texts: Is there any good methodology to help remember sound-alike words?

texts:
I'm working mostly with non-native English speakers, and I it becomes apparent that sound-alike words often cause confusion, particularly in business emails.

There are too many of these words to make a separate question for each one:

  to/too/two, brake/break, sail/sale, for/four/fore, buy/by/bye, hear/here, were/wear/where, pair/pear/peer, weak/week, seem/seam (I have also seen Siam in this context :), tail/tale, and many others.

I'm trying to nail them together by helping my friends and colleagues to learn them quickly and effectively.

I'm looking for an effective didactic method to help my colleagues grasp these words.

More details, if it matters: their native languages are primarily Thai and Chinese; many of them are working from homes, so it is not effective to buy books for each of them or arrange study in a school; most of them are rather familiar with formal and natural sciences, not humanities.


texts: I'm unsure if I am using the present perfect continuous correctly here

texts: Let's say that I arrived in England one month ago, and I'm going to stay two months longer. If someone asks me where I live, can I say "I've been living in England for one month" despite the fact that I'm going to stay a little bit longer?


texts: 'Sweep clause' in a contract: where does this name come from?

texts:
The expression is encountered in legal field with this approximate meaning: a clause which is broad and vague enough to extend obligations to unspecified ones.

I read that the expression comes from "to sweep in", but can't really grab the meaning of  "sweep in" in this context.

This page explains the use of a sweep clause.


texts: In Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2, Captain Price asks Yuri to shoot two men using his sniper rifle. He first draws Yuri's attention to their location by saying, "Two x-rays, 11 o'clock." And then commands to kill those, "Take them out." I don't understand x-rays here! I googled it so many times but got nothing. It wasn't dark and they weren't wearing night vision goggles, so that possibility is also out. Anyone is familiar with such term and it's usage here?


texts: "assumed an expression appropriate to the sickbed of a close friend" meaning in this context?

texts:
Mr Weasley gave a maniacal laugh; Mrs Weasley threw him a look, upon which he become immediately silent and assumed an expression appropriate to the sickbed of a close friend.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I don't quite get the meaning of "assumed an expression appropriate to the sickbed of a close friend". What's it supposed to mean? The part confuses me most is "the sickbed of a close friend".


texts:
So my friend says,

"I guess it was inspired from Y movie #X movie"

I corrected him by making a small change to the sentence,

"I guess it is inspired by Y movie #Xmovie"

X movie is about to release. Am I correct ?


texts:
I read an article titled COVID-19 is awful. Climate change could be worse.
In this case, why was could used instead of can?
If I say COVID-19 is awful. Climate change can be worse, wouldn't make sense?
In English, do we use the past tense to indicate hypotheticals?


texts: What does "crank me up to nine" mean in this Seinfeld monologue?

texts:
"crank me up to nine" is around 18~19s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aiFh4VR448

Full script:

  The cosmetic surgery procedures
  that are available to people
  today--
  Liposuction,
  are you familiar with this?
  This is a fat-sucking machine.

  Now, you know, somewhere,
  somebody is working on a way
  that this thing
  could go into a restaurant.
  And you could just
  order it off the menu:
  "I'll tell you what.
  Give me the cheesecake.
  crank me up to nine,
  and put a scoop of ice cream
  on the side."


texts:
"I strongly assume"

has more Google hits, but not really much, and

  "I highly assume"

also sounds good.
Are both correct? Or is there another, better way?


texts: When you want to ask someone to meet with another person to define who is the liar

texts:
Let's assume that someone is telling something lie about you and claims that what he says is someone else's statements about you. All the stuff he says, seem to be wrong regarding you and you want to prove the speaker that these all are false and tou have not said/done what they are attributing you. What would you say when you are going to ask the speaker "let's make a face to face meeting and raise the matter so that everything could get clear and the speaker could find out that you were right and all the statements about you have been wrong, and subsequently the liar could be found."

Example:

  A) Tedd, yesterday, I was talking to JJ. He said that you've pretended that I have taken a book from the library theree months ago and I didn't taken it back to the library again! Is it right?!
  B) What?! That's just a bullshit. I have never said that Tom!
  A) Are you sure Tedd?
  B) Yea; let's bring it face to face.

Or maybe, Tom himself can suggest such a thing! He can say:

  Are you ready to bring it face to face?

I need to know what do you usually say in current, natural English in this specific sense?


texts: How do I understand "It doesn't work all the time"?

texts:
It doesn't work all the time

That doesn't negates is work all the time, so it means: it works sometimes, but not always.

It doesn't work all the time

Adverbial all the time modifies doesn't work, it means: it doesn't work at any time.
which one is correct?


texts:
What follows is written by the philosopher Bertrand Russell:

  Those who realize the harm that can be done to others by any use of force against them, and the worthlessness of the goods that can be acquired by force, will be very full of respect for the liberty of others; they will not try to bind them or fetter them; they will be slow to judge and swift to sympathize; they will treat every human being with a kind of tenderness, because the principle of good in him is at once fragile and infinitely precious.

I'm not sure if I know the exact meaning of "the principle of good" here. Also I would like to know what the role of "of" is in this phrase. (In other words, I'd like to know what the meaning of 'principle' and 'good' are in this context, and what role 'of' is playing here.)


texts:
The main text:

  The movie ended. We told Grandma good night.It was a balmy summer
  evening, perfect for the motorcycle, Tom said I should ride home
  with him, we’d get the car tomorrow. He revved the engine, waiting for me
  to climb on. I took a step toward him, then remembered the math book on
  Grandma’s table. “You go,” I said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

What's the meaning of get the car here?


texts: Why is "jewel-bright" not found in the dictionaries?

texts:
Why can I not find "jewel-bright" in the dictionaries? Is it a set phrase? The meaning is as bright as a jewel, isn't it?

The context wherein I found it:

  Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been
  dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now
  carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with
  her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks,
  sounding just like Professor Quirrell.


texts:
In a story I'm writing someone is killed. A detective arrives at the crime scene.
The detective looked down at the body.
The detective looked down at the dead body.

Is "body" enough? Will writing "dead body" seem weird?

Let's say the name of the killed man was Michael, would there be any difference between writing "...looked down at Michael's body" and "...looked down at the body of Michael."?


texts:
When by + time is used in the following way,

Complete the assignment by 3pm today.
Complete the assignment by this Thursday.
Complete the assignment by next week.
Complete the assignment by next year.

what is the latest possible time to finish the assignment? Do they always follow the same logical rule?


texts: "Does stats show" or "Do the stats show"

texts:
using Google show both sentences have been used. Which one is more correct?

a more detailed example:

Does stats show who read my mail
Do the stats show who read my mail


texts:
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/idiomatic-english/

The IRS is not concerned with the situations in which these minors will be returned to.
This one is ungrammatical as well as unidiomatic. It should read:
The IRS is not concerned with the situations to which these minors will be returned.

Now, I don't know why is first sentence wrong and the second one correct.


texts:
What is the difference in meaning between education and educational in the following examples?
Education center and
Educational center


texts:
The following sounds correct to me but that is always the case with mistakes ;)

  I spend a lot of time making sure that everything is clean, that
  everything is as it should be.

Were the two "that" clauses used correctly? Should there be a different punctuation separating the two? My intent is to underscore the importance of the state of things. As such, using only one of the two clauses isn't viable.


texts:
“The moment that - that thing entered the room,” she screamed, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, “it swooped down on Crouch and - and -”

  Harry felt a chill in his stomach as Professor McGonagall struggled to
  find words to describe what had happened. He did not need her to
  finish her sentence. He knew what the dementor must have done. It had
  administered its fatal kiss to Barty Crouch. It had sucked his soul
  out through his mouth. He was worse than dead.

  “By all accounts, he is no loss!” blustered Fudge. “It seems he has
  been responsible for several deaths'.”

  “But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius,” said Dumbledore.

I guess he is no loss! probably means he is useless. But I'm not sure if my understanding is correct. What does it mean exactly?


texts: What does "I have burst out of my shoe!" mean?

texts:
I cannot lend you any of my ships for the venture; Philip would hear
  of it,' she whispered over her shoulder; 'but as much guns and powder as
  you ask, if you do not ask too--'Her voice shot up and she stamped her
  foot thrice. 'Louder! Louder, the music in the gallery! Oh, me, but I
  have burst out of my shoe!

This is from "Gloriana" in Reward and Fairies  by Kipling.

I am glad if some one kindly teach me what "I have burst out of my shoe!" means.


texts:
I pronounce "Lloyd J. Austin III" as "Lloyd J. Austin the third". Am I on the right track?

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III  tweeted:

There is life changing work happening out here at the @FEMA vaccination site in Los Angeles. The story of one of our own, a young soldier from right here in L.A., who vaccinated his mother... that's going to stick with me for a while.


texts:
This might be double objects or an object with a complement.

Which is right?


texts: Why does the writer use Present simple with for

texts:
I saw  this sentence, I am a bit surprised because of the tense

  We are the number one tour company in the West of Ireland for over 10
  years!

Why present for a duration? First time I have seen that!


texts: Punctuation inside quotes: Should I put the period inside quotes, if the sentence ends with a question mark or an exclamation point?

texts:
In American English, a period is not added at the end of a sentence if it ends with a quote whose last letter is a quotation mark or an exclamation point.

  Edema asked, "Am I an alliteration addict?"

Should the period at the end of the quote be added, if the sentence ends with a question mark or an exclamation point? Is the following sentence correct?

  Did Edema said, "I am an alliteration addict."?


texts:
We know the meaning of interest in something; But what does interest of life mean in the following context?

  Security alone might produce a smug and stationary society; it demands creativeness as its counterpart, in order to keep alive the adventure and interest of life, and the movement toward perpetually new and better things.


texts: formal subject & real subject in "It's obvious where our interest lies"

texts:
In this sentence "It's obvious where our interest lies", "it" acts as "formal subject" and "where our interest lies" is the real subject.

Am I right?

