texts: What does this mean? "we're not going to make the guilt worse by telling that listening is a good thing, worthy but in fact rather dull."

texts:
Many of us probably have a nagging feeling that we don't listen enough to other people. Here we're not going to make the guilt worse by telling you that listening is a good thing, worthy but in fact rather dull.

Hear more.

I can't actually understand the meaning of this paragraph.

Finally, What happened to listening, is it a good thing or not?

What does the author mean by these words ("worthy", "rather"(fairly?), "dull"(boring?) here?
Worthy? I wonder if it means trying to help people or deserving respect from them. (And what does the word "worthy" refer to? Listening? Then why after saying that we're not gonna telling you that listening is a good thing?)

What's the result? Is this conclusion accurate?

  The author is saying that we don't want to repeat it and say that listening is a good thing (maybe because this attitude toward this matter has became a stereotype) so we think it is a worthy activity, it requires attention, it deserves respect but partly it is boring, it's not interesting and therefore it's not exciting.


texts:
I have such a rule in my head that if we have "already", "still" or "yet" I am obliged to use Perfect Tenses.

But can these words be used in Past Simple?

I already finished the work (some time in Past, not now)

I didn't learn English yet (some time in Past, not now)

I was still learning English.

And difference will be  with:

I had already finished the work

I hadn't learned English yet

I had been still learning English


texts: Could "Something has to wait" be a form of euphemism?

texts:
A: I'm parking right there.

  B: You have to wait!

  A: Why?

  B: (Pointing at the corner) That car is trying to get out.

Here, "You have to wait" feels somewhat abrupt and rude. But if you switch that to "Parking will have to wait.", could this be heard more soft and polite?


texts: Why is there singular instead of plural?

texts:
He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at
  Dudley –– there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a
  firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing
  on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in
  pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail
  poking through a hole in his trousers.  (Harry Potter and the
  Sorcerer's Stone)

Why is there ‘was’ instead of the plural from, were?


texts: How to say "that thing distorts your effort"?

texts:
When you don't have a life goal, you will set a small goal every day,
  which will distort your effort and waste your time.

I wasn't able to find "distort/distribute your efforts" used by any trustworthy resource, so I thought that it is wrong collocation.  What is the right verb instead of distort? I mean distribute your effort over these small goals, which implies making it ineffective.


texts: Can the word 'and' be removed in a sentence for the sake of simplicity?

texts:
In the sentence "She still faces situations that she fears are beyond her capabilities," if my grammatical sense serves me correctly, the conjunction 'and' should be interpolated between 'fears' and 'are.'

That is because the situations are what she fears and what are beyond her capabilities.

Am I correct?
If so, can the word 'and' be removed in any sentence for the sake of simplicity?


texts: What should be used here, "until" or "to"?

texts:
The sentence is this,

  I knew that from January until April my father had gone to eight different doctors.

I am confused. In my opinion, "from January to April" would be more appropriate to use here. Can anyone here please tell me the rule related to this?


texts:
His father had packed his rucksack, but he had forgotten to take off (the rucksack) / take out (an item from the rucksack) when he went for a run.
Here, do we use take off or take out?


texts: Is "murder" a noun or verb in "Mr Putin is guilty of conspiracy to murder"?

texts:
From The Telegraph's live feed on the ruling in the Litvinenko case:

  Emmerson says report findings mean Mr Putin is guilty of conspiracy to murder and should be held to account.

Is this word murder a verb, like steal in "a desire to steal"? I mean, rephrasable to "conspiracy to murder someone"?

Or is it a noun, but with no article used because it's part of a set expression in legalese? I mean, could we rephrase it as "conspiracy to a murder" or "conspiracy to commit a murder"?


texts: Choice between 'teenage' and 'elementary-level'

texts:
Could someone possibly have a look at this sentence for me, please?

  My strong passion for education stems from my experience with Jack Liu, a teenage English learner whom I tutored during my freshman year.

Info: Jack was a fifth-grader and 11 years old back then.

Would it be appropriate to use 'teenage' here? Can I use 'a elementary-level English learner' here instead?

(PS: I am applying for elementary education graduate program.)


texts: Is "stabilise society" without an article acceptable usage?

texts:
Zeman, who paid a four-day state visit to China on October 24-27, has told Chinese Television that he did not go to China to teach lessons on human rights but, on the contrary, to learn ways to stabilise society.
Source

Is the absence of the definite article before the word "society" OK?


texts: Can we say "The sound of what is this?" or "This is the sound of what?" (American English)

texts:
In American English, can we say either of these sentences interchangeably?

  The sound of what is this?

  This is the sound of what?

Context: Imagine I heard a sound at home which sounds like it is coming from a device in the kitchen, and I am wondering the sound of what device it is.

My opinion: I think either of these sentences can be used interchangeably. But the second sentence I gave has more of an informal structure I guess.

Note: I am asking this question of Americans because I've been learning American English and there can be a lot of differences between American and British English. No offense to British English. :)


texts: "would" or "would have" in a conditional sentence

texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  If your jogging clothes were not made of permeable fabric you would drown in your sweat.

I think it should be

  If your jogging clothes were not made of permeable fabric you would have drowned in your sweat.

Because the action didn't happen


texts: What's the relation between "categorical" and "category"?

texts: categorical and category look quite similar. I also search the etymology on google as follows, which shows there is a connection between them. But categorical means "unambiguously explicit and direct", category means "a class, a group". I really can't find a clue how they are connected. Please clarify.


texts: Planning to give a gift from team to a team mate

texts:
Is the below sentence correct.

Planning to present Mary for her wedding.

Educate me if I am wrong.


texts:
“But they’re such fierce competition for university places they can’t
  afford to drop a stitch, can they?” (BBC Radio Drama, The
  Archers)

(1) What does the highlighted part mean?
(2) Is university places in UK a kind of entrance exam?


texts: Is parlance a good replacement of 'area of interest'

texts: Is it a good idea to use the word 'parlance' to mean one's area of interest in a general way? Reliable sources suggest that the word be used only where the is area is more linguistic in nature. Has the word acquired at least a bit more figurative sense in the course of time?


texts:
My specialisations are in the German and English languages.

  My specialisations are the German and English languages.

Is "specialisation" here appliable to both of the sentences? Also, Should I use "language" instead of "languages"?


texts:
What does "pallias" mean in the passage:

UNCLE PAT. Cow Gum! Now there’s a scent to stir the soul. September,
nineteen hundred and eleven… I was seven years old. Pat, Maggie,
Arthur, Frank and me, all sharing a pallias in the stable, with fourteen
cousins. It was one of those magical, crisp mornings when the sun rises
and softens all the sharp edges of the world.


texts: In what contexts are "subject" and "issue" not interchangeable?

texts:
I know both subject and issue mean a topic that people are discussing and arguing about, but there are many examples in which they cannot be used interchangeably.

