texts:
If somebody tells me :

  Do you like summer or winter ?

Is it correct if I answer :

  Both.

Or am I forced to say :

  Both of them.

Thank you.


texts:
Ok, say, you child is hold a broken spoon like in this picture

Then you say "Sweetie, throw this broken spoon away, I will give you the good one / normal one"

What is the opposite expression of "a broken spoon": "a normal spoon" or "a good spoon"?

If we say "a good spoon", then people may think of its quality and besides "a bad spoon" may not be broken.

Also, "a normal spoon" sounds weird.


texts:
What are the doors on a bus called?
How do you describe the doors in the front and the back?
Is it door or entrance? Is it front or forward, back or rear?
Examples of where it could be used:

The people waiting at the bus-stop formed a line to the x
The bus stopped outside the store and he got off through the x


texts: Is it correct to say "my children often rummage in my bag" in everyday conversation?

texts:
Sometimes, your curious children open your bag or a drawer or wardrobe to look for things. They often make things messy while searching for things.
Is it correct to say "my children often rummage in my bag" or "my children often ransack my bag" in everyday conversation?
I found this term "turn something upside down: to make a place untidy when looking for something"
I am not sure we can use it instead, for example, "my children often turn my bag upside down". But it may not technical correct because the children may just open the bag but not actually "turn the bag inside out or upside down" to look for things.
Also, there are some heavy things like a drawer or wardrobe, which can not be turned "upside down" easily by children.
And actually, I found a lot of similar words such as "poke, root, fish", for example, “they often poke/root/fish around in my bag”.
But they should emphasize that they make things messy while searching for things.


texts:
I thought the phrase was "inherent in," but then I found out that inherent to is also used.

Do they mean the same thing? Or do they have slightly different meanings?

Example sentence:

  They shared that comfortable silence inherent in/to couples who no longer need to impress each other.


texts:
When to use the former and when to use the later?

Example sentence:

  Seeing how devoted she was to me, my heart warmed (up).

Should there be an up? Why or why not?


texts:
ROBERT: As bride for his son, Longshanks had chosen  the daughter of
his rival, the King of France.It was widely  whispered that for the
princess to conceive, Longshanks would  have to do the honors himself.

What does conceive anything do with Longshanks' honor?
Does it mean Longshanks have sex with princess to make his son to be father?
Source: Braveheart (1995)


texts:
In my mother language, there is a proverb which says: "Religious appearance is no a sign of being a religious person at all"; I've found two sentences in a local dictionary of proverbs and colloquialism. I would be thankful if you let me know which one sounds more natural to you in American English:

  Religious appearance doesn’t equate to a pious man.
  If the beard were all, the goat might preach.


texts: meaning of the phrasal verb "follow through" in context

texts:
I was reading a book and came across this:

  Undisciplined people eat what they want when they feel like it.  An undisciplined person is removed from any aspect of health simply because of poor planning, follow through or persistence.

I cannot get what follow through or persistence means there. It seems to me that the last sentence is broken.Where does it connect in the sentence?


texts:
Is it possible to use 'such as..' and 'for example,' in a sentence like this:

  "Device and method for cleaning containers such as for example agricultural crates"

Can we use 'such as..' and 'for example,' together in a sentence?


texts:
I am trying to construct following sentence:

  Depending on how many nights accommodations that company would like to provide.

I have two questions:

does this sentence make sense? do you understand what I am trying to say?
should I use night accommodations or nights accommodations?


texts: Which is the head in "a number of boys"?

texts:
[A number of boys] were absent.
  (The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, p56)

This book says that number is the head of the subject NP, but Angela Downing calls it a "determinative" (that is, a "complex quantifier", English Grammar p.433). When I read the sentence, Downing's term seems more natural. Then what's the possible reason Cambridge Grammar sees number as the head of the NP?


texts:
On page 234 of Peter Benchley’s Jaws, there is an expression whose meaning I can’t get:

  “Watch this. This always gives the folks a boot”

Would you please help me to understand it?


texts: is the statement "We ain't never" positive?

texts:
This might be an odd question.

A lyric of popular song, "We ain't never getting older".
I understand as "ain't never" is double negatives and when two negative elements cancel each others, I know it is positive statement.

Here, Does this statement mean "we are getting older?"


texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  If only all Sunday's were so smooth.

vs

  If only all Sundays were so smooth


texts: In this sentence, what does the "scarlet cloak" cover?

texts:
She sat beside him on the bank covered in his scarlet cloak with only
  her chin showing under his helmet.

I am confused:  What does the "scarlet cloak" cover? "her", or the "bank"?

How can I choose the correct interpretation?  What rule(s) of grammar and/or semantic concept(s) do you use in interpreting the sentence?


texts:
Example sentence:

The cockroach fell to the floor like a mini-skydiver and scurried out of the bathroom.

Some style guides say that you shouldn't use a hyphen with the prefix "mini."
But I think you should use a hyphen when the combination is unusual?


texts: How to introduce a widow who is not a widow?

texts:
I am looking for a way to introduce a mother, who believes she is a widow in a logline in a way that the reader understands that she is not a widow.
The long version would be:
"A widow, who is unaware that her husband still lives in desperation to secure her children’s future falls for an upper-class predator, who treats people like Nazis did the Jews."
How could I shorten the “who is unaware that her husband still lives?”


texts:
He_____the bus so that he could reach office in time.

options given:

  a. ran for
  b. ran into
  c. took
  d. ran after

I could not solve this question and find it difficult to understand  difference in the options.

@Edit

ran for ran into and ran after are prepositional phrases that all i know but i am unable to determine the usage of each word.

ran after:here's what i researched.

Yes, ran after is a (transitive) phrasal verb.

To "run after" someone means to chase them with the intent to catch them and interact with them in some way.

If you parse it as a verb + a prepositional phrase, you would have a meaning of "to run at a later time than someone", which in most cases (including your example) does not make sense.

Source :https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/266745/is-ran-after-a-phrasal-verb

So ran after here too doesn't make sense

ran into: to bump into someone or something.

ran for: To flee toward something or some place, especially for shelter or safety:

took:reach for and hold

i am confused between ranfor and ran into and took

I need to analyze which option is correct and why. Am I missing out any rule?


texts: Why no articles preceding picture in "take picture after picture"?

texts:
Harry looked into the stands. Colin was sitting in one of the highest seats, his camera raised, taking picture after picture, the sound strangely magnified in the deserted stadium.

I can probably understand why "take picture" alone can make sense. It's because "take picture" describes an action, therefore there is no article preceding 'picture'.

But in this context, "taking picture after picture" describes that Colin kept taking pictures, one and another. I might think taking a picture after a picture or taking pictures after pictures looks right in this case. But I'm really not sure.

Any thoughts?

-- From Harry Potter.


texts:
In the following paragraph can we say

  "the cost-effectiveness of drilling and finishing a well is still high/lucrative"

instead of

  "the cost of drilling and finishing a well is low and profitable"?

  It is understood that shale-oil companies can still produce oil because the cost of drilling and finishing a well is low and profitable. However, when it comes to exploiting a new oil well, the cost is much higher, which suggests the need for greater caution. The market should take a close eye on the income statement of every oil drilling activity in the US. Indeed, these oil companies can reduce the cost by advancing their techniques, but they cannot put significant efforts into new oil exploitation activities completely and immediately.


texts: Could you help me finding some equivalents for these five words?

texts:
So today we are here to give you some information about right of way rules in relation to turns. So we'll start with a basic left turn. What we want to remember on the left turn is that cars going straight have the right of way over cars that are turning. So if we're here waiting to make a left turn and there are a number of cars which are going straight and we both have a green light. The cars that are going straight have the right of way. Which means we have to wait for them before we make our left turn. Where do you wait? The rule of thumb, if the light is green we want to wait up here in the intersection. As soon as this line clears and we have enough gap then we're able to execute our left turn safely. The right of way rules for a right turn if we reverse it. Let's say we're making a right turn into this roadway and there are cars that are coming from this direction that are making a left turn into the same roadway. The vehicle closer to the turn would have the right of way. Therefore the car to the right gets to go first over the car that's making the left into the same roadway. There's lots of different variations on turns these are some of the right of way rules. Hope that will help you with that and help you to pass your road test.

I am teaching my mother how to drive. How would you simplify the highlighted words in simple English? Do not simplify the sentences, please, and not a simplified defenition from a dictionary. Just a very simple equivalent to substitue in the actual context.

Should I use simple instead of basic ? What should I use instead of over and in relation to ? And so forth the rule of thumb and wait up

A milion thanks.


texts:
I don't understand the difference between the following two sentences and grammatical explanation. Why we use out here and also here "Ask her out for a dance.
Thanks.

Help him
Help him out


texts: "Your bonus will be prorated for your first year." - Incorrect use of prorated?

texts:
When I started at a firm (a number of years ago) I was going over the pay structure with my new manager. When it came time to go over the annual bonus, he said that for the first year, my bonus would be prorated for the time that I worked.

I countered that it wouldn't be. To be clear, we both agreed I'd get the same amount of money. If I started halfway through the year, I'd get a bonus equal to half of what I would have for the whole year.

I merely disagreed about the use of the term prorated. I argued that my bonus wasn't prorated, merely that I only earned half as much. I still would receive a full bonus since, by definition, the bonus is simply your amount earned times a multiplier.

So to be clear, we can all agree that if a bonus was a flat amount that certainly it would. But when referring to bonuses that are a percentage of gross wages (including all the little things like on-call pay, overtime/emergency pay, etc...) is it still appropriate to call that prorated? If not, is there another word to describe that?


texts: Is it correct to use "is able" in this context?

texts:
This is the first time my manager let me send an email to a partner company.