Thank you very much!


texts: The usage of "also": could someone please give an example to illustrate where is the location "after the verb to be when it is a full verb"?

texts:
This video (https://youtu.be/38-K2rPu8fc?t=79) is talking about the usage of "also"

  In addition 'also' can be used in the normal mid position of adverbs. What is that?
  It is between the subject and the predicate, or after the modal verb,
  or after the first auxiliary verb, or after the verb to be when it is a full verb.

There are 4 locations where the "also" could be put.

location_1: between the subject and the predicate
location_2: after the modal verb
location_3: after the first auxiliary verb
location_4: after the verb to be when it is a full verb

she gives these examples

  She works very hard, but she also goes to the gym every week.

which applys location_1

  I've been working in a garden this week and I've also been reading a lot.

which applys location_3

I am aware what first 3 locations mean, the question is location_4, what does that mean?


texts: I would like to understand whether the use of phrase " now itself" is correct or not. For instance, I use "i will get started with the task now itself". If it's not correct, how would I say something that I have started with immediately after.


texts:
dangle [intransitive, transitive] to hang or move freely; to hold
  something so that it hangs or moves freely

  +adv./prep. Gold charms dangled from her bracelet.

  A single light bulb dangled from the ceiling.

  He sat on the edge with his legs dangling over the side.

  dangle something + adv./prep. She dangled her car keys nervously as
  she spoke.

  He dangled his legs over the edge of the bridge.

A child is holding a cable like this

is it okay to say "Don't dangle the cable on the floor like that, you may trip over it"?

Note: the cable touched the floor


texts:
Is the following sentence incorrect?

An increasing number of interconnected devices create more potential openings for hackers to exploit.

Or creates should be used in place of create?


texts: The grammatical usage of verb to be in 'Whether we be old'

texts:
I was reading Harry Potter when I stumbled across this phrase in a song.

Whether we be old and bald

And this is the part of the song containing the phrase for a better understanding of the context.

Teach us something please

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees

I don't understand why verb to be is put in an infinitive form. It sounds good to my ear but shouldn't it be phrased like this: Whether we are old and bald
What's the grammar behind phrasing it the way it is, does it give any difference in meaning than the usual present form?


texts:
Sometimes while reading a sentence I fail to understand what something is refering to

for example -

  A cue tone is a message consisting of audio tones, used to prompt an action.

which 'thing' is used to prompt an action here, is it the 'message' or the 'audio tones'?

Please advice how to get rid of this confusion?


texts:
Why is the active voice better than passive voice in the following sentence? I really feel that the passive voice fits perfectly well.

"The marketplace is filled with intense competition"
 "Intense competition filled the marketplace"

"The jar is filled with sand"
 "Sand filled the jar"


texts:
[1] I met none of the Americans in the group who wanted to meet me.

If you wanted to emphasize 'none' with 'whatsoever,' 'whatever,' 'at all,' 'in the least,' 'by any means,' or 'in any way,' where would you place them? Perhaps between 'in the group' and 'who'?

I met none of the Americans in the group whatsoever/whatever/at all/in the least/by any means/in any way who wanted to meet me.


texts: What is the difference in between "so as to ~" and "in order to ~"?

texts:
I know that both "in order to Verb" phrase and "so as to Verb" phrase describe the purpose of doing something.

But, I would like to know if there are any differences between them.

For example, the below two sentences might be examined about it.

  Sentence A: "We went early so as to get good seats."

  Sentence B: "We went early in order to get good seats."


texts: I have done something since 2018. (present perfect with SINCE)

texts:
I have three sentences below. Does the first and second sentences mean this state of being a member or living continues up to now? I started to be a member of XXX Club in 2018, and now I am still a member of it. I started to live here in 2018, and I still live here now.

Is the third sentence different from the first and second? It could mean 1) I started to write poems in 2018, and now I still write poems, and 2) I wrote poems occasionally. I wrote two poems in 2018, and three poems in 2019. Now I don't write them.

Is this right?

  I have been a member of XXX Club since 2018.

  I have lived here since 2018.

  I have written poems since 2018.


texts: Is it possible to say: From music instruments, I like piano, drums, violin, and guitar?


texts:
I often see this man. He is walking along/down the street.

What are the differences between along and down in this context?


texts: If he is given a chance, If a chance is given him and given a chance

texts:
I know we use will in 1st conditional sentences. For example:

Active >If we give him a chance, he will do the best in painting.

Passive >If he is given a chance (by us), he will do the best in painting.

But I want to use "can" to show his ability, so,
I have used can with an If clause in the following sentences:

  If he is given a chance, he can do the best in painting.

  If a chance is given him, he can do the best in painting.

  Given a chance, he can do the best in painting.

I don't know if these sentences are grammatically correct or not. Although these sentences are in (or with?) different sentence constructions, they imply the same meanings.


texts: When would I use "all different" and "different", {plural noun phrase}, {singular noun phrase} or some cases else?

texts:
I read a sentence just now

  high schools and
  language schools are all different

then I am thinking when do I need to use "all different". I guess "all different" is unnecessary when talking about things are obviously different, for instance

  water and bread are all different

"all different" seems to be redundant in the sentence above, just "different" would be better.

It seems "all different" is necessary when things are not very easy to distinguish, such as lager and ale

  lager and ale are all different

any ideas?


texts: Request a phrase similar to "flag planting"?

texts:
I am looking for a phrase to convey the activity in such a scenario:

I found a very interesting question on StackOverflow but know I cannot provide a satisfying answer at that moment. I was too busy to do some research on it and write an elaborate answer but I wanted to write a sketchy one and flesh it into a detailed one later when time permits.

I think, flag planning which was used in this case, would not be a good match here:

  Posting on ArXiv is good, flag planting notwithstanding.

In Chinese we call it "占个坑" which means literally to occupy a pit latrine but don't really need to poop right off.


texts:
Tom plays basketball daily unlike Sam, who is a very busy man

Is the above sentence correct?

So 'who' always relates to 'Sam' or the nearest noun (& not Tom)?


texts: "So that people would know" vs "so that people knew"

texts:
I'm trying to understand this construction:

  You can do this like that, so that people would know what to look forward to

Context: I'm trying to give a story advice.

I can't decide whether it should be this or "so that people knew what to look forwad to." Both sound right to me. Any help? Thanks in advance.


texts: Is it rude to end a question with 'please, tell me' ?

texts:
Whenever I ask a question, I end with:

  ... please, tell me.

But somebody told me as an answer like this:

  By now, you should know that in English it's more polite to ask: I'd like to know... OR Can you please tell me ... Your requests tend to sound rude.

Is it so rude to say please, tell me?


texts: "It was the first time I did" or "It was the first time I do"?

texts:
I did something in the past. Now, when I mention it to others, should I say:

  It was the first time I did that.

or:

  It was the first time I do that.

Which part of English grammar should I have a look to understand it?


texts: Can 'nor' be used to negate a positive statement?

texts:
I would like to ask whether the following constructions are correct:

1. He refused to listen to me. Nor is he ready to leave.

or

2. We missed the plane. Nor did we catch the train.

From this discussion I understand that we can use 'nor' to negate a sentence after another negative sentence, as in an example there:

I wasn't going to play dead. Nor was I going to hide.

Note however that formally the first sentences are not negative in examples 1 and 2, so I am not one hundred percent sure about them.


texts: Would it be perfectly correct to write "Of all types of cats the black ones are studied best"? I've found such sentences in the internet. On the other hand, they are very few.


texts:
For these two sentences:

  He spoke at the microphone.
  He spoke into the microphone.

, are they the same, or is one more poetic than the other?


texts: "They crashed in thunderous white" sentence meaning

texts:
These sentences are from "Dreams Do Come True" by Jim Bishop.

  The big breakers came in slowly.
  They crashed in thunderous white.

What does the second sentence "They crashed in thunderous white"mean?
What is its structure?
My opinion is:

The big breakers crashed.
It makes the sound of thunder.
Their colour turn white.
I want to know how I split the sentence "They crashed in
thunderous white."


texts: you gonna cut us a deal seeing as how it used to be yours?

texts:
Here is the sentence I don't understand.
This is the dialogue between A and B.

Now A has food truck which was B's truck. B is working at Speedy Lube for living.
Speedy Lube looks like a fictitious Car Maintenance & Servicing.

A came to B to ask something and then he said this sentence before leave.

  A: Hey, if I bring your truck back here to Speedy Lube, you gonna cut me a deal seeing as how it used to be yours? You know, before you hit rock bottom.

I really don't get it the bold part. Could you help me?


texts:
I'm reading the book "the TRUE confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by the author Avi.
The main character, Charlotte, was called a "fine lady", what exactly did this mean? I'm guessing a well educated lady? What are some characteristics of a fine lady?
Please note Avi is an American author.


texts:
Consider:

  After a perfunctory glance at our plan, to our chagrin Ed snorted that our idea was stupid.

  What the part-of-speech is "to our chagrin" ?

  Can we say always "to our [adjective (lucky, adroit)] we win/fail to ..."


texts: Why are nice picture/gif/video about foo called "foo-porn"?

texts:
I was browsing Reddit and I discovered many subreddits named after foo-porn, to name just a few:

/r/EarthPorn
/r/FoodPorn
/r/Map_Porn
/r/ruralporn
/r/shockwaveporn
/r/SkyPorn
/r/unixporn

It seems that foo-porn means nice picture/gif/video of foo, which are absolutely suitable for work. As far as I know however, usually "porn" means "pornography". Actually, searching the keyword porn with Bing.com even gives me something like:

  Your country or region requires a strict Bing SafeSearch setting, which filters out results that might return adult content. To learn more about SafeSearch requirements in your country or region, see How Bing delivers search results.

My question is: Why are nice picture/gif/video about foo called "foo-porn", even if foo is completely not related to pornography?


texts: what does "for other nation nations to aspire to" in this text mean?

texts:
The text :

"education is unequalled the world over, and serves as a benchmark for other nation nations to aspire to"

what does ""for other nation nations to aspire to"

why is "nation" mention two times? will that have another meaning?

