?

texts:
A particular verb phrase has puzzled me for a few days. What is the precise meaning of:

  To look out over something

I could provide example sentences, but based on my previous experiences, I would prefer not to so as to avoid misleading you.


texts:
How do you call when police cars block every lane of a given street, except one, and force all cars to funnel through that single lane, in order to pass in front of a line of cops, that are looking for someone or stopping drivers at random?
It that called 'police traffic stop'? I am guessing the term based on what it would be called in my own language.


texts:
I have a problem about how to use the term "What about".

Is the following question grammatically correct:

" What about occupation of Wu Zetian ? "


texts: What is the correct interpretation of *transparent*?

texts:
I often hear and read people using the word transparent in sentences like the following:

The change of senior management in our company should be transparent to our customers.
We should be transparent to our customers about the source of cost escalations.

I have understood the word transparent to mean something which is clearly visible or not hidden. Sentence 2 above follows this interpretation, but sentence 1 seems to be using it to actually mean "opaque" (The change of senior management should not make any difference to our customers, or in other words, it shouldn't be "visible" to our customers.)

Which of these interpretations is correct, and why is it used in confusing ways like this?


texts:
Is grammatically correct to say: I've been doing Chemistry all day, or I was doing Chemistry all day?
What's the difference between these sentences?


texts:
Could you tell me if the phrase

The rice's price sharply raised in Brazil

is correct? I have a doubt regarding the 's. Can I use it as I wrote above?


texts:
They say had is only when an action was completed (finished or "perfected") at some point in the past before something else happened.

But i recently heard a sentence from Fault in Our Stars:

  Hazel says I didn't believe a word.
  But that's okay.

  I knew this was the right thing to do.
  Funerals, I had decided, are not for the dead.
  They're for the living.

Shouldn't it be decided, not had decided
as no other event is mentioned there
after or before that?


texts:
Could you guys tell me what verb tenses should be used when discussing about the chronological order of events in a literary work such as a comic book.

Chapter 3, released this week :

  Fatman admits to Candy Boy that Nurse Joy is stronger than himself.

Chapter 2, released last week :

  Nurse Joy defeats Fatman in Chocolate City.

The grammar resources that I have consulted recommend using present tense or present perfect.

  Fatman admits to Candy Boy that Nurse Joy is stronger than himself because she has defeated him in Chocolate City.

But why do some people at the comic message boards that I frequent use present and past tense :

  Fatman admits to Candy Boy that Nurse Joy is stronger than himself because she defeated him in Chocolate City.


texts:
On the picture shown, should I say it this way:

  Coal and natural gas were the highest units of electricity, which were both 25%.

Or

  Coal and natural gas were the highest units of electricity, which were both 25% each.


texts: Is 'school' a collective noun, proper noun, or common noun?

texts:
In case when we refereed school as an Collective Noun then what about  class ( group of students)

In case when it is used as an Proper Noun but only when both the speakers know about which school we are talking because then only we can say it a Proper Noun

In another case when it is refereed as an Common Noun like any school

I am pretty much confuse whether it is a Proper Or Collective Or Common Noun.


texts: Is this dish (or vessel) called "casserole"?

texts:
A Ukrainian book says that what I know as cooking pot is casserole. Now I checked Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries and there's not such definition for casserole. So before I'm going to tell my friend that it is a mistake I just want to be sure about that.

The only definition in Cambridge dictionary for casserole:

  a dish made by cooking meat, vegetables, or other foods in liquid
  inside a heavy container at low heat, or the heavy, deep container
  with a lid used in cooking such dishes:

The definitions of Oxford dictionary for casserole:

  A kind of stew that is cooked slowly in an oven.

  1.1 A large covered dish used for cooking casseroles.

How do these definitions have to do something with the cooking pot that we see in the picture as casserole?


texts:
How do modal verbs behave in the past tense? Should I keep 'should' or replace it with 'should have'? For instance

She said he should (have) wash(ed) his hands before the dinner.

You replace 'will' with 'would' in the past (I know it's not a modal verb) so I don't rule out that you do something with modals too.


texts:
I've encountered the word coeval as an adjective to say something like:

  "Coeval art didn't care about the author."

If I used this sentence talking about the contemporary art, could I use the word "coeval" in the meaning of  "modern"?


texts: Can we use the preposition "on" before "the night"?

texts:
I have been learning English for a few months. I have never seen "on" preposition before the night during my English journey till the morning, but when I was reading a novel and the writer of the novel used "on"  before the night, I got confused and came up here to get some help on it. I understand when we use "at" and "in" prepositions before the night.  Let me tell (with the help of examples) you what I understand by "at" and "in".

  At before the night:

  When we are talking about the complete night.

  I was there at the night.

  In before the night:

  When we are talking about a period of time during the night.

  I was there in the night.

Could you please tell me when we should use "on" before the night?

I have asked this because I read it in the novel.

From the novel (bad for you):

  I broke the kiss and got out of the car. I was ready for a drink and
  some music. And a lot of people. I needed the crowd. “They all
  coming?” I asked Green as I held out my hand for the girl to take. She
  quickly scrambled out of the car and clung to me.

  “Probably already here,” he replied. The band liked crashing at our
  place on nights we played at Live Bay. We kept an open door for any
  neighbors. Seeing as they were all college students, they never
  complained. They came and joined the party.


texts: Omitting repeated words after possessive

texts:
Can I omit the last part of the sentence to make it cleaner?

  The cost of study for domestic students is one-third of the international student's cost of education.
  The cost of study for domestic students is one-third of the international student's.


texts:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/correspondence exemplifies only the singular noun and http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2008/10/correspondence-course.html claims:

  “Correspondence” is a singular noun for the letters and emails and so on that are exchanged by parties who communicate with one another. In ordinary English, it’s not used in the plural (“correspondences”). But “correspondents,” meaning people who correspond, is plural.

Does this contradict https://www.google.com/search?q=%22correspondences+via+email%22&btnG=Chercher+des+livres&tbm=bks&tbo=1&hl=fr&gws_rd=ssl#hl=fr&q=%22email+correspondences%22&tbm=bks, which yields >10 pages for "email correspondences"?
What's this phenomenon called? Are there any other nouns with it?


texts: "his best-seller book" or "his best-selling book"

texts:
The author got a lot of money from his best-seller

  or

  The author got a lot of money from his best-selling book

  or

  The author got a lot of money from his best-seller book

Which one is correct?


texts: Why is it "She wrote articles" and not "she has written" or "she was writing"?

texts:
Why is the past simple and not the present perfect used in the following context?

  One day, Jack told Anne about John’s life in Canada. She wrote articles for her school Internet magazine. And she was always looking for new stories.

Why did the author choose to use past simple in (She wrote articles) instead of the present perfect simple or even the past continuous like he did in (And she was always looking), as 'Anne' was still writing articles, in general, at the time of speaking.

Thanks in Advance.


texts: what is the difference between two similar sentences

texts:
Do these two sentences have the exactly same meaning and usage:
"I understand some people will feel that we are locating rioters or protesters inside hospital seems..."
"I understand some people will feel that our locating rioters or protesters at hospitals seems..."


texts: When does an exclamation mark come midway in a sentence?

texts:
In this article, I found the following sentence:

  Specifically, Hello, which was U+0048 U+0065 U+006C U+006C
  U+006F, will be stored as 48 65 6C 6C 6F, which, behold! is
  the same as it was stored in ASCII, and ANSI, and every OEM character
  set on the planet.
  (emphasis added)

The exclamation mark appears in the middle of a sentence, and from the context, it clearly doesn't end the preceding sentence and start a new one. Now consider below:

  Behold this! It is a carrot.
  Behold this! for it is a carrot.

It looks like 1. consists of two sentences, and 2. consists of a single sentence, with the exclamation mark.

Are both these usages correct? What is the rule regarding when an exclamation mark ends a sentence, and when it doesn't?


texts:
Is the second sentence correct?

Do you have a question about XYZ? Contact us!
Have a question about XYZ? Contact us!

Basically I wonder if I can omit do you or if it is always required.


texts: In our phone English class vs on our phone English class

texts:
I will answer that question in our phone English class.

  I will answer that question on our phone English class.

  I will answer that question in our on-the-phone English class.

Which is correct?  I know we should say "in" if it's "in our class" and "on" if it's "on the phone".  But what if it is a phone English class?


texts: Difference between ‘satisfy with’ and ‘content to’

texts:
It seems that ‘satisfy’ is used with ‘with’ and ‘content’ is used with ‘to’. But I’m confused about the usage.