I wrote this:

  The current version of the Windows application is able to:
    1. Create a new CSV file according to user inputs
    2. Validate integer values
    3. Validate values’ lengths according to the database design
    4. Search for already-saved CSV files using FarmID
    5. Update a CSV file
    The current version of the synchronization tool is able to:
    1. Read a large number of CSV files
    2. Update the database

Is it correct to use “is able” in this context?


texts: Any significant difference between "to pant" and "to gasp"?

texts:
I was watching a film and there were subtitles "X panting" and "X gasping" in one episode several times. I couldn't figure out any difference in character's breathe depending on subtitle text so I looked into the dictionary (Meriam Webster). Both verbs indeed seem to be synonymous (when speaking of breathing):

  Gasp:

  to catch the breath convulsively and audibly (as with shock)
  to breathe laboriously

and

  Pant:

  to breathe quickly, spasmodically, or in a labored manner
  to run panting
  to move with or make a throbbing or puffing sound

Is there any significant difference between these two words so that they are not interchangeable in certain cases?


texts: "plural" + are/were + "one" of the best +

texts:
Example: Honda and Toyota are one the best selling cars in the US.

Is the use of "one" correct in the above sentence since the subject is plural (Honda and Toyota)?
I realize i could put "two" or "some" instead but wouldn't the meaning change slightly? I feel if you say "one of the best" then it means it is somewhere on top but not necessarily the very top, whereas if you say "two of the most" then that means they are the very top two. Or is it just in my head?


texts:
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/hold-down

The sentence is a sample one form LDOCE:

  We had to hold the tent down with rocks to stop it blowing away.

Why not "to stop it being blown away"?


texts: What is the meaning of "the hammer fell on an empty chamber"?

texts:
Example:

  This is absolutely wrong. To what does a point? You don't know the answer to that question and neither do I. This is a prime example of overwriting memory. When char *a is declared, it points to a random location in memory. In computer jargon, we can say that a points to garbage as soon as it is declared. However, one programmer's garbage may be anther's treasure. As was stated in prior chapters, when you overwrite computer memory, you're involved in a game of logic Russian roulette, and the outcome can be almost anything. The program may work or seem to work perfectly. If this is true, then the hammer fell on an empty chamber. The computer could have locked up, or worse, returned inaccurate information. Bingo! The hammer fell on a loaded chamber. While such occurrences are rarely disastrous when using small-memory model compilers, large-memory model versions may allow a memory overwrite to trip a few interrupts and, maybe, erase the file allocation table (FAT) on your hard drive. Double bingo! You've just rendered your entire hard disk useless!

Is that an idiom? What exactly does it mean? What kind of chamber are they talking about?


texts:
This is a definition and an example phrase from a dictionary for the word "start-up":
a newly established business
Example: problems facing start-ups and small firms in rural areas
The grammar of the example phrase seems incorrect - do problems face start-ups and firms or start-ups and firms face problems?


texts: "In next section" or "in the next section"

texts:
I wrote:

  In next section, we review LTAG and its essential features.

However as I searched google, I saw both "In next section" and "In the next section".

While the next section is known for the reader, I don't know if I should use "the" or it can be ommitted? if yes, why?


texts:
Why can't I say "I'm on Trafalgar square" but "I'm in/at Trafalgar square". It's a surface, isn't it?
I've heard it from this video https://youtu.be/wGV_7az35sg


texts: "I have tried Russian cuisine, and I liked it.” Why do we use Past Simple?

texts:
I have tried Russian cuisine & I liked it.

Why do we use Past Simple in the "I liked it" part, if

1) there's no indication of when it happened,

2) I liked it at the same time when i tried it, so if we use Present Perfect for "I have tried", then this tense should refer to "I liked" too.

But for no logical reason, I'm sure I should say "I liked it".

Could you please help me explain this usage to my student?


texts: Can the phrase "kind enough" be misunderstood?

texts:
I was thinking of writing in an email that

  Joe was kind enough to do XYZ for me

but when I read it, it stroke bad to me in terms that it sounded like implying that "usually Joe is not enough kind but exceptionally this time he was and he did what I asked for". What I actually want to say is quite the opposite and that Joe was just helpful. Am I right to be afraid of being misunderstood by using this phrase?


texts:
Can I say like this?

  How long have you been facing this problem?
  It has been for couple of days now.

  How long had you been facing this problem?
    It had been for couple of days then.


texts: Does using 'grade' fit here in this context?

texts:
I was looking at the Area51's page of ELL. It has the valuable statistics about the ELL site like Visits per day, Question per day categories and for each category it says what is the expected value and how we are doing as compared to that value.

Okay – 15 questions per day on average is a healthy beta, 5 questions or fewer per day needs some work. A healthy site generates lots of good content to make sure users keep coming back.
Needs Work – 1,500 visits per day is good, 500 visits per day needs some work. A great site benefits people outside the community. Eventually, 90% of a site's traffic should come from search engines.

What is the correct word to describe Okay, Needs Work for each category? Is using grade for each category correct?


texts:
Are the following sentences correct? and what is the difference in meaning?

  I can't imagine John drives a car.
  I can't imagine John driving a car.
  I can't imagine John is driving a car.

I think the middle one is correct, but I don't understand its part of speech, tense and clause elements, and I think the other two are wrong, in the same I can understand it grammar and tense


texts:
I have a question about the usage of "pay" and "pay for":

  He paid the expense.
  He paid for the expenses.

Could both be the same?  This dictionary seems to say "pay" and "pay for" are the same.


texts: "Had...been" or "Was...been," and "would have" or "would had"?

texts:
I want to say, if some person was told about the situation before, she wouldn't have reacted that way.

So which one seems grammatically correct?

  Had Ishaani known about the situation before, she wouldn't have felt so heartbroken.

or:

  Was Ishaani been informed before, she wouldn't have felt so heartbroken.

Or should that last one be:

  Was Ishaani been informed before, she wouldn't had felt so heartbroken.

Or any other sentence form would be appreciated.


texts:
Ah! she said, triumphantly: the little boy hurts, doesn't it? I said, stonily, it might be a good idea if, instead of a psychiatrist, she stopped off
one afternoon at a delousing station.
Did I (with her eyes widely open) really think so?
Yes: I thought so. A delousing station might, after all, be ever so much
more helpful than some poor doctor trying, in a scheduled hour, to
disentangle that soul of hers.
How nice to say she had one.
she had one. Oh stained a little and dirtied a little and cheap a little. But
she had one.
White and fluttery?
White and fluttery and from the hand of God.
she was delighted. A soul: an actual soul. No one, in years, had used the
word. Were souls coming back, like mahjong? But it was such a waste,
wasn't it, to have bothered giving her one. so superfluous. It was one of
the least necessary things. A soul, how silly. Of what possible use could it
be, except to get in the way and trip her, at critical moments, like a
nightgown that was a bit too long?
she was smiling, with her head somewhat to one side, tracing the rim of
the martini glass with her finger.
that was the trouble: they kept giving you things you didn,t need. They
never gave you quite what you really needed. Enough guts, for example.
Didn't she have her share?
sadly, no. No she didn,t. she didn't have nearly enough. she could use
more and more. she could use scads of it for what she wanted to do. she'd
trade it in: one soul, slightly damaged, for its equivalent in guts. Did I
know a buyer? someone interested in second-hand souls? someone who'd
care to exchange? Really: she was serious. She was perfectly serious.
She'd love to get rid of the damn thing; it was such a nuisance having one,
and being expected to take care of it, when really there wasn't time, and
there were so many other more important things which needed her
constant attention.
Was I still brooding about the little boy?

I don't get the meaning of the whole context clearly and I think it is because the meaning of "soul" is unclear to me.
Does "soul" in this context mean: one person or does it mean: her spirits? it is somehow unclear to me.
I think it means person, but in the phrase: to disentangle  that soul of hers, I thought it means: spirits.
The meaning of some other words in this context that I wrote in bold is also unclear to me and maybe because of that the meaning of this word is unclear to me.
Does "delousing station" means: some where without bad people?
Source: My face for the world to see by Alfred Hayes


texts:
I'm solving MCQ of some English book practice, but I don't understand one of the correct answers and I would like to know the explanation for that.

The question was:

  Dr. Knowledgeable will be making a ... this evening.

a) lecture

b) sermon

c) speech

d) talk

and the right answer according to the book is c (speech). Then my question is why is could't be a lecture or a talk? (so what I can understand that sermon is most less relevant because normally it turns to pastors or sheikhs)


texts: What's the name for this sports machine?

texts:
What's the name for this sport machine?
I've tried to translate it from my native language but I couldn't find its translation.


texts:
As the definite article is used when we mention something for the second time or we mean the specific thing, would it be right to use the definite or indefinite article interchangeably before the noun ticket in the following conversation in the last example sentence
(The dialog is from a movie)

Person 1: I don’t have enough money to get you a ticket (ticket was never mentioned before but they both know what ticket they mean)

Person2: I will do whatever it takes to get a ticket

Person 2:  You have to go Spider (a guy’s nickname) and then you will get A/THE ticket.

I know you could use your ticket but for the sake of the question I used ‘the’.
I wonder if you could use ‘The’ or ‘a’ interchangeably
also, is it right to use ‘the’ when you don’t really mean the specific ticket ( that you can see and touch, etc) but use it because ‘the concept of a ticket’ is introduced in the conversation?

Likewise in the scenario below, the use of the article before the Cambridge Test in the last example sentence?

Person 1 says to Person 2: she wants to take a Cambridge English test.

After some time, the person 2 asks: So, does she still want to take THE  Cambridge test. (not the specific test in time and place you sit).

Because the idea of a Cambridge test was already introduced so the definite article is used, or you use THE because there is only one Cambridge test in the world?


texts: Why "Do" word used in this question's title?

texts:
What do you call this elevated road structure?

I thought that a "Do" word was used whenever an action takes place.

I didn't see any action performed in any form, he is just asking a question.


texts:
Infinitives can act as nouns, adjectives & adverbs in a sentence.

  A friend to call would be nice.

Here, "to call" modifies the noun "friend". Therefore an adjective.
But in the sentence:

  I went outside to sing.

does "to sing"  act as an adverb or adjective?
The book says that "to sing" modifies the verb "went" (hence an adverb) but doesn't it modify the noun "outside" (hence an adjective).


texts: Is there any word to describe a girl who is "soft and tender"

texts:
I know "tender and soft" is wrong here, because one day, when one of my friends who came from China went to a bar with some American guys, they asked my friend this: "What kind of the girl do you like?" My friend answered: "Kind, tender, and soft." They all laughed and pointed at a very fat girl to him...
Could you please give me some proper word to describe a good girl?


texts:
What is the difference between "inform of" and "inform about" ?