I will be grateful if someone explains them simply in different words.


texts:
The attempt to reconcile the working class to the state was carried as far as the ruling forces dared; further efforts in this directions would have ment abandoning the very foundation on which the empire rested – the semi-absolutistic and bureaucratic principles of the regime.

Source: Franz L. Neumann: Behemoth: The Structure and Practice of National Socialism, p. 3.

What is the exact meaning of the phrase "as far as the ruling forces dared"? I mean that the excerpt tells that the incorporating of the workers into German Reich was primarily possible due to willingness of the ruling class and therefore it was limited. But how would you rewrite or paraphrase "as far as the ruling forces dared"?


texts: What are the differences between "having been done" and "done"?

texts:
The passive form of perfect participle "having been done" indicates that the time of the action that it refers to is before that of the verb in the main clause, and also there is passive meaning. So does the past participle "done".
So I am wondering whether there is any differences between them. Are they exchangeable?

Here are some examples:

1a) Having been told many times, he finally understood it.

1b) Told many times, he finally understood it.

2a) Ideally having been located for Broadway theatre and Fifth Avenue, the New York Park hotel is a favorite with many guests.

2b) Ideally located for Broadway theatre and Fifth Avenue, the New York Park hotel is a favorite with many guests.

3a) The Town Hall having been completed in the 1800’s was the most distinguished building at that time.

3b) The Town Hall completed in the 1800’s was the most distinguished building at that time.

In my opinion, we would use passive perfect participle "having been done" instead of past participle "done", if we want to emphasize an earlier time. Therefore in the above examples, 1a, 2b, and 3b are appropriate. Am I right?


texts: Do you have to use singular and plural nouns after "Any"?

texts:
I want to ask about this specific construction:

  Do you see any error message?
  Do you see any error messages?

Are they both grammatically correct? My grammar book says that any should only be used with uncountable or plural nouns.

However, from Is “any” also used with plurals?, the top answer says that it still depends on context. I also checked the related thread and they all say the same. “Any requirement” or “any requirements” and Any individual or any individuals?

Can the first one mean error message if there is already a specific error message in mind?
While the send one can mean any error message?

The problem is, I cannot find grammar books or webpages that says that this is allowed.

Finally, from Any (Learner's Dictionary), I can see that any was used with singular nouns.
You haven't eaten any salad.
You can return the product if any defect appears within the first six months.

They are all normal sentences though. Do any have different rules when in questions?

Thank you.


texts: independent clause or non-essential element, semi-colon or comma?

texts:
The sentence I'm struggling with is:

  The first version was coded from scratch in HTML and CSS, it looked like a 90's webpage.

Is the comma correct? Or should it be a semi-colon?
I thought it was a comma because

  it looked like a 90's webpage.

seems to be a non-essential elements. However, one could also argue that it is an independent clause and therefore needs a semi-colon.


texts:
We can't go in there. The building can/could collapse at any minute.

Are 'can' and 'could' equally natural here?

Would using 'could' sound formal?


texts:
Context:

A doctor at a hospital is advising a wife to a comatose husband to consider taking him off life support. The wife asks if they're sure that he won't recover, to which the doctor says:

"Nothing suggests that he will, but we can't guarantee anything."

Is it natural to use "guarantee" here when it's not a good thing that he won't wake up? If not, is there another word I could use?


texts:
I often use "in this context" to refer to a situation where some expressions could be used. I found lots of people use the expression. I also found lots of people use "on context".

I've gone through the page of definition of "context" on Cambridge Dictionary. There is no item similar to "on context".

I guess some of hits on Google Ngram might be part of "depend on context", but I don't know how to verify that suspect.

So, is it grammatical to say "on context"? If yes, what's the meaning?

update

I assume most answerers on ELL are native English speakers. Therefor, their answers might could be taken as examples, here is one
 of them

  Notice that the people who generally speak such sentences in American movies are those who are marginalized, most often without an education and/or proper and systematic knowledge of English.

  I hope I have answered your question on context and interpretation

Another example

  The answer is "yes," but your question is woefully short on context, so, unless one is familiar with research publications and conference proceedings, the meaning you suggest wouldn't necessarily be the first that comes to mind.


texts: Usage of tribute after a longer period / alternative word/sentence

texts:
Last year, a very popular actor, Irrfan Khan from India died. Tomorrow is his birthday (January 7). I wanted to make a pencil drawing to show my respect and love for him and his work in movies, and to show that he was the actor for whom everyone cared about and felt really sad when he died, last year. But I couldn't manage at that time. So I've made the drawing today and I'll post it tomorrow on his birthday. I've also written birth and death year using pencil on the drawing to convey he's no more.
But I can't compose a caption for posting it on social media/instagram etc.
Here are a few captions and problems/doubts related to them, that I've thought that I'll post along with photo of drawing:

Happy birthday to Irrfan (is this sentence used for only living persons)

a) A tribute to Irrfan Khan (Is tribute word relatable for the feelings I want to share)
b)A tribute to Irrfan Khan (Is tribute a too big word compared to just a pencil drawing. Does tribute make sense only when you do something big, like shoot a short video for him, write a book on him etc.?)
c) A tribute to Irrfan Khan (Is tribute word used tomorrow (Jan 7) as valid as it would be last year around his death date. Or it should be used only for recent deaths?)

Pencil drawing of late Irrfan Khan (is late word professional and okay to use to say he is no more?)

A tribute to late Irrfan Khan (If tribute is too big word, is there any similar appropriate sentence/phrase word for same?)

Remembering Irrfan Khan

So is any of them correct to use or can be improved?


texts: Is it fine to say "several things are united as one thing"?

texts:
I intend to say something like

  The grand unified theory in particle physics claims over a certain high energy, the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force are united as a single force.

Is the preposition "as" above used properly? Or should I replace it by "into" or "in" or "to be"?

I found several analogous examples in Oxford Living Dictionary for unite:

  ‘What Newton did to simplify the planetary motions must now be done to unite in one whole the various isolated theories of mathematical physics.’

  ‘Well, by adding this essay, the problem and the answer are united in
  a comprehensive whole.’

  ‘The actress added how mutual cooperation made them unite into one
  whole being and stop thinking about who is a better partner.’

wherein either "in" or "into" is used for this function. Can "as" or "to be" also be used here?


texts:
What does the phrase take the place of mean? I found it in the definition there.

  make up for something - to take the place of something that has been
  lost or damaged


texts: Other than "note that" or "NB", what is a phrase that can point out facts and that admits a shorthand in handwriting?

texts: I wonder if there is phrase, other than "note that" or "NB" (for some reasons), such that it functions the same as "note that" and at the same time has a short abbreviation in usage? I thought of "we have that" or "it holds that"; however, although they are in a similar role as "note that", they seem to not have a common shorthand notation.


texts: "By way of contrast VS By ways of comparing"

texts:
What is the difference between these two phrases?

Do they have the same meaning or not?

e.g "Elephants are very tall. By way of contrast, the insects are small."

e.g "I study language by ways of comparing books."

Are they true or not?


texts: An imagining picture match 'on the fly' literal

texts:
I am reading a sentence

  It’s also handy if you’re constructing objects on the fly and want to interact with them without assigning them a name first.

Wikipedia defines
On the fly is a phrase used to describe something that is being changed while the process that the change affects is ongoing.

There's an good explanition in
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange The general gist in a program is that it is an activity that is done when needed, rather than being done in a separate execution (typically beforehand).

I barely discern its meaning whereas cannot imagine an a picture of it literally.
I tried my best to understand it by imagination.

'on the fly', so 'the fly' is a flying vehicle, something needed on it.

or juggling game, 'on the fly' specifies the balls flying in the air without hitting your hand.

The two scenes helps a little bit to match its actual meaning.

What kind of image or imagination best match 'on the fly' literally?


texts: Number(s) of + . . . OR . . . + number(s)?

texts:
Are they equivalent?

  The line graph shows average numbers of patients using public hospitals every month, from 1990 to 2000.
  The line graph shows average patient numbers at public hospitals every month, from 1990 to 2000.

And if yes, that means you CAN NOT say:

  "The line graph shows average patient numbers using public hospitals every month, from 1990 to 2000."

    Since:

    "Patient numbers" is considered figures because the word "patient" acts as an adjective describing the word "numbers". The sentence would probably be interpreted as figures using public hospitals.

Am I right?

Thank you very much :).


texts: The show has started OR The show has been started

texts:
The show has started.

It means:

  Show has started doing something.

For example:

  I have written an essay.

It means I am the one who write.

How can the show do something by itself? How can this be correct?

So, I think the show has been started is the correct one BUT I have seen people saying and writing:

  The show has started.

I am very confused. Help me understand which is correct.

Another confusing example:

  The movie has started.

Why not:

  The movie has been started?


texts:
An action that is seen is called apparent or visible, right?

I was comparing two things and had a halt on what word fits best here.

Robbing is an offence that is seen. Keeping malice is also an offence but isn't seen. What word best fits here?

'outward sin’ OR ‘apparent sin':  for an offence like robbing

'inward sin’ OR ‘hidden sin':    for an offence like keeping malice

Or what about 'external sin' & ‘internal sin’?


texts: When you're going to know about your cut in a deal

texts:
Edited:

Please imagine a dealer is going to make a deal happen between two people. He needs to know what cut he would get out of this dealing.

In our language the dealer can say:

  1- What's in it for me?
  2- What do I get out of it?
  3- What benefit/profit/gain does it have for me?
  4- How am I benefited/beneficiary in this deal?

Which one of the above sentences sounds natural and which doesn't and why? I wonder if you could let me know about some more suitable alternatives if there are.


texts:
Is there any practical difference between "filling" and "filled" in the following?