Is there any difference between the meening? or Can I just use both of them anytime?


texts: I don't see nobody Vs. I can't see nobody Vs. I see nobody

texts:
If I come to my class and I see that I'm the only one there, then what is the way to say it out of the following three?

  I'm at the class and I see nobody

  I'm at the class I don't see nobody

  I'm at the class I can't see nobody


texts: When a meeting comes to end and you want to conclude from it

texts:
Imagine at a meeting all the participant come to an agreement over something, but there were some other subjects under discussion during the session. The meeting finishes and prior to announcing it, the presenter / meeting leader decides to summarize all the matters and tells and "make a conclusion from all the discussed matters", well. What shall he normally say? Does my sentence bellow make any sense to you:

  Let’s conclude from these matters.

If there is a better way, then please let me know about it.

P.S. I need to use the verb "conclude" or the noun "conclusion" in my sentence.

Added: A university professor in my country can use the same sentence before ending the session.


texts: According to the context, which is grammatically correct?

texts:
According to the context, which is correct, #1 or #2?

  Donald Trump was elected President. He is the 45th President of the United States.
  Donald Trump was an elected President. He is the 45th President of the United States.


texts: The best way to answer a question without being rude

texts:
When I answer some question on the Stack Exchange sites, I usually use a phrase like:

You should change.
I recommend you.
You are supposed to.
You can use.

Is it okay to use the word you all the time? I just thought it's maybe like I'm ordering someone?

I want see some different approach.

I'm aware that the answer should be MVC (minimum verified complete).


texts: What does "spin-off" mean in this context?

texts:
Below is from "Dare to be Lazy" by Rolang Barthes

  I remember this image: When I was a child, Paris was different. It was before the war. It was hot in the summer, hotter than it is now; at least it seems that way to me. In the evening, you'd often see the concierges ― there were a lot of them, they were an institution ― bring chairs out in the street, and they'd just sit there, doing nothing. It's an image of idleness that has disappeared. In modern Paris, there aren't as many gestures of idleness. The cafe is a kind of laziness, but with spin-offs: there are conversations, there is an "appearance" of activity. This is not true idleness.

Hi, what does "spin-off" mean here exactly? I kind of get what it's saying but

I'm not sure which of the two definitions fits in this context: 1)a product that develops from another more important product 2) a programme or other show involving characters from a previous programme

Can you help me interpreting this sentence? Thanks in advance!


texts: In an auditorium a comperer announces and asks the audince to take their seats on the left side. What does it mean?

texts: In an auditorium the announcer asks the audience to be seated on the left side seats.  Doesnt it mean the left side of the audience??


texts: What does it mean to say that an object complement describes the object?

texts:
She cut the paper gingerly.

She cut him loose.

gingerly above is an adverb but loose isn't.
This is because gingerly describes the manner of "her" cutting the paper, but loose doesn't do so.

What does it mean to say that loose is an object complement? By definition, an object complement describes the object. Does it mean that in the sentence above it tells us how the person was after being cut loose? In other words, does the object complement tell us that the person was free after being cut loose?


texts: What is wrong with "to be" in "I deserve to be known as"?

texts:
I am a blogger recently started blogging in English. I generally use a proofreader to check my writing errors and it usually gets to this:

  I deserve to be known as the guy I am.

What is wrong with this sentence? My proofreader always underline this "to be" and asks me to use active voice instead of passive.

I have no idea why using a passive voice over active is a problem.


texts:
— How did architect become involved?
  — Well, someone had to design the dreams, right?
  — Why don't you give us another five minutes?
  — Five minutes? What--? We were talking for at least an hour.
  — In a dream, your mind functions more quickly... therefore time seems to feel slower.
  — Five minutes in the real world gives you an hour in a dream.
  — Why don't you see what you can get up to in five minutes.

I've found the meaning of get up to here but I can't understand how it can be bounded with that context?


texts:
This is the way i have been taught:

1) Most kids like cake =  "most kids in the world" = in general. No article needed.

2) Most of the kids in this house like cake = "in this house" makes it specific. The article is needed here.

My doubt is about words like neighbourhood, country, province and so on.

For instance

1) Most of the people in this neighbourhood are English.

2) Most people in this neighbourhood are English?

3) Most people in this country/province/area are rich?

4) Most of the people in this country/province/area are rich?

How could I identify these aspects for future references?

Is it about things that i can count and things that i can not count?

How big/small enough should a group of things or people be as to be defined as general or specific?


texts: Is there some nuance between anyone and anybody?

texts:
I've always used them interchangeably according to my mood.

But are there any rare cases where they aren't interchangeable or have a slightly different meaning?


texts:
I have come across this word quite many times, and can only understood vaguely. I think it means unpleasant and aggressive. When I looked the word up in the dictionary, I didn't get much help. Macmillan defines it as:

  obnoxious (adj.) very rude, offensive, or unpleasant : an obnoxious child; an obnoxious habit

While TFD says:

  obnoxious (adj.) causing disapproval or protest;
  - Example: "a vulgar and objectionable person"

With such vague definnitions, it is not easy to "grasp" the meaning of this word just from reading the dictionaries. I would like some expertise from people who speak English on a daily basis. I'm trying to figure out, for example, what do these phrases mean? Do they sound natural to a native speaker:

  "That guy looks obnoxious."

  "This dinosaurs looks obnoxious."

  "I was acting obnoxiously."

When exactly do you use obnoxious to describe something? Does it have a feel of hatefulness towards the subject?


texts: increase/decrease the upper/lower bound of something

texts:
I am writing a technical document and I wanted to describe that a certain method or approach will improve the performance when the performance is bad but will undermine the performance when the performance is really good. In other words it will make the upper bound of the performance lower but also make the lower bound of the performance higher.
I wonder if this sentence sounds natural or grammatically correct?

it decreases the upper bound of the performance while increases the lower bound of the performance

Also is there any other way to describe this behavior?


texts:
Which one should be put in the blank?

  If there’s a time ..... the grammys favor white people, I hope it’s this time.

that
when
where

I have attempted to find the answer to this online but to no avail.

If multiple sentences I listed above are correct, what are the differences between them and in what situations would one be used over another?

I would also like to know what word class words like that, when, and where are.


texts:
Is the following sentence acceptable?

  Is it any way possible to change this?

I know that “Is there” is the popular way to say this, but is “Is it” incorrect?


texts:
What is the grammatically correct sentence?

That's nice of you to say so!
It's nice of you to say so!

I've come across 1 many times, but I feel it seems not to be grammatically correct, strictly speaking as "that" cannot be used as a dummy pronoun, so it should be written as 2 as "it" can work as a dummy pronoun referring to "to say so".
If you think of 1 as natural, could you tell me why?


texts: Can indirect objects start with a preposition?

texts:
I know that in the following sentence:

  I throw John the ball.

"the ball" is a direct object, and "John" is an indirect object.

For the following sentence:

  I throw the ball to John.

Is "John" still considered to be an indirect object? or, instead, do we say that "to John" is a complement, but that the word "John" is no longer an indirect object?

Background (for the purpose of aiding in linguistic comparison):
I am a native speaker of English who is learning French. It appears that in French, an indirect object always starts with a preposition (and a direct object never does). For example, both "I throw the ball to John" and "I throw John the ball" would be translated as:

  Je lance la balle à John

and we would say that "à John" is an indirect object. ("à" is a preposition in French, meaning "to" in this case)

I want to know, when talking about English grammar, if I can also say that "to John" is an indirect object, in the sentence "I throw the ball to John".


texts:
I'm wondering whether to use a colon, semicolon or comma in the following sentence.

  I've come to a tough conclusion: The second book is better than the first.

Is that correct? Or would a semicolon or comma work better?


texts:
Glamour model Sarah Marie Summer currently has the biggest fake boobs in Australia, and a bra size so big (8M) it no longer means anything! Now, she wants to go bigger!

Can you please explain to me the passage in bold. I understand neither the meaning of the passage in the context nor the function of "it" in the sentence. Is "it" the object?


texts: wasn't his usual demanding himself, even saying he was guilty

texts:
When Marina visited Lee in jail, she knew he was guilty. Marina could see it in his eyes and Lee wasn't his usual demanding himself, even saying he was being treated alright.

This sentence is related to Lee Harvey Oswald's behaviour after his arrest. I am not able to understand the bold part of the sentence. Does it stem from it that LHO confessed his guilt?


texts:
In this context, what does "halfway respectable" mean?