So how are they different from each other? In what contexts is one or the other preferred?


texts: Is "The two men Savchenko, an Iraq war veteran, was convicted of helping to kill were . . . " grammatical?

texts:
In a blog, I read the following sentence:

  The two men Savchenko, an Iraq war veteran, was convicted of helping to kill were Anton Voloshin and Igor Kornelyuk.

I can only understand that it says something about two men Anton Voloshin and Igor Kornelyuk, but I feel that the sentence looks weird. Is it grammatical or not? What can we write in simple language for this sentence?

Can I write above sentence in the following way?

  Savchenko, an Iraq war veteran, was convicted of helping to kill the two men Anton Voloshin and Igor Kornelyuk.


texts: How to ask someone to put food in my plate for me?

texts:
If i am having dinner in my friend's house and I want them to put some salad in my plate for me because the container carrying the salad is too far away from me,
 what is the correct way to construct the sentence?

Can  I simply say

  Can you put some salad in my plate?

or does the below option also work

  Can you fill my plate with some salad?


texts:
I was wondering that which of the following is better?

  From Theorem XXX we obtain YYY is red color...

or

  From Theorem XXX we obtain that YYY is red color...

Should I put "that" after obtain?


texts:
Everywhere, they can see beautiful flowers and smiling faces, and hear pleasant and_____.(laugh)

What's the difference between laugh and laughter?
I don't know the difference.
Can you tell me? Thanks!


texts: NYT: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…has instructed”

texts:
Not too long ago,  an ELL user posted a question on Meta Stack Exchange (MSE). Unfortunately, it was wildly off-topic as it was clearly an English language question and soon after the author chose to delete their post. However, I couldn't help but feel curious when I read the OP's post.

The extract was taken from The New York Times's article, dated February 14, 2020. The words in bold are mine:

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the other hand, has instructed health care providers to use N95s, which block out much smaller particles than surgical masks do.

The user wanted to know why the verb was singular ("has") when the subject appears to be plural "The Centers", and frankly, I am a little stumped too. I would have written "have instructed" because "Centers" suggest that there is more than one.

All three reporters: Chris Buckley, Sui-Lee Wee and Amy Qin, are correspondents for the NYT, so I was wondering if this was the case of L1 (first language transfer) or an L2 back to L1. Or is it just a typo…but on The New York Times? It is renowned for being a stickler for grammar, and despite the two weeks since its publication,  the "mistake" has not been fixed.

After all it seems like a typical Subject Verb Agreement error, doesn't it?


texts: "How long before you..." vs. "how much time do you have left before you..."

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between how long before you... and how much time do you have left before you...? For example:

How long before you get off work?
How much time do you have left before you get off work?


texts: How to say that "I've been communicating by email with someone"?

texts:
I want to communicate that I've been receiving and sending emails from/to an specific person, is there a common expressions to say this? For example:

I've been talking by email with him
We have been communicanting each other by email
We have been emailing each other
Other


texts:
constipated adjective: unable to get rid of waste material from the
  bowels easily

  You should eat more fibre and fruit if you are constipated.

Suppose that your child is constipated and is trying it hard to push the poo out of his bowel, you are watching him struggling to poo then you say:

You are pushing your poo, aren't you?

Is it idiomatic to say "to push your poo" when you mean "to try hard to push the waste out of your bowel when you are constipated"?


texts: Should the sentences containing "ever" always be in present perfect tense?

texts:
I know that when we use "ever", the tense of verb is usually in present prefect tense: (check this search result)

  Have you ever been in Iran?

But is it a rule? for example in the following sentence I wrote

  Sometimes I have simple ideas that can be useful. They could be obvious or not, or it is possible that no one ever has considered them as I done.

Could it be

  .... or is it possible that no one ever considered them as I did


texts:
I'm glad that Paul Torday took up writing in his 60s (rather than not at all).

Can you tell me what is meant by the phrase "rather than not at all". The literal meaning does not make any sense and the possible idiomatic one I am not able to find on the internet.


texts: Is this natural expression "These all tasks are attracting ~"

texts:
Is this natural expression?

"These all tasks are attracting to me"


texts: Is the "too" in the idiom "too clever by half" redundant?

texts:
I read a sentence in "The Hindu" which was:

  Instead, the attempt to be clever by half in his affidavit by having the word "regret" in brackets has only landed him in a soup.

Acoording to thefreedictionary.com,   "by half" means - An intensifier used to indicate that some quality is excessive or more than is necessary. So it got me into thinking that since "too" has already been used in the idiom, there is no need to use another intensifier (by half). So, I wanted to ask if the "too" in the idiom is redundant?


texts: Which is grammatically correct: 'update on' or 'update about' my status?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  I will update you on my status.

or

  I will update you about my status.


texts: Is it correct to say "building a bathroom fixture", meaning with several toilets?

texts: I'm searching for the correct term to say that I'm going to build a bathroom, by bathroom I don't mean a single bathroom in a house but the kind you see in a school or a mall (several toilets and urinals). I am also unsure if it's good to use the word "fixture" in the phrase.


texts:
Using are there or is there – when quantity is uncertain

Scenario 1

Let’s just say Tom doesn’t know there are 4 apples in the box

Tom: is there any apple in the box?

Peter: There are 4 apples in the box.

*wouldn’t Tom sentence be wrong since he used “is”. But at the same time he doesn’t know how many apples are in the box when he asked. So there is no way he knows whether he should ask the question starting is or are.

If we change the scenario a little bit

Let’s just say the box has 1 apple

Tom: are there any apples in the box?

Peter: There is 1 apple in the box.

Same theory apply as above.

My question if I ask a question and I am not certain of the quantity do I use is there or are there.

In addition if using "is there" and "are there" are both correct. what is the difference between

is there any apple in the box? and are there any apples in the box?


texts: Adverb EVER to make the sentence clearer?

texts:
I have just read this article:

http://literalminded.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/open-conditionals-with-the-past-perfect/

I admit that it is quite tricky for an ESL as I am, nonetheless I caught sight of this sentence:

  But the plane dispatched to the position of another smaller blip found nothing. If there had been a lifeboat, it had sunk.

I was wondering whether the adverb ever could have made the meaning of the sentence above clearer:

  But the plane dispatched to the position of another smaller blip found nothing. If there had EVER been a lifeboat, it had sunk.


texts:
The pattern  in Longman or ODO is as following

  to prod someone into doing something

However,  there is another pattern used commonly in the examples in ODO as following

  to prod someone to do something

My questions :

Is the second structure non-standard English even though is it common?
Is this expression formal or informal?
Is there  difference between "to encourage someone" or "to prod someone into doing something" in terms of meaning?

Example sentence I wrote:

  Government has created a new scheme in order to prod people into
  using more electricity-efficient home appliances by
  decreasing taxes on those products and provides incentives for  companies to
  encourage them invest on more energy efficiency technologies to save energy in the next decade.


texts: Some questions about hustle and hurry from a song

texts:
I was listening to a old song, but I found that some of the words in the lyrics made me confused.
Here is the sentence:

  I was never in love, never had the time in my hustle and hurry world.

