texts: What does "oblong and wide like several sports fields and bordering the forest" mean in this context?

texts:
I would like to know what "oblong and wide
like several sports fields and bordering the forest" means in the following sentences:

‘Isn’t this house something?’ you said as we put down our things and
unpacked. ‘It’s practically a castle.’
I nodded. I wanted to be alone, to have the place all to myself, to
take everything in. There was a view over the garden – a park, really
– oblong and wide like several sports fields and bordering the
forest. I stood and watched the last specks of light dissolve above
it, forgetting myself, until the darkness outside was complete and I
could see my face in the window. I turned back to the room. It was
large, probably as big as Pani Kolecka’s little flat. There were two
single beds, heavy and gleaming, separated by a nightstand with a
porcelain lamp. A door led to a large bathroom with a bathtub. I
turned on the tap, enjoyed the savage rumble of the water filling the
tub. Steam rose from it. I undressed and got in, leaving the door open
to see what I could of the park. The water was too hot, scalding
almost, but it embraced me. I lay there for a long time, feeling my
skin prickle from the heat, feeling droplets of sweat form on my
forehead, letting my mind wander. After a while my eyes closed all by
themselves.

Tomasz Jedrowski, Swimming in the Dark, Chapter 6

In this novel which is set in the 1980's in Poland under the socialist regime, where homosexuality was socially unacceptable, the protagonist Ludwik (a university graduate) left Poland in 1981 to live in the United States of America. And he remembers what it was like back then in Poland, where he decided to spend some days at the country house of Hania's family with his lover Janusz, Hania's brother Maksio, and Maksio's girlfriend Agata. So they (the five of them) arrived at the country house.
In this part, I wonder what the underlined expression means. Does it mean that the park was a narrow square, which was wide, like several sports fields attached to each other...? And that the park was situated right next to the forest?


texts: Checking correctness of "If you ever do say like that......"

texts:
Can I say the following sentence to a person I'm angry with? I heard this when I was watching "13 Reasons Why":

  If you ever do say like that to your mother, I will kill you.

I'm an Indian, and I've been learning English watching American shows and they speak too fast, eating some words so I may not have heard it correctly.

I know that the following is acceptable and correct

  I do say like that.

So, considering the above statement, I think it's correct. But I'm not sure. Could someone please help me?


texts:
In the movie titled 'Inside Out', one character (the manager of dream film) says, 'pan away' to change the direction of the camera.

I googled the phrase 'pan away' but didn't get any useful result.

What does 'pan away' mean?

How can I use it in the colloquial conversations?


texts: I'm furious with his CONSTANT(LY) laughing at the girl - CONSTANT or CONSTANTLY?

texts:
Which one, adverb or adjective, modifies the gerund after its possessive?

This is an example to make the above question clear: I'm furious with HIS CONSTANT(LY) laughing at the girl.

Which modifier, CONSTANT or CONSTANTLY, do you think is correct?


texts: How does "she told the publication" make sense in this context?

texts:
“The past six months have been incredibly difficult for me,” she told the publication. “I’ve been working with a writer on my book, Brutally Honest, and it has been unbelievably traumatic reliving an emotionally abusive relationship and confronting so many massive issues in my life.

According to this dictionary, publication can mean:

  n.

  the act of publishing a book, periodical, map, piece of music, engraving, or the like.
  the act of bringing before the public; announcement.
  the state or fact of being published.
  something that is published, esp. a periodical.

None of them seems fit. I guess publication means publishing house or an agency that provides the publishing service.

So, what does it truly mean here?

The full source.


texts: I don't know which is correct in this sentence, "rose" or "raised"

texts:
I was wondering in this sentence whether to use rose or raised:

  Yes, they said she rose from the dead to haunt her husband.


texts: Can A/an go with noun1 and noun 2 Or A/an must always go with adj + noun?

texts: Example:He is old enough to live an (depend) life,can someone explain me why can't i use indepence instead of independent?


texts: Active/passive : The thief stole my cloak as I was asleep in the waiting room

texts:
The thief stole my cloak as I was asleep in the waiting room.

Which is the better option to change voice of the above given sentence from the below given two options :

A) My cloak was stolen as I was asleep in the waiting room.

Or

B) As I was asleep in the waiting room, my cloak was stolen.

I had four options with me out of which I managed to rule out two options but I am confused between these two options, my book has A as answer but my question is why A why not B ? Is there any difference in meaning ? Why A is better ?


texts:
When talking about form of transport, we could say "take a bus", "get the subway".

In this context, should I use "get the boat" or "get a boat"?

Google Ngram gives this plot


texts: What is omitted in the idiom "do somebody good"?

texts:
An example sentence: "Exercising regularly would do you good."

Is a word such as "things", is omitted in this idiom?
("Exercising regularly would do you good (things).")

I don't get why an adjective(=good), but not a noun comes after 'you'.
This doesn't sound grammatically correct.


texts:
Is the following use of "since" natural?

Peter met Mary twenty years ago. Since then they have gotten married. Five years ago, however, they divorced.

Does "since then they have gotten married" imply they are still married at the time of speech, and thus present a contradiction with "five years ago, however, they divorced"?


texts: What does the meaning of "five hours start" in this sentence?

texts:
Sentence:

  That's strange. He was booked for two days then just after 11:00, he
  suddenly asks for his bill and leaves. He's got five hours start. Put out an alert for the car.

Context: police came to the place, but somehow suspect escapes from the place.
So above words were spoken by commissioner to his partner.


texts: Can I use "take your advice" to refer to points expressed about my code?

texts:
My advisor had some points about my code, but I was unable to use what he had recommended. I was wondering if "take your advice" is a correct phrase for these points said about my code?

My sentences are:

  I'm sorry that I didn't take your advice about SVM and Kmeans, I don't have these toolboxes, I will download them and update the code soon.


texts: Should I use a comma in this sentence before "and"?

texts:
Could you please tell me if the punctuation of the following sentence is correct:

  I know I would be an asset to your team and my knowledge and international experience will be a very good foundation for future work at Y-Company Name.

I am very confused regarding the "and" comma rules in this case.


texts: Sentence Structure - “You've got vs you got to see

texts:
I would like to check if my following sentence structure is correct.

  You've got to see my enemy's face when I was winning.

or

  You got to see my enemy's face when I was winning.


texts:
I have a question about "important".  When we say <something> is important, that "<something>" is assumed to be positive/desirable.
But when we way something is NOT important, then that something could be either positive/desirable or negative/undesirable.

"Earning money is important"
"Losing money is important"
"Earning money is not important"
"Losing money is not important"

I have a feeling that #2 is weird.  What do native speakers think?


texts:
As far as I know, A is twice as many as B is the same as Twice as many A as B.
Can I convert it into an uncountable form ? like the below.

The size of a room I saw is twice (or two times) as much as that of my room.
The size of a room I saw is twice (or two times) that of my room.
I have a half as much my room size as that of the room I saw.


texts: "after", "before" with or without past perfect

texts: 1) I had seen her before she saw me. 2) I saw her before she had seen me. Sentence 1 is clear to me but I have a doubt about sentence 2. Can we use "before" with past perfect tense? Likewise can we use "after" in place of "before" in the above sentences?


texts: After the phrase, "a supply of school supplies and snacks", would I use was sent or were sent for the verb in the sentence?


texts:
Which of the following questions is grammatically correct:

Why didn't you deposit yesterday?

or

Why haven't you deposited yesterday?


texts: At what tenses can I use the "to be going to" and "used to" constructions?

texts:
There are constructions like:
to be going to
used to
be used to
get used to
At what tenses can i use them?
For example
"to be going to" in past simple looks well: I was going to...
But "to be going to" in future simple probably looks strange: I will be going to...


texts:
What is correct form of this sentence?

  higher percentage of these tax returns being caught as fraudulent can
  be due to intentional misstatements.

Is it better to say could be due to?


texts:
An intransitive verb is a verb that denotes an action which does not pass over to an object or which expresses a state or being

  He ran a long distance.

According to me here run is a transitive verb because it has its object a long distance. But in my grammar book it is said to be intransitive. I am confused over this.


texts: This comma affects the meaning of the sentence?

texts:
I want to reduce the length of this sentence by adding a comma. However, I am wondering if the meaning changes because of this?. FYI: There is no space between "realize" and the comma, the space appears because I used "**" to highlight the comma.
1.)The experience of the Agricultural Research Centre at the PTS in semi-arid crops makes me realize its researchers have experience with similar issues and conditions to those we have here.
2.)The experience of the Agricultural Research Centre at the PTS in semi-arid crops makes me realize , its researchers have experience with similar issues and conditions to those we have here.


texts: What does "tiger" mean when applied to a person (profession)?

texts:
I've trouble with this passage from Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens (The Great Wingleburry Duel):

  ‘That’s the young Nobleman,’ replied the lady, with a great stress on the last word.  ‘Dear Lord Peter is considerably afraid of the resentment of his family; and we have therefore thought it better to make the match a stolen one.  He left town, to avoid suspicion, on a visit to his friend, the Honourable Augustus Flair, whose seat, as you know, is about thirty miles from this, accompanied only by his favourite tiger.  We arranged that I should come here alone in the London coach; and that he, leaving his tiger and cab behind him, should come on, and arrive here as soon as possible this afternoon.’

What does "tiger" mean here?

From the context it appears to be one of the lord's servants. But I didn't find a meaning like that in dictionary or wikipedia.

I've found the translation of the aforementioned sketch: "tiger" was translated as groom. That makes me wonder what's the etymology here?


texts: How should we understand "unobscured by flying friends" in this context?

texts:
Silence fell between the four of them as they looked up at the sky. There was no sign of movement; the stars stared back, unblinking, indifferent, unobscured by flying friends. Where was Ron? Where were Fred and Mr Weasley? Where were Bill, Fleur, Tonks, Mad-Eye and Mundungus?