  He was smooth and he made it all seem halfway respectable, but it came
  down to prostitution and we both knew it.

Source: Single White Female by John Lutz


texts: "A look of disgust" vs "A face of disgust" vs "A disgusted face"

texts:
Do you think the phrases, a look of disgust, a face of disgust, and a disgusted face can be used interchangeably? For example, do you think these sentences can be used interchangeably?

John looked at me with a look of disgust.

John looked at me with a face of disgust.

John looked at me with a disgusted face.

I am guessing the first sentence is the most idiomatic one. Do you think they can be used interchangeably?


texts: Does "I should get to solving the math problems" mean the same as I should start solving the math problems?

texts:
I should get to solving the math problems.

Does the above sentence mean- I should start solving the math problems?
And is it grammatically correct?


texts: 80% of mobile recharges on girls' phones are done by their boyfriends - How do I say that?

texts:
In eight out of ten cases, mobile recharges (top up recharge) on girls' mobile phones are done by their boyfriends. Now, I want to tell this in this way...

  80% of mobile recharges on girls' phones are done by their boyfriends

But if I rethink it, it also means that 80% of total amount paid for single recharge is being paid by their boyfriends. Said that, if the recharge is of INR 100, INR 80 will be paid by their boyfriends.

How do I say that quoted sentence without this ambiguity?


texts: How do I call a person working in a higher position than me in company?

texts:
In a company, there are various ranks of positions. And some people are working in a higher position than me.
Is there any word indicating anyone working in a higher position than me?
He/she can work inside in the same team or he/she might not, just only in the same company. He can be just above you or he can work at a much higher position.
He is my ______.
What is a suitable word for the blank?

I've been doing googling and I come across the word 'superior'. Is this a suitable word? Or, is it unsuitable to indicate someone by rank? Is it ok to address him 'my colleague'?


texts: Usage of the indefinite article with the word "previous"

texts:
We dealt with this in a previous chapter.

Am I right supposing that the indefinite article used with the word "previous" means "in one of the previous chapters, not necessarily in the chapter that is directly before the one we are going to read today" (otherwise the article is definite)?


texts:
Let's say the context is a guy and and girl at a restaurant.  Then, they had an argument.  Then, the girl picked up a glass of beverage (full) and then made one jerking movement of the glass at the guy, causing the content of the glass to leave the glass and hit the guy in the face.  The glass itself never left the girl's hand.  I came up with two possible sentences to describe the situation:

  She splashed the drink at him.
  She threw the drink at him.

I have a feeling that "throw" is not the correct verb to use, since there was no overhead movement of the arm.  Am I wrong?


texts:
It would take another twenty years to make the connection to the
  spinal cord work...

I know the meaning of make the connection but I don't understand the exact meaning of the phrase. I think my problem refers to the word "work".

So could you please tell me what "work" means here?

The fuller text is here:

  The Catholic doctrine of the soul has helped the surgeon overcome his
  moral qualms about conducting experiments on primates. In his view, a
  monkey has ‘nothing in common with man, at least nothing having to do
  with the brain or soul.’ White’s dream of providing new bodies for
  people with conditions like Christopher Reeve’s (the late actor who
  was paralyzed in a riding accident) or Stephen Hawking’s (the
  physicist suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) was daring in
  the extreme. ‘What’s the difference whether I implant a liver, replace
  an arm, or transplant a body?’ White asked me eight years ago. ‘No one
  would ever think of looking for the soul in the liver or in an arm.
  The soul is only in the brain.’ The pope presumably sees the matter
  differently, but he does not have to finance the project. White told
  me that all he needed was the sum of $4 or $5 million, and he could go
  to Kiev in Ukraine and carry out his first human head
  transplantations. He conceded that the ‘greatest operation in the
  history of mankind’ would have flaws; the patient would not be able to
  move his arms or legs, nor could he speak, swallow, or digest food.
  Still, White laughed, he couldn’t really complain. It would take
  another twenty years to make the connection to the spinal cord work,
  which would eliminate these drawbacks. I asked White whether he would
  make his own body available for this procedure. Again, he laughed: ‘Of
  course – but I’d rather it be my head, which is worth more.’


texts: Can you omit ''Did'' in question sentences?

texts:
''Did you go to school today?''

Do you say ''You go to school today?'' in  casual conversations as the same meaning with the above?

My friend is not native English speaker, and she asks me about past things without ''did'' in the begining.
I thought she should've say ''you went to school today?'' if it's without ''did'' in front.

I hope my question would make a sense.


texts:
Also, Niko texted that he will be absent today because he has a flu.

which one is correct ? has a flu or had a flu?
also i have search about the flu and flu is different thing.


texts: "I bought both a red and a white roses"? Are the articles and the verb correct?

texts:
"I was not sure which colour is better, so I  bought both a red and a white roses"

Is it correct that there are articles  and that the verb is plural?


texts: Should I use viewing, watching or reading comics?

texts:
I have been reading/watching/viewing this comic for a long time.

Which one should I use?
Update: In the sentence above, comic refers to: a periodical containing comic strips.


texts: Can I reply to "How are you doing?" with "I'm good"?

texts:
Ok, I've already searched this site. There are questions about this. I've read them and read the answers. But they don't really answer what I wonder. I'm asking about grammar.

Let's say the cashier at the counter says "How are you doing?". If I answer with only "Good.", I feel like it's so abrupt and rude. If I answer it with "I'm good, thank you.", I feel like it's not right, grammatically (I don't want the other to judge me as I'm a freak).

Because according to grammar, that question needs to be answered with an adverb; and "I'm good" is totally nothing relates to that. What is the general, proper, short reply in this situation, and can "good" really be used as an adverb instead of "well" in everyday informal speech?


texts:
Should I use 'used to' even when something just doesn't happen only today but will happen tomorrow?

Should I use 'used to' for this kind of sentence also.

  I normally leave at 5 pm from office, at that time it didn't use to be so dark but today I left at 7 pm and that is why it is dark.

Is this correct way of speaking?


texts: Difference between 'at first' and 'first'

texts:
As far as I understood from PEU we use at first to making a contrast with what happened erlier and later. In other cases we use just first. But I faced with the example

  at first Hugo tried to be patient

there

At first was used although we didn't making a contrast. Couldn't you explain?


texts: I am not sure （if）I really understand your reply

texts:
Do I need to put "if" in the sentence

  I am not sure if I really understand your reply.

If we do not need a "if" there, why do we need a "if" after

  I was wondering ...

as in

  I was wondering if I could speak to you about making an appointment for a consultation


texts: Are people who work in the same company but never actually work together called colleagues?

texts:
colleague refers to

  a person with whom one works, especially in a profession or business.

in my company, different groups work on different projects, some of them may do not know others at all. In this scenario, are they called colleagues?


texts:
"Is not he calling me?"

"Isn't he calling me?"

Why is #1 not correct while #2 is correct?
And what about the below:

"Is he not calling me?"

Does #3 always mean the exact same thing as #2 "Isn't he calling me?"


texts:
I was wondering if there is any difference between Want something adjective vs want something to be adjective! for example,
"I want him alive" vs "I want him to be alive", Is there any difference between them? and
when your coffee has become lukewarm, and you want it to be hot again, Is it also possible to say "I want/would like my coffee warm again please" to the barista? Thank you!


texts: Is it distransitive or complex transitive as in “She told her cat to leave”?

texts:
She told  her cat to leave.

Here are two kinds of parsing.

1.Distransitive + indirect object and direct object

  She (S) + told (V) her cat (I.O) to leave (D.O)

2.Complex transitive + direct object + object complement

  She (S) + told (V) her cat (D.O) + to leave (Objective complement)

Could you tell me which is more close to modern English grammar?

As far as I know, the former means "to leave" is nominal, but the latter "to leave" is adjectival.


texts: I can't understand the usage of semicolon ';'

texts:
I rewrote these sentences

  Hello, I'm staying in room 123. I've got a problem and I was wondering if you could help me. I seem to have misplaced my wallet somewhere; it could have been in the hotel.

to these sentences

  Hello, I'm staying in room 123. I've got a problem and I was wondering if you could help me. I seem to have misplaced my wallet somewhere. (I tried to find it but to no avail. now I'm thinking it could have been in the hotel.)