John was staying at a place filled/filling with fun.


texts: Is there an idiom that means something like "try anything or everything until you achieve success regardless of the amount of time you fail"?

texts: Is there an idiom that means something like that? I am especially looking for an idiom that says "you should keep trying different things", but not "just persevere", I am especially looking for the idea of "different things being tried". Otherwise, I would have asked for an idiom with the theme of perseverance.


texts: What is the meaning of "daisy pom"? Does the word "daisy pom" mean using some daisy flowers to make a pom shape?


texts: Can you use "inert" as a synonym of "dead"?

texts:
I looked up the word "inert", and the definition does not match the definition for "dead", not even the slightest, yet dead is listed as a synonym. What do you think?

For example:

  The coffin of the inert man was ready.

  The wife was inert after she plunged off the building to her death.


texts: But as readily as we grant this, it should be maintained with equal stress and emphasis, that this does not exhaust the knowledge of God; that it contains a spiritual reality which goes deeper than intellectual acumen, and employs the abstractions of dogma and doctrine merely as a means by which to clarify impressions received, the perceptions of the soul and spiritual experience.


texts:
In another post (Could some help analyze the structure of this sentence "Sleet is *rain and snow mixed together*"?) I said

  I still cannot get a completely clear understanding due to the concept of passive participle, so I posted another question, would please take a loot at that?

Is "still cannot" idiomatic? Does the sentence above sound natural?


texts: Is there a word for countable seconds, hours, days , months ,years?

texts:
I am a coder .
I want to write a function like

def process(dataframe, preiods=7, freq='hour') :
    ....

It can process dataframe by every preiods of freq .

But I think preiods is not a good word at here, preiods(plural preiod) looks stange too .

Do I use period correctly? If not, any good idea ?


texts:
Is "confer merit" correctly used in the following sentence? The context is a job description, where the employer talks about skills, degrees etc that are not required, but that provide useful qualifications:
"A doctoral degree will confer merit"
Thank you!


texts:
You are working as a pharmacy technician in an ambulatory care pharmacy. A pharmacist hands you the prescription and asks you to compound the product based on the pharmacy’s written protocol.

Could you tell me in simple English what kind of pharmacy is an ambulatory care pharmacy, please?


texts: Can I say "the author" in a scientific paper to refer ot myself, the author?

texts:
When writing academic papers, how should I refer to myself?

"We.... ", even though I am just one person?

"I....", makes sense, but sounds informal?

"The author", .... sounds formal, but perhaps doesn't make sense?


texts: "Has me and the wife in fits every time."

texts:
Found this in a YouTube video and people were commenting on his, apparently terrible, English skills.
What's wrong with the sentence “Has me and the wife in fits every time?”


texts: How to use Future Unreal Conditional with adjectives?

texts:
I am learning from this page

  FORM 1 (Most Common Form)

  [If ... Simple Past ..., ... would + verb ...]

If I want to use an "adjective"; say "busy". Is this sentence OK - actually I feel not:

  If I was not busy tomorrow, I would come with you.

By the way, I'm not confined to Form 1. If in this case, another form must be used; it is OK.


texts: 'Beneficial' as 'useful' or as 'advantageous'

texts:
In my mother tongue I have 'beneficial' word like in English and I would like to use in context of 'useful', but after writing a paragraph, I think I was misunderstood and the receiver thought I used it in the way of 'advantageous'.

My paragraph is:

  It would be beneficial for me to know if I will have to do Unit Testing for the technical test.

I just wanted to mannerly ask for useful information and make a question like I was allowed to do, but his answer is what makes me think he misunderstood in a bad way (when mentioning 'fair' or the set phrase in bold)

  ... the paragraph of information ... is deliberately vague.

  Having said that, we are not in the business of setting people up to fail. ... . As a result, our assessment of your completed test will be fair.

What exactly does the sentence in bold mean?
Has the 'beneficial' word a bad connotation in this context, like if I wanted to cheat?
Is the word ambiguous or I had just to use 'useful' instead?


texts:
Sometimes I need to ask for helps from other colleagues that I never know before, so I usually say hello and introduce myself, and then can I say "Nice to meet you on Skype"?

Appreciate your answers.


texts: When can I skip repeating the verb in a question?

texts:
I'm working on a text and struggle with a question I'm asking. Which of the following phrases is correct?

   1. Or maybe you know something which we don’t know?

or

   2. Or maybe you know something which we don’t?


texts: How do we express people with very special hair styles, for example, "he is wearing his hair in 3 bamboo trees"?

texts:
We often say "she is wearing her hair in braids/bunches/a ponytail".
How do we express people with very special hair styles, for example, "he is wearing his hair in 3 bamboo trees" as shown in the picture?


texts: Quite Confusing Text Like a Riddle Needs to Be Explained

texts:
I was reading Great Chain of Being by Arthur O. Lovejoy and came across a paragraph like a puzzle at least for me. This is the text:

I cannot refrain from expressing to the  Harvard  Department of Philosophy my high appreciation of the honor and privilege of presenting at Harvard, upon a lectureship bearing the name of  William James, some slight fruits of the years since,  in my philosophical novitiate, I first heard him exemplify in his incomparable way the meaning of "pragmatic openness of mind" and the possibility of fresh and revivifying approaches to man's ancient problems.

I especially didn't understand the usage of "upon" and "since". Because it is not clear that to where is "upon" linked. Moreover the usage of "since" is not clear as well. Because according to my knowledge "since" needs to be followed by sentences or nouns. Bu here doesn't. So please explain the way of these words' usages here. Also, I really didn't understand the general meaning. Please explain it.


texts: "What was I saying" or "What did I say" when you're interrupted?

texts:
When I'm in a discussion with someone and then someone interrupts us and then I forgot what I said and want to continue from the point where I stopped, is it correct to say:

  What was I saying?

or is it:

  What did I say?

And does this work in the second person, as well? For example, if I forgot what the person who was with me said, can I say:

  What were you saying?

or is it:

  What did you say?


texts: Which is better: "Interaction of x with y" or "Interaction between x and y"

texts:
Which one is better to use:

Interaction of x with y

or

Interaction between x and y?

Or are they equally correct? In that case, is there a difference between them, or are they basically interchangeable?


texts: What does "scheduling" mean in "supreme court scheduling"?

texts:
The dictionary scheduling in dictionary.com say that scheduling have 5 meanings:

  a plan of procedure, usually written, for a proposed objective, especially with reference to the sequence of and time allotted for each item or operation necessary to its completion:
  a series of things to be done or of events to occur at or during a particular time or period:
  a timetable.
  a written or printed statement of details, often in classified or tabular form, especially one forming an appendix or explanatory addition to another document.
  Obsolete . a written paper.

What does  word scheduling in the phrase supreme court scheduling in the official seal mean?  A written or printed statement of details?

Is supreme court scheduling a office belong to supreme court or an action which will take place?


texts: Is there such an expression in English, 'if not today, then tomorrow'?

texts:
Is there such an expression in English that means "not today, then tomorrow" ?
I wonder whether the Russian phrase "не сегодня, так завтра" (which translates exactly so and means "soon, eventually") has an equivalent in English.


texts: many greater quantities or much greater quantities?

texts:
I learned from lots of sources dealing with grammar that many + comparative + plural verb.
But I found recently much greater quantities, and I have never come across many greater quantities.
Pleas tell me why much greater quantities is grammatically correct.


texts:
You have a baby on a toilet and he is giving his strength to do his work.
What words are appropriated to tell him and to describe him?

Asking:

Push hard
Flex
Give a strength

Describing:

you are forcing yourself to poop.
You are using a strength to ...

Which ones are correct and what other options are available?


texts:
What does it mean when someone says:

"You have to decide if the well is poisoned for you."


texts: Better, more better or much better, which is correct?

texts: Yesterday, I asked one of my students how he was. He answered, "I am more better." I told him that "I am (much) better" would do. He answered, I was already better yesterday, and I am better than I was yesterday." It made me think twice. Was I wrong with my correction?


texts:
This robot helps to reduce the burden on people who take care of
  older adults.

I created the sentence above to describe that the robot can enable people with less muscle to take care of older adults more easily. I would like to emphasize that the robot is like a powered exoskeleton and removes physical difficulty rather than emotional/mental difficulty.

I am wondering whether the noun "burden" is appropriate for this case because dictionaries define this term as "Something that is emotionally difficult to bear".


texts: "I told X my feelings" vs "I told X about my feelings"

texts:
What's the difference between the two? Is one more grammatically correct than the other?

  Telling John my feelings wasn't the only thing that scared me that night.

  Telling John about my feelings wasn't the only thing that scared me that night.


texts: From the nearest store from/of/near our house?

texts:
Let's say you have just bought a snack at £8 at store B(let's say).Then you were a bit surprised coz'...

  the same snack costs £10 from the nearest store from/of/near your house.

Which is the correct preposition?


texts:
Can we omit "at that contract" at the end of the following sentence?

  I was signed to a contract at Disney for $75 a week but lasted only 18
  months [at that contract].


texts: How to compose a question from the following statement?

texts:
I have this statement:

  "The synthetic element number 99, Einsteinium, is named after the
  famous scientist Albert Einstein."

Now I'm interested to create a question from this statement, then what
is the way to do it correctly? This is my attempt:

  "After whom the element number 99 is named"?

Is it considered correct?


texts: Difference between "I let my hair grow." and "I grow my hair."

texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "I grow my hair out." and "I let my hair grow out." Another example is between "I dry my hair naturally." and "I let my hair dry naturally." I can see both sentences, but am not sure about the differences.  Could you help me?


texts: Why is the first sentence more correct than the other?

texts:
Started a English B2 course on this site PerfectlySpoken.
Came across these two sentences, which one is correct is the question of the exercise, the teacher said the first one is, but I did not understand why. In my brain both make sense for some reason.

I have had a headache all morning.  -> Correct
I have been having a headache all morning.  -> Incorrect


texts: My question is about the ownership s. It's, is there any clear rule about when we should add the ownership s to words please?


texts: Both present and past tense in one sentence

texts:
The stock starts up again, and it has a rise of six or seven points in
  one day, followed the next day by perhaps eight to ten points—with
  great activity—but during the last hour of the day all of a sudden it
  has an abnormal break of seven or eight points.