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I'm not sure how to understand "unobscured by flying friends" in this context. I don't really see anyone flying here. I'm kind of confused.


texts: I want to say there's a chameleon which is sometimes red and sometimes blue. I can express it as 'there's a chameleon sometimes red and sometimes blue,' but can I also express it as 'there's a red and blue chameleon'?


texts: How much is it common that we put something in parenthesis for formal writing?

texts:
For example, please take a look at the upper map illustrated, here: https://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2018/07/ielts-writing-task-1-band-9-map-answer.html
To avoid writing a similar sentence, is it possible we write a sentence like below in our writing:

The west (east) entrance road to the town bifurcates in two forks in order that its southern branch ends up to the school (the park).


texts: Can I use the relative pronoun "where" here?

texts:
In articles I have see extensively that the pronoun where is used to relate something which does not have anything to do with places, locations, sites, etc.. Consider:

  Newton's second law of motion is given by F=ma where m is the mass, and a stands for the acceleration. ( concocted by me )
  Furthermore, the incompatibility of timber growing and cattle grazing seems obvious where either of these two industries is to be conducted under intensive management. ( google book )
  He grew up in a family where what he was supposed to be when he grew up was clear: he was to be an electrician ( google book )
  Furthermore, the linear quadratic problem has been studied for systems where the evolution of the state is described by partial differential equations ( google book )

It seems that we can use where to describe a sentence, a procedure, a supposition and many things. Am I right? Would you provide me with more insights about this pronoun. With this regard, can I always describe something done by others, especially by researchers, using where?

Additional Information

What is "describing something done by others,  especially by researchers"?

Consider you are asked to conclude your research on a topic in the shape of research papers. So, at the beginning of the paper you start with introducing why it is important to research about that topic and review the previous works having similar topic. In this context, you summarize their work and discuss about their results to demonstrate why further investigation or studies is important. Thus, you need to describe sentences, procedures, suppositions, models, figures, assumptions, criteria, and others of that ilk. So, I want to know can I always use the pronoun "where" to describe/justify/paraphrase (relative clause) the previous works?

For example:

They considered X where the authors neglect the Y.

X has been done where the marginal parameter Z was not taken into consideration.


texts: Meaning of "She denied prior knowledge of the meeting."

texts:
I didn't understand what the sentence "She denied prior knowledge of the meeting." means exactly. The possible meanings to me;

1) She refused that she had some information about the meeting.

2) She refused to get information prior to the meeting.

What is the exact meaning of the sentence and why?

And If the first is true option, Can I write the sentence as "She refused that she had had some information about the meeting that was held." to emphasize that the meeting was held after she got information?


texts: Is this "that" a relative pronoun or a demonstrative pronoun?

texts:
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to
  start."  . . . . . .

  Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently
  placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the
  stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed
  and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the
  house.     Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it,
  Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing - noticing
  that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it,
  too. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

I’m confused about whether ‘that’ is a relative pronoun or a demonstrative pronoun. The former doesn’t seem to make sense, so I think it’s the latter. If it’s a demonstrative pronoun, (1) is its referent the italicized sentence? And, (2) as a result, does ‘the sort of thing’ naturally refer to the ‘the Sorting Ceremony’?


texts:
In the following sentence

  He decided to get up early, to wear nice dress and to visit his aunt.

Conjugation and is used. Since after and before and same proposition is used.
So my question is can we omit any of them and write

  He decided to get up early, wear nice dress and  visit his aunt.

Or

  He decided to get up early, to wear nice dress and  visit his aunt.


texts:
If the light is turned on, and a person is trying to sleep,he asks the other person to turn off the light.
Will it be natural to use:

  That light is bothering my eyes.

Is there a more natural way to describe this?

And a light that  is very bright, is flashed into someone's eyes or flashes into someone's eyes, what will be a natural way to describe it:

  This light is so bright that it is bothering my eyes.

I couldn't think of a natural way to describe this. So in any of such sentences, how is it described by the natives?


texts: grammar / meaning “I was going to do the washing, but we would run out of washing powder.”

texts:
The explanations of my grammar book is as follows.
1)  “They left the house at 6.00 a.m. and would reach Edinburgh some 12 hours later.” (=they reached Edinburgh)
2)  He was sure that the medical tests would show that he was healthy. (=we don’t know whether he was healthy or not)
I think I understand sentence 2 (from the context of “he was sure”) but how do we know the fact (=they reached Edinburgh) in sentence 1?
And how about saying “and reached Edinburgh some 12 hours later.”? (because we know that the tense is “the future seen from the past” from the time expression of “12 hours later”)
And is it possible for us to know whether something did happen or not in following sentences? Then how or why can we know?
1)  “I was going to do the washing, but we would run out of washing powder.”
2)  The exam was so easy that most people would have finished after 30 minutes.
3)  So in my excitement I arrived early. I would putt some; maybe do some
chipping;
Likewise, how about saying (1)“we ran out of ---“, (2)”finished--- .
I think that “would” in sentence (3) refers to “prediction” and we don’t know about the happening yet until the speaker tell us about the result.
Am I wrong? Then may I know why?


texts:
Do you mind if I tried this shirt on?

  Do you mind if I take your ticket?

Why these two sentences used different tenses, and is there any different meaning, especially when speaking about a happening act, like trying on， they used a past tense？


texts:
I read an online review and came across the expression It’s hard to tell — which work well. Would native speakers speak in this way?

Here is the full context:

  While the nose is equally anise and room-filling, on the tongue it pops with a variety of herbal and some fruit flavors. Lemon peel is apparent as is pepper. Lots of green and grassy herbs — maybe rosemary? it’s hard to tell — which work well with the fruit and spice and, of course, the anise. The flavors work well together, and the spirit is very balanced on the whole. St. George is easy to drink without being simplistic and watery.


texts:
Well, I am confused about the directions I should give to the test section with the following characteristics:

There are ten situations that can be represented by proverbs on the question-sheet. The students are to write the proverbs. One situation needs one proverb only. Which instruction is the best:

Write a proverb for each situation.
Write a proverb representing each situation.
Write proverbs representing each situation.
Write proverbs representing the situations.


texts: What does "which" mean in this sentence?

texts:
When you use the Service we collect IMSI to obtain the network speed
  so as to display the use condition on the notification bar of your
  Smartphone and on the interface of the Service, which is part of our
  Service.

What does "which" in the bold part refer to? Does "which" refer to the act of displaying use condition on the notification bar and on the interface? Or does "which" refer to "the interface of the Service"? I read it from Privacy Policy.


texts: What's the difference in meaning between "goods" and "commodity" in the following paragraph?

texts:
Let's get the preliminaries out of the way: (https://www.collinsdictionary.com)

goods (gʊdz )
Goods are things that are made to be sold.

commodity (kəmɒdɪti )
A commodity is something that is sold for money.

As seen above, the definitions are pretty close to each other, goods and commodities are things that are sold for money. However, the following paragraph implies that there's a difference between the meanings:

The forces of abundance, Asia and automation turn goods and services into commodities so quickly that the only way to survive is by constantly developing new innovations, inventing new categories, and giving the world something it didn't know it was missing.

What's the difference between goods and commodity here? do they share the same meaning? I used to think they meant the same thing but this paragraph has me doubt my understanding.
PS: I'm well aware that there's a similar question on the website, but mine is quite different from it, in that I'm interested to know the difference in meaning between the two words in CONTEXT, the other question asks about the difference in GENERAL. here's a link to it:
What's the difference between "product" , "goods" and "commodity"?


texts: Is the word "saying" a gerund in these lyrics?

texts:
I'm bad at love (ooh-ooh)
  But you can't blame me for tryin'
  You know I'd be lyin' sayin'
  You were the one (ooh-ooh)
  That could finally fix me
  Lookin' at my history
  I'm bad at love

  -- Bad at love by Halsey

Is saying a gerund in these lyrics?


texts:
Statistically, how to describe a theory making from one's own experience and haven't been tested by others?

A sample of one?
A one-person sample?

Googling both phrases doesn't yield any meaningful result.

Example: Regardless of how much it helps me to be more stable, confident and sensitive than before, it's just _____________.


texts: Unless + negative in an exmple, makes sense?

texts:
First, I am not sure whether it is grammatically correct (that would be my first question) and I would like to know whether it is a normal usage or I should rather avoid that:

  I heard he likes gambling. I will lend him the money unless it is true.

  I heard he quit gambling. I will lend him the money unless it is not true.


texts:
Is there an English term for clerks that frequently work outside the office? Google Translate suggests it's “field clerk” but I'm not sure if it's correct.
Thank you.


texts: "I have a bad day." or "I had a bad day." At night which one is more natural?

texts:
When I had a bad day I say "I had a bad day.", but my friend said "I have a bad day.".

Technically the day ends at 0 o'clock, but I think past tense is more suitable because we are talking about something already happened.

Which one is more natural to say at night?


texts: What is the English expression for "rafting to the upstream, swimming to the edge"

texts:
What is the English expression for the state that someone has to be "sick" beforehand, then at the end achieving the best result?

In my native language, it's said:

  Rafting to the upstream areas (of water)[having sickness beforehand because of hard efforts], swimming to the edge (of the river bank)[achieving the best result at the end].


texts:
As both impose on and impose upon are of correct prepositions, what is their difference, let's say you are writing an academic essay.

  I think impose on sounds academic already, BUT,
  does impose upon more academic sounding?

Ex.1 Artists should have no limitations imposed on them.

Ex.2 Artists should have no limitations imposed upon them.

Is there any difference?


texts: "has been" or "have been" is the right grammar

texts:
I always get confuse where precisely I should use "Has been" and "Have been".
For example, to respond to my client related to a issue reported few days back:

  "This report problem has been resolved"

or

  "This report problem have been resolved"?