The reason I rewrote is because I can't understand the former exactly because of ' ; '. Did I do a good job?


texts: What is the difference between "send something somewhere" and "send something in somewhere"?

texts:
What is the difference between send something somewhere and send something in somewhere? For example:

You should defintely send the tape to a music company.
You should defintely send the tape in to a music company.


texts:
I got some mail from my boss. It contains:

  I will tell the details tomorrow. I want to sleep on it.

What does this sentence mean?


texts:
Kindly explain what could the author mean under "bring that universe from overwhelm to whelm". I've already raised question regarding the word "whelm", which was explained by FumbleFingers, but the message is still not clear.
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/299263/what-is-the-meaning-of-from-overwhelm-to-whelm

Let's start from what computing and communications in general will be like in 20 or 30 years. I assume they'll be:
•   more pervasive (seamless connectivity, internet of things, etc.),
•   more wearable or built-in (contacts, cochlear implants, dermal displays, etc.),
•   and we'll have new services to help us bring that universe from overwhelm to whelm.


texts: Usage of "would" in a particular sentence

texts:
"She has such good ideas, such insights, you know. She would point out something to me, and I would see it, but not if she doesn't draw my attention to it."

Why does the writer of the example sentence above use "would" in it instead of simply using the simple present tense and say, "She often points out something to me, and I see it, but not if she doesn't draw my attention to it"? Is he talking about the past--in which case "would" would mean something like "used to"--or is he talking hypothetically?


texts: What does the sentence 'that frees up Mother Nature to tinker around with ~' mean?

texts:
Please, look at the last sentence in the passage. What does 'that' refer to? And the last sentence evades me. What does the sentence mean?

  But here's the key point: Your brain doesn't know, and it doesn't
  care, where it gets the data from. Whatever information comes in, it
  just figures out what to do with it. And this is a very efficient kind
  of machine. It's essentially a general purpose computing device, and
  it just takes in everything and figures out what it's going to do with
  it, and that, I think, frees up Mother Nature to tinker around with
  different sorts of input channels.

Ted Talk - David Eagleman: Can we create new senses for humans?


texts: visit a garden in the north, and you could be

texts:
I was told that a bare infinitive phrase followed by "and" and a sentence could mean "if ... then ...."
For example, "Give John 10 dollars, and he will ask for 100 dollars" means "If you give John 10 dollars, he will ask for 100 dollars."

What about the following example? Does it sound perfectly natural?

  The country is famous for its rapid public transportation network. Visit a garden in the north in the morning, and you could be climbing a mountain in the south in the afternoon.


texts:
lean [transitive] to make something rest against something in a sloping position

  lean something against something Can I lean my bike against the
  wall?

  She leaned her head against his shoulder.

  lean something on something He leaned his elbows on the table and
  sighed.

  He sat down and leaned his chin on his right hand.

  corner: the place inside a room or a box where two sides join; the area around this place

  A large desk occupies another corner of the room.

  He found a quiet corner and got on with his work.

  in the corner They made straight for the table in the corner.

  in the corner of something She spotted him sitting in the corner
  of the bar.

  We found an empty booth in a dark corner of the pub.

  There was a television in the far corner of the bedroom.

  a corner table/seat/cupboard

It is very hard to comprehend prepositions in English.

We normally use "LEAN" with "AGAINST" or "ON"

Eg, "to lean the roll of mat AGAINST / ON the wall"

But we often use "CORNER" with "IN"

Eg, "There is a roll of mat IN the corner of the room"

See this picture of a broom leaning AGAINST / IN the corner.

Now, we want to use "lean" & "corner" in one sentence

Do we say "to lean the roll of mat AGAINST / ON the corner of the room" or "to lean the roll of mat IN the corner of the room"?


texts:
I heard a song where the singer says (emphasis added)

  "I'm ready to suffer the sea"

Does it mean to make it suffer or to conquer?


texts: "Kristina 'has passed'/'passed' her exam! She 'has got'/'got' 90%"

texts:
Kristina has passed her exam!

Kristina passed her exam!

Does English use the present perfect (1) or the past tense (2) to announce news?
Apart the way to express the vote—90%, 90, I don't know—which of the following sentences is more natural to give further details?

a. She has got 90%.
b. She got 90%.


texts: Do people really use the grammar “Past Perfect+Past Simple”?

texts: Grammar books say when something happens before something else, we should use had+past particle in the sentence that happened at first and then say the second sentence in past tense. Do people use it in their speaking/writing or is it just a rule?


texts: I went to a reunion for students who were educated (or had been educated?) in physics department during the 1980s

texts:
I thought that in this case past perfect must be used (because of the sequence of tenses), yet this sentence comes from a grammar textbook (published in 2005).

What do I misunderstand about the sequence of tenses rule?


texts: Active verbs with passive meaning when followed by 'gerund' or 'to-infinitive'

texts:
One of my friends told me that some verbs have passive meanings when they are followed by a gerund, and they have both active and passive meanings when they are followed by to-infinitive. I asked him about the name of those verbs, and requested him to give some examples. He told me that 'need, require and want' are such kind of verbs, but he couldn't give any examples.

Would anybody give some examples to make this topic clear? Are there other verbs except 'want, need and require', which follow the rules stated above?


texts:
Despite knowing full well the negative consequences of our impatience, why many of us are impatient?

Should the word "full" be replaced by "fully"?

It's from a book. I am confused since I feel "well" should be modified by an adverb "fully" rather than an adjective "full".


texts:
When we have a series of episodes where every one episode depends on and develops from the previous, we may call that a sequel, or maybe a continuum.

Now let us say that we have a collection of fables, episodes or anecdotes that have the same characters, the same milieu, and the same themes; yet, this time, the episodes are NOT interdependent. They don't depend on each other in that you can watch/read 'any' one of them be it (in terms of order) from a beginning, medial, or final season, without having to watch/read the previous to understand, appreciate, and enjoy it (the one you're watching/reading). What do we call the 'episode' in this case?

Examples: a sitcome comedy show, or show like Dr Who. Or, in literature, the novels of Sherlock Holmes.

Is there a specific term to describe the 'independent episodes' of these works?


texts: What is the most used expression to express the gratitude for someone's attentions

texts:
I was wondering which one among the following expressions is the most used in written and spoken American English to express gratitude for someone's attention—for example, when someone asks if you are OK after an accident.

  Thank you for your caring/care/concern/concerns/attentions ?


texts: Responding to "It was nice to talk to you"

texts:
How can I reply to "It was nice to talk to you" properly both formally and casually?

Actually, I want to make this question a bit general, but since I heard this sentence a lot I used it as an example.

What about these options I wrote off the top of my head?

  a. the same (for me it sounds too short and informal, but it can be used when texting?)

  b. I think so

  c. me too

  d. It was nice to talk to you too

  e. I feel the same

  f. ______________________


texts:
If we want to say without something, which one is generally true? (my example is car, but my question is for anything general)

without any car
without any cars
without cars
without car
with no car
with no cars


texts:
What does "chain-smoking grandmother" mean? Is it an idioms?

  Jim had hated every second of it and the memories made him light another cigarette straight from the last. He would be turning into his chain-smoking grandmother if he wasn't careful.
  Musungu Jim and the Great Chief Tuloko


texts:
Wish that I could reach right out and touch it.

  When you see this little fellow, you'll want to reach right out and hug him to death.


texts: What does "she swore" mean in this sentence and why?

texts:
I could not find an appropriate meaning of "swear" to explain in the sentence, as it does not make sense in the context .

In the dictionary "swear" means:

If someone swears, they use language that is considered to be vulgar or offensive, usually because they are angry.
If you swear to do something, you promise in a serious way that you will do it
If you say that you swear that something is true or that you can swear to it

But the context is:

"She" is the grandma of Thomas and she practically raised him up ; she missed him so so much that she had been distracted for days since he moved out with his mother, Treena,  who went back to university to study. This is the first time Thomas and Treena came back home since they moved out.

Therefore, I could not understand why "she swore". Shouldn't she be happy? What does it mean why did she swear?

Here is the sentence:

  On the third Saturday of May, Treena and Thomas came home. My mother
  was out of the door and up the garden path before they had made it
  halfway down the street. Thomas, she swore, clutching him to her, had
  grown several inches in the time they had been away. He had changed,
  was so grown-up, looked so much the little man.

  Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

could anyone help please?


texts:
Which one is correct?

What’s your review ‘on’ the new iPhone 11?
What’s your review ‘of’ the new iPhone 11?


texts:
I notice lots of sentences use if directly followed by an adjective or an adjective phrase, for example:

If necessary, please import more of these types of goods.
If a little taller, he could reach to the book on the bookshelf.