Can you give some example sentences which clearly shows the difference.

Thanks.


texts: Is there an idiom to say "I don't know how many time is gone"?

texts:
I would like to know if the sentence I don't know how many time is gone makes sense and, if yes, Is there an idiom to say that.

e.g:

  John: You're a programmer expert, I remember when you were young and you used Visual Basic.

  Luke: I don't know how many time is gone.


texts:
I came across a paragraph in which, I'm not sure about the usage of 'other.'

  It was obvious that there was a vast unknown region all around us, and science, with its magnificent achievements, knew little enough about it, though it was making tentative approaches in that direction. Probably also, the normal methods of science, its dealings with the visible world and the processes of life, were not wholly adapted to the physical, the artistic, the spiritual, and other elements of the invisible world. Life does not consist entirely of what we see and hear and feel, the visible world which is undergoing change in time and space; it is continually touching an invisible world of other, and possibly more stable or equally changeable elements, and no thinking person can ignore this invisible world.

Is this can be parsed the following way?

...invisible world of other more stable and equally unchangeable elements. But  and possibly more stable or equally changeable elements, is a defining clause.


texts:
I can understand the basic meaning of this sentence, but I'm confused with the usage of "having come into" and "-ened" of "blackened"

"If they’ve been used for a while, they become blackened or discolored in some other way as a result of having come into contact with high heat. "

thanks :)


texts:
What is the difference between:

Application which processes data
Application processing data

And which of these sentences should I use in which situation?


texts: What expression should I use in this case?

texts:
In Italian, when somebody wants to say that something is true also for them, or they know something because they experienced the same, they sometimes say non lo dire a me (litrerally, "don't say it to me"). For example, that could be the answer to the following sentences.

  I pay too much for the property taxes!

  The gasoline price got raised again!

  I feel cold!

  I would smoke a cigarette right now!

What would an equivalent expression be, in English?

The implicit phrase for the Italian expression is "because I know it well"; the other person experienced (or is experiencing) the same.

I thought to "Don't tell me!" but that sounds like the other person doesn't want to speak about that topic, maybe because the topic is not of any interest, but that is not the case for the Italian expression.


texts:
“I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart,
  "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?" (Harry
  Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

There comes direct question after ‘I never know’. If it were indirect question, would it be ‘I never know what the difference between a stalagmite and stalactite is.’?


texts: Is "transportation means" correct? Why/why not?

texts:
I wrote a report about my city for an English class, and used the words "transportation means" to describe the objects one can use to go from one place to another. In fact, I got confused whether to use it or the other "means of transportation".

Here is an excerpt of the only sentence with this situation from my report:

  There are so many transportation means which can be used to reach those well-known places.

As it seems, "means of transportation" is correct (I've read this before asking), so I have to ask: is "transportation means" also correct? Why or why not?


texts: Difference between late getting back and late to get back

texts:
I have a question about the following sentence -

  "I'm sorry I was so late getting back to you."

Is it possible to say that -

  "I'm sorry I was so late to get back to you."

About the first sentence I'm not sure about the grammar structure.  If there is any difference between two sentences, could you explain that?


texts: sentence construction - ,(comma) noun after a complete sentence

texts:
The 4-year-olds often chose to look at the marshmallows while waiting, a strategy that was not terribly effective.

Is "which is" omitted before "a strategy" ( ... waiting, which is a strategy ...)?

I want to know how the noun "a strategy" can be attached to the end of the above sentence?


texts:
1. I'm going for a swim.
2. I'm going to have a swim.
3. I'm going to take a swim.

Are the last two sentences correct? I know the first one is, but what about the last two?

I know that you can use 'have' and 'take' with certain nouns, in sentences such as;

1. We're going to (have/take) a look around
2. I'm gonna have a read of this book

I believe they're called Delexical Verbs.

I know they sound a bit unnatural, but are they correct and would you find them okay in informal/casual conversations?


texts:
' I haven't been skiing - it's never really appealed. '

I suppose the sentence above is complete since it is from a well-known dictionary, however I cannot understand the second part of it, after the dash.


texts:
Sometimes for a match, there are two players, and in the screen, it shows Player1 v.s. Player2.

My question is how to read this to others?

Player one v dot s dot Player two
Player one v s Player two
Player one versus Player two

Which is right? And which is most people using?


texts: What does "I'm trying to pick up trade" mean?

texts:
The movie is Tau.

That is what the English subtitle says. Maybe an "a" missing from the subtitles? "trying to pick up A trade"? surrounding dialogue:

  - What's wrong with her?
  - Maybe the thing fried her brain.
  - Do you know what it's for? This thing.
  - I don't know. One night I'm out trying to pick up trade and next thing I know I wake up in this place. What about you?

(the person who said this has been kidnapped)

Please native English speakers, help me understand this expression.
Thank you


texts: Is it natural and correct to say "sugary foods give me acne"?

texts:
Is it natural and correct to say sugary food gives me acne? For example:

Sugary foods give me acne, so I try to steer clear of them.

If it sounds off, would it be more natural to say the following?

Sugary foods cause acne on me, so I try to steer clear of them.

What is the most natural way to say it?


texts: What is the meaning of "lug" in "lug nut"?

texts:
From Wikipedia:

  A lug nut or wheel nut is a fastener, specifically a nut, used to secure a wheel on a vehicle. Typically, lug nuts are found on automobiles, trucks (lorries), and other large vehicles using rubber tires.

What is the meaning of "lug" here? According to the Etymology Dictionary, "lug" is "a broad-meaning word used of things that move slowly or with difficulty".

I've read all the meanings listed in Wiktionary, and I can't understand what exactly "lug" means in "lug nut". I want to understand it in order to remember it better.

A picture I found online:


texts: “It will be” vs. “Chances are it will be"

texts:
I came across a question which has two expressions: "Chances are it will be" and "it will be”. Are they different?

Here is the fill-in-the-blank question:

  Next time you are in a lift, look for the name of the people who made it. _________ the Otis Elevator Company.

  A. Chances are it will be
  B. It will be
  C. May be

My answer is B but the answer is A.  Anyone who can explain to me?


texts: "You have got to see this" why does this mean the same as "You have to see this."

texts: First of all I never quite understood the meaning of get in the "have got" compound so I always assumed it is the "receive" meaning of "get"s many meanings.I guess "I have got ( received ) the present" probably means that you now have it. But I dont see how "have to do" can be equivalent to "have got to do". In short, why does "have got to do" mean "must".


texts: Is there a special word for orange clouds/sky we see at dusk?

texts: Like we have a silver lining for clouds, do we have a special name or phrase for clouds or sky that turns into this lovely orange/pink colour during dusk? Attaching a figure for reference.


texts: What is the meaning of "if for no other reason than"?

texts:
I have trouble understanding this phrase "If for no other reason (than)..."
Actually I've seen the same question being asked on the web, but I still don't quite get it. Here are some usage examples that I have seen so far:

  He will have an honored place in history if for no other reason than that he and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev refused to use force to preserve the Soviet empire.
  There is some value in helping kids understand how coats work, Grotzer says — if for no other reason than the science is useful.
  I understand that John’s living up there now as well and, if for no other reason I should go up and visit everybody, while he’s there.

I understand that the phrase implies that the speaker thinks whatever the reason mentioned here is not the ONLY SINGLE reason. So in a nutshell, is the speaker saying that "there could be some other reasons but the major reason is ......"?


texts: What is the meaning of "the principle of the thing"?

texts:
I came across this phrase that I don't get the meaning: the principle of the thing. Here's the sentence that includes this phrase (a questionnaire item):

  I have, at times stood in the way of people who were trying to do something, not because it amounted to much, but because of the principle of the thing.


texts: Word choice about a surgery/surgical operation having been done on somebody

texts:
My friend Jack had a surgery/surgical operation last week. The operation was named operation 64 and the team who did the surgery was named Team P. To say this fact in a passive way, can we say the following?

  Jack was put under the surgery/operation 64 by Team P last week.

Any other suggestion is welcomed. What I am looking for here is a word/expression that can be used in a grammatically passive voice sentence to say such a fact. Also I want Jack to be the subject of that sentence. Moreover, I need the operation name, i.e. operation 64, and the doer, i.e. Team P, to be mentioned in the sentence.


texts: Why can't we use "almost" and "quite" together? (My textbook says we can't)

texts:
I came to know that "almost" and "quite" are not used together. But I don't get the reason why these two words can't be together.

In my textbook, it's written that quite and almost both are adverbs and we don't use any other adverb before quite, but adverbs can also be used to qualify another adverbs.

Please explain. For example, in this sentence:

  The AI players are almost quite competent in staying together as a team.


texts: Meaning of the adverb "especially" after a subject in context

texts:
Tell me please what especially means in the following sejtence.

  All my family likes music. My father, especially, goes to as many concerts as he possiblay can.

I would get it if there were the verb like instead of go meaning that their father likes concerts or whatever to a greater extent. I cannot get how someone can go to a greater extent somewhere. Does the sentence mean the same as the following?

  All my family likes music, especially my father. He goes to as many concerts as he possibally can.


texts: What is the name of a land lot with building built on that?

texts:
A vacant (land) lot is a lot without any building built on it. What is a name of a lot with a building (of any kind) built on that?

Can I name it an occupied lot?


texts: What the meaning of "leaving behind a bread-crumb trail of reports like this one :"

texts:
I don't grasp the expression bread-crumb in this phrase : "physicians would discover slowly, leaving behind a bread-crumb trail of reports like this one :....".

Thanks for your explanations!


texts: How to decide whether the sentence is negative?

texts:
Sorry for a very general question, but it's important for me to know the alpha and omega of it! The question came to my mind looking at this.

I searched on Oxforddictionaries and landed here.

Now the question:

All the examples for negative or in questions and without negative reflect negativeness one or the other way.

Does negation only imply to the subject and never the results? I was ready for my resignation (is positive?) OVER I wasn't ready for my promotion and thus declined it! (is negative?)