Here, the "starts" is in present tense, but "followed" is in past tense, why?

I think "the next day" is "the tomorrow", so at least it could be in future tense.


texts:
Today when I was watching Impractical Jokers, in an episode one of the guys was tasked  with "hit on a girl while wearing a skirt and heels".

Is it me or  "while" here seems redundant? If I remove it then the sentence would be "hit on a girl wearing heels.

Do these both have the same meaning or there is a nuance of difference?


texts: "What does so special he do?" or "What so special does he do?"?

texts:
If he does some special things, what should the sentence look like?

  What does so special he do?

or

  What so special does he do?

or maybe

  What's so special he does?


texts: In the expression "There's got to be some" what does the 's stand for?

texts:
I wrote:

  "Not at all." I kissed her slim curled lips. "There are very few things I want to do that doesn't include you."

  "There got to be some."

A native speaker told me that I needed to write:

  "Not at all." I kissed her slim curled lips. "There are very few things I want to do that doesn't include you."

  "There's got to be some."

What does 's stand for?


texts: Is the sentence "I now feel better" correct? Shouldn't it be "Now I feel better"? Or are both of them correct?


texts: What is the difference between "flabbergast" and "taken aback"?

texts:
Flabbergast and taken aback, what is the difference?

She was flabbergasted when the nurse came in and gave spinal injection.
She was taken aback when the nurse came in and gave spinal injection.

As a N-NS, I understand them as the same tones used to express that someone is being surprised. Do they have any difference?


texts:
Which sentence is correct:

  ..to extend the current knowledge of speech perception.

  ..to extend current knowledge of speech perception.

I know that knowledge is an uncountable noun. However, if we define this knowledge to belong to speech perception, then we are talking about something specific and we need to add "the". Am I correct?


texts: Deterioration of cardboard on the line where it folds

texts: How is it called the mark that is left on a cardboard right where it is folded?


texts:
Reading this article, a line reads,

The New York Times reports today that Biden’s Kafkaesque “White House Gender Policy Council” is “beginning his promised effort to dismantle Trump-era rules on sexual misconduct that afforded greater protections to students accused of assault.” The subhead informs us that, “The Biden administration will examine regulations by Betsy DeVos that gave the force of law to rules that granted more due-process rights to students accused of sexual assault.”

Is the bold word a name or an adjective? If it is an adjective, why is the first word written in the big letter?
And what does that mean?
A dictionary gives me the definition as the following but to me personally it looks it wouldn't fit.

: of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings
especially : having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality

Thank and sorry for taking your time in advance.


texts:
In read below news and I came across below sentence. I want to know exact meaning of this sentence.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/cabbie-girlfriend-held-offered-rides-to-rob-passengers/articleshow/61474301.cms

"A 22-year-old cab driver who robbed people after offering them shared rides, and got his girlfriend to sit in the taxi as a decoy passenger, was arrested on Thursday with two more accomplices."

a) Can It mean Simple past.

Driver robbed people by offering them shared rides hence arrested by police.

b) can it mean repetative action in past.

Its a regular activity of driver to rob people by offering them shares rides hence police arrested him

How to differentiate Simple past or repetitive/regular activity in the past?


texts:
I have another question regarding reported speech. Are these sentences some kind of reported speech?

  "I was told that she knows/knew the whole story."

If I turned it around, I think I could form a normal reported speech:

  "She told me that she knows/knew the whole story."

  "I was told that you would/will know this."

Turning it around:

  "She told me that you would/will know this."

Is being told something counted as reported speech? Please help!


texts:
It was raining heavily.

Suddenly a thunder struck.

My son went to me and said he was scared.

"What's happened?" I said.

  "It's thunder."

  "It's a thunder."

Do we need to add indicate the amount for thunder when he was going to tell you the thunder just struck?


texts: Finding a proper word for this situation

texts:
Normally, we can say the adjective form of 'exist' in a sentence like:

  In the presence of measurement techniques, we can use them in order to calculate a window size.

I would like to say like this: the existing measurement techniques can be used to calculate ....

What if there is no such techniques now *but* a new technique will be published in a year.

So, can I say like the following sentence to emphasize the new technique?

  the upcoming measurement technique will provides more quantitative results.

Does 'Upcoming' fit in this action?


texts: “A few hours earlier” VS. From a few hours earlier

texts:
In the book, Friend Zone

  “And she was a thousand times better than the drop-dead gorgeous yoga instructor from a few hours earlier.”

What is “from” adding to the context here?

Well, I mean if “from” was omitted, would the meaning change?

  “And she was a thousand times better than the drop-dead gorgeous yoga
  instructor a few hours earlier.”


texts: Can I say "Have some money on my plastic" meaning "I have some funds on my bank account and card is with me"?


texts:
I am wondering what would be an accurate word for the color of the prison uniform in the screenshot below, from a movie (Batman Begins).

The audio description of the color sounds to me like

  Bruce and his cellmate, in worn petroblue uniforms, step outside into a grey grim yard.

Is petroblue a word? Google doesn't bear it out. If I misheard it, what could the color be? The audio excerpt can be found here (uploaded to Clyp, an easy audio sharing site).


texts: 'She was shot by police yesterday' or 'She was shot yesterday by police'

texts:
I am writing a test about passive constructions and I have the following questions: Where do I have to put the by-agent. For example:
Sarah wrote the email yesterday.

  A: The email was written by Sarah yesterday.

  B: The email was written yesterday by Sarah.

Which of them is correct? Are both correct?

Thank you for your help!


texts: How can I point a precise location in a book? it seems there is not much people use the expression like "the third last paragraph"

texts:
assume there are some people discussing a book.

one would say page number n, paragraph m.

another one would say page number n, the third last paragraph.

is it a idiomatic expression? or there is a more idiomatic expression?

to get more guarantee, I've googled following 3 expressions

"the third last paragraph" gets About 14,900 results.

"the last third paragraph" gets About 3,730 results.

"the 3rd last paragraph" gets About 2,120 results.

I cannot imagine more possible expressions that may be more clear and idiomatic.

any clue would be appreciated.


texts:
I have stumbled upon the phrase in the 21th episode of the 8th season of Friends. Here is the scene. It's at around 1 minute and 56 seconds.

Phoebe: All right, all right, we’ll just do our best. Okay? So let’s
say I’m the interviewer and I’m meeting you for the first time. Okay.
"Hi! Come on in, I’m uh, Regina Philange."
Chandler: Chandler Bing.
Phoebe: Bing, what an unusual name.
Chandler: Well you should meet my uncle, Bada. (Pause) I’ll let myself
out.


texts:
In Raymond Murphy's "English Grammar in Use with Answers 4th edition" there is the following sentence:

  I couldn't get into the house because I didn't have a key.

with "a" being the correct answer in the exercise keys.

Am I correct to understand that "the" would've been more suitable? If not, what is the logic here?

After all, only one specific key (or at least one of its duplicates) will unlock the door.

P.S.
I'd like to add that the sentence comes from a unit on using indefinite articles specifically, so the book does not explicitly state that using "the" would've been wrong here. However, it feels strange to me regardless that such a sentence would be included.


texts:
I would like to check if my idea is correct. It sounds to me as if the first is when one has a question to be asked, while the second means the person is not sure.

Here are two cases:

In a classroom a student raises their hand(The teacher didn't ask anything):

I have a doubt. What's ... ?
I'm in doubt. What's ....?

The teacher asks that same student what is the answer for a question (The student doesn't know it and has nothing to ask):

I have a doubt.
I'm in doubt.

"I have a doubt" prepares the field for a question to come. That's why we use defined article "a", we know what is our doubt. I'm in doubt means one hasn't got the answer. So answering "I have a doubt" in the 1st case is better while "I'm in doubt" is better in the second.


texts: What's the meaning of " turning the water back on me"

texts:
It's a quote from the HBO drama Gentleman Jack

The speaker came up with the idea below after inspecting her coal pit.

  -So there I am, knee-deep in water, and it struck me that I ought to add another clause to the lease with the Rawsons to stop them from turning the water back on me when they've finished loosening my coal.

What's the meaning of turning the water back on me? Does that mean setting somebody up or something water-related?


texts:
Are both forms of the below statements technically correct?

Webern wrote 6 hours of music.
Webern wrote 6 hours worth of music.

I'm not a native speaker, sorry for my english.


texts: Distinction between acquiring and obtaining

texts:
I can't decide between those two words.

  You need to acquire handling instructions.
  You need to obtain handling instructions.

Both mean roughly the same, describing an act of gaining possession of something. In my mind, there might be a distinction in how active/passive the recipient is expected to be. However, I can't tell which one, if any, would be more go-getty and which would lean towards bestowy-upony.


texts: Words whose pronunciations change in sentence

texts: How/where can I find the list of words whose pronunciations depend on the next word in the sentence, like the?


texts: "risk of injury" or "risk of an injury"?

texts:
Tell me please if need to use any article before the word injury in the following context.

  If you deadlift the way you do, the risk of (an) injury is extremely high.

I am confused because the Cambridge Dictionary says that the word can be both countable and uncountable. Is there any difference in meaning between the options with an article and without?


texts: Is there a "at some time in the future"?

texts:
This might seem like a silly question, but is the following phrase correct:

  "... at some time in the future."

I am almost certain that "... at some point in the future." exists and there is "... at some future time.", but the phrase "... at some time in the future." sound strange to my ears.


texts: She loves being looked at. or She loves looking at her

texts:
She loves being looked at.
She loves looking at her.

Is there any significant difference between sentences 1 and 2? or  Do they sound similar?


texts: Is there any word or phrase for negative bearing?

texts:
Features of a product matter when you are deciding to buy it.
If you know that it has a feature, say x, that you like, then that can motivate you to buy it. But a negative feature, say y, can demotivate you.
Thus, x has a positive bearing on your decision, whereas y has a negative bearing on it. One might even say that y has a negative bearing on x.
Is there any phrase or word for negative bearing of such kind. I can think of "negative pertinence", "negative relevance", "negative relation"? Are any of these any good? Is there a common way to express this idea?
Example:

X has a _______ on my decision making whether to buy the product.


texts: What is the grammatical structure of the sentence

texts:
I would like to know the grammatical structure of the sentence below:

  The next morning she wrote her son, David, asking for important information.