This appears to be one of the places where English lets you omit words and consider them to be "understood". However, all grammars about if I googled are talking about conditional clauses; none is talking about if + phrase.
Can anyone explain the general rules of if + adjective or adjective phrases?


texts: What can "little silver jet" mean in this sentence, as something that interested a baby when it "fell to the ground"?

texts:
The sentence I'm talking about (in bold), along with relevant context:

  She was eight years old and small for her age, and the baby brother she carried on her left hip was large and plump [...] He was holding a biscuit in one hand and a bright red plastic spoon in the other; while the top part of his little body was well protected by a vest, shirt, coat and an over-sized bib, the bottom part was bare. Round the ankle of one leg was a little silver anklet with two bells.

  [...] The little silver jet that arched and fell to the ground  delighted the baby, who made an attempt to touch it, and the girl, who had been scolded by her mother on several occasions for not taking care of her baby brother so that he sat in his own puddle and splashed in it, now said sternly "Tee Tee, you dirty boy, leave it alone!".

  — "Big Sister" in Or Else, the Lightning God

The sentence seems unnecessarily long and convulated to me. Too much information crammed into one single sentence. But I more or less understand the gist of it. Still, it would certainly be helpful if someone could break it down or simplify it.

What I'm not sure about is what "little silver jet" and "his own puddle" mean in this context and how they relate to each other. My overall understanding of the sentence (that is, what the writer is actually trying to say) is hazy at best. I suspect there's some baby vocabulary involved. Maybe words like only mothers or grown-ups use—which I'm naturally not very familiar with, being only 13.


texts: Is this grammatically correct?: "something we thought which might have been lost due to the time and distance"

texts:
Here is the context: Two performers who are based in two different countries are going to carry out a performance together. The two of them cannot see each other often so they thought the senses and physical movements which they developed together might be lost due to the distance and time, but they realised otherwise.
This is the whole sentence:
Our senses and physical movements - something we thought which might have been lost due to the time and distance - were still in between us."
I am confused which one is correct:
A) "something we thought which might have been lost due to the time and distance"
B) "something we thought to have been lost due to the time and distance"
C) "something we thought to have been lost over the time and distance"


texts:
A survey was written by the company.  (sentence)  (past tense)

A survey written by a company (phrase). (no tense)

A survey written by a company suggested there were faults in the business.

Does this last example require (which was) written by a company. Is it just the writers choice. Isn't the meaning the same?

It was a survey written by a company.  (Is **it* the subject or survey) ?


texts: "The me I want to be" phrase decomposition

texts: What is the difference between mentioned phrase and "I want to be the me"? Is it right to use both phrases in the spiritual growth context? I what parts we could deconstruct this phrase? Is the "I want to be" the attribute there?


texts: -ctly pronunciation in British (ex. exactly, correctly etc.)

texts:
I have a question about the pronunciation of these words in British accent; exactly, correctly etc.
I am more familiar with the American accent, so I tend to ignore the 't' between two consonants.
Do British people also skip the 't'?


texts: Is the meaning of "so far" equivalent to that of "up to a certain point" in some contexts?

texts:
Can "so far" and "up to a certain point" be interchangeable in certain contexts?

For example:

You can only go so far/up to a certain point by studying that way.
I couldn't get her to tell me the details. She only spoke so far/ up to a certain point.


texts: Meaning of "both sides of the viewfinder" in the given context

texts:
The text is a description of a camera app that gives its users the feel of the manual lens. Here is a sentence form the text:

  The app is highly useful and allows all kinds of photographers to
  explore their creativity and offers something special to those on
  both sides of the viewfinder.

I am not sure about the meaning the phrase on
both sides of the viewfinder.

I know the lexical meaning of the term "viewfinder". However, I am not sure about the meaning of the said phrase in the given context.


texts:
The truth is that things have been a little difficult for me after my accident last year, but now I finally feel that I'm in a place where I can enjoy life again, so I'm great.

Is "in a place" perfectly natural here referring to my mental condition and not a physical place?


texts: "It was pleasure to meet you" vs "It was pleasure meeting you"

texts:
I met somebody for the first time two days ago and the next day he sent a message on Facebook in which he said, "Thank you" and I replied "You're welcome! It was pleasure to meet you." Although it is a very simple construction, I've become confused after research I've done and because I will probably use it very often in the future, I would like to ask which one is more appropriate for this situation, and is there any difference in terms of meaning they suggest?

And as far as I know we can also say:

  It was a pleasure to have met you.

But besides that, it is used in more formal writing? I have also read: "Do not use 'have met' unless they were your host and you are writing a thank you note." Is this correct?


texts:
Student debt keeps rising for a degree that may be worthless on the job market.

  Student debt keeps rising for a degree that may be worthless in the job market.

Is there a difference? As far as I know 'on the market' is for sale and 'in the market' is more about specific locations, but what should we use when we talk in general about the job market?


texts:
I use them quite often but I'm not sure what to call them. Their pictures appear in these links.

http://www.123rf.com/photo_11282557_plastic-water-spray-bottle-isolated-on-white.html

http://bestdealshopz.com/gtgt-empty-cddvd-cake-box-spindle-50-discs-for-sale/

Should I call what is depicted in the first link a water spray bottle or a water sprayer? The picture in the second link is a black thingI put CDs through. Can I call it a pole or spindle?


texts: "a baseball game" vs. "a game of baseball"

texts:
From Cambridge Dictionary:  a game of baseball.
I understand its meaning and usage. For example, I can construct a sentence with it.

How long does a game of baseball last

When I put the sentence on Google, most of the results I got use a baseball game.
Ngram Viewer also shows the latter is more common than the former

Do they mean the same thing?


texts: Which tense fits the context best? ("would win" or "won")

texts:
Which tense fits the context best?

  The Super Grocery Store organized a competition for kids. Whoever could guess the correct number of jellybeans in the big jar, would win a prize.

  The Super Grocery Store organized a competition for kids. Whoever could guess the correct number of jellybeans in the big jar, won a prize.

I borrowed this piece of text from a book for exam preparation. The answer can be anything as long as it fits the context. In our case, we have the verb «to win» to transform. Some more information to continue the story: « There were exactly 372 jellybeans. Two children guessed the right answer. They were Jorey Smith and Harry Hopkins.»


texts:
source

  “There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires
  in California except that forest management is so poor,” Trump wrote,
  finding little use for empathy or truth.

Who "finding little use for..."? Trump? Trump's tweet message? the Author?


texts: projects come or coming from different countries

texts:
I am wondering which of the following sentences makes the most sense:

250+ projects coming from 100 different countries
250+ projects come from 100 different countries
250+ projects from 100 different countries


texts: Can I ask "with whom?" while the mentioned name of the person wasn't clear for example?

texts:
My friend: I was there together with (Jon). I wanted to speak with him.

I didn't hear well the name, or the name wasn't clear to me, and I asked him:

  Me: With whom?

It that correct to ask this way or should I ask in full sentence such as:

  With whom was you there? or Did you want to speak with whom?


texts: Should I write "to thanks us" or "thanks to us" in the following sentence?

texts:
As previously agreed, to thanks us for our detective work, Mr. Cotard
  provided us with free accommodation.

  As previously agreed, thanks to us for our detective work, Mr. Cotard
  provided us with free accommodation.

What's the correct form? And why?


texts: 'where a death has been,' 'where has been a death,' 'where there has been a death'?

texts:
Which one of these sentences is grammatically correct? I would really appreciate it if the reason were presented.

  (A) It is a very old custom, in some areas, to stop the clocks  in a
  house where has been a death.
  (B) It is a very old custom, in
  some areas, to stop the clocks  in a house where  a death has
  been.
  (C) It is a very old custom, in some areas, to stop the
  clocks in a house where  there has been a death.


texts: What would be a more formal way of saying "do a lot of teaching"?

texts:
I want to say that lecturers at our faculty do a lot of teaching, but to my ears, this phrasing is rather informal – am I right? So, what would be a more formal (or at least less informal) way of saying this? I've tried exchanging the verb and/or the NP with more formal alternatives, but they just don't seem to work very well together. For instance, conduct much teaching or perform a great deal of teaching just sounds weird...
As always, any help I can get would be greatly appreciated!


texts: present contiunuous in a present perfect sentence

texts:
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/trump-north-korea-kim-yong-chol-trip/index.html

  Since that time Trump has insisted that talks with North Korea are
  yielding progress, pointing to the lack of missile and nuclear tests
  as evidence that Pyongyang is moving towards denuclearization.