My homework: I went through this but still it's not utterly clear. What if there's no subject! Can we come up with negative/positive sentences then?

For instance, *this produces no results - negative?


texts:
Juan Dela Cruz is a former member of this District formerly assigned at ABCD. Said employee was transferred to ZXC.

Does capital Said infront of the sentence correct? it seems to me it' wrong


texts:
Is it correct that in turn means the opposite?

For example, how should I understand in turn in the sentence given below?

  Even given the desire of the poorer nations for greater autonomy, many of their needs can only be satisfied via the productive capacity of the developed nations; the developed nations, in turn, will have to find new markets for their product if they are to revive their faltering economies.


texts: What does "new world order" mean grammatically?

texts:
New World Order

Does it mean "order of the new world" or "New order of the world"? I skimmed through Wikipedia, but it's unclear. I am not looking for the correct meaning based on the concept itself, but just looking for the meaning that is correct in terms of grammar. Is it context-dependent or is there a clear grammar rule to interpret this kind of words?


texts: What does "to rumble one's assurances" mean?

texts:
For instance, in

  He rumbled his assurances to the contrary.


texts:
We need more information about this guy. Specifically / Namely, what is his name, where he lives, and whether he has a gun.

It is assumed that we don't need any other facts. We don't care whether he has a big and very angry dog, a drive license, and whether he sleep with the knife under the pillow.
Which word should be used in such a case, "specifically" or "namely"?


texts: Present perfect and a past period in life

texts:
In this YouTube video at 1:07 the person on the right says:

  I've had some desperate moments when I've done that as a youngster.

Considering he's far from being a youngster right now, doesn't the as a youngster imply he's considering a past period of time not connected with the present moment, and hence the present perfect tense cannot be used?


texts: How to distinguish between passive and past

texts:
This software calculates the amount of heat generated by a CPU.
  This software calculates the amount of heat to be generated by a CPU.
  This software calculates the amount of heat that a CPU will generate.

Is there a difference among three sentences listed above ?  Specifically, I would like to know whether the first one means the past.


texts: Can I say “I hope I can get any chance to go back”?

texts:
My friend said, “Can’t wait for you to come back.”

Can I say:

  I hope I can get any chance to go back.

Or

  If only I can get any chance to go back.

Or

  I hope I will get a chance.

Do they sound okay ?


texts: Why "we are seeing them tonight" is correct?

texts:
I don't understand why the phrase "we are seeing them tonight" is correct. I would rather say "we are going to see them tonight" because the construction "to be going to" is used when you have planned something and will do that anyway. But here is a real Present Continuous with state verb "to see" used to show planned actions in future, but as I know it's not correct state verbs with Present Continuous Tense.
Are the phrases "we are seeing them tonight" and "we are going to see them tonight" equal and have the same meaning?


texts: How do you refer to a third item in a list?

texts:
I say 'a third item' because I mean that there are three instead of a common two.

For example, you could say

  The two best 3d printers are xxxx and xxxx.

and the first item could be referred to as the former, and the second the latter.

But what if there were three items?

  The three best 3d printers are xxxx, xxxx and xxxx.

Would the first be the former and the last the latter, or would the second still be the latter and the third something different? Or, would you just leave the whole former-latter matter behind and just use first, second and third? Any help would be appreciated.


texts: "which Foucault is described as seeking…"

texts:
In support of this morbid diagnosis, Miller paints a lurid picture of a man obsessed by death and drugs, suicide and sadomasochistic sex which Foucault is described as seeking right up until his death in the bath houses in New York and San Francisco.

http://www.contempaesthetics.org/newvolume/pages/article.php?articleID=463

Do you not think that the preposition "in" is missing before "which". I suppose that the subordinate clause modifies the noun "picture". Without "in" it would be in my opinion better "which describes Foucault as…".


texts: "accidentally" - Is "accidently" also acceptable?

texts:
I did some research and "accidentally" seems to be the proper spelling. However, some discussions mention that "accidently" is acceptable in informal writing and it is used quite frequently.
The reason "accidently" has become popular seems to be that many people pronounce the word that way.

So is "accidently" just wrong? Is it treated differently between GB/US English?


texts: I have seen people put a comma right after an em dash. Is this practice correct? I guess it is not, since the em dash takes the place of the comma.


texts:
Here are some examples;

He looked at me

He looked a(t) me

or

He went out a second ago.

He went ou(t) a second ago.

Do we read ''t'' sound in spoken English?


texts: How different are "the tracks" from "the steps" that one leaves in the snow?

texts:
Reading a story by A. Blackwood, I am not sure what to make of the following phrase:

The night was still as ice, bitterly cold. Breathlessly they ran,
following the tracks. Halfway his steps diverged, and were plainly
visible in the virgin snow by themselves.

I thought that the tracks in the snow must be logically made of steps - so how can these become visible only halfway?


texts: What does the phrase "dangling-armed trolls" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from an adventure game:

  If you are not careful, you might be grabbed by the dangling-armed
  trolls that reach from afar.

The player fights against many creatures, monsters, etc. I am not sure if the "dangling-armed" has any metaphorical meaning here.


texts: To talk about a hobby, should I say "I like swimming" or "I like go swimming"?

texts:
Cambridge gives this example

I don't like upsetting people

with this formula [ + -ing verb ], based on which, I could say "I like swimming", although I've also seen "I like go swimming". It seems that both forms could be used to talk about a hobby, when should I use which one?


texts: Word Order: "the village crazy lady" vs. "the crazy village lady"

texts:
In a movie "Moana", there's this conversation between Moana and her gramma Tala:

  Tala: When I die, I'm going to come back as one of these. Or I chose the wrong tattoo.

  Moana: Why are you acting weird?

  Tala: I'm the village crazy lady. That's my job.

I wonder why Tala said "the village crazy lady" instead of "the crazy village lady".

Usually, when a noun phrase has one adjective and two nouns, the order is "adjective + noun + noun" as in "crazy village lady". But here, the order is "noun + adjective + noun".

Is there any particular reason for adopting this unusual word order?


texts: Use "woman" or "person" for female version of "how to be a good man"?

texts:
A friend of mine is reading a English textbook in which a girl thanks her mother. In the letter, one of the things she said was "thank you for teaching me how to be a good man".

The English textbook isn't very good - it has lots of spelling mistakes, for example. But my friend wants to know what the textbook should have said instead.

Would you say "how to be a good woman"? Or "how to be a good person"? What would be more normal English?

The sentence was in the following paragraph:

  Mom, I know I have never written even a note to express my thanks to
  you before. But today, on this special occasion, I just want to tell
  you loudly [sic]: I love you mom! Thank you so much for not only
  giving birth to my [sic], but also teaching me how to be a good man.
  Thank you, mom, for all what [sic] you have done for me, for the whole
  family.


texts: What does this present perfect imply here?

texts:
The owner of the face has no cravat on, and has opened his tumbled shirt-collar to work with the more ease.
   Source

Does this imply that when Mr Wegg came in, this owner of the face had already opened his collar, and his collar was already open?


texts:
India are difficult to beat at home.

  India is difficult to beat at home.

I read this sentence in a newspaper. Why are they using "are"? "Is" sounds better for  me.


texts:
I am confused at the use of open here.

The office opens early in the morning.
The office starts early in the morning.

which is right? open or start?


texts: Is "To get you to know me better" grammatically correct? It is supposed to be an informal letter.


texts:
I've not seen;

  'I', I said,....

often. Is it OK? Does anyone have any examples? ('She', she shouted, 'goes to Hell')


texts:
I am in class 6. I am presently reading my computer book.

  Game console is an interactive computer.

What is the meaning of interactive?


texts: Theme or Topic - what's the difference? Are they synonyms?


texts:
As per google meaning I understood like,

Anyone - any person or any people

Anybody - anyone

It seems both are relevant. I am trying to understand the proper place for using these words. Please help me.

Thanks in Advance.


texts: How to use 'used to' two times in a sentence

texts:
How to say this

  "When I used to go to the college, I used to play Volleyball".

Or is it ok to use used to two times in a sentence?

I know I can also use something like:

  "When I was in college, I used to play Volleyball"

But I want to know how can I use used to 2 times correctly, or is the one that I used in first statement correct?


texts: What is the difference between ‘said’ and ‘told’?

texts:
I have confusion about said and told.

It may seem like very small thing, because said and told are synonyms, but I wonder if there are times when one is more appropriate or correct than the other.


texts: Unless Vs. If - What's the difference here?

texts:
Could anyone explain why one is correct and the other is not?

  I’ll lend you my umbrella if you don’t have yours - Okay   I’ll lend you my umbrella unless you have yours - Wrong

What's the difference in these sentences? What to use when?


texts: I was having a bath with my glasses wore/wearing?

texts:
I want say a sentence like: I was having a bath with my glasses wore/wearing

I've definitely come cross similar structure like this, with my stuff + past simple(or perhaps past participle). Hopefully I've articulated my thought clearly enough.


texts: One word to say make something lose its function

texts:
I am searching for a verb to express:

make something lose its function or make something inefficient.

for instance:

  the symbol loses its special meaning in that context.

I wanna say:

  the symbol is 'verb'ed.


texts: Are these past Continuous in these two sentences?

texts:
Source (The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini)

I am trying to read the book and don't understand how to use past continuous here:

  When the sun dropped low behind the hills and we were done playing for the day, ...

I know we use was/were + present participle. So why does the above use -> were + past participle + present participle?

And the second sentence:

  Hassan was born in the winter of 1964, just one year after my mother died giving birth to me.

Why don't we use "was" here?


texts: Compound verb in a "would you like to" question

texts:
If I have a "would you like to _____" question, which words in that question are considered to be part of the compound verb?

For example, if I have this question:

  Would you like to eat ice-cream or to drink a milkshake?

Which words in this question are considered to be part of the compound verb?


texts: Is there something wrong with this usage of 'letting someone into a secret'?

texts:
Recently I had to write somewhere and this phrase made good sense except I am not too sure about the usage?