I am confused as it is not in a suitable structure like relative clause (connection with which/ who).

Could you please explain how we could connect the second sentence with "asking".


texts:
Articles are really tricky subject in English grammar.  Can you explain why using an article with a plural noun in the following sentence?

These are just a few ideas.


texts:
I had an exercise in my English lesson.It says to choose the suitable choice.I think that I do not make any wrong.

  The living room needs repainting and I don't have enough time ~ Why don't you just have someone do it then?

I know how adverbs ordering in sentences.However, the 'just' can take the position before
an auxiliary verb.

e.g. I just do not understand why it happened

My question is when someone ask, how the above sentence become?

Why do you just not focus on the relation between...Is it correct?

Can the first sentence writing in formal

  Why do you just not have someone does it then?


texts:
I would like to comprehend the meaning of the phrase power of art. An example, for some context:

  You are a person that appreciates the power of art.

How do I use this phrase "The power of art" and when?


texts:
I am looking for words that describe the paragraphs of text and information you find in student textbooks or course books. For example, in a Maths book you can expect sections of written words teaching you concepts and explaining how you should go about solving problems. I want to use 'instructions', but felt that's closely related to hands-on work.

I want it to fill the space in the following sentence I wish to express:

"There isn't a lot of ..... in this textbook, just questions followed by more questions."


texts: What is the meaning of "would" in the following sentence?

texts:
I came across the following sentence

The summers spent at Talland would end up being the inspiration for Woolf’s novel To The Lighthouse, and life, it seemed, was pretty blissful.

What's the meaning of “would” in that sentence?
Could it also be written this way without losing its meaning?

The summers spent at Talland ended up being the inspiration for Woolf’s novel To The Lighthouse, and life, it seemed, was pretty blissful.


texts: Which pronoun to use when responding to "Is this your father?"

texts:
What is the right answer for this question?

The picture shows a woman holding a young child.
The question is "Is this your father?" The answer is "no", but how does one say this as a complete sentence? Should I say "No, he isn't." or "No, she isn't".


texts:
Technically,  B could be—I think—wrong. However, would anyone please show me what is the difference in meaning between them? And whether B is incorrect?

A. the cost of moving house
B. the price of moving house


texts:
I was reading a book and found a really strange sentence:

  "She is to be back by nightfall".

Does it mean either she has got to be back by nightfall or she is supposed to be back by nightfall, or does it mean something else?


texts:
I really want to know if there is a change in meaning when stative verbs used in a progressive form, particularly in these 5 verbs' meaning:
hate-hating
want-wanting
know-knowing
contain-containing
need-needing
thanks beforehand


texts: Intransitive verb as Predicative adjective

texts:
He is gone. Then can we say 'He is come'(past participle of come).
And how much it is correct to use a past participle of intransitive verb as a Predicative adjective.
'he is arrived' in place of 'he has arrived'.....is it correct?


texts: "Deteriorate" Vs "Aggravate" Vs "Worsen" in transitive and intransitive situations

texts:
Dictionary definitions define the three words:

  Deteriorate
  Aggravate
  Worsen

in a way that they carry almost exactly the same meaning (at least to me as a non-native).

The only difference between “deteriorate” and “aggravate” is that, “aggravate” is transitive, while "deteriorate" is an intransitive verb.

Now, in order to identify the slight nuance between them, I have made two examples; please kindly let me know about the correct / incorrect choices in each example:

  The US government officially threatened North Korea last night. I think the political situation is ____________ for them.

a. worsening
b. deteriorating
c. being aggravated

The three options are the same to me here and work properly.

  The noise ___________ my headache.

a. worsened
b. aggravated

Here, I think both words are identical.

I don't know how a native would interpret them.


texts:
Do you need to wrap the phrase "including X" with commas? I was told that you had to, but I am not sure if it's true, because I don't think it's necessarily a parenthetical clause, at least it's not always the case.

For example:

  He made everyone cry including grandma by telling his life story.

  He made everyone cry, including grandma, by telling his life story.

Aren't both valid?


texts:
I'll see you in the next class.

This sentence sounds more correct than

  I'll see you next class.

But why in the following_

  We'll meet next year.

Vs

  We'll meet in next year.

Here the first one (sentence without "in") sounds more natural? Is the second one grammatically incorrect?


texts: Why do we say 'The earth' and not 'An earth'?

texts:
As I understand, noun which is singular and start with vowels, we put an article "an" in front of it. ( e.g an eye, an ear )
But why it is not "an earth" and why "the earth"?


texts:
"Donald Trump’s desire to nominate Mr Cain had sparked a backlash, even among Republicans worried that the president was seeking to undermine the independence of the central bank by appointing his supporters."

What is the subject of the clause "even (among Republicans) worried that the president..."?


texts: 'All week, all the time, all day' time markers

texts:
I have locked up the internet to find an answer to my question by unfortunately I did not find a clear answer.

So my question is: Are these time markers used for particular tenses (e.g: Past progressive, present perfect, etc.) or it can be used in any tense? because most of the time I see these expressions used with progressive tenses only.


texts:
When I'm working on some issue or bug, I say "I'm on it" to let others know that I'm working on it.

Can I say "I'm on them" if I'm working on multiple issues? Or do I still need to say "I'm on it" regardless of the number of the things I'm working on?


texts:
Suggesting expressions are usually expressed when a subordinate makes a proposal or suggestion to the superior and usually speaks with sincere or, at least, neutral tone in order to avoid offending.

Is the parenthesis at least correct？

By the way, is the usage of "speak" correct which I assume should be replaced by "be spoken" or "speaking".

  Suggesting expressions are usually expressed when a subordinate makes a proposal or suggestion to the superior and usually speaks with sincere or, at least, neutral tone in order to avoid offending.


texts:
I have just watched a scene from a show where they said this:

  Person 1: Imagine you were home alone, feeling sick, what would you do?

  Person 2: I would call my mom.

  Person1 : And if she didn't answer?

Could didn't  be replaced with wouldn't in this context? If it could, would there be any difference in meaning?

To my mind, by putting did not we express she did not have the ability to answer. In case of would not, it indicates she kept calling again and again and she would not answer. (Though I am no native speaker, so who knows.)


texts:
The causative verbs are: "Make, Have and Get"

"I made my brother carry my suitcase."

"I had my brother carry my suitcase."

"I got my brother to carry my suitcase."

Why we should use an infinitive form for "get"?

What is the rule for using them? Is there any special rule for use of them?


texts: Does "launch our own idea" mean "provide our own ideas"?

texts:
Does "launch our own idea" mean "provide our own ideas" ?

I found this can mean send or begin but I think here it means provide idea.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/launch

  but they do form a springboard from which we can launch our own ideas
  about succession planning
  Here is the link.

For project safety back up your people, not just your data


texts:
I don't know which of the two is grammatically correct or both are correct or the difference if they are both grammatically correct. Please teach me a correct English.

  No student was present.

vs

  No students were present.

Which of the two is grammatically correct in America and England?


texts: Is the phrase "all my breath and being" an established idiom?

texts:
I read a sentence in a chapter in my book which was:

  And I studied hard, with all my breath and being, in a frenzy almost.

Is the highlighted phrase an established idiom. I am asking this because I didn't find any dictionary describing it and would I be wrong if I used in a casual conversation?


texts: I didn't think something else vs. anything else

texts:
I asked my friend what he's doing, and he answered that he's resting. I responded "I didn't think something else", meaning I predicted it, and he responded that he thinks it should be "I didn't think anything else".
Since both of us are not native English speakers, I'd like to know if there's something wrong with "I didn't think something else" in this context?


texts:
There is a policy in the current government to show itself victimized by suggesting some men who won't pass the Gaurdian Council's filter.

It's the literal translation of a quote by a conservative man about the presidential policy of the current president of Iran for the next round.

I think the current government is not a good choice for the current political pary in power because the government could be the whole system. Right?

If yes, what is the common phrase to call the president of a country and their cabinet which govern a country at the moment?

If no, what's the term for the whole system. Regime?


texts: I want to know the reason why we should use 'the' in this case

texts:
There is a pencil on the desk.
He is in the room.

In the sentences above, why should we use 'the' in the preposition phrase?
What is the meaning of 'the' in this case?


texts:
Do more of what makes you happy.

Why do we have to use "of" after more?
Can I just say do more what makes you happy? (I know we should not say it like this, but I do not know why.) I know I have to use more + noun.


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

texts:
I read this on a website: "Joker is a 2019 film that serves as an origin story of The Joker."
I don't understand the meaning of the sentence. I searched "serve as(something)" and it means: To act in capacity of a particular role. But it doesn't make sense in the above sentence. and I don't get the point of the sentence.


texts: What is the appropriate word for these? -> one day, one month, one year and so on

texts:
I want to know the most appropriate word for these.

one day
two days
three days
one month
two months
three months
one year
two years
three years

The context where these appears is that they are options users of a website can select from a menu to check the data of their weight for the certain range of time.

What's came up in my head is the following.

period
date range
duration

Is there right one in the above list?


texts:
What does bleed mean in I think it's going to be a slow bleed?

  The big debate is what will happen next. Will the U.S. economy rebound or will it slide into another downturn?