Why is there this usage?


texts: Several developing nations are observing "a" rapid progress in expanding services for neonates to curtail the under 5 mortality rate

texts:
About using article in the above sentence,

should i add article "a" in front of rapid progress? and reason


texts:
Gwenny: Hello Alexa.

Alexa:  Hello Gwenny.

Gwenny: Long time

Alexa:  Not Long enough

Gwenny: Sorry you didn't make the basketball team.

Alexa:  What? School has not even started.

Gwenny:  And now I'm in your head

Alexa:   Well, I'm in your head and there is an echo because there is nothing else in here with me.

Gwenny: Cause everything left when you walked in.

Alexa: Maybe I'll redecorated all in here

-Don't you dare.

-too late it's done.

Movie: Alexa and Katie.

What does the bold part mean?


texts: Is there any rule that would tell when it's better to use "yet" instead of "but"?

texts:
I've noticed that, unlike native English speakers, I almost never use "yet" and always use "but" instead. This means that I don't see the difference between these two.

  He was clever, but not wise.

  He was clever, yet not wise.

What's the difference in meaning between the two sentences above?

How do I know when it's better to use "yet" instead of "but"?


texts: Is it correct to say "By who was this stick broken?" instead of "Who was this stick broken by"?


texts:
I have read this:

  I am moving tomorrow and the old black lady that lives next to me just
  said “ I am going to miss you. I used to stay up every night when you
  would go out with your friends and I wouldn’t go to sleep until I
  heard your door close and I know you made it home safe.”

Why it says would in: “I used to stay up every night when you would go out with your friends”?

What is the slight difference it make rather than omitting it?

Also, why it says  heard  not hear in: “I wouldn’t go to sleep until I heard your door close."

As I know it is speaking about a routine or habit.


texts:
I have found a sentence on line. I'm confused with the use of the word 'cosmetic' in the sentence. In a dictionary, it is described as a noun (usually plural) and an adjective. Please explain it to me whether the use of 'cosmetic' in the sentence is correct or not.

  Rice starch or rice powder has been used as a cosmetic for a long time.


texts: "This sad memory of mine is something I value."

texts:
Can I start my essay with this sentence below although the memory is not mentioned before? I'm worried because the sentence starts with the word "this." Is the phrase "this memory of mine" the same thing as "my memory"?

This sad memory of mine is something I value.


texts: Phrase order: A house (is being built by them) (next door to our school)

texts:
I was reading an article and I found this:

  A house is being built by them next door to our school.

If I say

  A house next door to our school is being built by them.

Would it make any difference?


texts:
Direct to reported speech conversion for a relatively complicated structure

Direct speech:

  "I was surprised to see the broad claim made that theirs was the first publication to announce that the Wright flying-machine was a success. ... Gleanings announced it to the world a long while before the Scientific American had taken any notice of this wonderful invention."

Reported speech (an attempt):

  Amos Root said he was surprised to see the broad claim made that the Sci. Am. was the first publication to announce that the Wright flying-machine was a success. ... He also considered that Gleanings had announced it to the world a long while before the Scientific American had taken any notice of this wonderful invention.

That combination "I announced before it had taken any notice" puzzles me a bit. "announced" happened before "had taken" while "had taken" is a more distant past as "announced". It sounds like an inversion.

What is the right transformation to indirect speech of what A. Root said?


texts:
I really wonder which sentence below is correct with using "more".

  We have 2 hours more.

Or

  We have 2 more hours.

What I was thinking about "more" is that the second sentence sounds correct. but I am still not sure..


texts: Does the word 'ask' work in all the cases I'm talking about?

texts:
Look at this example:

"Did you fix the loose door at home?
"No, I didn't have time. But don't worry, I asked a servant to fix it."

The word ask has several meanings as I read in dictionaries. In most definitions, it's request or demand. Nevertheless, in the above-mentioned case, it's an order (to the servant). Is the word 'ask' used correctly here? Or does told him work better?
If asked is a polite way to demand/request something, what if someone made a blunder and you were telling (asking?) them to correct it in frustration, how would you say that?

Yes sir, it was a blunder and I'm sorry for the loss. I asked/told Tim to correct it earliest. (Note: No request needed).

This also raises the question in my mind: Ask Vs. told! when you demand (not request) something.


texts: The sentence: "I took a few biology classes and read lots of books on the psychology and physiology of animals."


texts:
When it hatches has a broad face and a long flat tail.

I saw the sentence above on Internet, but it makes no sense to me.

What is the subject of that sentence?


texts: What is the clear difference between "easy" and "simple"

texts: How can I undestand which of the two words I should use in sentences like that: "It is not necessarily easy to think in a new language (especially if you’ve never done it before) but it is still simple – there is no magic here".


texts: What is the exact definition of "ethical" in phrases like "ethical clothes"?

texts:
I come across phrases like "ethical clothes" and "ethical fashion" quite often, but I'm not entirely clear on their definition, particularly the word "ethical" in the above contexts.

Does it imply "appropriate" more so than "high-quality" or "excellent workmanship"?


texts:
Dick Best speaks to pilot, who wants to withdraw from the war, about his father:

  Dick Best: You know how I got his respect? By always staying in the
  fight. I wish I had the luxury of worrying about your confidence, but
  we're short on pilots, so, you gotta suck it up.

What does it mean, "luxury of worrying"?

I never saw "luxury" used as collective noun.

I find this line in movie Midway 2019.


texts: My friend asked me to put the things back where it was and I replied "It is put back now" -- was that correct?


texts:
I have broken the rock with hammer at my home before.
  I have broken the rock at my home with hammer before.

Explain which of the sentence is correct at the situation when use with hammer.


texts:
When second and third conditional sentences are used, are they logical?

  If he won the lottery, he would buy a new car.

The reality is he is not buying a new car. So we can safely say he hasn't won the lottery, right?

  If he had gone to the event, he would have returned home late last night.

The reality is he returned home early last night. So we can safely say he didn't go to the event, right?


texts: "Chinese cuisine" VS "the Chinese cuisine"

texts:
The work reflects Yuan's "orthodox" literati stance on Chinese cuisine, which derided the opulent displays and dishes in banquets of his time. the link

or

  The work reflects Yuan's "orthodox" literati stance on the Chinese cuisine, which derided the opulent displays and dishes in banquets of his time.

My puzzlement is whether "the" before Chinese cuisine is a must-have, optional or a must-not-have.

I don't know why I have the inclination to add "the". Maybe it is because I thought Chinese cuisine is a particular kind of food.


texts: I have a doubt with the phrasal verb "talk someone/yourself out of something", please help me

texts: I've been trying to make some examples with the phrasal verb " talk someone/yourself out of something"(you can find the definition in Cambridge's Dictionary), and I've come up with this one: "She talked her boyfriend out of going out with the other girls. The boy agreed begrudgingly". I'm very confused about the verb talk because I don't know if I have to add the preposition "to" after it. I asked the unanimous Grammarly and it says that I should do it, but I wanted to hear your opinions. Thank you very much, have a nice day. (Sorry if this message is grammatically incorrect)


texts:
Can we use on submit in the meaning of after validation ?

  On submit value a notification will be displayed


texts: How properly to use word discover in English?

texts:
Obviously, it is correct to say: Columbus discovered America.
But can we use it as synonym of "learn"?
For example: I want to say to somebody that I learned his code and scripts.
Can I say: "I discovered your scripts"? Or discovered could be used only for something global(e.g. I discovered astronomy) or philosophic (e.g. I discovered myself etc)


texts:
I know that "used to" is used for an action that is no longer done. But I want to know if I could use "have to" with it. For example if I want to say that getting up early in the morning everyday was something that I never enjoyed thus I had to do it everyday regardless of my unwillingness to do it so the sentence that I think correct is:

  I used to have to get up early in the morning.

So does it convey the meaning that I want it to convey? All I want to say is that I didn't like to do it but I had to to it everyday.


texts: “to check IN on someone” OR “to check on someone“?

texts:
If I mean : “to make sure someone is doing okay, be it in their work, health, or otherwise”,
Have “to check IN on someone” AND “to check on someone“ the same meaning ?
Also, recently, someone wrote me : “Thank you for checking up on me”,
Is it correct as well ? Different ?


texts: "Come up to average" vs. "come up to the average"

texts:
Could you tell if I need to use the in the follwoing context?

In terms of mental ability, I hope I come up to (the) average.