Some of my friends use "Have been" on similar scenarios.


texts: Does it mean that men are more likely to harass people or is it saying that men harassing men is more common than women harassing women?

texts:
Link to the source where this is found

Men are more likely than women to harass.
Both male and female students are more likely to
be harassed by a man than by a woman. Half of
male students and almost one-third of female
students admit that they sexually harassed
someone in college, and about one-fifth of male
students admit that they harassed someone often
or occasionally. Although equal proportions of
male and female students say that they harassed a
student of the other gender, male students are
more likely to admit to harassing other male
students. Almost one-quarter of male harassers
admit to harassing male students, compared to
one-tenth of female harassers who admit to
harassing female students.

My question is: The first part of the paragraph seems to say that men are more likely to harass people, but the later portion of it says that men harassing men is more common than women harassing women. What is the paragraph actually trying to say? Can someone help me calrify this please? Thanks.


texts: the difference between "here" and "in here"

texts:
I have this confusion about whether to use "here" or "in here"

For example, if I am in an event and speaking with somebody, and I want to express that someone else is also present in this event. Should I say "xxx(the person's name) is also in here" or just  "xxx(the person's name) is also here"

Also, when I am travelling in some places and talking with the locals, should I say "I just arrived here two days ago" or "I just arrived in here two days ago"

Also, do they always have the same meaning?

Thanks


texts: When do I have to put 'a' before 'one' as a pronoun?

texts:
I wonder if there is a rule on that score. Judging from the examples below, it just looks as if you don't put a when one goes alone, and you have to use it when one goes with an adjective. Am I wrong?

  We've run out of clean towels. - It's ok, I have a spare one.

  I was looking for a clean towel but couldn't find one.

  What towel would you like? - Just an ordinary one, I don't really
  care.

  Can I have a towel? - Go to the bathroom and take one.

  Did you buy me a towel? - Yes, a big yellow one.


texts:
What is the difference between "compose" and "comprise"?

I try to avoid the use of comprise and compose when I am using English language at all costs as I just cannot seem to use them correctly.

Can anyone explain their use?


texts: "prettier of the two" or "THE prettier of the two?

texts:
Am I using 'the' at the wrong place in the following sentence? Which sentence is correct?

  • She is the prettier of the two sisters.

OR,

  • She is prettier of the two sisters.


texts: Is there any English word(s) used to describe person who likes to make a fool of other people?

texts:
What word can I use to call someone who thinks he can fool everybody because he thinks they are not so clever as he is?. In my research I got these:

Adjectives - condescending, patronizing, snooty, egotistic, snobby, pompous, arrogant, conceited, sneering and supercilious.
Nouns - smart-arse, douche-bag.

I am looking for a word or expression preferably in noun form like 2 above but warned of being for informal situations. I wanted to use the word to warn someone whose behaviour I disapprove of trying to fool me as he thinks he does on others. Like I want to warn him by saying to his face "you patronizer you can fool others but not me". Does the word patronizer sounds ok here without sounding unsual?. If not, can someone suggest better expression?


texts: Which preposition to use before participation -- in or on?

texts:
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:

  I had one social studies teacher who proclaimed to us on the first day of class that everyone was expected to speak "correct and proper English" in class and  failure to do so would mean marks off on participation.

I don't know what sort of "participation" is he talking about here? Is it class participation of a student? And what should be the preposition before it? In or on?


texts: Object usage and its corresponding relative pronoun

texts:
We remain who we are
We remain whom we are

Which of the above sentences is correct?


texts:
I have read a sentence which made me confused:

  But Mary suddenly laughed, "How could that be?" she said. "It's only 2008 this year."

I wonder whether I can replace the first comma with a period because I think the sentence should be:

  But Mary suddenly laughed.  "How could that be?" she said. "It's only 2008 this year."


texts: Use of article with "heavy traffic" vs. "a traffic jam"

texts:
I would like to discuss the difference between the usage in these sentences below:

  I was delayed by a traffic jam.
  I was delayed by heavy traffic.

The second one is correct, based on a TOEFL test sample. I also wonder why the sentence below is incorrect in the test:

  I was delayed by a heavy traffic

Both traffic jam and heavy traffic are objects. I know the preposition a must be put before traffic jam in this example, because the event is specific.


texts: "I waited 4 years to see SS2" vs "I had to wait 4 years to see SS2"

texts:
My friend and I were talking about a movie called "Attack on Titans". The SS1 sequel began airing in  2013 while SS2 began airing in 2017.

I want to say this to my friend, but I don't have a better way to say it. Could anyone show me a better way to say this?


texts: Making out the difference between "at Christmas", "in the Christmas holiday", "on the Christmas day"

texts:
I'm wondering if "in the Christmas holiday" is acceptable. If we put down "at Christmas", we want to talk about the period of Christmas holidays.
For example:

  We always break up for the holidays at our granny's at Christmas.

In a like manner, "on Christmas day" refers to one specific day:

  There are a lot of sales on Christmas day.

I've just found "in the Christmas holiday(s)" in the book. There is no other context. Since the first means "period" and the second "one day", the third one is odd to me. That is the main reason which has brought about this question.


texts: Are uncountable nouns affected by these words (some - a lot of - many - much)?

texts:
It is a basic question but I really need the answer.

I know that uncountable nouns are always "singular". For example we say: Information is good / Milk is useful.

What happens when I use these words before an uncountable noun? Which one of the following sentences are correct?

A) Some information is ...

B) Some information are ...

C) A lot of information is ...

D) A lot of information are...

E) Many information is ...

F) Many information are...

G) Much information is...

H) Much information are...

I) More information is...

J) More information are...

I used the word "Information" in the previous sentences as an example but I would like to know a general rule.

Thank you very much,


texts: Meaning of "matched by" in the given text

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of "match by" in the following sentence:

"When, after 1850, governments began to rid cities of
some of their worst slums, many working class men and women discovered that urban ‘improvement’ meant relocation into dreary ‘model’ tenements, whose amenities were matched by their barrack like anonymity; or
removal from one dilapidated structure to another in the wake of a clearance scheme—the nineteenth century called it ‘ventilation’—that replaced
ancient, overcrowded housing with a more sanitary—and for the landlord,
more profitable—railway switching yard."

For more context, please visit the following link:

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Pcf1nrvUwD0C&pg=PA57&dq=were+matched+by+their+barrack+life&hl=hi&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjM35L_7bvWAhXEsY8KHfGfBAUQ6AEIJTAA#v=onepage&q=were%20matched%20by%20their%20barrack%20life&f=false


texts: What does "jumped at small noises" mean in this context?

texts:
Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.

This is from the book Harry Potter. I don't get what "jumped at small noises" mean in this context. I tried to search "jumped at small noises" and "at small noises", but came out nothing useful.

I guess those small noises refer to what he had hummed? I can picture he was dancing with what he hummed. But I'm not really sure about it.

P.S. [I think he was nervous. He was trying to block those letters sending to Harry.]


texts: What is the difference between "my game has just crashed" and "my game crashed"?

texts:
If I want to say that my game crashed in this instant could I use both sentences below?

  1 my game has just crashed

  2 my game crashed

If not, then what is the difference between 1 and 2?


texts: Confusion about articles and quantifiers: "a pair of scissors" vs "any scissors" vs "scissors"

texts:
Which of the following questions, if any, would work (or you would normally say) when asking a colleague or a class-mate? I am asking them for the purpose of using/borrowing the items if they have them.

1.Do you have any scissors / any glue/ any scotch tape/ any needle and thread?

2.Do you have a pair of scissors / a glue/ a scotch tape / a needle and a thread?

3.Do you have scissors / glue/ scotch tape / needle and thread?

4.Or anything else I have not thought of?

Regional Note

By writing "/", I did not want to repeat the same question 4 times for each word.
So, "Do you have any scissors / any glue/ any scotch tape/ any needle and thread?" means "Do you have any scissors?", "Do you have any glue?", "Do you have any scotch tape?" and "Do you have any needle and thread?".


texts:
First off, ditch the running shoes, you can leave bare foot, or if your gym allows that I will get some chuck Taylor, some wrestling shoes, you can blow it out some vans~!

What does "you can blow it out some vans" mean?

I know vans is a name of shoes brand, but I don't get it that last part "you can blow it out some vans." Does it mean you can even wear vans while you are working out?

Actually I heard this from a youtube video, at 01:07, this guys said those, but I really don't get it "blow it out some vans".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1IGeJEXpF4

Is this a sort of unborn word?


texts:
Gender neutrality seems like a tough nut in English. "One" seems very helpful, but since it's pretty difficult to phrase a right question regarding its usage because of the countless possible uses of this word, finding a concise set of rules can get tough. The answers I managed to find though, varied; hence my two questions.

Is it common both in American English and British English to use the form "one" as a gender-neutral pronoun? Or perhaps it would sound odd in one of the dialects?
If I'm willing to stay gender-neutral, should I stick to using singular "they", "their", etc. or is it best to either use generic he or rephrase the whole sentence? I've always used this form as follows:

  One should be aware of their surroundings.

But one of the sources stated it's a bit confusing, and I'd be better off saying:

  One should be aware of one's surroundings.

It seems to me that repeating "one" bears the same issue as "he or she" form - it sounds pretty awkward and cumbersome.

On the other hand, replacing one's with, for instance, his, seems to comprise the whole idea of gender neutrality.

And, leaving off "one", do you think there's anything wrong at all in utterances like:

  A reporter is not always allowed to give away their sources.

  Everyone is advised to return to their seats.


texts:
I wrote:

I suggest you point to what A should return and match[ing?] it with the output of B in README

My complete suggestion is:

I suggest you that you point to what A should return and say the user to match it with the output of B in README

Does my original sentence convey this meaning, if not what are the mistakes?


texts: The same construction, the opposite meaning: "no more .. than"

texts:
Consider the following examples:

Mary is no richer than Jane.

I am sure the book is unpleasant. But it is not all unpleasant and I
am sure is no more unpleasant than the real inner lives of some of our
best Oak Park families.

Second-hand smoke is no more harmful than bad diet, industrial
pollution or stress.

This may be harmful, but at worst it is no more harmful than outright expression of his anger.

The former two could be paraphrased:

Mary is not rich, just as Jane is not.
The book is not unpleasant, just as the real inner lives of some of our best Oak Park families are not.