  "I think it's going to be a slow bleed," says Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at Stifel. "Right now, we're hoping for 1.5% growth on an annual basis. Next year, we could see 1% growth."
  She projects the U.S. will "just slowly slide into recession over the next couple of years."


texts: who **otherwise** may have a significant conflict of interest, either professionally or financially

texts:
This following text is quoted from   http://www.sciencemeetsreligion.org/blog/2012/11/do-creationism-and-intelligent-design-qualify-as-peer-reviewed-science/ :

      ...team of scientists completes a research project, they document their methodology, results and analysis in a manuscript, which is then submitted to a journal or refereed conference for peer review. The editor (if sent to a journal) or technical papers chair (if sent to a conference) then privately distributes the manuscript, electronically in most cases, to at least three other persons, chosen due to their knowledge and expertise in the manuscript's topic. In selecting referees, editors typically take pains to avoid persons who are at the same institution or who otherwise may have a significant conflict of interest, either professionally or financially, with the manuscript's authors.

Why is "otherwise" there in the text? I don't think it's necessary. Actually, it makes more sense to me if I delete it. What do you think? Thank you.


texts: "Succeeding" as the antonym of "Preceding"

texts:
If "succeeding" is the antonyms of "preceding", and they are both adjectives, then can I use "succeeding" as in the following examples:

  1- The succeeding word of the adjective is a noun.

  2- The preceding sentence of the subordinate conjunction is an independent sentence, but its succeeding one is a dependent sentence.

?

And, can it come after the noun in its adjective form?

  The word succeeding the adjective is a noun.

If that is a correct ordering of the sentence, then why is it correct? Isn't "succeeding" an adjective that should precede its noun in order to describe it?


texts: Difference between "current events" and "current affairs"

texts:
What is the difference between “current events” and “current affairs” when it comes to what is in the news?

  Current Events:

  [plural] chiefly US

  : important events that are happening in the world

  — called also current affairs

  http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/current%20events

I have found an answer here.
https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080616153534AAf0C4R

  I would take the view that ................

  Current events ....... all subjects currently in the news, from sport
  to politics, from entertainment to financial matters.

  Current affairs ........generally limited to politics and financial
  matters.

Is this distinction valid? Is “current events” more inclusive than “current affairs”?


texts: Idiom for having bad things happen to you because you did something bad

texts:
Are there any idioms in English that express something like:

  If you try to sabotage someone's life or work, someday the same thing will happen to you


texts:
I want to know which one of the following sentences is better (maybe both sentences have flaws) :

  They can agree that we start the meeting first.

or

  They agree that we start the meeting first.


texts: What is the word to say you have to take your medicine?

texts:
In Portuguese we can use the word toma to say the time you have to take your medicine.
Example: "Às 4 horas da tarde é a hora da toma de medicamentos, para Paulo", meaning, "At 4pm is the drug taking time for Paulo".
I need to create an Excel sheet and one of the columns should be Toma or the equivalent in English, and will represent the time patients have to take their medicines.
What is the best term to mean that in English?


texts:
While his car is stuck in traffic. Cars HONK and people YELL...

Anger says:

"These are my kind of people!"

What does this actually mean?


texts:
This is written on an ad card:

  Dirty Laundry, a fresh spin on laundry day.

Explain, please, the meaning of it.


texts: Can we use 'does' in the following sentence?

texts:
I wanted to write a follow-up question to an answerer where he/she has used two phases Classical and Non-classical in context of endocrinology which are unknown to me.

Would it be right to write -

  What does Classical and Non-classical mean? I haven't found these terms before.

Please cite a reference.


texts:
Is there any difference between these two sentences or is one of them just wrong?

  If we won't remember anything then it will just be as if we hadn't been together.

and

  If we won't remember anything then it will just be as if we haven't been together.


texts: What is the interjection often used in front of "I like that"?

texts: I often heard an interjection   used in front of "I like that", when someone wants to say they like something which  might be inappropriate or offend some others.  It sounds like "woah", but I doubt it is.  What is it? Thanks.


texts: Is it common for British English speakers to use "us" instead of "me"?

texts: If someone is keeping a secret, in the US one might say "tell me!" However, I was in the UK and I heard a person say "tell us!" although she did not appear to be with anyone. Am I misunderstanding or is this common?


texts: plausible explanation vs. reasonable explanation

texts:
It seems to me that although "plausible explanation" shares the same meaning with "reasonable explanation", the latter is a bit more positive than the former. What is my reason at this? Compare: "a plausible man" and "a reasonable man"(or "a man of reason") - the latter is positive while the former is tending to be negative, because the former just appears to be honest and telling the truth even if they are not.
I am not absolutely sure. Though Oxford Dictionaries defines "plausible" as "reasonable" - which is statistically correct, one may feel quite differently when reading Cambridge Dictionary's definition "plausible: seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed" - which is much less positive than "reasonable."
Is "plausible explanation" indeed a bit less positive than "reasonable explanation"?

plausible
(of an excuse or explanation) reasonable and likely to be true
Her story sounded perfectly plausible.
The only plausible explanation is that he forgot.

Source: Oxford Dictionaries


texts: Is "of opening" used here in the sense "from the start, in the beginning"?

texts:
From Hardy's Far from the madding crowd:

Almost before he had ceased speaking, Oak was seized with a misgiving as to whose ear was the recipient of his answer. Nobody appeared, and he heard the person retreat among the bushes.
Gabriel meditated, and so deeply that he brought small furrows into his forehead by sheer force of reverie. Where the issue of an interview is as likely to be a vast change for the worse as for the better, any initial difference from expectation causes nipping sensations of failure. Oak went up to the door a little abashed: his mental rehearsal and the reality had had no common grounds of opening.

Does this of opening equal "in the beginning"? That is, the initial part of Oak's visit turned out to be not what he had imagined it would be?
I mean, is it similar to structures like

I've been a bit preoccupied with grammar of late.


texts: Should there be a past perfect where its usage is concerned

texts:
A woman of about 40 who (had) called an uber, was surrounded by a group of men claiming she wasn't allowed to call an uber at the location, and must take a cab from the station.

Should the had be there?
Is the sentence okay either way?
Even if we didn't use the had there, the sentence would still remain chronological, so is the had necessary there?


texts: What does "rise to low expectations" mean?

texts:
I used this link but it didn't help: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/rise-to?q=rise+to

"No one rises to low expectations. Having high expectations of each and every student and then providing the necessary support needed to achieve that level seem key to all students achieving to their best ability. As Rosenthal and Jacobson noted, “when teachers expected that certain children would show greater intellectual development, those children did show greater intellectual development”."

Source:https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2017/nov/10/what-every-teacher-should-know-about-expectations


texts: What is meant by "meaning systems" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence in an article in The Hindu which was:

  Certainly some people identify strongly with their community, others identify weakly, and still others move on and adopt the meaning systems of another community.

I don't know what "meaning systems" mean here. Any guesses? And I don't think it is anyhow related to premises it follows and those which follow it.


texts:
What is the difference between fulfill and fill? In the following example, do they have the same meaning?

  I'll fill the form tomorrow.

  I'll fulfill the form tomorrow.


texts: what does "as the next big thing" mean in the sentence?

texts:
Many college superstar athlete are hailed as the next big thing, but then flop at the professional level.

I could not imbibe the meaning of "as the next big thing". What does it mean?


texts:
It is in a comedy series when a clerk shows up late and his boss tells this.

  If It's no big deal we'd sure love it if you'd try to get here at least
  before lunch.

what's the difference between

  1)If It's no big deal we'd sure love it if you'd try to get here at least
  before lunch.

  2)If It's no big deal we'd sure love it if you tried to get here at least
  before lunch.

I heard that we can not use would in ''if clause''

what does ''would'' here mean?


texts: Is the word "like" a preposition or verb in "You made me like this."

texts:
Is the word "like" a preposition or verb in the sentence "You made me like this."

Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you!


texts: What does KB means in announce to rent apartment?

texts:
I'm looking for an apartment, and in announces it's often written KB. For example :

Suitable for one person. 2 rooms, KB, no pets allowed, no smoking allowed
Furnished flat with more than one room, suitable for singles, families with one child, bedroom, living room, KB, internet possible not yet installed, no pets allowed no smoking allowed

It looks to have something with the kitchen, but I can't find what it could be.


texts: Is "that" the right complement of the verb "require"

texts:
Here are original sentences: "Sometimes a creative problem is so difficult that it requires people to connect their imaginations together; the answer arrives only if we collaborate"
But how about the following sentences: " Sometimes a creative problem is so difficult that it requires (that) people connect their imaginations together; the answer arrives only if we collaborate"
I want to know whether the latter sentences are grammatically correct.
Can you help me?


texts: English equivalent of "garam" (warming) food?

texts:
I want to know how we say in English when we want to say that almonds or other dry fruits are "hot" for our body. I am an Indian, and in India, we use the word garam which literally means hot in English. I want to know how native speakers of English say this in English.

Garam foods are not necessarily hot to touch, but produce heat in the body. In excess they may be harmful or indigestible. For instance, a consumer might get pimples from eating too much of 'garam food' -for example- dry fruit.

The effects of almonds is opposite that of lemonade, which is thandaa in  nature i.e. 'cold' in English when it's literally translated from Hindi. I googled it but found nothing, so I hope that I'll get my answer here.


texts: "We shall be preparing tea" or "We shall be making tea"

texts:
Can anyone please tell me which one is correct to say

  We shall be preparing tea.

or

  We shall be making tea.


texts:
Say I have a table with list of telephone calls. This table contains both incoming and outgoing calls received or made by me. There is a column with number of person I called to in case of outgoing call and number of person I received call from in case of incoming call. I want to know what's most appropriate word to put in header of this column.

What's the common word for one who I call to and one whose call I receive?


texts:
Could I say one of the phrases below?
"The valedictorians of the last 5 years..."
or
"The last 5 years valedictorians..."
instead of saying "In the last 5 years, the valedictorians..."


texts:
What are the differences between these two prepositions in these sentences:

I tripped on the table
I tripped over the table
I tripped on the rock
I tripped over the rock

It seems to me that I tripped on the rock implies to say that someone was walking and stepped on a rock which made him fall away

And I tripped over the rock implies to say that someone was walking, tripped on something and was knocked over the rock (.i.e.: They flew over the rock)

Is this right? Since over means to be above something, having the possibility of touching it of not.


texts: Are "found" and "discovered" interchangeable in context?

texts:
In my review queue, I received a nice answer and I suggested adding some reference. A few minutes later the answerer asked what kind of reference needed.