What I'm trying to say is that I hope that my mental ability is avarage. Leaving aside the questions of whether to use the or not there, does the phrase come up to (the) average sound natural?


texts: What does it mean "a junkie's penis hunting" in the following context?

texts:
What does it mean " a junkie's penis hunting" in the following context?

  "I think usually when people think of a "real hormone", they mean
  something that you can take out a vial of blood from whatever site is
  most convenient to measure it, even if the nurse has to pull out a
  junkie's penis hunting for a suitable vein."

By googling I found this definition but it seems that it doesn't have to do something with my context.


texts: Does "are previously proposed" make sense in this sentence?

texts:
Does this sentence make sense considering that it is in the present tense and the presence of previously in it? Is there a better sentence for it?

  Plenty of solutions are previously proposed to address the problem.


texts: What is the difference of these sentences?

texts:
Could you help me understand the change in meaning when I invert these sentences?

  A shop of long standing

  A long standing shop

  We are a family of seven.

  We are a seven family.


texts:
I'm not sure how to  describe a habitual past event.

For this sentence, I did the same thing every day, and they didn't give me any new responsibilities.

In:

  I did the same thing every day, but they didn't give me any credit.
  I did the same thing every day, but they weren't giving me any credit.

I think the first part should be past tense because there is the phrase every day, but for the second part of the sentence, I'm not sure if it should be they didn't give or they weren't giving.


texts: "On the ground further ahead" or "Further ahead on the ground"?

texts:
The mafia people throw the dead guy off the rooftop. On the parking lot below, Mia, heading for the building, is busy checking messages on her phone. She doesn't see the body drop/crash down on the ground further ahead.

Two questions:

Is "drop" and "crash" both natural in the context?

What is more natural: "on the ground further ahead" or "further ahead on the ground" or none of them?


texts: How should I tell apart "would for past habit" from "would for future in the past"?

texts:
During the Napoleonic Wars, Britain's displeasure with continued Danish trade with the French would lead to increasingly aggressive skirmishes at sea.
Britain would grow increasingly concerned that Denmark's fall to the French was inevitable, leaving Britain with restricted access to the Baltic Sea, an unthinkable loss to the British military command.
Haile Selassie returned to his throne as Emperor of Ethiopia following Italy's defeat, and he would rule successfully for nearly 40 years before the arrival of a new threat.

I somehow could guess the first Would is for the habitually happened past actions, and the third is the future tense in the past. But I don't know how did I come to that conclusions... and furthermore the second Would is just over my head. Maybe it's the same with the first one? How on earth should I tell them apart? Is their any signal word to distinguish it?


texts:
Please check both sentences and let me know what is difference between them.

  He is an inspiration for us.

VS

  He is an inspiration to us.


texts:
What do you call the act of pretending to be someone else? Spies often pretend to be someone else. I was wondering if the word "performance" could be used to refer to the act of pretending spies often do? I am wondering if it's only used for stage actors.

For example:

  The spy got lost in his performance and started believing the lies he
  put up to the public.

  The spy got tired of his performance and decided to behave like
  himself, which he later regretted when he noticed someone trailing
  him.


texts: "I know Bryan’s height" or "I know Bryan height"?

texts:
I know that the first is correct. Is the second correct too? Why?

And two more examples to make it clearer:

  I know the tower height

vs

  I know the tower's height

vs

  I know height of the tower


texts:
From https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov, they use the expression "The President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is the premier volunteer awards program".

Why were capital letters used, instead of simply "The president's volunteer service award"? Is it to make acronym or is there any other rule for this?


texts: Saying "sure" to reply to a stranger's "have a great day"?

texts: Is it considered rude to say simply "sure" in response to some stranger's "great day"?


texts:
It's from the sixth episode of the first season of Breaking Bad. The context is one guys took another guy to a drug distributor to sell him drugs. The guy hands him a pack of meth, but the drug dealer refuses to give him money.

Guy A: You said this was cool, okay! Money for meth, cash upfont.
Guy B: Don't front, dude! Tuco's good for it.


texts: What is the English word for "military certificate"?

texts: What is the English word for what is called Wehrpass in German and военный билет in Russian?


texts: What does "were just opening" mean here?

texts:
The expensive shops in a famous arcade near Piccadilly were just
  opening. At this time of the morning, the arcade was almost empty.

I think it means the shops were about to open very soon, but the translation in my book says it means the shops just opened. Is the translation wrong?


texts:
Never Mind Miss Fox

  “Well I never,” she had murmured, smiling. She had let her hands rest on his shoulders andleaned her hips against his until he would have done anything— anything — to keep her there.

Could you help me discern the meaning of the bold-written text?

I know that this model verb with have when it forms a sentence with if, It conveys the meaning of what something would be if it was otherwise done.

But here, in this context, is sort of different.


texts: The use of article in "(The) originator drugs that have been approved and recommended for use are listed in Table 1"

texts:
The originator drugs that have been approved in Russia and are recommended for use as reference drugs are listed in Table 1.

Would the absence of the imply that Table 1 lists only some of the approved-and-recommended drugs? Would the presence of the imply that the table lists all such drugs, with no exceptions?


texts: What is the meaning of "seem as vernacular as artificial" in the sentence?

texts:
Mr Kinnear’s goal is to make the iambic pentameter seem as vernacular as artificial.

I'm confused about the meaning of the bold part of the sentence from an article. Does it mean that Mr Kinnear wanted to make it sound like something vernacular and artificial?


texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences?

  Baking soda has proved effective in both the removal of household
     odors and the reduction of dental tartar.

vs.

  Baking soda has been proved effective in both the removal of
     household odors and the reduction of dental tartar.


texts: I'm about to leave FOR the concert or I'm about to leave TO the concert?

texts:
I'm confused with the preposotions. Can you tell me which one is often used and which one is correct? Thank you.
here goes the sentence

  I'm about to leave FOR the concert

vs.

  I'm about to leave TO the  concert.


texts: What do you call a company logo used for ad purpose?

texts:
I am not sure if there's a word for it, but I am asking the question, because I have trouble making a sentence sound fine without such a word. I am not sure if it's one of those cases where we can do nothing about it, but I feel there might be a rarely used word that might be of help.

Here's an example:

  He tattooed a bunch of company logos on his arms for advertisement
  purpose.

Company logos sounds weird, there must be at least a word that corresponds to company logos even if there's no perfect match for "company logo used for ad purpose".


texts:
Could tell me what call into work mean? For example:

First things first, I have to call into work.

Does it mean briefly visit one's place of work?


texts:
I'm making subtitles to a video about sights of London...but there is a couple of moments in the video,when pronunciation is not very intelligible.

Please help me to figure out what is being said:

Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrJNIUp2izQ

  0:50 - there's lots of shows,markets, ****** restaurants. The river
  Thames and ***** Tate Galleries,and ****  is the London Eye

  1:30 -"Duck tours" are amazing ****bus, then it turns into a bout.


texts:
I am confused about the following:

  He fell on his side/back.
  He fell over on his side/back.

I definitely found both versions on google.  Could the second version have redundancy with "over", because if a person has fallen in such a way that he ends up on his side/back, he must definitely have fallen over?


texts:
which one is correct?

  1.I have bought three nails.
  2.I have bought three pieces of nail.

is nail a material or common noun?
arm a proper noun or common noun?


texts: What is it meant by " 'get the capacity' to understand their study purpose"?

texts:
I am reading a reference book and there is a sentence which I don't really understand.
Here is the sentence:

  They have not grown old enough to get the capacity to understand their study purpose.

What is meant by "get the capacity"? Can anyone use an alternative phrase to explain this?


texts: In what contexts can I say "in the school"?

texts: In what cases it is correct to say "in the school"? Are there any situations, in which that combination of words placed in the end of a sentence would be correct?


texts: Is the child correct when saying "the balloon is flying on my hand"?

texts:
I taught my child a lot of expressions to a point that he can create his own words.
Today he said "the balloon is flying on my hand" when he was holding a balloon by its neck and it was swaying back and forth when it was triggered by some wind.
I have never used the preposition "on" like that before, he must have chosen that preposition based on his own judgement and experience.
Is the child correct when saying "the balloon is flying on my hand" in this situation?


texts: 'Someone playing 'A' someone' - what kind of expression is that?

texts:
I don't remember but I read it somewhere. It was ...

  someone played a someone

It is the indefinite article there I want to know about.

If we think of a context wherein a kid called Jackie plays a role of 'Neo' from 'The Matrix' in his school's drama, is this sentence possible?