While the latter two could only be paraphrased:

Second-hand smoke is at least as harmful as bad diet, industrial
pollution or stress.
At worst it is just as harmful as outright expression of his anger.

It seems every language has a number of sentence patterns which can convey two opposite meaning.
The question is: can the "no more + adjective + than" construction always be used in either way? Or, it works only for a limited number of adjectives?


texts:
In Greyhound (2020), Commander Ernie says to Mister Lopez about firing U-Boat:

Commander Ernie: Mister Lopez, prepare to engage that target. When he
dives, we're gonna hammer him with two patterns Shallow, then deep.

What does "two patterns Shallow" mean?


texts:
What does "into the path" mean in football (soccer)?

  30 minSHOT! There is a really good understanding between Lingard and Lukaku, who turns the ball into the path of his teammate who skips by a couple of Swansea defenders on his way across the box but then slices his shot wide. The midfielder must have left his shooting boots in Amsterdam.


texts: What word or phrasal verb is used for describing the process of removing chalk from ones clothes with one's hands?

texts:
Let's say I someone accidentally leaned against a blackboard and got chalk stains on their clothes. What word or phrasal verb would you use to describe the process of removing the stains with one's hands. Would the phrase brush off fit the context? For example:

  You got chalk on your back. You had better brush it off.


texts: Difference between "Ashamed" and "Embarrassed"

texts:
What difference is there between "Ashamed" and "Embarrassed"?

Is it that "Ashamed" is more serious than "Embarrassed"? For example, you'd say "I was embarrassed to be wearing mis-matching socks", while you'd say "I was ashamed of that stupid argument I had"?

I came across https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/88320/embarassed-vs-ashamed, but it had only one answer, and it didn't feel definitive enough.


texts: What does this Quote by G. H. Hardy mean?

texts:
Can anyone please explain this Quote precisely because I am only a novice in the field of English. If you could please explain in terms of Mathematics.

The Quote is :

  In these days of conflict between ancient and modern studies, there must surely be something to be said for a study which did not begin with Pythagoras, and will not end with Einstein, but is the oldest and the youngest of all.
  - G. H. Hardy

In this sentence, I am unable to understand the logical sequence of the sentence formation.


texts: Is "alone at night" an adjective or an adverb in this sentence?

texts:
In this video about the Diagramming of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases that guy is diagramming this sentence:

"Walking alone at night is scary."

He first categorised 'walking' as a noun since it is a verbal. However, he then proceeds to categorise 'alone at night' as an adverb modifying 'walking'. Shouldn't alone at night be an adjective since walking is a noun?


texts: Is "tin foil" for "aluminium foil" deprecated?

texts:
In my native language, the stuff is called "aluminium foil".

In English, I always heard people use the phrase "tin foil" for that. I adopted that phrase thinking that despite the foil being made of aluminium (and not tin as it used to be) this is what people call it.

Recently a native American English speaking person took the phrase literally and wondered why I would want tin foil, because aluminium foil is much more common these days...

I checked the wikipedia article on the matter and found this quote:

  Actual tin foil was superseded by cheaper and more durable aluminium foil after World War II. Despite this, aluminium foil is still referred to as "tin foil" in many regions.

What regions use the term "tin foil" what use "aluminium foil"? Does the majority of English speakers understand "tin foil" as "aluminium foil"?

I'd happily adopt the more correct phrase "aluminium foil", but a-lu-mi-ni-um is quite a mouth full. Even in my native language it is commonly abbreviated with just "alu". IS there something like that in English? I think the shortness of tin is what kept people using it.

What's the best phrase to refer to aluminium foil?


texts:
This image shows 5 balls horizontally.

When I refer to American Football, should I say

  left of the image

or

  the left of the image

I know the basic rules about the usage of A/an and the

Could someone please give a hint about this kind of particular case? Thanks in advance.


texts:
As non-native speaker of English, I'm having trouble making sense of a structure pertaining to object pronouns:

  Likelihood of me doing this ...
  Your plan involves me attempting to prepare plans necessary for you.
  Chances of me getting into that school is high.

What is it that establishes the connection between object pronouns and verbs in gerund form in terms of both grammar and meaning?

In my language, expressions corresponding to the expressions in bold above are constituted with "my" instead of "me". That is the reason why I'm having trouble.


texts:
From the movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
In a drag queen contest, a muscular man passes the winner envelope to a past drag queen, who says to the audience of the muscular man:

I don't know who he is, but if there's a snowstorm tonight, he is going on my tires.

I am assuming this is a way to joke about the man's physical attractiveness.


texts: "competition on this field" or "competition in this field"?

texts:
Is it correct to say "A competition on this field" or "A competition in this field"? the latter sounds better to me but I'm not 100% sure.
To clarify: an example could be a competition among software developers to make the fastest application to solve a maths problem.
Thanks!


texts: Is "to have a mind as sharp as a thumbtack" a valid idiom in American English?

texts:
I have been doing a research on the subtitle translations of the American Tv show called "It's Always Sunny in Philedelphia" and faced an instant where Frank mentioned having a mind as sharp as a thumbtack. I know that there are idioms as "having a mind as sharp as a tack/razor/steel trap" along with the old ones like "as sharp as a needle or thorn". However, I have never heard "having a mind as sharp as a thumbtack". Although "as sharp as a thumbtack" and "as sharp as a tack" sound similar, if the native speakers have never heard of the idiom "as sharp as a tack", that would be an important detail to shape my work since it would suggest that Frank made up or changed that idiom.
Thank you in advance.


texts: How natural for Native English Speakers these phrases and how to recognize it in advance?

texts:
I'm using Mark Skipper Advanced book and there are some phrases which in my opinion are strange. Do you use the following phrases in your speech (books, films, etc.) today? Are they common/relevant?

to jump on the bandwagon
run rings round somebody
cost a bomb
to talk shop
bombard somebody with questions
to be barred from doing something

How to recognize for non-native speakers the relevance of English phrases?


texts: Why are "define" and "definition" pronounced with different vowels?

texts:
It just doesn't make sense.
"Define" has a long vowel and "definition" has short.
Isn't "definition" the noun form of "define"? Shouldn't both have the same vowels? Why are both pronounced differently? Can someone explain it please?


texts: What is the difference between “have interviewed” and “are interviewing” in this sentence?

texts:
Could you please explain  the difference in meaning in the following sentences.

  The detectives have interviewed two people this week.
  The detectives are interviewing two people this week.

I think the first sentence implies that the detectives interviewed two people during unfinished period of time (it might be in the beginning or the end of the week). That is, they interviewed them and the process of interviewing other people will continue. The second implies that the detectives are still in the process of interviewing the two people during the week.

Is my understanding correct?


texts:
After many failed attempts, I finally managed to put on some lipstick in a moving car.
  After many failed attempts, I finally managed to put on some lipstick in a running car.

Which verb should be used here? And why?


texts: Alternatives to "hard cases make bad law"

texts:
Are there any alternative idioms or phrases in english, equivalent to the legal maxim "hard cases make bad law" best suiting the context of the following sentence?

I deeply sympathise with the unfortunate victim, but hard cases make bad law. It is not the within the discretion of the judge to let sympathy lend weight to the evidence.


texts: None so blind as they/them that will not see?

texts:
What should come 'they' or 'them'? What rule should I apply here?

  None so blind as they/them that will not see.

My thought process:

The sentence has two independent clauses. "None so blind as they/them" is the first clause.
The verb for the first clause is "blind".
The subject for blind is they/them.
'they' is the nominative form. Therefore the correct sentence would be:

  None so blind as they that will not see.

What would be the correct form below? Kindly mention what rule is being applied.

  It isn't for such as they/them to dictate us.


texts: "You as the parent is aware" versus "you as the parent are aware"

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  You as the parent are aware of this letter.

  You as the parent is aware of this letter.

Should I use the first sentence because of you, although parent is a singular word? In that case isn't you as the parent used as collective form?


texts: What does "rather" mean in "rather Jimmy Olsen-ish"?

texts:
Jimmy Olsenish means "similar to Jimmy Olsen":

  He is a nice enough boy - rather Jimmy Olsen-ish I thought.

  She has an unreal figure, rather Barbie-ish in its proportions!

When you say, for instance, he is similar to Jimmy Olsen (in appearance, behaviour and character) you would say Jimmy Olsen-ish.

However, I can not understand the grammar points and meaning of the word rather here.  Could you explain in detail?


texts: "The process of formation of" - how to replace it?

texts: Is it possible to replace the sentence "The process of formation of parties began" (political parties) with the sentence "The process of parties formation began"? Does that sound correct? Or is there any other way how to express that idea so it could soung natural, since when I read this sentence I can't stop thinkink that it looks like an ugly translation.


texts:
A. The point of this exercise is for you to find someone to be friends with.

A1. What does "for you" mean here?

A2. Can you replace it with " The point of this exercise is you finding someone to be friends with"?

B. I have always blamed myself for him leaving.

B1. What does "for him" mean here?

B2. Can you replace it with "I have always blamed myself for his departure"?


texts: Is "Pour water into every a certain numbers of glasses " acceptable?

texts:
There are 100 glasses arranged in a row.

When I would like someone to pour water into the 3rd glass, the 6th glass, ..., I think I can say

  Please pour water into every three glasses or every 3rd glass.

I am trying to generalize this without referring to a specific number (e.g., 3rd ). My example is as follows:

  Pour water into every a certain numbers of glasses.
  Pour water into every Nth glass, where N is a positive integer.

I would like to allow water to be poured into every glass.  Could you advise me on which is better?


texts:
(1) Jack asked me, "Do you play hockey?" I replied, "I do because I like the game."
(2) Jack asked me, "Do you play hockey?" I replied, "I do because I like the sport."
I usually hear people say "like the game". Is it wrong to say "like the sport"?


texts: I have something (someone) in some place

texts:
For example:

  A) I have a book in my room.
  B) There is a book in my room.

I want to express: I have a book, and the book is in my room.