I received that response and redirected to the post. And then I discovered another answer in the post has already provided the reference. So, I replied

  ... I came here again because of the INBOX message. And then I found another answer has given a link. So, just ignore it...

I guess my response is grammatical.

per Cambridge Dictionary, "find" means "to discover where a thing is unexpectedly". It is the situation, I didn't expected there has already been a reference in that post. "Discover" is used in the definition, so I guess I could substitute "discovered" for "found".

  ... I discovered another answer has given a link ...

So, "found" and "discovered" are interchangeable in this context, is my understanding? Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts: do we say "wrap it up" when we want our kids to stop playing games or watching TV?

texts:
wrap up | wrap it up (slang) usually used as an order to tell
  somebody to stop talking or causing trouble, etc.

Now it's time for lunch & your children are playing games, watching TV or doing homework etc actively without noticing their lunch time.

Can we say, "ok, guys, wrap it up & go to lunch".?

But seem "wrap it up" is mainly used to tell somebody to stop talking or causing trouble. I am not sure if it can be used for other activities such as watching TV, playing games, doing homework, etc


texts: "mix in a circular motion" vs. "mix with a circular motion"

texts:
Is there any difference betweeen "mix in a circular motion" and "mix with a circular motion"?

  Transfer 100 mL of solution 3 into the beaker and mix with (in?) a circular motion, avoiding foaming.

Would the versions with in and with be fully synonymous?

P.S.

As an afterthought: would "swirl to mix" be synonymous with "mix in a circular motion"?


texts:
What is the meaning of the following sentence

  You were not justified in imputing motives to him.

Is this an idiom? I looked up its meaning but didn't find anything.(no further context can be provided as it is just an example sentence in my book)


texts: "to make a tired point": is it an idiom?

texts:
What does the expression "to make a tired point" mean? For example in this sentence:

  To make a tired point, which one of us is truly crazy?

(It is from an episode of The Simpsons. Read the script.)


texts:
My phone was delivered as broken

Is the use of as correct in this sentence? I mean that they delivered broken phone to me. I just wonder if as can be used in this way generally.


texts: How should "come" and "go" be used here?

texts:
I asked a similar question yesterday: How should "come" and "go" be used in the following context?

It's been answered, but I showed the answers to my mom and she gave me this example in response:

Say your friend invites you to a party. The party will be held at your friend's house. At the time your friend asks you, neither of you are at your friend's house. Your friend asks "Are you coming (to my party)?" Do you say

  Yes, I'm coming / No, I can't come

Or

  Yes, I'm going / No, I can't go

Or do you just say "yes" or "no" to avoid confusion?


texts:
**Scan and read that material **

This sentence is from an article "How To Improve Your Study Habits".

  I don't know the meaning scan and read in this sentence.

  I think it means read quickly till you understand.
  Are there other meanings?


texts: What does "a value that lies z or more standard deviations above the expected value" mean?

texts:
This phrase came from the book Understanding Probability written by Henk Tijms. The original sentence is:

  the probability that a normally distributed random variable will take on a value that lies z or more standard deviations above the expected value is equal to 1 − Φ(z) for z > 0, as is the probability of a value that lies z or more standard deviations below the expected value.

I don't understand what lies means in this context. I have checked The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, and Webster's online; none of their explanations refer lie as a transitive verb. How can it used with z or more standard deviations, which is obviously a noun phrase?

Could anyone explain to me:

What does the sentence mean?
The grammar underlying this sentence? Am I right that the lie used here is actually a transitive verb?


texts: Can a job title or position be used without an article?

texts:
Can someone's position in their workplace be used without an article in a subject complement (as if it were an adjective)  and
will there be no difference in meaning from when it was used with an article.

For example:

  My uncle was head copy editor of the NY Times.

This is excerpted from a random website thread.

To me, "a head copy editor" sounds more natural (as follows):

  My uncle was a head copy editor of the NY Times.

I understand a position or individual's social status can be used like "He is president of the United States."

I learned when it is used without an article, the sentence focuses more on the nature of the mentioned position than when it is used with one.


texts:
While I was searching on Google I came across some instances of carry out and I was particularly attracted by the following:

  The thief comes for the precious things, not to carry out the rubbish.

According to MW, carry out means:

  1 : to bring to a successful issue : complete, accomplish 'carried out the assignment' 2 : to put into execution 'carry out a plan' 3 : to continue to an end or stopping point

Which of the MW defintions do you take to explain the meaning of carry out in the above sentence? I have thought of #1, but I am unsure of this choice because it would imply that the rubbish would be equivalent to the assignment.


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "pass", "pass by" and "pass past"?

texts:
Is there difference in meaning between pass, pass by and pass past. For example:

  On my way home I will be passing/passing by/passing past the school, so I could pick you up.

I feel there is no difference between these three in my sentence. Is there any context where they wouldn't mean the same.


texts:
When is 'h' silent and when is it not? For example, we pronounce Thailand as Tailand. Also, Lufthansa is pronounced Luft/Hansa. In both cases th is not pronounced as it usually is.

Can anyone give me a generalization of when an h is silent, and when we need to separate th and only pronounce t?


texts:
Died at (an/the) early age of XX

Which is the correct article to use in the above phrase/clause ?

E.g. A. It was most unfortunate that he died at the early age of 41.

B. It was most unfortunate that he died at an early age of 41.

Which, out of A and B, is the correct sentence ? Usually I have heard an being used in above clause but don't whether its okay to use the or not. This sentence is from an error spotting excercise.


texts:
I have a question regarding how to write your school grades. If you want to write someone saying that you graduated high school in the top 10%, should you write it like this?

  "Graduated high school in the top 10% in class."

And if you want to use your actual place instead of using percentiles, should you write it like this?

  "Graduated high school tenth in class."

Thank you for your help in advance!


texts:
Does it make sense if I say:

  This is the right order of the person to contact"?

I'm translating a document about a matrix escalation, which allows you to specify multiple user contacts to be notified in the event of critical issues. I have a list of points of contact and there is a clear sequence to follow, so I want to explain to our customers that they have to follow the order.

there is a list of persons, each person has a "mark" that is L (for ex. L1, L2, L3 ecc.). I have to explain that "L" stands for the right order to contact the persons"
Thank you in advance


texts: What is the rule determining use of the definite article in the expressions like "with (the?) speed equal to"?

texts:
What is the rule determining whether one must use the (definite) article in the expressions like:

  the ball of (the) radius 1
  a drop with (the) charge 2q

I meet quite often both variants, but see no pattern:

  [...] moves with the speed equal to the velocity of water
  The train would reach its destination with speed equal to zero
  Kant's point, therefore, is that instantaneous states of motion (whether with speed equal to zero or any other value) [...]


texts:
Can I use "as" to make adjective into adverb like examples below:

  1) I always think as different from other people.
  2) I always think  differently from other people.

Are both sentences have same meaning?

I found a sentence that says "The young boy seemed to strain to define himself as different from his brother." Isn't "as" used as is the case with  my first sentence?


texts: For example, should I say "We must define a dice game" or "we must define what is a dice game"? I am concerned that the first one might be correct, but has a different meaning: define a dice game in particular, not the general concept of dice game.


texts: Does "has been employed" imply they still are employed?

texts:
Mr. Smith has been employed by our company as engineer since 1st March 2015.

Does this mean Mr. Smith is still being employed by the company?


texts:
Here it goes in context:

  People don't like to push opinions about politics.

Does it mean that people do not like give their opinions on politics or ask?


texts: What do you call the attachment point of trailer to a truck?

texts:
A dictionary isn't much help for me in this case as I don't even know if there is an equivalent in my native tongue, so I don't know what to look for.

I have to describe what I mean:
Consider a truck pulling a trailer that only has an axle (or axles) at the back of the trailer.
The front of such a trailer rests on a horizontal mount-plate located above the back-axle(s) of the truck.
This arrangement is also sometimes found on bigger model pickup-trucks to enable them to pull such trailers.

I don't mean the hook found at the back off a regular car to which you can hitch a trailer or caravan.
Or the heavy duty hitch arrangement to put a trailer (with axles front and back) after another trailer. (Also found sometimes at the back of lorries, tractors and some trucks.)

Is there a proper word (or phrase) for this mount-plate in English?


texts: What is the difference among "spend doing something", "spend on doing something" and "spend in doing something"?

texts:
What is the difference among "spend something doing something", "spend something on doing something" and "spend something in doing something"? Can I use "spend something to do something"?
For example, are the following sentences correct, and are there any differences in meaning?

I spend my free time reading books.
I spend my free time on reading books.
I spend my free time in reading books.
I spend my free time to read books.


texts:
In my another post (What is "intervening noun phrase"?), I left a comment to an answer

  If I call it (people) "intervening noun", every one can still get what I refer to, right?

where I used the adverb still though, and lots of people use it in lots of situations, I don't know what type it is.

Cambridge Dictionary categorize "still" as "Time adverbs", another post classify it as "Connecting/linking adverbs". Neither seems appropriate here.

So, what type of adverbs "still" is here?


texts: After whom are you looking? At what are you looking?

texts:
The Cambridge dictionary says:

  "Prepositional verbs have two parts: a verb and a preposition which
  cannot be separated from each other."

If they cannot be separated, does it mean that we can't put a verb's preposition at the beginning?

  At what are you looking?

  After whom are you looking?

  From what did you prevent me?

  Of what are you accusing me?

Do you believe these questions are correct?

In my opinion, they are incorrect because they seem weird as well as breaking the definition of Cambridge about prepositional verbs, because they are separated in those questions.

So I will be happy to see your thoughts.


texts:
Is using "would + present tense" bad grammar?

I said "Would it be alright if I go with you?" to a classmate and she replied with "Sure, it would be OK if you came with me." which threw me off a bit.

I know you are supposed to say "I would rather you didn't." but does that mean I can only use would + simple past?