Question 1, the meanings of the words, hustle and hurry are almost the same,
am I right? When I am writing, is it grammatical to use the words with equivalent meanings in the same sentence?
If it is grammatical, what is this kind of grammar called?

Question 2, both hustle and hurry are not adjective in the above given sentence, but in my opinion, they are describing and emphasizing the word, world. Isn't it strange? or just I am thinking it too much?


texts: What's the meaning of this line "That's a bit rich coming from you"?

texts:
- Thale, I can't keep you safe if you don't tell me the truth.
  - That's a bit rich coming from you, innit, sweetheart?

What does "that's a bit rich coming from you" mean?


texts: Is "Be noticed that..." considered correct in use of an imperative sentence?

texts:
If I want to request attention of a hearer, I know that I can create an imperative sentence such as:

  "Be aware that there are some exceptions."

or

  "Be note that there are are some exceptions."

or maybe

  "Be notice that there are some exceptions." (look at this source)

But my question is about another variants, which is an imperative passive voice:

  "Be noticed that there are some exceptions."

or

  "Get noticed that there are some exceptions."

Well, by googling I found 2 contradictory answers:
The first one (here) claims that "Be noticed that..." is wrong, while in other site (here) I found that it's possible to use it. What's correct? and what is your personal experience regarding to that, as native English speakers?


texts: can we combine "as frequent as" and "as long as"?

texts:
it is possible to combine below two sentences in two one

1. as frequently as someone wants to connect.
2. as long as someone wants to connect.

can it be used -- as frequently and long as someone wants to connect.

By the word "connect", I'm mean long and frequent contact between people, maybe over a phone line.


texts:
What does "as to" mean in this sentence "My English teacher's humor was such as to make every student burst into laughter."?

Thank you very much!


texts:
What is a formal synonym phrase for cutting lane barbarously?

I know it mean move to another lane, but what about we want to express its barbarously action?


texts: Which one is correct "Applicant to" or "Applicant for"?

texts:
I am unable to find which one is correct.
"Applicant to" or "Applicant for" University.

I am applicant to/for university.


texts:
This comes from The Company Man from Herman Melville:

  And are mankind so stupid, so wicked, that, upon the demonstration of
  these things they will not, amending their ways, devote their
  superfluities to blessing the world instead of cursing it?

Why is are used here instead of is? Is this a grammatical error?


texts:
He also missed the fact that there might be great economies of smallness in some industries, as Apple’s transformation of the computer industry in the 1980s and the dot.com transformation of retail sales in the 1990s both showed so dramatically

  The Moral Foundation of Politics by Ian Shapiro

My question is what does economy of smallness mean in this context?


texts: What does "obsess" mean in this paragraph?

texts:
I have a paragraph as follow:

  Knowing what to say to women is the most common concern among males who are unsuccessful with them. They obsess over every single word, phrase, and possible response ahead of time. It is an inevitable result of traditional socialization, as it makes males feels inadequate for or intimated by women, while at the same time reducing their natural ability to tolerate uncertainty.

I understand the meaning of word "obsess", but I don't understand it in the paragraph. Can anyone help me? Thank!


texts:
When I say for example:

"Will I be in trouble___?" (if I do it) to  imply  "Am I going to get in trouble.."

Could it mean or does it connote also, a little bit, "I want to be in trouble", "shall we be trouble" or "can I be in trouble" since the word will can be used in request sentences?

We can assume this sentence was said by someone who wants to be trouble.

e.g.

Will you marry me?

Will/would you do a favor for me?


texts: another word for "tight schedule" and the quality to hand the tight schedule?

texts:
1.For the sentence" the schedule is tight", and is there any other words to express the same meaning with the adjective" tight" ?
2. i would like to say some one have the quality that are able to handle the tight schedule, how to express that kind of quality?
Thanks!


texts:
I have come across this kind of a past perfect usage a couple of times, and yet, I still don't understand why it is used the way it is.  I hope someone can shed some light on it for me.

E.g.
“Just in case you hadn’t noticed, there are other people on the airplane besides you. So don’t clip your toenails, snore with wild abandon, or do any type of personal business under a blanket!”

"There is only 5 of you, and in case you hadn't noticed, you are outnumbered."


texts: In this sentence, does "we had great fun" act as a relative clause to modify "the last time"?

texts:
"The last time we had great fun was when we were visiting the Water
  Park."

In the sentence, does "we had great fun" act as a relative clause to modify "the last time"?

Thank you in advance!


texts: Is there an expression that means adopting someone's perspective? Looking for an expression, phrase that means exactly that or something similar.


texts:
In 2009 I went for a cosmetic treatment called Electrolysis.

Is went for correct? I'm trying to say I went and received cosmetic treatment during 2009 and 2010, but saying I went and received sounds wordy.


texts: Wondering about Cambridge definition of "absenteeism"

texts:
Cambridge Dictionary says here :

The high levels of absenteeism at the company were caused by poor management.

I wondering, cause of "measurement"
The definition : "high levels of absenteeism". If I understand "absenteeism" as noun. " other variant " The high level of absenteeism " Why did Cambridge use " levels (plural) instead of "high level of absenteeism" (singular) ?


texts:
Which is the better style of writing a "that-clause" using "insist"? Is option a the most accepted form of subjunctive usage?

a. He kept insisting that I not blame them.

b. He kept insisting that I must not blame them.


texts:
I am aware of the difference between

This and that
These and those

It's easy for me to distinguish which one to use when I talk to someone but I am having a trouble with choosing the right one in the following sentence (Written, not spoken):

  I'd been struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, and low
  self-esteem until I stumbled upon a book "Meditations" by Marcus
  Aurelius. That book has helped me overcome my struggles and led me to
  studies of

  Philosophy
  Psychology
  Meditation
  Mindfulness

  These topics have become my passion and I've been studying them ever
  since.

I chose "That book" because:

The distance. Readers can't see or identify the book.
"That book" ⇄ "The book"
It just feels right

I chose "These topics" because:

The topics are written right above the "These topics" so they are close to the reader. I could say the same about the "That book" but the book also has a physical form and it lies somewhere far away from the reader.
The emotional distance between me and the topics (I like them)

Which one would you choose? "This book" VS "That book" / "These topics" VS "Those topics"?


texts:
I don't quite get what Glyph really is. I read an wiki article, where it gives an example below. but I don't understand why lower-case i is not a glyph in Latin alphabet in this case. Can someone help me to understand? Any further explanations and more examples are appreciated.

  For example, in most languages written in any variety of the Latin
  alphabet the dot on a lower-case i is not a glyph because it does not
  convey any distinction, and an i in which the dot has been
  accidentally omitted is still likely to be recognized correctly. In
  Turkish, however, it is a glyph, because that language has two
  distinct versions of the letter i, with and without a dot.


texts:
I was watching a show and when a door opens, the next subtitle comes out.