Let me in you on a secret (followed by the secret)

Is this correct? If not what can I write here alternatively using the same phrase?


texts: An antonym to "return" in the "return trip"

texts:
Suppose, I'm considering a trip from A to B and then from B back to A. The latter  probably should be called a "return trip" and the whole journey, I guess, is a "round trip".  But how does one call the AB leg? Is it an outbound trip? Or onward?
 Or something else?

In other words, what is X in "A round trip consists of X and return trips"?


texts:
Let's say that I want to say that I have just turned my pc off.

Which of these sentences is more commonly to be heard?

  I have just turned my pc off.
  I turned my pc off.


texts: What is the difference between 'plant', 'mill', and 'factory'?

texts:
Take a look at this, I would say, mess.

plant
A place where an industrial or manufacturing process takes place.

(from here)

mill
A building fitted with machinery for a manufacturing process.

(from here)

factory
A building or group of buildings where goods are manufactured or assembled chiefly by machine.

(from here)
Isn't it the same thing described by different words? I'm sure that there are some differences, even if they are not delineated in Lexico


texts: "My dog could [have] jump very high when he was younger"

texts:
I did a test and made a mistake. I wrote:

  "My dog could have jumped very high when he was younger."

The right sentence was:

  "My dog could jump very high when he was younger."

When I was making the sentence I was thinking that people usually say "You could have told me!", there is some action and it is in the past–the same for the dog. Could you explain me what is wrong?


texts: "Concept of Universe" vs "concept of the Universe", what is the difference?

texts: I met both variants and I feel that there is an important difference between them? But I cannot pinpoint it


texts: which sentence is correct (dry or dried)?

texts:
Which is right?

The clothes are almost dry

or

The clothes are almost dried

Context: I washed my clothes yesterday. Today, before it rained, I took the clothes in. The said clothes are not wet and not dry, somewhere in between. What should I say, if someone asked me?


texts: Adjective that describes an event happening in the US can impact Europe?

texts:
I am looking for an adjective to describe that an event occurring in the United States can have impact on the European market. The first word coming up to my mind is "transcontinental" and the sentence I write is

  In building the model, we should also take into account the transcontinental effect of bankruptcy of the US banks.

However, I don't find "transcontinental" to be an ideal choice. According to the first search result returned by google, transcontinental means "(especially of a railway line) crossing a continent.", so it seems that it is more appropriate to use the word to describe a physical entity.

So can anyone recommend a more suitable word? Or maybe transcontinental is a good choice and I have some misunderstanding? Many thanks in advance!


texts:
In the sentence

  He should get a wooden table, not a plastic one

why cannot "wooden" be replaced by the word "wood"?


texts:
I read a sentence:

  This argument may seem arcane to those not closely involved in the world of finance.

In arcane | Definition of arcane in English by Oxford Dictionaries

  Understood by few; mysterious or secret.
  with synonyms of 'mysterious, secret, hidden, concealed, covert, clandestine, enigmatic, dark'

Is it a frequently used word in written english?

I try to understand it by referring to "arc and e" in mathematics which is arcane to students.

Is there a better solution to understand this word?


texts: meaning of "everything that it means to be"

texts:
From a tutorial

The class, which is a new block of code
that I'm going to ask you to write
if you choose to follow these tutorials,
is this idea of encapsulate.
everything that goes in between the open curly
bracket and the closed curly bracket
is everything that it means to be a bubble.

According to Ngram Viewer, similar use would be

1001 Things It Means to Be a Dad

I guess it means that the characteristics one must have to claim they are some specific type of group of people or something.
Is my understanding correct?


texts: Does the usage of 'the' change the meaning of these sentences?

texts:
Are all of these sentences grammatically correct?

a. "That man claims he talks to angels."
b.  "That man claims he talks to the angels."
c. "That man claims he talks to ghosts of the dead."
d. "That man claims he talks to the ghosts of the dead."

Does 'the' change anything ?
Do b and d mean that he claims that he talks to all angels/all of the ghosts of the dead?
Could a and c be used if he claims that he talks to all angels/all of the ghosts of the dead?


texts: past simple and past continuous - that summer

texts:
He was staying in Rome that summer.

  He stayed in Rome that summer.

Can I use the two sentences above interchangeably? Or do they have slightly different meanings?


texts: grammaticality of 'for what to blame them is a bit unfair'

texts:
The subordinates have had to take these steps in accordance with instructions of the top management of the company, for what to blame them is a bit unfair.

I am considering the possibility of using the construction 'for what to blame them is a bit unfair'. What do you think about grammaticality of this construction?

The meaning of this phrase is that the subordinates have been forced to take these steps because of internal rules defined by the senior managers of the company. It is unfair to shift the blame for these steps on to the subordinates.


texts:
consider this statement:

  I have always been a loner, trying to be someone I am not and as I am too soft and empathetic, I get taken advantage of a lot.. spend my Uni years on the net talking to people far away from me to have a 'connection' and thus, blew my degree so it's really a useless piece of paper.

What's the meaning of blew in this statement?

I'm kinda confused. I thought he said he has made connections there on the online university, but he blew his "degree" -- it's his 'degree' that he blew? but at the same time he is saying, by my understanding, he has gotten his degree, but it's just a "useless piece of paper"? I'm very confused.


texts: Comparing two situations by "different from"

texts:
Is any of the below sentences correct? If yes which one?

  The way the data is encoded in the protocol A is different from it is in protocol B.
  The way the data is encoded in the protocol A is different from in the protocol B.


texts: General get, put, take to more specific obtain, understand, become etc

texts:
I am imagining a hierarchy of verbs, get, put, take etc.. which are more general and can be used in a lot of different contexts.
Then, in these different contexts, to make it more specific, different verbs can be used in place of these more general verbs, such as...

I got it (I obtained it)
I get it (I understand)
I got tired (I became tired)

Is the move from general to specific purely context, is it a usage pattern? Is there a name for the group of more general verbs? Is there some know hierarchical structure where all these verbs and patterns can be found?
In my research so far I have found causative verbs, but I don’t think that describes how the verbs are being used here.


texts: What of few/a few/little/a little can be a noun?

texts: I try to get known what of few/a few/little/a little we can use as noun. I would be grateful if you leave examples.


texts:
I constructed the sentences like these below

  Why are you always acting the fool?
  Why are you always acting like a fool?

Which one is better?


texts:
I have read both the styles...

  Neither I like you, nor do I like your family
  and
  I don't like you. Nor do I like your family.

Is there any special cases where we use just 'nor' instead of 'neither...nor'? Has it to do anything with emphasis?


texts: Oat flakes pancakes / Oat flake pancakes

texts:
I know I can say

pea soup
chickpea salad

(the noun/secondary adjective/attributive noun is used in singular)
But I don't know if I shoud use

Oat flakes pancakes

or

Oat flake pancakes


texts: Which is better? In 1960 was founded the library of ... or In 1960 there was founded the library of...?

texts:
Please, let me know if there is necessary any "there" in the next paragraph:

In 1960 was founded the library of...
In 1960 there was founded the library of...

I would rather use sentences like The library of... was founded in the 1960's, but for now I'm concerned in some instructions for the given cases (1) and (2).


texts: Usage of "proper" after a noun i.e. "noun + proper"

texts:
Technology, War and Fascism Collected Papers of Herbert Marcuse, the paper Some Social Implications of Modern Technology starts as follows:

In this article, technology is taken as a social process in which technics proper
(that is, the technical apparatus of industry, transportation, communication)
is but a partial factor.

What does proper and the associated phrase mean (technics here mean devices or instruments to transform nature)? Is there a general meaning for the structure "noun + proper" ?


texts: Adding and subtracting small numbers OR Addition and Subtraction of Smaller Numbers?

texts: I am preparing a mathematics syllabus for students, so I need to give a heading like "Adding and subtracting small numbers OR Addition and Subtraction of Smaller Numbers." which one is the correct one ?


texts:
At the local subway, the announcer says at the last station to the other people:

  "Please do not enter the safety zone nor attempt to board the
  train."

I wonder, is "nor" necessary, optional or incorrect in this context? Could  it be replaced with simple "or", or does it change the meaning?


texts: What does it mean to be "a spectator of the human world"?

texts:
Anthony was nineteen when I met him, a shy young
  man who found computers reassuring. He felt insecure in the world of people
  with its emotional risks and shades of gray. The activity and interactivity of
  computer programming gave Anthony-lonely, yet afraid of intimacy-the feeling
  that he was not alone.s In Love and Sex, Levy idealizes Anthony's accommodation
  and suggests that loving a robot would be a reasonable next step for
  people like him. I was sent an advance copy of the book, and Levy asked if I
  could get a copy to Anthony, thinking he would be flattered. I was less sure. I
  didn't remember Anthony as being at peace with his retreat to what he called
  "the machine world:" I remembered him as wistful, feeling himself a spectator
  of the human world, like a kid with his nose to the window of a candy store.
  When we imagine robots as our future companions, we all put our noses to that
  same window.

I'm particularly confused about this:

  I remembered him as wistful, feeling himself a spectator
  of the human world, like a kid with his nose to the window of a candy store.
  When we imagine robots as our future companions, we all put our noses to that
  same window.

Anothony certainly feels lonely, but afraid of dealing with other people. He finds out that computers make him feel that someone is there. I guess maybe the author is trying to say that Anothony actually longs to make friends with other people when she says "feeling himself a spectator of the human world"?


texts: Could you simplify meaning of **to tick upward** in this text?

texts: Men’s fashion has moved out of the realm of the obscure, the twee or dandy. It is the segment of the fashion business that has been steadily ticking upwards in sales. And this week has underscored the reality that there are a host of young menswear brands that have a strong point of view, a wellspring of creative energy and a desire to build real businesses, not just vanity ones.


texts:
It was on a book cover:

  The wise and hilarious story of a family who discovered that having
  fewer tools to communicate with actually led them to communicate more.

  When Susan Maushart first announced her intention to pull the plug
  on her family's entire collection of electronic gadgets for six
  months, her three kids didn’t react at all. Says Maushart, "Looking
  back, I can understand why. They didn't hear me."

what does ''pull the plug on sth" mean?


texts:
The sentence is:

  I have got to wait for the bus.