Which is more accurate? Is example A wrong? But it sounds like A is better than B.

What if I want to express something like: I love a girl. She is now living in my heart, which is what I hope.

  A) I have the girl in my heart.
  B) I have the girl live in my heart.

Which is a better choice? I feel that B is better than A, but is A wrong grammatically? (Compare these to example A about the book.)

By the way, for the sentence above: She is now living in my heart, which is what I hope. Can I omit the "what"?


texts:
Does "Fed" refer to "Federal Reserve"? Or refer to "Federal Government"?

Deal on Fed removes obstacle to agreement on COVID relief

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top congressional lawmakers struck a late-night agreement on the last major obstacle to a COVID-19 economic relief package costing nearly $1 trillion, clearing the way for votes as early as Sunday.
.......
The breakthrough involved a fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers that was defused by an odd couple: the Senate’s top Democrat and a senior conservative Republican.

Source:  Associated Press


texts: Any other books or any other book? We usually say any book, and not any books, but when we put other, we seem to say any other books instead of any other book. Are both sentences equivalent or not? Why would one be grammatically incorrect?


texts: Name for the state of being 5, 10, 57 etc years old

texts:
I wanted to know if there is a noun stating the following: "state of being 10, 27, etc years old." For example, consider the sentences "He is 10 years old and because of that, he is happy." I want to say that "X makes him happy" and by X I mean the state of being 10 years old. Another example is: "X is one of the best periods of a human's life" or "After X becomes Y," which by Y I mean "being 11 years old." I hope I were clear enough about my question.

Actually, I am looking for a word like "5 years old-ness." As a matter of fact, I want to make a literary sentence. I want to say: "I was standing near my 'being 10' in my dream," and I don't want to mention that "being 10" is an object or a human. I want it to be an abstract noun. For example, we have the word "forties" which shows the person is aged between 40 and 49 and we have phrases such as early/mid/late forties. I want to know if there is such a word or phrase for "being 10 years old."
Cheers


texts: What are the difference between Australian and RP, Received Pronunciation

texts:
The words below are pronounced by former Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.

First, can you arrange the first sounds of each diphthong - æ, a, a, ɑ - from the front past of mouth to inner parts?  (e.g. [i] > [ii]=[iii] > [iv])
Australian [or her pronunciation] / ɑ/ in hard is pronounced at more front than RP?
Australian [or her pronunciation] / aɪ/ in deny is pronounced at more back than RP?

  [i] /æɪ/ participating, representation, way, campaign

  [ii] /aɪ/ deny, I, pricing, ironing

  [iii] /aʊ/ now, about, out, house

  [iv] /ɑː/ hard, March, behalf, carbon

reference charts: Australian IPA chart; International IPA.


texts:
Is "be careful about" used properly in the following?

Be careful about the tricks of cunning businesspeople.

Or should I say:

Take care not to fall for the tricks of cunning businesspeople.

Or,

Watch out for the tricks of cunning businesspeople.


texts: "With all of this knowledge I would be very proud of starting to contribute to improve the health of people."

texts:
I would like to know how can I express this.

  With all of this knowledge I would be very proud of starting to contribute to improve the health of people.


texts:
Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is there no chance to read ‘adventure’ as a verb? If yes, what’s the meaning of it?


texts:
I think "were" is the right answer, but still I want an opinion on this. So is it "was" or "were" in the sentence given below?

  There ...... only fifty rupees in my pocket.


texts:
The first test I want to do is build a house.
The first test I want to do is building a house.

Are both correct? If so, what are the differences?


texts: 'china restaurant' or 'chinese restaurant'?

texts:
I am very confused. I prefer the latter, but I did saw the former in many cases.

Which one is more appropriate?


texts:
The entire class was talking. But the teacher started yelling at just one girl for talking during class. She seemed to yell at only her each day, as if she was holding some kind of grudge against her. So she just blew up at the teacher one day:

  You only seem to notice me. It's as if I'm the only one talking here. You're always yelling at me, and only me. Well, news flash! I'm not the only one talking.

Does this sound fine? And this has actually happened. Can it be more natural? Does the bold phrase sound fine?


texts:
When I had free time, I would think of the new girl at school.

Is this "the" the same as in:

  "the new kid of the block?"


texts: Is there some rude or informal word if you want to sell broken thing to buyer without letting him know that it's broken?


texts: "placed each of the four people in the four chairs" make sense?

texts:
Harry looked up at Crouch and saw that he looked gaunter and grayer than ever before. A nerve was twitching in his temple.

  “Bring them in,” he said, and his voice echoed through the silent
  dungeon.

  The door in the corner opened yet again. Six dementors entered this
  time, flanking a group of four people. Harry saw the people in the
  crowd turn to look up at Mr. Crouch. A few of them whispered to one
  another.

  The dementors placed each of the four people in the four chairs with chained arms that now stood on the dungeon floor.

  There was a thickset man who stared blankly up at Crouch; a thinner and more nervous-looking man, whose eyes were darting around the crowd; a woman with thick, shining dark hair and heavily hooded eyes, who was sitting in the chained chair as though it were a throne; and a boy in his late teens, who looked nothing short of petrified. ...

I feel "placed each of the four people in the four chairs" doesn't sound quite right. Either "placed each of the four people in each of the four chairs" or "placed the four people in the four chairs" makes more sense to me.

Any thought about it?

-- Excerpted from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


texts:
Morton: I got on board in sight of the Atlantic. And before my eyes rot. I want to see the blue of the Pacific outside that window.
Source: https://subslikescript.com/movie/Once_Upon_a_Time_in_the_West-64116
This is the line from the script of the movie Once upon a time in the West. I‘m not sure whether the script is transcribed correctly. For example the above line. Do you find the passage in bold meaningful? Maybe not "rot" but "road" but also in this case the meaning is given the context dubious.


texts: Is "number (as in amount) of things" considered singular or plural?

texts:
I am more inclined to say that it is singular, so I rather form sentences like:

  The number of chairs is N.

I am not sure enough about it to insist about it, though. Is "is" correct? Is "are" correct, too? If one is yes and the other one's no, then is this generally the case, or does it depend on the other factors?

I repeat myself: Is “number (as in amount) of things” considered singular or plural?


texts:
What does "be something to something" mean? Here is an example.

I've had two days away, I've gotten a little sleep...
and I am finally starting to feel like myself again.
I think there's really something to it.

Can you provide some examples?
example from https://www.satctranscripts.com/2010/10/sex-and-city-2-transcript-part-b.html#.X95B4dgzbZs


texts:
For example, speaking AbcDEg, over a phone.

"capital A,b,c, capital D, capital E, g"

or

"uppercase A,b,c, uppercase D, uppercase E, g"

or some way else?


texts: What's the meaning of "receive top billing"

texts:
In the game "Batman:Arkham Knight", a riddle is

  Business is best when Bats need killing, a mercenary's file should receive top billing.

Does the phrase "top billing" means the best one?
And what's the meaning of whole sentence?


texts: Terms or phrasal verbs related to phone calls

texts:
Which terms are used for phone calls?
I know only few and I am not sure if they are correct:

Make a call - to call someone and talk;
Call back - call the person who called but you didn't answer, hanged up or talk recently;
hang up - to interrupt a call or stop ringing.

The most curious I am how is it called when intentionally to save money, you just give a call to someone and until the call-receiver will manage to answer you hang up and waiting for call back?


texts:
What are rules of parallelism for using an infinitive and preposition after an 'and' or 'but' conjunction?

I want to fight for them and to bring those changes in the life of people.

Or

I want to fight for them and to fight to bring those changes in the life of people.

Or

I want to fight for them and bring those changes in the life of people.


texts: What's the meaning of the word "trust" in the following context?

texts:
"Ambulance trust to send occupied vehicles to new emergency calls." (The guardian)

What's the meaning of the word "trust" in this context?

The definitions in Cambridge dictionary as well as in Oxford dictionary aren't understandable to me in this context and I'm not sure which of the definitions if the correct one.


texts: Split infinitive with modal verb "have" or something else?

texts:
We have a phrase: "Besides, Seth had an afternoon guided fishing trip to run that began at 3 pm, during the hottest part of the day."

Explain please the grammar sentence construction, especially the first part. Is that split infinitive "Seth had ..... to run" and "had" is there a modal verb?

If I rephrase it to "Seth had to run an afternoon guided fishing trip that began at 3 pm" will it have the same meaning like original sentence?
As I know split infinitive used when between participle "to" and "verb" is an adverb... correct me please if I'm not right


texts:
From time to time I can hear native speakers talk in this way, say, "I will have somebody fix this up." While I realize there exist contexts where the sentence is equal in meaning to the sentence "I will find somebody to fix this up.", I do not handle such usage (the boldfaced) well.

So I wish to understand the underlying general rule.


texts:
"during the working hours" OR "during working hours"
"during the working days" OR "during working days"

Which is correct? If both are correct, which one is more desirable?
My reasoning is that "during working hours/days" is correct/desirable omitted because it is a common expression of time.
Hope that an expert would answer.


texts: Does "as long as" here mean the common known meaning of "as long as"?

texts:
source

  I want to stand here in this darkened hallway and have conversations
  with her about absolutely nothing important for as long as it takes
  for me to get enough balls to make a statement.

I know the meaning as in "as long as you're going, I'll go too". I don't sure "as long as" means that meaning. Maybe it means "it takes time as long as ... ".

Which part does "for" connect? "important for" or "for as long as"?


texts:
Which one of the sentences bellow sound unidiomatic to the (especially American English) natives:

  They bombed the homes of defenseless people on a daily basis.
  They threw the bombs on the homes of defenseless people on a daily basis.
  They bombarded the homes of defenseless people on a daily basis.


texts: Appropriate word for previous and previous to previous

texts:
i have worked for 2 companies  named Y and Z and currently working with X company.How i can pass this information to other in English -

(1) My current company is X.

(2) My previous company was Y.

(3) My previous to previous company was z.

I know somewhere corrections are required in above expressions so please correct me.