  Door opens

Using Present Simple shouldn't you use present Continuous?

  Door opening


texts: I am lost for a word to replace "recent" if the event (death) happend few years ago - "Recent decline in health contributed to his death". May be I have to use "decline in his health immediately before his death contributed to it" - too wordy.. Any suggestions?


texts:
"Dead on" means accurate or exact.

I don't find that the meaning fits its usage here well:

  Avoid frontal shots with straight lines Many camera phone lenses suffer from barrel distortion (straight lines appear to bow), especially when you get close to your subject. Avoid taking dead‑on photographs of building façades. Try to keep straight lines away from the edges of the frame, where the distortion will be greatest and most obvious. If you shoot from the ground up, buildings will probably appear to narrow near the top in your photograph. Unless you want this effect, photographing building corners and avoiding dead‑on shots of façades make perspective distortions less noticeable.Source: The Camera Phone Book,
  by Aimee Baldridge

What does it mean in the text then? Thanks.


texts:
"Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going
  to be as long as your house. . .”

  The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and
  Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had
  gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the
  portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off
  Harry's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping
  him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.
      "It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill
  for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've
  ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a
  fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for
  frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby." (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

What does ‘by’ mean?
(A)  in measuring units of: Apples are sold by the bushel.  (Dictionary.com)
(B)  near to or next to: a home by a lake. (Dictionary.com)


texts:
The valor of the Vietnam veterans deserves the highest commendation.

Does it mean soldiers who fought in Vietnam or Vietnamese soldiers?


texts: What do you call a pronoun without an antecedent?

texts: Let's say someone says "It started." out of nowhere. "It" doesn't have an antecedent. How would you qualify such a pronoun? I am thinking "dangling pronoun", but the term is rarely ever used, so I am thinking there might be a more formal word or term for it.


texts: Choice between “constitute” and “constitutes”

texts:
Which one would you prefer, and why?

  It should be able to handle dependencies between A and B, which constitute an important class of problems.
  It should be able to handle dependencies between A and B, which constitutes an important class of problems.

You might then ask, “What, specifically, constitutes an important class of problems? Is it the handling of dependencies or those dependencies themselves?” I personally don’t see much of a difference. The presence of dependencies kind of implies that you have to do something about them. And sure, you can choose to ignore them. My question is then, What does a native speaker’s intuition tell? Which word would surprise a native speaker the least?


texts:
For background, here is the story (just example, not real):

I applied for a job but they want a person who don't smoke. In my resume I wrote as I don't smoke. They invited me for interview. 15 min before interview meeting I smoke a cigar. When I talk with HR manager, He felt that I smell cigar and he asked me a question that I didn't understand.

In that context, my question follows.

Okay, As you see I didn't understand what he is asking, So I want to ask him a question to understand what he is asking clearly.

So Can I ask him like:

  Are you asking that I smoke yet I wrote I don't smoke on my cv?

So "is it appropriate to use "yet" there or something else you can recommend in place of yet?


texts:
I wrote

  After selecting an element, a pop-up allows for creating an anchor based on the element features. As can be seen from Figure 3, in addition to the element's content, one may utilize stable and semantic labels used for specific tag's attributes [to specify an anchor], such as  id and class name (e.g. "main" value for the main division of a page).

First, considering the context, do I need "to specify an anchor" clause?

If yes, how can I add "such as" to the sentence? Could it be in a clause after the main clause?

Below is Figure 3, which is the interface for creating (specifying) an anchor.


texts: Shouldn't we say "keep quietness" instead of "keep quiet"?

texts:
I feel that keep quiet sounds a bit weird. We are ordering to maintain silence. So we ask for the state of silence, we should say keep quietness because it is the state we require here. We could use be quiet instead because here no state is required.

A few examples-
Keep playing (a state), keep doing, keep working, etc. We don't say keep play.


texts: Meaning of "claim" in "Her choices have been narrowed by a loss of faith among Germany’s elite in the claim"?

texts:
In an article of The Economist:

  Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, is said to be wrestling with how to position her country in an age of sharp competition between two self-interested giants, America and China.

  Her choices have been narrowed by a loss of faith among Germany’s elite in the claim, once touted as “change through trade”, that com- merce with China will nudge that country towards openness and democracy.

What does "in the claim" mean here?


texts: What does the phrase 'in the enterprise' mean?

texts:
I saw it in the title of a book.

My guess would be "on an enterprise level", is that correct or does it convey something more than that?

Edit:
I can understand what an enterprise is, but why is it used with a definite article and in singular form? Why isn't the book called "Starting and Scaling DevOps in enterprises"? The book is definitely not written about a specific enterprise.


texts: "The reason why X is because" or "The reason why X is that"

texts:
So, there's a group called One sentence startup pitches in Facebook and I posted the following sentence there.

  A startup/university/research institution that would prove that the reason why no one has traveled from future to the present is because climate change destroyed the planet before anyone could invent the time machine.

A native speaker corrected me and told me that it should be:

  A startup/university/research institution that would prove that the reason why no one has traveled from future to the present is that climate change destroyed the planet before anyone could invent the time machine.

I am sort of naturally skeptical. So I thought I should post here to confirm.


texts: "I was not sure that a final decision has been made about me"

texts:
I've asked in an email/letter if a potential employer has already made a decision about my situation in regards to a job offer.

Which sentence  is correct?

  I was not sure that a final decision has been made on me.

  I was not sure that a final decision has been made about me.


texts: pronunciation of article 'a' in phrases vs. in sentences

texts:
One of my teacher corrected me when I read the article 'a' as /ey/ in a phrase. And he said it should be /uh/.

A banana (/uh/)

I know that both are acceptable /ey/ and /uh/, but is there really a difference on the pronunciation when it is in a phrase or a sentence?


texts: What does "package the loans into bonds" mean?

texts:
Can somebody explain it for me, please?

"Banks irresponsibly lent to US households who couldn’t really afford the mortgages they were being sold, egged on by the massive returns to be made by packaging the loans into bonds by their investment banking arms."

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/dec/02/bitcoin-bubble-the-warnings-from-history


texts: Can, could, will and would usage and difference

texts:
I see countless of people using "can", "could", "will" and "would", simply using them, mixing them up and more. I am not sure and want to be clear of the meaning, usage and difference of these words.
These are a few examples:
Can and could
a) I can check your order and see how is the status.
b) I could check your oder and see how is the status.
a2) Can you give me a lift back home?
b2) Could you give me a lift back home?
Will and would
a) I will help you with your homework tomorrow.
b) I would help you with your homework tomorrow.
a2) Will you refund my money?
b2) Would you refund my money?


texts:
George Stephanopoulos: Do you think he's misunderstood?
Patrice Comey: Probably by some people. I think there's a great medal of people that, you know, see us all as Americans... (source:YouTube)

I can't make sense of "a great medal (or metal/mettle) of people". It seems she is trying to say "a great number of people". What word is she reaching for if that utterance is mistaken? Or did I mishear?


texts: How to ‘guess’ if a noun is countable or uncountable?

texts:
Not all the time I have access to dictionaries. In school, I learned that abstract nouns are not countable; however, English is an ever-evolving language and nothing can be so certain here including abstract nouns that are countable. Experts are of only one opinion – it depends on the context!