Now if my friend wants to ask me about it,
First question is:

What would the question be?

  Have you got to wait for the bus?
  Do you have to wait for the bus?

Second question is:

What would be the answer?

  Yes I have
  Yes I have got
  Yes I do.

I think the word have got to is not an auxiliary verb, so I think we need to use the do both for the question and for the answer


texts: Why "fruitcake?" Can anybody please paraphrase this sentence?

texts:
I was reading a column on "gift-giving science" from New York Times, and bumped into this sentence.
 Can anybody explain what the sentence means? Does that mean the "fruitcake" is a sentimental gift that the recipient might cherish w? Or is it just a "practical" gift? Considering the conjunction "On the other hand," the sentence should mean what is opposed to the previous one(So I guess the fruitcake should refer to something utilitarian but less sentimental).

"On the other hand, if it’s a fruitcake, you’re fooling no one. Toss it."

(Here is the original text)

If you have doubts about the wisdom of regifting used items with sentimental value, you aren’t alone — but you may be missing out on a special opportunity. For instance, scholars at Carnegie Mellon recently demonstrated that we’re more likely to give practical gifts that seem personal (such as a jersey for the recipient’s favorite football team) than sentimentally valuable ones (say, a cherished photo we have had for years). However, they also found that recipients would actually prefer to receive fewer practical gifts and more sentimentally valuable ones.

So if a friend gives you something you truly love and you think it will make someone else happy as well, feel free to regift it.
On the other hand, if it’s a fruitcake, you’re fooling no one. Toss it.


texts:
Tall animals, for example, a elephant weighs 100kg at least.

Or, should I only use the plural of the word elephant?


texts:
Look at this sentence extract from Emir Kusturica's Wikipedia article:

  Despite the aforementioned conflict of religion, Kusturica refused to see himself as either a Bosniak or Serb. Instead, he had continued to insist that he was simply a Yugoslav.[39]

Does had continued indicate that this feeling of being Yugoslav began before the refusal but did it continue after it?

Don't you think the use of had continued past perfect is not very judicious because if you say continue it is because it began before. So we can understand that he always felt Yugoslavian and it began a long time before the refusal and maybe after the refusal even if Yugoslavia did not exist at the refusal time. So would not be past simple a better choice?


texts:
I always thought the verb "to prove" was irregular (prove, proved, proven). Recently, I've heard quite a few times people saying "I was proved wrong" or "It has been proved that he did it" rather than "I was proven wrong".

Are both forms correct?


texts:
My mother tongue is Hindi and we have two second Pronouns तू and आप translation in English' You' they both work for second person

For example:

Disrespectful Interrogative clause in Hindi language

  Why did you not go there?
  तू गया क्यों नहीं?

Respectful introgrative in  Hindi language

  Why did you not go there?
  आप क्यों नहीं गये?

I'm looking for pronouns of English which are used to disrepect . If we want to disrepect anyone then we use तू You. and if we want to respect anyone, we use Also आप You. Is there pronoun to use to disrespect in the English language?


texts: what is the meaning of 'you both lose' in the paragraph?

texts:
First of all, your boyfriend or husband is not your “opponent.”
  Thinking of him that way during a discussion will compel you to treat
  him accordingly. If all you’re trying to accomplish is to get your
  point across and win the argument, you both lose.

The above paragraph comes from the book Make Him Beg For You Attention, I'm not quite sure the meaning and the grammatical facts of it.

What I thought about the meaning is that both of your aims, get your point across and win the argument, will be unsuccessful according to the contents. But if so, what is the grammatical structure of the sentence? Why not using you lose both?

If I see the sentence alone, I think 'you' is a determiner and 'both' as a pronoun which represents the couple is the subject and lose is the verb. So the meaning will be both of the couple lose


texts: What is the correct verb to use, is or was

texts:
What is the correct verb to use

  My approved OT for the month of Feb is 127.5 hours, but only 8.5 hours was creditted last night, 119 hours unpaid.

The situation is one of our workmate's Overtime pay was not credited on this month's payroll and he issending email to the "Human Resources" to clarify it.


texts: When someone is insisting you do something which you dislike

texts:
Please imagine someone is insisting you do something (e.g., going somewhere or trying something, etc.) that you dislike for certain reasons. For instance, at the place they want you to go, there is someone you don't like or what they tend  to have there smells bad to you, and so on.

What structure is used normally in English to indicate the message below?

  (Go /eat, etc.) just as a test this time and afterwards if you feel it’s bad, don’t (go/eat) anymore.

This is an exact translation from what we say in our language. I'm sure it makes good sense to you, but what about its possible grammatical and structural problems?


texts:
In grammars, types of sentences are defined as:

Simple: a sentence comprised of only one independent clause.

Compound: a sentence comprised of minimum two independent clauses.

Complex: a sentence comprised of at least one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

Then, what type of a sentence is the following?

The more ignorant a man is, the less modest he is.


texts: “If you'll come this way, Ms___ will see you now”

texts:
In some situations if can be followed by will, would or going to in the same clause.

  If you'll come this way, Ms Taylor will see you now.

When I used the example above, my English teacher at school told me that I was wrong and we can never use if followed by will

Can I have further explanations on this matter? Can an English conditional sentence have two clauses with "will"?


texts: Using the definite article in "I love the people who make me laugh."

texts:
What's the difference between the two following sentences and which one is grammatical? Should I use the definite article in the second sentence?

  I love people who make me laugh.
  I love the people who make me laugh.

Please note that I am talking about people in general and I have no specific people in my mind.


texts: Is "pulled down" an appropriate phrasal verb to use here?

texts:
He angrily pulled down a big bookcase.
Question:
Is "pulled down" an appropriate phrasal verb to use here to mean he forcibly tipped over the bookcase?


texts: Using "already" in interrogative sentences

texts:
I know that we use "yet" with Present Perfect in interrogative and negative sentences. And "already" is used in affirmative statements. Despite that fact I have found one sentence:

"What have you already done today?"

Is it correct?


texts: Which is correct in this case? "the document" or "a document"

texts:
a document

  "I was writing a document this morning which I need to submit to my
  boss by the end of this week."

the document

  "I was writing the document this morning which I need to submit to my
  boss by the end of this week."

The situation behind this sentence is that I know which document I'm talking about but the person who would read this sentence doesn't know
 which document specifically I'm mentioning.


texts:
"This is Lord Henry, a good friend of mine"

What differences are there? It is just stylistic differences? Isn't?
Can I freely use such construction instead of "my/our etc"?
For example:

  This is a house of ours .

  I've met many friends of yours.

  A teacher of mine said that...

And also such variant:

  I've discovered much useful of yours.


texts: What are the verbs, nouns adjectives that follow if/whether in English structures?

texts:
As there are certain structures in English of each word.similarly I am asking if/whether has certain verb structures or they follow certain pattern of verb, adjective, and noun .
 Ex I am happy whether you’re coming. ( happy is followed by whether )
I can’t say whether he’ll get back.( say is followed by whether)

Similarly what are other appropriate verb adjectives or noun for if/whether thanks a lot


texts: How to reply to "I hope you have enjoyed your holiday"?

texts:
If someone told me:

I hope you have enjoyed your holiday.

What will be the best way to thank him/her? (in a full sentence)
The followings are what I can think of:

Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks for your hope(??).

EDIT:
Thanks for the answer guys.
One more thing to add is, I cannot directly reply to the original sentence with a "Thank you", because he immediately followed it with another question.

I hope you have enjoyed your holiday. How is the project going?


texts: Which word shoud I use: "designated," " fixed," or "certain"?

texts:
Some schools regulate even shoes and bags of their school uniform.
How can I explain the situation? Which sentence is appropriate here:

"We have to wear designated shoes."
"We have to wear fixed shoes."
"We have to wear certain shoes."?


texts: Is it correct to use the English possessive with generic nouns?

texts:
I know that a sentence like "My cat's head is black" is correct, because the head is that of a specific cat.

But what if I want to write "I found a lizard's tail under my bed"?
In this case the tail is not of a specific lizard I'm referring to, it's from a generic lizard.

Is the 's after lizard correct, or should I drop it?

What if I want to use this form in a list?

Cat's head
Lizard's tail
Dog's paw

Thank you in advance!


texts:
I'm writing a script. Here's part of a scene:
The plane is accelerating down the runway. Tim (he's seriously scared of flying) is desperately trying to calm himself. But as the plane takes off —
TIM: Oh my god! Oh my god!
Is as correct in the sentence? Does the sentence work?


texts: It is said that we cannot use articles with "abstract nouns" but what about "Don't tell a lie"?

texts:
It is said that we cannot use articles with "abstract nouns". But here articles are used with them?
I am just confused.
How do you explain this in detail?

Don't tell a lie.
Speak the truth.
I have a headache.


texts: Choosing between "while seeing" and "when I saw"

texts:
A) I was quivering while seeing the horror movie.
  B) I was quivering when I saw the horror movie.

Which out of the two is grammatically correct?
 Is it correct if we use two ing-form of the verbs ( quivering and seeing) in the same sentence?


texts: Is cross-talk the right word in this paraphrasing context?

texts:
Take a look at this link.

  7. After all the thinking hats have had their say, the blue hat continues to transition between the hats in a logical order. It may,
  for instance, ask the red hat for its intuitive insights about the
  green hat’s ideas. Or, it may ask the white hat to gather more facts
  and information about the dangers that the black hat brought to light.
  After which, it may ask the yellow hat to bring forth some logical
  solutions to the problem at hand.