  Jackie played a Keanu Reeves

Do we use such construction? If yes, why is there the indefinite article?

Note: I'm pretty sure the indefinite article was followed by the proper noun and that's it. I'm aware of the construction - I played an MJ song.


texts: Can an adjective phrase include conjunction?

texts:
Probably, if I had lately left a good home and kind parents, this would have been the hour when I should most keenly have regretted the separation; that wind would then have saddened my heart; this obscure chaos would have disturbed my peace: as it was, I derived from both a strange excitement, and reckless and feverish, I wished the wind to howl more wildly, the gloom to deepen to darkness, and the confusion to rise to clamour. (Jane Eyre)

I guess ‘and’ is not necessary or an awkward word, for ‘reckless and feverish’ makes an adjective phrase itself. If this is right, is ‘and’ used just for a literary rhythm, or can an adjective phrase include conjunction?


texts:
What is the meaning of the sentences

  You don't owe me anything.

  I don't owe you anything.

  we don't owe each other anything.

Is there any other way of saying the same thing in English, but in a more native manner (way)? If yes, then please let me know.


texts: "London in England" vs. "London of England"

texts:
How to write this sentence properly?

  "He lives in London in England."

Or:

  "He lives in London of England."


texts: Problem in pronunciation of voiced and unvoiced th

texts:
My sister and I have problem in pronunciation of voiced and unvoiced Th. We used to substitute unvoiced th with \s\ (like in think) and \t\ (like in thank you) and voice th with \d\

Now we are trying to use the correct pronunciation. We have watched so many online tutorials (For example this one). Here is how she pronounces these sounds:

unvoiced th

voiced th

I think her pronunciation for unvoiced th is almost correct, but her pronunciation for voiced th sounds a little like zzz. Would you please listen to these pronunciations to see if they are correct?


texts:
How often do you use "can('t) have done" structure? I have read and watched relatively enough but my eye and ear are not accustomed to it.

He can't have been at the meeting, he's on a business trip this week.
They can't have bought it today because the shops are closed.
I don't think I can have been listening to the same debate.
How our usage can have gone from under 2Gb monthly to over 15Gb.


texts: are the pronuncations of 'ei' and 'ej' the same in İPA?

texts: For example, ipa version of play is pleı and if l change it as plej in İPA. Are they stil pronounced the same ?


texts:
I have a method which I need to test its performance for real data set.

Is it correct to say:

This part of the chapter aims to test the performance of the method A *when applying on* the real datasets*.

Or
This part of the chapter aims to test the performance of the method A *when
applying to* the real data sets*.

Which of my sentence is correct grammarly? and why?

Thanks in advance.


texts: How to avoid repeating the adjective "corresponding"?

texts:
I have the following sentence:

  If the context relies on a single anchor (Self, Parent, Following), the nodes within the corresponding scope are treated with regard to this context and a corresponding node is created in the output XML file.

In general, many times I need the word "corresponding" and don't know much synonyms or equivalent structures for the sentence.

I looked it up in thesaurus.com but none of the synonyms are as strong as the "corresponding" and can be used in its place.


texts: "Keep something" vs "stand by something"

texts:
I have heard both of the sentences below in quite similar cases. I wonder if you could let me know how can I distinguish between them and how they differ in meaning? do they mean the same thing?

  1) Keep your promise.
  2) Stand by your promise.

Or I've heard many times they say:

  3) I'll keep my word.
  4) I'll stand by my word.

I wonder if you could let me know more about these structures.

Thank you.


texts:
And as new nodes pour into the network, power laws
  take over, allowing those providing the greatest value
  to experience exponential rewards, with inactivity
  pushing competitors towards insignificance.

I have problem in this part pushing competitors towards insignificance it is ambiguous for me.


texts:
I ran today into a weird piece of English.

We were a few colleagues chit-chatting on the hallway at work. Another colleague passed by, and we invited him to chat with us.

I expected the invitation to be:

  Join us!

However, one of those colleagues, taking English classes as a foreigner, told us, as explained by his teacher (also not native English speaker), that the following is also fine, with the same meaning:

  Join in us!

And also that the following is wrong:

  Join to us!

I never ever encountered the second form, and I think that only "Join us!" is correct.

Bottom line: is "Join in us!" also correct / acceptable?


texts: What is the difference between “do” and “make”?

texts:
When should I use do, and when should I use make?

  I made supper.

  I'm doing my homework now.

  He made it easier.

Is it true that make implies creation?


texts: Which part of the speech the word "excess" is?

texts:
I'm learning English grammar. I have come across the parts of speech: noun, adjective, adverb, and preposition.

But I could not decide on what part of speech 'excess' is in the sentence below:

  Therefore no employee will be eligible to accumulate leave in excess of 2 years entitlement at any point of time.

What is the part of speech of the word "excess" in the above sentence?


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct , 'There is nothing like Australia'

texts: I know that it's an object and you can use it may be like that but I thought when you are referring to a country you more faith as a culture and I am not sure if it can be used in the context 'there is nothing like Australia' may be a better fit


texts:
I think below sentence has a subject/verb agreement. Here noun is singular but there are two adjectives.

  Public and private life is to be governed.

If the sentence has an error, please explain with suitable examples


texts: Is there any idiom that means "hard to believe"?

texts: I can think of "difficult to swallow", but I can't think of anything else. There's got to be more, right?


texts:
I met him in New York.
I met a beggar in New York.
I met the beggar in New York.

What is the part of speech of 'in New York'? Is it an adjective phrase or an adverbial phrase? Or can it be both?

My explanation for #2 is as follows.

Where did you meet a beggar? I met a beggar in New York. If this is the answer to the question, in Sentence 2, 'in New York' is an adverbial phrase.

Which person did you meet? I met a beggar in New York. (This one means I met a beggar who was in New York.) In this cases, 'in New York' is an adjective phrase. There are many beggars in New York. And I met a beggar of all the beggars in New York.

What do you think about my explanation?


texts:
Sometime we use "to" after “went down” and sometime not, for example,

  Went down the garden
  vs
  went down to the garden

Can you explain me when to use to with an example please?


texts: What does " assuming responsibility " mean?

texts:
I think you assume responsibility when you think  someone who is on-duty does not  behave in responsible way so you do the job without authorization.

Are they used also in the following senses?

  1.The state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone:

    Women bear children and take responsibility for childcare

  2.The state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something:

    The group has claimed responsibility for a string of murders


texts: Giving out an imitate pronunciation of foreign words

texts:
Suppose I write a paragraph about a person named Richardo. Richardo's rolling r does not exist in English pronunciation. So the pronunciation guide I provided is just an approximation, not accurate pronunciation. How should I let readers aware it is a simulation?

Richardo, pronounced like rre-kaa-doh, is a businessperson ...
Richardo, pronounced close to rre-kaa-doh, is a businessperson ...
Richardo, pronounced similar to rre-kaa-doh, is a businessperson ...
Richardo, imitated pronounced as rre-kaa-doh, is a businessperson ...


texts: “Four types of gases” or “four type of gases”?

texts: Shall we use type or types after a number. For example: 'four types of gases' or 'four type of gases'. Which of these is correct?


texts:
Is there any difference between the two sentences:

The country has achieved sustained economic growth for past decade.
The country has achieved sustainable economic growth for past decade.


texts: Is there a golden rule to judge what the word "which" stands for in a sentence?

texts:
There are many rules to help us judge what the word "which" stands for in a sentence. But there always have so many exceptions. And the best way for judging seems to use these rules as well as make the meaning of a sentence logical. But do you meet the situations in which you don not have enough knowledge to see whether the sentence is logical, especially when you are a beginner in some field. For examples:

In the above sentence, what does "which" stand for? The real variable or the symbol tan-1? If i have no idea about the argument of the complex variable of the logarithmic function, how can I make the judgement?

In these situations, as a native speaker, what will you do? Do you have a golden rules or some experiments? Or just search for the concepts until you know everything? Well, that makes sense, but sometimes will it be a great challenge?

Thanks in advance.


texts: 'Customers from [country]' or 'Customers in [country]'?

texts:
The latest line on Amazon.com

I wonder the use of in there instead of from. Am I missing something?

Does Amazon wants to restrict the base of clientele from India? Having this said, it's addressing the customers already in India and not all Indians who want to become the customers of Amazon?


texts:
1.We neither stop nor slow down our car.

  2.We neither stop our car nor slow down it.

Which is suitable for correlative conjunction?