Now, when it comes to certain nouns, I'm not sure how do natives guess them countable/uncountable. As a non-native speaker, it's difficult for me.

Say – equipment! Now, for a non-native like me, equipment is certainly countable! Equipment for this and that...so two equipments. But then, I'm wrong! I can still guess mood or freedom to be countable - mood of romance, mood of dullness – there is more than one mood so ‘moods’. Likewise, freedom of speech, freedom of roaming here and there - so there's more than one freedom – freedoms!

Is there any way to guess whether a noun is countable? Especially in those cases where I haven't any access to a dictionary. Is there any trick– like I found those tricks for freedom/mood.?


texts: Some more polite ways to tell a stalker, or someone you don't like, to go away

texts:
We had a party at my former school canteen yesterday night.
While I was enjoying the food, I could feel that someone had been staring at me. Later, when he tried to get close to me, I said "Go away".
I don't know him, but thinking that he might be a student of my former school, so I just politely kept telling him to go away but the words that I used most was "go away"
Instead of "Go away", what can I say?


texts: "an actress and a singer" or "an actress and singer"

texts:
1.Jennifer Lopez, an actresss and  singer, is playing tennis.

  2.Jennifer Lopez, an actresss and a singer, is playing tennis.

I want to know whether the article is used once or twice for emphasis of a person's job.


texts: Should there be a comma before ‘too’ in: "Me too"?

texts:
I was taught that it is properly written as "Me, too." But a book (The sixty-eight rooms, by Marianne Malonne) I've recently read uses "Me too."

Which one is correct? Are tone and pronunciation affected?


texts:
Would someone tell me whether to use 'will' or 'would' in the following?

  However, I realized eventually that those personal issues would not define my future but my academic performance would.
  However, I realized eventually that those personal issues will not define my future but my academic performance will.

I am writing a Statement of Purpose, and want to mention the reason for poor GPA in one particular semester and how I overcame that.


texts: "Has" vs "present in" (for the constituents of a particular thing)

texts:
In a math question if I talk about people (word problems) who have a certain number of things "has" sounds okay, but can I use "has" with "constituents of a particular thing" too?

  The number of molecules 24g of Magnesium has = ...........

Or

  The number of molecules present in 24g of Magnesium = ...........

Can "has" be used this way with things that are non-living?


texts: Need help with the sentence about computer which comes with a windows system

texts:
I went to a PC store this afternoon.

Here is the sentence about what I saw in the PC store.

I saw some computers come with different versions of windows, varied from windows vista to windows 8.

Now I want to rewrite it to make it look more professional but I am not sure if it is correct because I don't have knowledge about computers:

  I saw some computers with different built-in windows, varied from windows vista to windows 8.

I learned the word, built-in on Google search.

Can some PC teachers help me?


texts:
There is a chunk of text which can be summarized in one or more ideas. The idea is used as something that you learn, by reading that text.

What is a word or what would be the best way of saying: one of the ideas of this text...

I was thinking it could be something like: "One of the highlights.."


texts:
What should we say to a friend who has not seen each other for long time? is

  long time no see

an appropriate greeting?
What is native speakers' greeting in this circumstances?


texts:
Definition from Cambridge Dictionary,

  relating to the way different words or language items can be chosen to play a particular part in a language structure

I don't understand the examples:

paradigmatic analysis
The paradigmatic society which stands behind every historical society is hierarchical, but social classes have a marginal permeability; there are no slaves, no discrimination between men and women.


texts:
The debate will ratchet up a notch on Wednesday when the Commission publishes its report.

  Lets take this down a notch

I've stumbled upon lots of sentences and speeches which use this confusing word


texts:
What is the deference in the usage of "if at all", "if any" and "if ever". Specifically, which one is the right choice in the following sentence?

  It is not clear what bearing, ------, A has on B.


texts: How do I express 'a square' with a specific length of its side?

texts:
How do I put articles and prepositions into the following expression, please?

  A square with [a/the/nothing] side [of/with] [a/the/nothing] length [of/nothing] 42

In my native language (Slovak) it is common to use the genitive case in such situations, that's why "of" seems fine to me there.

What are the correct options here, please?


texts: "He was with us" Vs. "He was together with us"

texts:
I was in the metro today and Jon was with us.

Should I add the word "together" to this sentence or it is grammatically correct even without it and the addition word is just a matter of emphasize and elucidation?

  I was in the metro today and Jon was together with us.


texts:
Analyze these sentences:

  He had told me that before I went into the store

  He told me that before I went into the store.

Does the past perfect had told in the first sentence become unecessary considering that I have a subordinate clause "before I went... that already implies that something else happened before another action (in this case, the independent clause "He told me.." happened before the subordinate clause).

So, what is the point in using the past perfect there since the function of the past perfect is to express something that happened before another past action?

Is it unecessary?


texts:
What does "butch the clearance" mean in football (soccer) context?
GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAL! Kane! Spurs 2 Zagreb 0
Aurier crosses into the box, Theophile-Catherine butches the clearance, essentially laying it off to Kane who puts the ball in the back of the net. Too easy.


texts: Help to understand "only to be proved wrong straight away" in this sentence

texts:
Lockhart, who had so often assured them that all danger had passed, only to be proved wrong straight away, was now wholeheartedly convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the corridors. His hair wasn't as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night, patrolling the fourth floor.

I'm not sure what role "only to be proved wrong straight away" is playing in the sentence. How should we understand it in this context?

-- From Harry Potter.


texts: Is "~ has it that ~" colloquial or can it be used in formal writings?

texts:
The following are examples of "〜 has it that 〜":

• Conventional wisdom has it that riots only ever happen in cities.
(oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com)
• rumor has it that... there is a rumor that... Rumor has it that Fred is seeing Mary and that they are engaged.
(thefreedictionary.com)

Is this pattern colloquial, or can it be used in formal writing?


texts: Do we use the singular or plural form here?

texts:
Consider the singular use of "a sentence" in this statement:

  This is a question about the origin of "pretty" as an adverb in
  a
  sentence like "that's pretty good" or a phrase like "pretty
  much"

I'm confused as to which form is more accurate to use here , the singular or the plural.

My understanding is that saying "in sentences like" here implies that "there are a lot of similar sentences but here is a sample sentence."
and saying "in a sentence like" implies that "the sentence I'm going to mention is noteworthy , so I'm going to analyze it now."