Can I summarize the above in the following way:

  When all of the hats are done with giving their opinions, it is again blue hat's turn to invite cross-talks between various hat-pairs.


texts: What is the difference between "satisfactory" and "satisfying"? Sometimes satisfactory things are not satisfying. What do they mean? Do they both mean the same thing?


texts:
I know that "of" is the most commonly used preposition after "preview."
Still, I am writing a sentence where it does not feel right:
"X published such text as a preview of Y's forthcoming book"
It feels more correct to me to write:
"X published such text as a preview to Y's forthcoming book"
Would that be correct?


texts: Wondering which word is more suitable in the context. Threaten or begin

texts:
The abduction of the girls threatens to overshadow the Nigerian government’s hosting of the World Economic Forum for Africa this week. (Actual text taken from euronews)
The abduction of the girls begins / starts to overshadow the Nigerian government’s hosting of the World Economic Forum for Africa this week. (My sentence)

I think that the choose of the word threaten is not correct. Or at least does seem vague to me. When I read the actual text, I cannot simplify it or define the expression to threaten to overshadow, in other hands the expression to begin to overshadow is easy to grasp.
Many thanks in advance.


texts:
Let's suppose a young man is talking to his fiancee's father on the phone (his fiancee is not his countrywoman". The young man has not met her father yet and wants to show a big respect to her father; which one of the following sentences would sound more idiomatic:

  I have not had the honor of meeting you personally yet, but I hope to see you soon.
  I have not had the honor of meeting you in person yet, but I hope to see you soon.

Note: I'm sure AE native speakers rarely tend to say such a think as a sign of politeness in their daily conversations unless the second person is from a very higher social segment and perhaps it would sound a bit flattering, but were I live people have got used to say such kind words to each other to show respect.


texts: What’s the difference between ‘After having failed’ and ‘Having failed’?

texts:
Having failed to wake up his wife, he put a ladder against the wall.
After having failed to wake up his wife, he put a ladder against the wall.

What the difference between them?


texts: Why would you use the past perfect here?

texts:
It seems like I am caught between tenses again. I watched a youtube video and heard the speaker say:

  I could imagine that even the earliest human beings had asked themselves the questions: "Why am I here?" "Why is the universe so mysterious?" etc.

Why does he use the past perfect here? Shouldn´t it be the simple past or does that have to do with using the modal "could" here?


texts: Help understanding "so airtight can’t anybody meddle with it" - should it be "so airtight that"?

texts:
“I mean young grown-ups. You’re lucky, you know. You and Jem have the
  benefit of your father’s age. If your father was thirty you’d find life quite
  different.”

  “I sure would. Atticus can’t do anything...”

  “You’d be surprised,” said Miss Maudie. “There’s life in him yet.”

  “What can he do?”

  “Well, he can make somebody’s will so airtight can’t anybody meddle with it.”

  (To Kill a Mockingbird)

I feel like something is missing in the sentence cause there's two verbs(can/can't), and thus having difficulty understanding what this sentence means. If this sentence originally has 'that', I still feel like there has to be a subject. (He can make somebody's will so airtight that ...(?)) Can anyone help me with this?


texts: What's the difference between "has lived since" and "had lived since"?

texts:
First Sentence:

1. She had lived with the family since she was born.

Second Sentence:

2. She has lived with the family since she was born.

What's the difference between them?
look at these two sentences:

3. There have been many great inventions or things that changed the way we live.
4. There are many great inventions or things that changed the way we live.

What's the difference?


texts: Why is revolution both "back to" and "away from" a state?

texts:
According to the internet revolution is an act of overthrowing the currently effective rule. The word itself, implies that the circle is completed, which is rather returning back to the initial state than initializing a new state.

I've been informed that the current meaning of revolution (i.e. out with old, in with new) originates in the French revolution of 1789.

While I can accept the above, I'm curious why the concurrent philosophers chose such an, in retrospective, misleading and poorly corresponding nomenclature.


texts:
Many people say idioms are intrinsically informal and they should be avoided in formal texts.

however, I have recently seen some idioms like "in spite of" or "to alter (something) beyond recognition" in formal texts.

My questions is: As I have not put enough time studying English formal language to distinguish formal idioms from informal ones by my self, how can I decide which ones I can use in my formal writings and what to avoid?


texts: "I login" vs "I am logged in" vs "I had been logged in"

texts:
I am writing an email with a snippet of what I see as the first page after I login successfully with my credentials. When introducing this image, which of the following is appropriate?

  I see below at website after I login successfully.
  I see below at website after I am logged in successfully.
  I see below at website after I had been logged in successfully.


texts: past continuous or past perfect continuous in that case

texts:
The prince had been  searching for ten hours when he was beginning to lose hope means the searching was finished that is  why he was beginning to lose hope

this is good  but can I replace by

"was searching" if at the time of writing he was still searching and did not give up searching even if he was also beginning to lose hope


texts:
Epicurus’ view was that we consist of atoms (though what he meant by
  this term was a bit different from what modern scientists mean by it).
  Once these atoms come apart at death we no longer exist as individuals
  capable of consciousness. Even if someone could carefully put all the
  bits back together again later, and breathe life back into this
  reconstructed body, it wouldn’t be anything to do with me. The new
  living body wouldn’t be me, despite looking like me. I wouldn’t feel
  its pains, because once the body ceases to function nothing can bring
  it back to life. The chain of identity would have been broken.

(A little history of philosophy - Nigel Warburton)

Why did the author use "would have" in "The chain of identity would have been broken"? I don't understand the usage in this case. Could you explain this for me?


texts:
Is it correct to say like this? Or are these questions both wrong?

  Why did this sentence make differently?

  Why is this sentence made differently?


texts: "Who does this course fit for" Vs. "To whom does this course fit for"?

texts:
What is the difference between

  "Who does this course fit for"

and

  "To whom does this course fit for"?

And are they build correctly? My purpose is to ask to which people this course fits (but I'm not sure if the word "fit" is correct in that context)


texts:
What is the word for using an (potentially) obsolete object as basis of design for something which replaces the object?

For example, the idea of using the textured paper design for notes app or dials in digital watch.


texts:
What's the correct phrase to use in the case below?

  It happened the few days before the meteor shower.

  It happened in the few days before the meteor shower.


texts:
Although the sentence is weird, I am wondering if it's grammatical:

  The branch was cut with a sword wielded by a swordsman.

The problem is that "wielded by a swordsman" complements an indirect object "a sword", not sure if this is allowed. I am thinking it is, but we can never be too sure.


texts: What's the meaning of 'has been on it' in this joke?

texts:
In the BGT show, a boy, Ned Woodman does a joke as performance. During his performance, he said

Why are people so excited talking dog on Britain's Got Talent.
Amanda Holden has been on it for years.

And they show audiences' happy face of laughing. But I don't know why it's so funny.
What's the meaning of 'has been on it' here?

This is the youtube link of the performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qxIyOFkJeY

I listened to the joke in the wrong way and I fixed the content with the help of the comment below. ('spin on it' -> 'has been on it')


texts:
[Source:] We must first consider whether this was intended to be a promise at all, or whether it was a mere puff which meant nothing. Was it a mere puff? My answer to that question is No, and I base my answer upon this passage: “£1000. is deposited with the Alliance Bank, shewing our sincerity in the matter.” Now, for what was that money deposited or that statement made except to negative the suggestion that this was a mere puff and meant nothing at all? The deposit is called in aid by the advertiser as proof of his sincerity in the matter — that is, the sincerity of his promise to pay this £100. in the event which he has specified. I say this for the purpose of giving point to the observation that we are not inferring a promise; there is the promise, as plain as words can make it.

  call something in = 5.
      Require payment of a loan or promise of money:

Definition 5 seems wrong; how does it make sense for the advertiser to require payment of his own deposit?


texts: Could you say what is the core, 1-3 main meanings for ‘to put’?

texts: Once one Englishman said me ‘to engage’ means – ‘get into contact’ in any its meanings and after that I began using it easier. Unfortunately dictionaries give dozens meanings for a word and learners get stuck to memorize a lot of different meanings for one word. In this system could you say what is the core, 1-3 main meanings for ‘to put’.


texts: The tendency to replace may I with can I

texts:
I have noticed the tendency of replacing “may I” with “can I” in the spoken English and in some movies.

However, in formal spoken or writing or on serious TV channels the usage is correct.

Is there any particular reason, or some nuances which I possibly cannot get, that make people to use “can I” instead of “may I”?

On the other hand, sometimes, the usage of “can I” instead of “may I” leaves room for jokes such as:

“Can I get you a drink”?

“I don’t know, can you”?


texts: does an article precede a numeral adjective?

texts:
I know that we cannot put an indefinite article before a plural word but, what if there is "one" before a numeral adjective noun phrase?

"a one boy"
"one boy"
"a one mass grave"
"one mass grave"


texts: Why is there no preposition in the phrase "told a news conference"?

texts:
Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko told a news conference in the city of Redding at the edge of the blaze on Sunday that one more person had died in a residence consumed by fire, bringing the total to six, including two firefighters.

I am wondering if there is a reason why there is no prep used within "told a news conference". I expect it phrases like: told in a news conference, told during a news conference, and etc.

Any thoughts?


texts:
I know about the general rules to avoid the usage of "the" multiple times.

However, I am confused about the usage of 2nd "the" in the below sentence.

By default, the retirement age is populated as 67 and the life expectancy as 85.


texts: What is the common meaning and usage of "get mad"?

texts:
I've always understood "to get mad" to mean "to get (very) angry".

Checking the expression in online dictionaries, I've found the following definitions:

Don't get mad, get even, in Cambridge Dictionary, meaning:

  something that you say in order to tell someone not to be angry when another person has upset them, but instead to do something that will upset that person very much.

  This is my advice to wives whose husbands have left them for a younger woman - don't get mad, get even!

while the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms says:

Get mad (at something):

  to muster great physical strength and determination in order to do something.

  You’re gonna have to get mad at it if you want to move it.

I could not find other definitions of "get mad" and the two stated above appear to convey different, though related, meanings.

Questions:

Is  "to get angry" the more common meaning  of "get mad" both in BrE and AmE?

Is the connotation suggested in the second example only an AmE one?


texts:
He met a traveler from Egypt and the traveler told him about something he saw in Egypt.

Is it right to say "saw" or we should say "had seen"?


texts:
Has your mother waked up yet?
Has your mother woken up yet?

Are they the same meaning?
When do we use it?


texts: Definite article vs indefinite article vs no article

texts:
It is said that when we are referring to a noun for the first time then we use an indefinite article.

For example,

  "I disagree with the thesis written by Guya Jones.

Here thesis is mentioned for the first time then why is 'the' used instead of 'a'?