Thanks


texts:
I am refreshing - or rather building up from scratch =) - my knowledge about the proper usage of commas in the English language. I would like if you could take a look at the subsequent examples and check if they are correct.

Due to/Since/Because ...., we can...

  A comma because the first clause is an adverbial "clause of reason". If the dependent clause would stay behind the main clause, then there would be no need for a comma.

A converges to B, locally uniformly.

  Here, I am not sure. It looks better with a comma for me, but I believe, there is no need for a comma since the second clause is essential ?

We saw the key which we will need later on the roof.

  Here, I am not sure. Does the comma-usage here just depends on the essentiality of the clause introduced by which?
     The car which had the most people in it weights the most. -> essential clause
  The car, which looked very nice, weights 1200 Kg.-> non-essential clause

"Thus/Therefore/Hence" at the beginning of a sentence: Comma right after the word? I think, no.
It states that if ..., then ....


texts:
does unique need "a" before it or "an" ?
It starts with a vowel but it annoys when using "an" .

I want the answer for a very formal article .
Thanks !


texts:
Is it ok to use 'master' in this context?

There is always an opportunity to master the language even better

According to Merriam-Webster https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/master, 'to master' means

to become skilled or proficient in the use of
to become master of
to gain a thorough understanding of

As far as I understand, it implies obtaining the ultimate degree of knowledge in some sphere. So is it possible to 'master something even better'?


texts: Would you tell me about more about if I can use the phrase OF WHICH?

texts:
source text from cnn

  This comprehensive solution would build on these initial measures and result in a final step for a period to be agreed upon and the resolution of concerns.

1) I am wondering about to what the preposition upon refers.
2) And, I think the verb agreed has two objectives, namely, the resolution and a period. Am I right?
3) Moreover, would anybody readily tell me the reason why the future tense has been applied in the past, and why the previous sentences have used the simple future?
4) Furthermore, would somebody please tell me if we can rewrite especially the last part of my original sentence, using the expression of which?
5) And finally, could anyone please elaborate whether or not I have grammatically and properly written my questions (interrogative sentences)?

Thanks in advance.


texts: How to improve listening/speaking if learned mostly by reading/writing?

texts:
My first language is Spanish and I learned English mostly by reading/writing in academics and professional context but few listening and speaking practice. I got a job abroad and after 2 months I still don't understand 100% what people say to me.

Is this part of the adapting and learning process of moving to an English speaking country?
Could it be because of the accent and region where I moved?
How could I improve listening/speaking skills assuming I have enough reading/writing level?

This is my first question here and I would really appreciate any feedback about the question, e.g. it's off-topic, it's better to split it into different questions, etc.

EDIT 1:
For more context information:
I am from South-america so I was exposed to american English and I moved to Ireland, which could be quite different.

The aim of this question, more than grammar and the English language itself, is to know about the learning process of English as second language. Once I read something like "Don't judge someone because mispronounce a word, maybe that person learned that word by reading", so I guess my case is common. I am interested in similar experiences and, why not, psychological/medical aspects of learning English. For example, when someone who was deaf starts hearing again.


texts:
What is meaning and difference between at the first time and for the first time ?

Thanks.


texts: Meaning difference between two sentences using "to" and "for"

texts:
What would be the meaning difference between these two sentences, using "to" in one case and "for" in another, is one wrong ? Please explain the difference.

To all the joy we've shared and everything we've done !

or

For all the joy we've shared and everything we've done !


texts: Which one is correct in "How can I ..."? VS "How I can ..."

texts:
I have just been edited my post sentence by someone.
The original sentence is like "If he right, would please let me know more and exactly how can I suppose to use that?"
And edited sentence is like this "If the answer given to me is right, could someone please let me know more exactly how I can use breakpoints in Makefile?"

I have some question about which one is correct sentence?

1.How can I use that ~ .
2.How I can use that ~ .


texts:
Page 54 of A Practical English Grammar reads

We often use and... instead of to after try / be sure. This is
informal. I'll try and phone you tomorrow morning.

However, in page 299, it reads

To talk about making an experiment - doing something to see what will
happen - we use try + -ing.

Aren't both statements at odds?
Try and cannot come from try to in I'll try and phone you tomorrow morning since, as the picture from the book that's what you mean shows, try followed by infinitive to implies an effort to do something (at least in the present tense used in those examples), unlike try + -ing,


texts: Usage of "the same as in" and "the same as of"

texts:
The following sentence is on an article of Khan Academy:

"Which properties of circle B are the same as in circle A?"

I thought the following sentences may have the same meaning as above:

Which properties of circle B are the same as of circle A?
Which properties in circle B are the same as in circle A?
Which properties in circle B are the same as of circle A?

My question is:

Do you think each sentence is correct and natural?


texts:
What's the most common way of describing the action of putting asphalt on the road?

1) The workers are laying asphalt on the road.

2) The workers are covering the road with asphalt.

3) The workers are rolling out asphalt on the road.

4) The workers are putting down a layer of asphalt on the road.

5) The workers are coating the road with asphalt.

6) The workers are covering the road with asphalt.

or what?


texts: present progressive indicating the future

texts:
Can the present progressive be used to indicate the future as follows?

John is working at the store for two months.

If so, how does it differ from "John is going to work at the store for two months"?


texts: "I expect he will know" vs. "I expect he knows"

texts:
I understand that will can be used to refer to the likelihood of a future event, for example:

  I expect (that) she won't like the news

Source: Merriam-Websters Advanced Learners English Dictionary

But what I do not get is why the writer chose to use will with expect in the context below

  The past tense may sometimes occur in the if clause (If I knew you
  were coming . . .), but in British English, at least, it would be
  unusual. That said, I expect some of us will know the song that has
  the line If I knew you were coming, I’d have baked a cake.

Source: “If I knew you're coming I wouldn't have come”

I expected him to write the sentence below, since he already knows the song he mentioned.

  That said, I expect some of us will know the song


texts:
I have seen both following structures for criticizing people for not doing something; but do they really mean the same; if yes, which one is more common among AmE speakers?

  You could help me – why did you just sit and watch?
  You could have helped me – why did you just sit and watch?

  You could tell me you were getting married.
  You could have told me you were getting married.


texts:
We who read them [works of declared genius] never know if they are perfect or if it was whispered to us in childhood that they are perfect, and we in turn whisper it to others, ad infinitum; and the one who writes them does not know any more than we do, if anything less, he knows it only at the moment when he joins the rods, when fitting together flawlessly like mortise and tenon they briefly exult, closing with the triumphant sound of jaws, and it is over.
(Source)

What does this strange idiom mean here? Is this "if anything, less. He knows it..."?


texts:
I'm trying to figure out why does it work like this when there's 2 verb in a single past sentence.
for example,
"I've never seen him dress like that before"
and
"I helped someone find their dog"
Why do the bolded words remain in simple tense ? Shouldn't they be changed into past tense ? I can't seem to find the rule that explains this. Can you help elaborate what's going on here ?


texts:
Feels stupid, but could anyone explain to me in plan English, the real meaning or the funny bit of this comment: "Just don't cross the streams and you will be alight" from here

My only guess is: could that because the OP mentioned "close the stream", and the commenter is suggesting I didn't get it wrong for cross the stream (as a classic scene in the film)??


texts: Put something up on the top shelf or Put something on the top shelf?

texts:
Put those books up on the top shelf.
Put those books on the top shelf.

  What is the difference in meaning between the first sentence (with
  "verb + up on something" in it) and the second sentence (without "up", just "verb + on something" in it)?

I'm wondering whether the adverb "up" is added in the sentence just for emphasis, and if I remove it, the sentence is still understandable.


texts: I have heard that in American English, if I say "have got", the American would think that I am not educated as it should be "have gotten", yet I heard Americans said this in lots of movies. So is the phrase "have got" ok to use for the Americans?


texts: Is "also" necessary in the construction: not only because ... but (also) because ...?

texts:
I always thought that also was necessary in constructions like this.

But then I saw this line from The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami:

  I wanted to ignore the phone, not only because the spaghetti was
  nearly done, but because Claudio Abbado was bringing the London
  Symphony to its musical climax.

So maybe it's okay to leave "also" out in this type of structures?


texts: Why don't you flap the T in (Rate)? Isn't it between two vowels?

texts:
In linked words, flapped T is pronounced such as (what if).
Flapped T is pronounced when the T comes between two vowels.

According to the previous rules, I expect to pronounce the flapped T in the phrase (...rate our...). When I asked a native speaker, he answered that the T isn't flapped.

I still don't know why? And is the word (rate) a special case so we never flap the T in any phrase like (rate a service - rate it - rate or ...etc.)


texts: tense with "since" when talking about dead people's lives

texts:
Is it correct to use the present perfect in the following? If not, how would you revise it?

  Charles Dickens left school to work in a factory and has since become a professional writer.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
I don't know which one of them is correct:

  I was wondering if it fit you

  I was wondering if it fits you

Can anyone give some explanations that I could remember for the rest of my life!


texts: Are there two ways to interpret in this example?

texts: Can "I make a sandcastle on the beach" mean "I make a sandcastle sitting on the beach" and "I make a sandcastle and locate it on the beach"?


texts:
People like getting star's autographs,so once a star refused to sign autograph as he didn't like signing the autographs. So what sounds more natural:

  Sorry but I don't sign autograph.

Or

  Sorry I don't give my autograph.

So what sounds more natural "sign" or "give" or are both of them equally natural?..


texts: What's the meaning of "vicemaster of a Cambridge college"?

texts:
I know the meaning of vicemaster but I didn't know if the "vicemaster
of a Cambridge college" means "vicemaster
of one of the Cambridge colleges" or means "vicemaster
of the whole of Cambridge university"?

The text is here:

  The first week passed in a blur of lectures. In the second week, every
  student was assigned a supervisor to guide their research. My supervisor, I
  learned, was the eminent Professor Jonathan Steinberg, a former vicemaster
  of a Cambridge college, who was much celebrated for his writings
  on the Holocaust.


texts: A sentence with preposition at the end of sentence and without it

texts:
I'm confused that some sentence have the preposition at the end of sentence.