Am I correct ?


texts: Does the word "social" modify "class" in the context?

texts:
The world is full of inequalities -- within countries, and from one
country to another. Some children are born into comfortable,
prosperous homes, and grow up well fed and well educated. Others are
born poor, don't get enough to eat, and never have access to much
education or medical care. Clearly, this is a matter of luck: we are
not responsible for the social or economic class or country into which
we are born. The question is, how bad are inequalities which are not
the fault of the people who suffer from them? Should governments use
their power to try to reduce inequalities of this kind, for which the
victims are not responsible?

[Thomas Nagel, What does it all mean? Chapter VIII]
Does the word "social" modify "class"? --> "Social class" and "economic class"


texts: What is the meaning "what is really about" in this context?

texts:
This is the context:

  The big issue in philosophy of physics has been the problem of
  understanding and interpreting what quantum mechanics
  is really about.

  -Barry Loewer

What is the meaning of the bold part? I didn't find a proper meaning for this phrase that makes sense with this context. Does it mean "the problem of
understanding and interpreting the essence/nature of quantum mechanics"? or what?


texts:
I am looking for companion books, and to look for them I would like to know all of the synonyms.

  The Oxford Companion to English Literature


texts:
I am learning about this post, which says

  A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City
  blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a
  city, and form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric.

What does "street pattern" mean in this context?


texts: Take credit for work they didn't contribute to(phrase)

texts:
In this World, some people do act like they did something amazing, wherein they didn't even have contributions to it. Putting it this way:

  ''Some people take credit for work they didn't even have contributions to.''

I believe this is a useful phrase, but I think this is ungrammatical, kindly help me fix this sentence. This can help other people to be more clear expressing themselves in the future in English, I suppose.


texts: Can I place suffixes and prefixes whenever it seems correct?

texts:
When I speak English, it is often necessary to use the adverb or noun form of a certain word. However, even when it seems more suitable in a given situation or context, I don't use a prefix or suffix just because I'm not quite sure that it would be correct.

For example, the word conscious, I could use it in a variety of ways just by using some prefixes or suffixes like 'un', 'ness', or a combination of both. But I'm always wondering if a given form exists, so I'll google it, and most times it does.

My question is, is there any criteria I should use when placing suffixes and prefixes? I often say what sounds correct, but what if it doesn't? Would it sound too strange?


texts:
In daily conversation, when we discuss/say about the baby excrement/faeces.

Which word should we used? Excrement, faeces or poop?


texts:
This is the definition of ‘grammar’
grammar: the whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general, usually taken as consisting of syntax and morphology (including inflections) and sometimes also phonology and semantics.
Is sentence ‘half the grammar is wrote down on this book’ nonsense?


texts:
I'm reading about the document of Ubuntu, and I don't understand the structure of sentence below.

  If you open more applications than can be shown in the Launcher, the
  Launcher will “fold” the application icons at the bottom of the Launcher.

I see there are two verbs (open and show) in a sentence and it's not clear.


texts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWkJ86JqlPA

Is there a word for referring to sounds accompagning a company's logo? The video title is "THX Sound Effect", but it doesn't sound idiomatic, and I doubt it's referred to as "THX Sound Effect" in the company's internal documents, so is there a better phrase or word to refer to it?


texts:
As the band got on stage, the crowd went wild.

As the band got on stage, the crowd erupted into wild cheers/cheering.

What is the most natural way to phrase the second sentence if I want a similar meaning as the first sentence? Should it be "into wild cheers" or "into wild cheering" or something third?


texts: Difference between "the only two" and "only the two"

texts:
What is the difference (e.g. usage and meaning) between "(There are) the only two (words)" and "(There are) only the two (words)"?
What is the difference in meaning between

A form with only the two quotations is submitted

and

A form with the only two quotations is submitted


texts:
Having received a Western-style school education and worked very hard to improve his writing skills, he later became a famous professional writer.

The second worked follows the past tense aspect. But it somehow sounds wrong to me.

I feel like it should be

  Having received a Western-style school education and working very hard to improve his writing skills, he later became a famous professional writer.

But that doesn't seem right based on what I know about these rules.


texts: A man wants to collect money for poor kids. He met another man. The man wants to say that he already donated. How you say it in English? "No thanks, I already donated"? "I have contributed"? Or there is a phrase for this.


texts: Are these two interchangeable with each other?

texts:
"Children are subject to colds" vs. "Children are subjected to colds"
Q. I've read the answer and comments posted before, concerning a question similar to mine. But I'm not clear yet. I'd like to know whether "be subject to" and "be subjected to" can be interchangeable with each other or not. Are they? Or not?


texts: For what is this second that-clause placed?

texts:
“. . . I’ll bet he killed a man.” She narrowed her eyes and shivered.
  Lucille shivered. We all turned and looked for Gatsby. It was
  testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were
  whispers about him from those who had found little that it was
  necessary to whisper about in this world. (F. Scott Fitzgerald, The
  Great Gatsby)

The first ‘that’ seems to take a role adding information about ‘speculation.’ But I’m wondering for what the second that-clause is placed. Would you let me know?


texts: What does "running" mean in "running a bit late"?

texts:
It sounds like the video is saying (link with a time stamp corresponds the following)

  we arrived at the cinema just in time to catch the start of the
  movie we arrived at the cinema just in time so we were going to the cinema we
  were hoping to catch the start of the movie we were running a bit late but we
  arrived at the cinema just in time to catch the start of the movie

What does "running" mean in "we were running a bit late"?

This post gives this explanation

  i'm running a bit late: means you're explaining to the person that you're a little bit late to something; an event or an appointment. i will be a little bit late: means that you're telling them that you may not come to them on time.

I understand the "telling them" part, I cannot understand the "explaining" part, I didn't see any explanation, "you're" just informing/telling someone.

So, what does "running" mean in "running a bit late"?


texts: "This is the tent I had when I was a little boy." VS "This is the tent I have had since I was a little boy."

texts:
Daddy Pig says:"This is the tent I had when I was a little boy." If he said :"This is the tent I have had since I was a little boy". Are there any subtle differences between the two expressions?

text


texts: 'Almost' between the verb and the object

texts:
I wonder if I can use the adverb 'almost' between the verb and the object. Can I write,

  I ate almost the whole fish.

or do I have to write,

  I almost ate the whole fish.

It appears to me both sentences convey the same meaning, but are they?


texts:
What is the meaning of does in this sentence?

  Whose exhibition does “Stars At Dusk” painting belong to?

Thank you very much


texts:
I want to ask my friend where he gonna stay this week. please tell me which following sentences are correct.

  Will you in Taipei this week?
  Will you be in Taipei this week?
  Will you stay in Taipei this week?


texts:
In drama movie, Bombshell (2019) Megyn speaks about his Fox news CEO, Roger:

Megyn: Roger is also fat because he'll get a room-service menu and
order page two. But he cares a lot about looks.