Take another example,

  There is a book in my bag.

Here 'a' sounds perfectly OK.

Why is the article 'the' used in the former sentence?


texts: Do information in the past need to be written using present tense?

texts:
Currently I'm learning about Changing Time Clauses to Modifying Adverbial Phrases.
Here's an example I picked from my book:

After I heard Marika describe how cold it gets in Minnesota in the
winter, I decided not to go there for my vacation in January.

My attempt to change the adverb clause to modifying adverbial phrase:

After hearing Marika describe how cold it gets in Minnesota in the winter, I decided not to go there for my vacation in January.

Now, come to my question. I can agree if "how cold it gets in Minnesota..." is written in a simple present since it's information and we know we would use present tense to describe a fact/information. But, why the word "describe" isn't in past tense? The word "describe" is action in the past, I believe.
I mean, something like: "After hearing Marika described how cold......"
I'd also like to know when we would prefer  to use present tense in a past sentence even if the action is in the past.
Maybe, i have feeling that "Marika describe...." is also information. So, it's information that has been told by someone and the other one also told this information. And another question comes, why wouldn't it be "describes" instead of describe?
And what about this:

A) I saw Brian tell something to Jessy yesterday.
B) I saw Brian told something to Jessy yesterday.


texts:
On a episode of SUBURGATORY, someone said I'LL DO A YEEZY DID KEEZY, therefore she made a song video.
You can see the description
https://youtu.be/EV39aC4tpzw
I was trying to search the meaning and none results, not even dictionary.


texts: What is meaning of 'had done well' in this sentence?

texts:
I want to know the meaning of  the expression 'had done well'. I read it in the book Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl.

'THE OWNERS OF THESE FARMS HAD DONE WELL. THEY WERE RICH MEN. THEY ARE ALSO NASTY MEN.'

At first, i think this is same with 'good job'. But in that book, the men who 'had done well' is very nasty and mean. Is it sarcastic expression?


texts: Mysterious usage of articles and singular/plural

texts:
To the best of my knowledge, I believe the following four sentences are all grammatically correct, but why four different expressions for "dog"?
1. I like dogs;
2. Dog is a kind of animal;
3. The dog is the most lovely animal in the world.
4. A dog is able to run as soon as it's born.


texts: Non-restrictive prepositional phrase starting with "of"

texts:
Recently I've visited an art gallery and happened to come across a masterpiece , of a woman the artist had loved for a long time.
  Recently I've visited an art gallery and happened to come across a masterpiece of a woman the artist had loved for a long time.

Would there be any difference between them in meaning, just merely only for that comma inserted right before "of"?

I think there is! and the meaning is, on the whole, different to each other.

In number 1, "I" seem to be not sure whether it's really a woman the artist had loved, but just guess it would be a woman, having seen the masterpiece, or it couldn't have been seen as a woman even at all because it was drawn so abstactically that "I" didn't recognize whether the artist drew it about a woman or not.

But on the other hand,
In number 2, "I" seem to be sure that it's a masterpiece of a woman and the masterpiece is definitely of a woman.

I think this difference could be found out in these following sentences as well.

  This final portrayal, of Stalin, does no credit to the author.
  This final portrayal of Stalin does no credit to the author.

In number 3, we can't be sure whether this final portrayal is really of Stalin or not, but in number 4, we can be sure that it is of Stalin.


texts: What is the meaning of "tell" in this sentence?

texts:
I read this (below) in a chapter (The Portrait of a Lady):

  When I decided to go abroad for further studies, I was sure my grandmother would be upset. I would be away for five years, and at her age one could never tell. But my grandmother could.

What exactly does tell imply here? Has it been used with reference to death?


texts: The usage of "be going to be doing something"

texts:
SELLARS: Mrs. Murphy, last night, Alex had a psychotic break. He
  killed an unarmed colleague and later suffered a seizure. We did
  everything, everything, we could, but the doctors couldn't save him.
  Very sorry, Mrs. Murphy. We're going to be making the announcement
  shortly. Sorry. If there's anything we can do for you and David, we'll
  do it.

  Mrs. Murphy: I want nothing from you.

  SELLARS: I understand.

  Mrs. Murphy: You stay out of our lives. You and your company.

  -- Robocop 2014

I think that here We're going to be making the announcement is the same as We will be making the announcement or We're going to make the announcement, right?

Is this usage just a matter of stylistic choice, or making the statement sound more formal? Any nuances implied?


texts: "Have someone + adj" means "make someone + adj?"

texts:
When I first saw these sentences bellow, I thought they meant "Have someone +adj around yourself",

  You have me sad for most days

  They'll have you suicidal

But, when I translated, I saw that it isn't like that, but more like: "You make someone +adj"

Now I am confused. What do those sentence actually mean?


texts:
She has bought some cloth.She will make/is going to make herself a blouse.

My Approach:

I am confused here which to use.I think both can be used in reference to action whether she does in future or she is going to do it now?

Am I right in my approach?Please correct me if I am wrong?


texts:
Apart in phrases like "current English usage," what is the difference between usage, and use (the noun)?

Should I say, for example, "the usage of chemical weapons" or "the use of chemical weapons"?

The reason I am asking is that the equivalent Italian words are exchangeable, and I don't understand if the same is true for the English words.


texts: A position of the preposition "with" in the question

texts:
I'm studying prepositions in questions and faced with the problem.

Where have you been?
At a meeting.
Who / be / you / with?

I'd like to write Who was with you? which looks as one correct way for me (similar to my native language). But, according to the sentence Prepositions in questions usually come in the end. is it possible to write like Who was you with?.

Which one is correct and more preferred (if two are)?


texts: What does "formal aspect/side of something" mean?

texts:
I came across the following sentence in a political science book:

"In its early years, political science generally involved the analysis of formal, legal, and official sides of political life."

What could the 'formal side' of political life specifically mean?
I also read the answers in some posts but found them to be out of context for my question.
Meaning of 'formal' in 'formal equality'
The meaning of 'formal'


texts: an adjective for a written assignment that is given partly as a punishment

texts:
It is a common practice in Asian schools for teachers to give students a written assignment that would consist of re-writing several times some words or phrases that the student failed to spell correctly in an essay or in a spelling test. Usually, such assignment is purported to be of two purposes: one is to improve students' spelling, which is especially important in case of characters; and the other one, even if the students already know how to write those characters, is "building up their diligence", that is, students are asked to re-write the same characters again and again to train them to be "diligent, patient and submissive", an idea that may look ridiculous to a westerner.

What would be the right adjective for that kind of written assignment? Could I call it a punitive written assignment?


texts: The meaning of "state-sanctioned" and "bottom-up" in this text?

texts:
as philosophers trained in the art of dialectics are wont to remind
  us, sometimes quantitative changes really can lead to qualitative
  transformations: dial up the degree of mendacity and the amount of
  misinformation in circulation, and the public sphere may undergo an
  irreversible change for the worse. Is that what motivates worries
  about "fake news", whether state-sanctioned or "bottom-up" - as in the
  many conspiracy theories that have bubble I up in recent yeas?

"State-sanctioned" means something that the government prohibited by some rules. "Bottom-up" means a process that starts from the lowest levels of a hierarchy upward. Then what is the meaning of contrasting "state-sanctioned fake-news" and "bottom-up fake news"?


texts:
In a test I had earlier, there in this sentence :

  ___ does he come home before 11 AM for he does not want to hear his mother's complaint

There are two answers : "Never" and "Always", with the former was what my teacher chose. I argued that the latter was perfectly fine too, for it meant that the man does not wish to hear his mother's voice of distress because of his schedule. She disagreed, and insisted that "Always" cannot be used as an adverbial for inversion.

Was she correct ?


texts: Don't you read blithely as /blaɪθlɪ/ in UK?

texts:
“They order the toasted cheese sandwiches blithely, “ (audio)
  (by Edward Field, from writersalmanac.publicradio.org)

The reader, Mr. Garrison Keillor, sounds to be pronouncing ‘blithely’ as /blaɪθlɪ/. Is the word pronounced only as / blaɪðlɪ/ in UK? His pronunciation is not found in both OALD and other oxford dictionary online.


texts:
Jack said,"Ella, have you thought that I had been dead?"
Jack said,"Ella, have you thought that I was dead?"

Jack met Ella again for the first time in 20 years and asked this question to find out if Ella had thought him already dead.

Which is the proper one, 1) or 2)?


texts: "is" and "was" in the same phrase: What is the tense? Past or present?

texts:
I've come across with the sentence below:

  that its not affecting me, that was its effect.

I've lost the tense of sentence. Is it past or present?

The full text is here:

  As if he could read my mind, he twisted my wrist further; my body was
  coiled tightly, my face scraping the floor. I’d done all I could do to relieve
  the pressure in my wrist. If he kept twisting, it would break.

  “Apologize,” he said.

  There was a long moment in which fire burned up my arm and into my
  brain. “I’m sorry,” I said.

  He dropped my wrist and I fell to the floor. I could hear his steps moving
  down the hall. I stood and quietly locked the bathroom door, then I stared
  into the mirror at the girl clutching her wrist. Her eyes were glassy and
  drops slid down her cheeks. I hated her for her weakness, for having a
  heart to break. That he could hurt her, that anyone could hurt her like that,
  was inexcusable.

  I’m only crying from the pain, I told myself. From the pain in my wrist.
  Not from anything else.

  This moment would define my memory of that night, and of the many
  nights like it, for a decade. In it I saw myself as unbreakable, as tender as
  stone. At first I merely believed this, until one day it became the truth.
  Then I was able to tell myself, without lying, that it didn’t affect me, that he
  didn’t affect me, because nothing affected me. I didn’t understand how
  morbidly right I was. How I had hollowed myself out. For all my obsessing
  over the consequences of that night, I had misunderstood the vital truth:
  that its not affecting me, that was its effect.


texts: More English nouns like "jeans", "glasses", "statistics", and "shorts", having no singular equivalent

texts: Besides "jeans", "glasses", "statistics", and "shorts", what are some other plural nouns in English that end on "-s" and don't become their corresponding singular-noun counterparts by merely dropping "-s"?