What is the difference between

",that you can think of" and ",that you can think"?

the former sentence is that I came across it from subtitle of community, but last sentence is what I just thought it.

I want to know when I have such as that sentence, how do I know some sentence in need of preposition at the end of sentence or not?


texts: Determiner "(a) little" with singular countable words

texts:
Page 308 of Practical English Usage reads

We use the determiner (a) little with singular (usually uncountable)
words.

What kind of singular countable words is it referring to?


texts:
How to reply to

  Good day, sir

in the beginning of the conversation as a greeting?


texts: What does "transgress in nothing the clear pronouncement of reason" means?

texts:
How long will you wait to think yourself worthy of the highest and transgress in nothing the clear pronouncement of reason? You have received the precepts which you ought to accept, and you have accepted them. Why then do you still wait for a master, that you may delay the amendment of yourself till he comes? You are a youth no longer, you are now a full-grown man. If now you are careless and indolent and are always putting off, fixing one day after another as the limit when you mean to begin attending to yourself, then, living or dying, you will make no progress but will continue unawares in ignorance. Therefore make up your mind before it is too late to live as one who is mature and proficient, and let all that seems best to you be a law that you cannot transgress. And if you encounter anything troublesome or pleasant or glorious or inglorious, remember that the hour of struggle is come, the Olympic contest is here and you may put off no longer, and that one day and one action determines whether the progress you have achieved is lost or maintained.
  This was how Socrates attained perfection, paying heed to nothing but reason, in all that he encountered. And if you are not yet Socrates, yet ought you to live as one who would wish to be a Socrates.

A passage of stoicism. The grammar here seems kind of weird to me. What does it mean?


texts:
"The indirect object answers the question “To whom?” or “For whom?” the action of the verb is performed."
For example:

He gives María the book.
To whom does he give the book?
To María.
IO = María
He buys me flowers.
For whom does he buy the flowers?
For me.
IO = me

I would like to know why in sentence number 1 we ask to whom and not for whom, and why in sentence number 2 we ask for whom and not to whom. In other words, how do I know when to ask to whom and when to ask for whom in order to find the indirect object.


texts:
RIP is a common condolence uttered when someone has died. Nevertheless, I, though unwillingly, advised a mischievous kid who was trying to get into the room where a tired elderly man was in (resting peacefully?). I said:

  Hey, don't make noise and go in that room. Let him rest peacefully!

Note: I was not pretty sure whether the man was sleeping but it was confirmed that he went in that room to take rest. That's why I didn't use let him sleep peacefully.

After uttering that sentence, I was shocked for a while. And there comes the question -

  May we use 'rest peacefully' if want to mean 'let someone alive rest in ataraxis!'? What's the outcome of Rest peacefully Vs. Rest in peace?

Searching dictionaries or the internet for "rest in peace" gives results of condolence and nothing else.


texts: Are "other than" and "different than" the same?

texts:
Rainbows can be other than they seem, and seem other than they are.

From "Understanding Music: Philosophy and Interpretation" by Roger Scruton.

I am not sure if it's the case, but "other than" seem to be the same as "different than". I think it sounds odd however, and I am not sure if it's idiomatic. Is it?


texts: Is it correct to phrase a declarative statement in interrogative form?

texts:
Growing up in a country where English is not the native language, I always hear people phrase declarative statements in an interrogative form. I'm not sure if it's grammatically correct to do so.

Example in Question Form:

  What will he do, I wonder?

Declarative(What I hear from others):

  I wonder what will he do.

Based on what I have known all my life, I would phrase it as such:

  I wonder what he will do.

... While I am sure that the way I constructed it is correct, I'm not sure if one could phrase it the way they do.


texts: Confirmation for the expression of 'Your feet don't step on the land'

texts:
Does this expression make sense in English?

"These days my feet don't step on the land"

This is a literal translation from the Hindi language.  If I say it in reference to myself, it means I'm happily proud to have become something, but I don't know whether or not it means the same in English. If someone uses the same expression in reference to others, it indicates envy of the other's successes.


texts: Should it be just ‘a hundred-year-old man’ or ‘a one-hundred-year-old man’?


texts:
I have a question about basic English usage. It would be very grateful if you could think about the question one time.

Nouns have two different forms, singular form and plural form as all English texts say.
As to singular form, does "the + singular N" always imply "one N", not "more than one N"?

For example,

  Peter came toward me, took me by the arm and drew me aside.
  Camille tugged the ear of Sophie to punish her.
  A note left in the book of a library changed the life.
  I sketched the goldfish of a friend."

Are "arm", "ear", "book", "goldfish" in these sentences all "one thing" in each sentence, instead of "more than one thing", and did Peter took me by just one arm, did Camille tag just one ear of Sophie, and did I sketch just one goldfish of a friend in each sentence?

Thanks in advance.


texts: What is a verb for describing the following situation?

texts:
What is a verb for describing the following situation:

You meet a friend or even a stranger and they talk a lot and you
have to listen to them just being nice.

What verb can I use to describe what I'm doing? e.g. is it called I'm getting a long or going a long or something else?


texts: can command volumes unto themselves -- meaning?

texts:
Example with a context (The Object-Oriented Thought Process (3rd Edition)):

  I cannot state too strongly that this book does not teach Java, C# .NET, and VB .NET or UML, all of which can command volumes unto themselves. It is my hope that this book will whet your appetite for other OO topics, such as OO analysis, object-oriented design, and OO programming.

How do you guys understand that phrase?


texts: How can I say that I am doing something currently?

texts:
I'm new, so please help me if I'm doing the wrong thing. I read the help section but I'm not sure if this is OK.

I want to know how to say

  I am go to school for study English.
  I go school for study English.

I don't know how to construct the sentence correctly. Can you teach me?


texts:
I was translating a text and I read:

  It seems you inch closer to my window with each passing day

What does "inch closer" mean? I tried to search on Google but I didn't understood really what does it mean.

I hope you can help me, thanks.


texts:
I'm not sure the meaning of the following sentence.

He has worked in a game of "who's who" with specialists in his field.

what do you mean by  "to work in a game of 'who's who'"?


texts: What are the question tags for ‘may’, ‘must’ ‘let's’, and ‘let us’?

texts:
What are the question tags for sentences containing may, must, let's, and let us? Are the tags used in the following sentences correct?

may
1. I may buy a car tomorrow, mightn't I?
2. I may buy a car tomorrow, won't I?

must
3. You must be tired after that long walk, mustn’t you?
4. It must be very cold outside, isn't it?

let's / let us
5. Let's go to the movies tonight, shall we?
6. Let us go to the movies tonight, will you?


texts:
Please help me understand an item in a self-report questionnaire: "When I am blamed for something, I make excuses."

My intuitive understanding of it is something like this: when I am blamed for something, I tend to come up with excuses like "but I had had a bad day" or "But they verbally attacked me first" or "but I was thinking about something else".

Anther person understood it to mean something like: when I am blamed for something, I apologize.

How would a native speaker understand it?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
I have to create negative question in present perfect:

I know how to ask positive question, it will be:

  "Have you ever paid a bill?"

But the task says "not pay" so should I ask:

  "Have you ever didn't pay a bill?"

I guess I cannot ask

  "Haven't you ever ..."

because it will be another meaning.

So to do this exercise I have to use never/ever it's necessary.

Thanks.


texts: The structure of "All I can do is sit and worry about grilling I'm going to get from..."

texts:
I have problem in this sentence:

  All I can do is sit and worry about grilling I'm going to get from....

In the above mentioned sentence is all I can do acting like a subject connected by the linking verb which is is in the sentence. Why so many verbs are used in one sentence like sit, can, do and worry?


texts:
I found a sentence.

  Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions.

In this sentence the word 'should' has connected two sentences. I want to know the usage or the meaning and what this 'should' express in this sentence. Is equal to "if" ? If it is so, is it a way of more formal or awkward, unofficial ?
*Please do not hesitate to contact me if ( instead of should) you have any questions.*

How can the word 'should' connect two sentences as above.


texts:
Your submission may have been published elsewhere.

Can this mean, "It is ok if it has been published elsewhere before"?


texts:
I read the article below.

  Mark Twain was a famous American writer. James Whistler was a famous American painter. Twain liked Whistler’s work very much. One day Twain was looking at Whistler’s wonderful paintings. He put out his hand to touch one of them. Whistler got very angry. “Don’t touch it,” Whistler cried, “The paint isn’t dry yet.” “I know,” Twain said. “But it’s quite all right. I got my gloves on.”

I didn’t understand the sentence

  but it’s quite all right

I interpreted “but it’s quite all right” as “the painting is OK, and nothing bad happened to it”, but this sentence was interpreted as “it doesn’t matter”. Which explanation is correct?

And what’s more, the usage of punctuation in the following sentence is weird.

  “I know,” Twain said. “But it’s quite all right. I got my gloves on.”

I would like to correct it as follows:

  “I know,” Twain said, “but it’s quite all right. I got my gloves on.”


texts: What does "keep getting better" mean in the movie Ratatouille?

texts:
In the movie, there is a scene where Remy (the rat) is bashed and has to run down the sewerage. In conclusion, he says: "I was reminded how fragile it all was. How the world really saw me. And it just kept getting better."

I don't understand the last sentence in this context. It should be worse isn't it?

Below are the script and screenshot:

  People on the street: Rat!
  (PEOPLE SCREAMING)
  Woman: Disgusting little creatures.
  Remy: I was reminded how fragile it all was. How the world really saw me. And it just kept getting better.


texts: Ambiguity - Should it be "mindful of committing logical fallacies" or "mindful of not committing logical fallacies"?

texts:
From Collins, If you are mindful of something, you think about it and consider it when taking action.

  When I am writing, I am always mindful of committing logical fallacies (e.g., red herring, hasty generalization, post hoc, straw man, false dichotomy, and appeal to authority).