What's the meaning of "order page two"?


texts:
In the text "plug-in mobile charger in socket and turn it on and touch the other end(pin side) while standing on ground bare feet.what happened? got a shock as you have completed the circuit?NO?
now think why for 5 mins and then if you got the answer (well done) otherwise ask in comment"

Now I want to know which form of verb should be used "get" or "got" ?(for the highlighted/bold 'got')


texts: What is the difference between "were" and "have been"?

texts:
What is the difference between "were" and "have been", and are these sentences gramatically correct?

1) some of the best known writers of detective fiction in the twentieth century were women.
2) some of the best known writers of detective fiction in the twentieth century have been women.


texts:
Sorry, if I insist on my recent question,  can I write (or say in a casual conversation) this sentence?

  The students who were absent, that I don't know why, should study this topic more.

It means "I don't know why they did that (got absent)" as an apposition.


texts: "After completion" vs "after the completion"

texts:
Should I use definite article in the following sentence?

After (the) completion of this task, we should go to sleep.


texts:
The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by IT.

This sentence has been taken from this link.

The above sentence means that IT affected people's way of living and creates enormous changes in the last two decades. But I have some questions. What is the subject of are? Is it the whole phrase in the way people's way? Or is only in the way? I think that a words group that starts with preposition cannot be a subject of a clause. That is why I think people's lives is the subject of are affected by IT, not in the way or in the way people's lives. If I write the above sentence in the following way, do you think that the following sentence can be considered as a correct with having similar meaning of the above sentence?

The last two decades have seen enormous changes the way people's lives in are affected by IT.

Here in has not been placed at the before of the way, and the meaning of it is same as the meaning of previous one. But in the second example the way is the subject, not people's lives.

Personally I think there was a word/words between in the way and people's lives, and these words have been omitted. Please help me to get rid from this problem.


texts:
Maybe this question sounds dumb but as a non-English native speaker, what confuses me the most is the use of prepositions after adjectives.
So, I guess, I can use any preposition after any adjective flexibly depends on what i want to say.
I mean, it's not like I can use only some restricted prepositions after an adjective except for phrase verbs, right?


texts: Is it natural to say "on a tree" when there is something on a tree trunk, not on a branch?

texts:
Is it natural to say on a tree when there is something on a tree trunk, not on a branch just like the squirrel in the picture below?

If it's not natural, what would the best choice of preposition to describe the location of the squirrel?


texts:
I am unsure of whether the sentence is correct,

  '...' could pave the way for/of becoming a journalist

Shall I use 'for' or 'of'? Or is there a better alternative expression?


texts:
In the following sentence should I use 'has' or 'have' (words inside [ ] omitted)? Why?

Tension at adhesions and [tension at] junctions reportedly have/has opposing effects.


texts:
Consider the following short reading :

  He now plainly saw that he was no better than a murderer; the
   extreme anguish of which discovery making life insupportable, he
   fell upon his sword.

To me, which discovery = such a discovery = He now plainly saw that he
was no better than a murderer.

That is, I don't know why we use which instead of adjective such.


texts:
I'm from the Netherlands. English has taught me to say "I'm Dutch". But through many travels I've noticed that non-native English speakers confuse this with "Deutsch", which is German for, well, German. Perhaps those people are more familiar with the German language, where my nationality would be "Niederländisch". In my passport, my nationality is "Nederlands".

I really think the English have messed this up, somehow:

Language:    English      Dutch       German
-------------------------------------------------
Country      Netherlands  Nederland   Niederlande
Nationality  Dutch        Nederlands  Niederländisch
Country      Germany      Duitsland   Deutschland
Nationality  German       Duits       Deutsch

I don't quite understand how we became the Dutch. And in fact, the Netherlands is a small country which is not known in all the corners of the world. I've even met a number of people that don't know Amsterdam (famous) is the capital of the Netherlands (not so famous) Let alone such a country exists. Therefore I think this is the source of misunderstanding when I say "I'm Dutch".

For all clarity I would like to refer to my nationality to be "Netherlands", which closely resembles the one from my passport: "Nederlands". So my question: would that be a very strange thing to do?

I'm asking in relation to writing a CV for application to remote jobs, where I'm unsure of the nationality and world-knowledge of the receiving party.


texts:
When the sum paid to someone increases twofold, what do you say to mean double payment?

the sum paid as a double amount to someone.
the payment doubles for someone.

Please suggest an idiomatic phrase!


texts:
Now kindly help me understand the word at the title.

A textbook gives me two sentences.

  Because there are many norms in existing in society, occasional violations are unavoidable.

  Sanctions are punishments used to enforce conformity to norms.

According to Merriam Unabirdged, there are 5 definitions.

  1
  :  an authoritative rule or standard :  model, type, pattern; specifically :  a hypothetical mineral composition of a rock calculated according to certain definite rules and usually differing widely from the actual mineral composition or mode

  2
  :  a standard of conduct or ethical value :  a principle of right action :  maxim; especially :  an imperative statement asserting or denying that something ought to be done or has value

  3
  :  an ideal standard binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior

  4
  :  average

  : such as
  a :  a set standard of development or achievement usually derived from the average or median achievement of a large group

  specifically :  a production quota set for a worker

  b :  the average score of a specified class of persons on a specified test

  c :  a pattern or trait taken or estimated to be typical in the behavior of a social group because most frequently observed

  d :  something (as a widespread or usual practice, procedure, or custom) that is normal or expected

  5
  a :  a real-valued nonnegative function defined on a vector space and satisfying the conditions that the function is zero if and only if the vector is zero, the function of the product of a scalar and a vector is equal to the product of the absolute value of the scalar and the function of the vector, and that the function of the sum of two vectors is less than or equal to the sum of the functions of the two vectors; specifically :  the square root of the sum of the squares of the absolute values of the elements of a matrix or of the components of a vector

  b :  the greatest distance between two successive points of a set of points that partition an interval into smaller intervals

Now, whereas it seems the word norm(s) of the textbook is used negatively to me, the dictionary seems to me to give just "normal" uses, which is standard or average, and so on.

Which definition would the word norm in the textbook fall under?

I decided to pick Andrews's answer as the best. The reason is, I encountered another text.

Quote

  In all societies, heterosexuality is the norm. No society encourages homosexuality.

Keeping off if the homosexuality is thought be one of the "norms" in today's society, the speaker's intention, published by a Japanese TOEFL preparation school, which comprises of many English native speakers, became clearer to me.

Anything is relative. Any norm, however it is "welcomed" in a society, is relative.

Thank you Andrew. ( I did not select his as the best because of the number of the upvotes, kindly be reminded. )


texts:
I would like to ask a question with regards to sentence fragment. So here is the sentence I have issue with:
Mike doesn't know.
I think the sentence above is not a fragment although it lacks a complete thought. Is my evaluation correct? I would be glad if you could help me out.


texts:
I am looking for idiom/phrase/proverb showing a moderate disdain for somebody insistent, obtrusive.