This sentence is ambiguous. What I am trying to say is that when I write, I am careful not to commit the logical fallacies in my arguments. While I can say it this way, trying to use "mindful of" makes things confusing.

Does "mindful of committing logical fallacies" mean (a) mindful that I don't commit fallacy or (b) mindful that I do commit fallacy?

One answer in this post Be mindful of using vs be mindful of
 in ELU - says "Be mindful of using verbs in your sentences" tells you that you should be careful to make sure you include verbs in your sentences.

As per that logic, "mindful of committing logical fallacies" in my original sentence means that I am mindful that I do commit fallacies.

Should I write: "mindful of not committing logical fallacies?"


texts:
I search on Google images for "folded hands", and it gives me pictures like this:

and this:

which I have no problem with.

However, it also gives a lot of pictures like this one:

which I don't understand why should be called folded.
Do people really call this position of the hands 'folded'? And can I ask why?


texts: Does the verb agree the subject here? “... where three quarters of the world's population lives...”

texts:
In developing countries, where three quarters of the world's population lives, women produce more than half of the food.

Shouldn't it be live in agreement with three quarters?


texts: If I want to know how old an item is (a bicycle, a laptop etc), is it OK to ask: "How old is your bike?" or it can only be applied to people and animals.What's the best way to phrase this question? "What's the production date?""How long have you had it?"I'll appreciate your help.


texts: Change your mind as you will, you will gain no…

texts:
I saw sentences like "Try as he might, he couldn't get the door open." I'd like to know whether the same pattern can be applied to the following sentence.

Change your mind as you will, you will gain no additional support.


texts:
At the end of a phone conversation about specific topic I have feeling that I didn't say everything. What should I say?
"If I recall something, I'll send it in e-mail"
or
"If I recalled something, I would write it in e-mail"
or maybe there is a better sentence?


texts: Present Continuous (personal initiative), Present Simple (a voice of authority)?

texts:
Do you agree that when we use Present Continuous and Present Simple for future plans Present Continuous conveys a personal initiative while Present Simple conveys some outward instructions?

  Is my understanding correct that:

1 Are you working tomorrow?

Can mean "are you going to work tomorrow?" "have you made up your mind to work tomorrow?"

2 Do you work tomorrow?

Is more likely to mean "Is tomorrow the day when you have to to go to work because it's timetabled?" or "because it is inevitable?"

3 Are we having a class tomorrow? (if put by a student to the teacher)

Can mean "Are we going to have a class/lesson tomorrow?" The class hasn't been fixed yet.

4 Do we have a class tomorrow/lesson tomorrow?

Can mean "Is a lesson scheduled for tomorrow?


texts: What does "years of [someone]" mean and how can it be used?

texts:
Years of him swearing that he would never end up like his father and he was beginning to become more like him little by little.

In the sentence above, is "years of him" the subject?

Then, can I use these like "years of me", "years of her", "years of someone or something" as a subject in the context?

And what does it mean "years of him" in the context?


texts:
Can I say

  "The place where she is now is closer than what you might think"

In the example a father is telling his son about the place where his mother, no longer alive, may be.

What bothers me is the reason why what I wrote in bold letters is not common. And I know it is not because I searched it on google in quotes and got very few results.
Is it redundant to begin the sentence with "The place"?
Should I omit it and leave it implied by "where"?
How else could I write this sentence, without inverting the clauses?
Thanks


texts:
A template based approach is an approach which rely on a template or a fixed structure to do something.

Template based information could be information derived from a template.

What could be the opposite of template-based?

Non template based
Template-independent
Template free
...

Update: Some asked me about the context, it's in the field of computer science and web data extraction tools (web scraping , web wrappers).

A web data extractor can rely on the template of a website in a template-based approach. The opposite could be non-template based approach.

But for the second sentence above (template based information), I doubt the opposite to be "non-template based information"! maybe template independent or template free information?! or maybe just a description is required. Or maybe such combination is odd!


texts: How to describe your ambition in two parts?

texts:
I want to explain my general ambition separately in two parts. Is the following sentence grammatically and literally correct? How about using "consist" as a verb for subject (ambition)? If it seems awkward, please suggest me a better sentence.

  My ambition to make the world a better place to live was not restricted just to the environment, but rather consisted of participating in society to extend peace and friendship among people.


texts: Difference between verbs "tuck", "thrust" and "shove"

texts:
Reading a book, I noticed the verbs "tuck", "thrust" and "shove" had been used interchangeably. So as far as I got it, they all means:

  to put something into a compartment/pocket/etc, to give something into
  someone's hands and things like that.

So I'm wondering are there any subtle differences between these words?  May I use them interchangeably and when I can't do it anyway?


texts:
The factory was dismantled to 70% of its original mass.

Is it grammatically correct to say "dismantled to 70%"? I am asking because I have never heard of something like that being phrased like this, and it seems a bit of an awkward phrasing. The "to 75%" might be wrong.


texts:
X: It wasn't exactly a happy marriage.
Y (1): Okay. But no matter how, I guess a divorce is always difficult.
Y (2): Okay. But I guess a divorce is always difficult no matter how.

Are the two suggestions equally natural in the context?


texts: "Tip often climbed trees for birds' eggs or amused himself chasing the fleet white rabbits or fishing in the brooks" -- why the definite articles?

texts:
Here is a sentence from The Marvelous Land of Oz:

  When sent to the forest Tip often climbed trees for birds' eggs or amused himself chasing the fleet white rabbits or fishing in the brooks with bent pins.

All the things in bold haven't been mentioned before. Why is it birds but the rabbits and trees but the brooks if all these things are in the same forest?

I think the following piece would be relevant:

    At Canter's Deli, you should get the corned-beef sandwich.

  Here, "the" is appropriate because bringing up the deli implicitly brings up typical items on the menu.

    I was in the N.Y. Library. I was reading the books there, and one book interested me.

  "Oh, you were reading the books!" As opposed to what, the posters on the wall? Usually when there is grammatical ambiguity, a listener will use common sense to avoid making an absurd interpretation, but in this case, the absurdity is hard to avoid because a listener understands this sentence by analogy with the "…and fixed the sink" and "…get the corned-beef sandwich" sentences.

I don't know if I understand that answer completely. Did the author omit the article because it was obvious that every forest had trees and birds? Did he use the article to point out that in some forests there might not be white rabbits or brooks, but in his forest they were there and were some of its features?


texts: What is the right way to query for differences between two things?

texts:
Which one is right?

What is different between "A" and "B"?
What is the difference between "A" and "B"?
What are the differences between "A" and "B"?


texts: what is the connotation of precariously normal life in this context?

texts:
In the preface of the book the author says:

  My life is precariously normal.

Does he mean his life is suspiciously normal and its all greatness may collapse in any moment? By reading the previous and next sentences I get this impression that he means he doesn't take the his life normalcy for granted or he takes it with a grain of salt. Am I right?

Another possible connotation that strikes my mind is the fact that the author may have used the adverb precariously as an emphatic or intensifier modifier.

Precariously: in a way that is likely to fall, be damaged, fail, etc.

Cambridge Dictionary


texts:
You half-assed getting the phone back! (He supposed to get the phone
  back but he got caught in the middle of getting the phone. So his
  captain rebuke him.)

Is "half-assed" used as a verb here?


texts:
But it soon soured, and by the end of last season, which the Rockets finished 41-41, it was clear that Houston had one too many top dogs in the locker room. "It was confusing," says Rockets guard Patrick Beverley. "I've got Dwight telling me I need it in the post, I got James telling me I need it on the wing."

http://time.com/4672996/james-harden-rule-nba/


texts: How does metaphysical conceit differ from imagery?

texts:
I’m a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf’s big with its yeasty rising.
Money’s new-minted in this fat purse.
I’m a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I’ve eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there’s no getting off.
from the poem "Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath
It's full of imagery but isn't this also metaphorical conceit; the analogy between the pregnancy and physical world ?


texts:
A ladder is a piece of equipment that is used for climbing up something

When I saw this sentence, I thought it is not correct. As there must be added a person in the sentence, or it would be seen as something climbing up something.

(The most weird part is, if something climb up something, it should indicate something in the sentence. Am I right?)

And I thought it could be proper if I fixed it like this:

  A ladder is a piece of equipment that is for people reaching higher places.

(I took the word used away, is that ok?)

or

  ...is a piece of equipment that is used for people climbing up and down.

However, I saw this explanation (as the title) in Collins Dictionary:

  A ladder is a piece of equipment that is used for climbing up something

now I'm confused.

Maybe what I thought is not right, or something unclear...

Could someone help me out?


texts:
Which is the cheaper of the two?

is it correct or it should be

  Which is the cheapest of the two?


texts: "a misunderstanding between us" vs. "some misunderstanding between us"

texts:
From the Cambridge Dictionary

misunderstanding: an occasion when someone does not understand something correctly

I am aware of the meaning of it but am not sure the usage of it. Ngram Viewer shows that both are common.

There has to be a misunderstanding between us.

There has to be some misunderstanding between us.

Do they mean the same thing? Are they interchangeable for any cases?
The post That's a misunderstanding is related but there is no further explanation why there has to be an article there.
For example, which rule in English Grammar Today on Cambridge Dictionary applies here?


texts:
Can anyone please tell me what's the difference between "have always been" and "was always" in the following sentence is And which one is correct? Can they both be used interchangeably in the following context?

I have always been/was always a been a fan of spanish football but from today I won't support the spanish international team as they are not playing well.


texts: Complex sentences with omission of verbs in dependent clauses

texts:
An event came before another event.
The earlier event did not happen before the later one.
Something had happened before something else.
It had not arrived before the subject.
One event happened earlier than the other.

I need to know are these complex sentences with omission of verbs in italics sentences like the below?

An event came before another event came.
The earlier event did not happen before the later one happened.
Something had happened before something else had happened.
It had not arrived before the subject had arrived.
One event happened earlier than the other happened.

Do complex sentences omits verb in dependent clause?