There are idioms in other languages like (literally)

You mean that business traveler? Very annoying guy. You show him the door, he comes back through the window.

Thank you in advance.


texts: Using present tense instead of past tense

texts:
In the text below

  Suicides liked the bridge. The cop didn't think of that until he saw the man get out of the car, walk slowly along the footpath at the edge, and put a hand on a rail.

Why the writer didn't say

"Suicides liked the bridge. The cop didn't think of that until he saw the man got out of the car, walked slowly along the footpath at the edge, and put a hand on a rail."

Why the writer has used the present tenses instead of past tenses?


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct? Should I use which or what here and why? What should be the tense of the verb postpone?

  Don’t miss the opportunity to live life to the full which/what you constantly postpone year after year.


texts: The use of 'because although' in the middle of a sentence

texts:
I was just wondering if it is okay to use "because although" in the middle of a sentence. How does this sentence look? Should I remove the comma after self-confidence or any other suggestions?

  It is important to have a more detailed understanding of the social factors that hinder adolescents' self-confidence, because although the life stage is short in comparison to childhood, the bullying experienced by teenagers during this crucial stage of development has been identified as being particularly damaging.

I can see the argument for splitting this into two separate sentences, but I really need to link them together with the use of "as" or "because" somehow.


texts: Asking someone "For how much did you buy it"?

texts:
Would it be right to say

  For how much did you buy it?

Is there  any other way to ask? I think this question sounds awkward.

Could you please explain why I feel the question is awkward?


texts: "will have avoided" vs. "will avoid" in the following context

texts:
Example with a context:

  Asked if France would join the United States in providing such equipment to the Ukrainian military, Hollande said "the option of negotiation, of diplomacy, cannot be extended indefinitely."
  But the French President emphasized that first, both he and Merkel were working together toward a proposal they hope will be acceptable to all parties in the conflict.
  "We want to develop a German and French negotiation document, along with Ukraine and also with Putin, he said.
  "If we succeed, we will have avoided an escalation of the conflict. If we fail, and this hypothesis remains, what will be said? That France and Germany will have done everything they could do to take action to resolve the conflict."

To me, it sounds like there would be absolutely no difference if we used either one. What do you think?


texts:
From "English Grammar Today":

  "Get" and "go" are both used to mean ‘become’, but they combine with different adjectives. We often use "get" with words like "dark, light and late"; we use "go" with colours...

So, it's correct to say:

  The trees are going green.

But what about:

  The trees are getting green.

Isn't it correct/awkward?


texts:
I am wondering what difference the preposition of makes in the following sentences:

It was more of a holiday than a training exercise.

It was more a worry than a pleasure.

Is of optional?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: How to ask if some event has happend after some time and before now

texts:
Imagine a situation: my son is going to have his dinner and I want to know if his hands are clean.

Which of the following questions are correct ?

a) Did you wash your hands after you came home ?

b) Have you washed your hands after you came home ?

c) Had you washed your hands after you came home ?


texts:
I found this sentence reading. But I didn't get the meaning. Could you explain it to me?

The sentence is:

  It takes a bigger man to walk away from a fight than it does to stay and fight

It takes what? And it takes more or less? Because we have "than" so more than or less than ... I need an explanation because it seems like something is missing in this sentence.
Thank you.


texts: What is the difference between "don't" & "won't" in the given sentences?

texts:
Are these sentences different or same?

They don't let you smoke in here.

They won't let you smoke in here.

Also, is it necessary to use in in the sentences?
Would the meaning of sentences change if I do not use "in"? Can't I just say "They don't let you smoke here."?


texts: Other methods to speak about future plans

texts:
I was reading an examiner’s comments about an essay written by someone. The essay is about describing the changes that’s going to be happen to a place according to a plan.

In the essay, the writer used “be going to” to describe the changes that is going to happen.

The examiner commented that “going to” is over used, and there could be more variety of language that can express future plans.

I didn’t understand what the comment meant, because I think “going to” is the only appropriate and the form of future which I would use.

Do you have any ideas about what the examiner was meaning?

That’s the future plan which was described by the writer:

The examiner commented on the over use of “going to” in this paragraph

My question is: What other forms of future we can use in this case other than “going to”?


texts:
"This research was devoted to investigating the performance"

I always use Investigate after "to" as a infinitive, however I have seen some text that used "investigating" instead of "investigate", could you please help me which one is correct? investigate or investigating?


texts: How to compare numbers in the beginning of the phrase

texts:
How can I say:

  From 999, 500 are yellow balls and 499 are white balls.

Can I start with "FROM"?


texts:
I have a question about the usage of "carry" and "hold".  According to definition 9 for "carry" in this dictionary:

  definition 9 (carry):  to have (something) as a result or consequence

, and definition 10 for "hold" in the same dictionary:

  definition 10 (hold):  to have (a specified quality, feature, etc.)

, it seems the following is possibly standard English:

  The plan holds a lot of risks.
  The plan holds a lot of benefits.
  The plan carries a lot of risks.
  The plan carries a lot of benefits.

But I am not sure.  What do native speakers think?  Are some of the usages  of "carry" and "hold" in sentences 1 thru 4 wrong?


texts: What is the meaning of "be hidden so will need to" in the following sentences?

texts:
What is the meaning of "be hidden so will need to~" in the following sentences,

  On windows XP,windows 7 the hosts file is located in
  c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\,

  Note: It may be hidden so will need to enable 'view hidden files'
  to see it.

  In addition, you may not be able to save it unless you have opened it
  as an administrator. Take look at this article for a guide.

  On Linux systems the hosts file is located in /etc directory.

(Source: Understanding and Using The Hosts File-Beginners Guide By steve )

Does "It may be hidden so will need to enable 'view hidden files' to see it" mean
"It may be hidden so that we will need to enable 'view hidden files' to see it"?

If so, what grammar did these sentences (verb + so + verb pattern) apply to?
Is it possible to convert the verb + so + verb (be hidden so will need) pattern into a pattern with the subject and verb we are familiar with?

Is the verb + so + verb pattern without a subject grammatically correct?


texts:
See these:

  The music is so loud!

  The music is too loud!

  The music is so loud that I can't sleep.

  The music is too loud that I can't sleep.

What are the differences between "so + adj+ that" & "too + adj + that" / "so + adj" & "too + adj"?

This website say:

  As an adverb, so is an intensifier. It intensifies, or makes stronger,
  the adjective or adverb that follows it.

  So is used like very, but so is a much stronger exclamation.

  Too can be used the same way as so, but it has a completely different
  meaning.

  Too is an intensifier that is used to mean more than needed, more than
  necessary, or more than enough. It is a negative expression

So, "So" can be used in positive & negative sentences? but "too" can be used in negative sentences only?

  He is so smart (ok?)

  He is too smart (not ok?)

  He is so stupid (ok?)

  He is too stupid (not ok?)

This site said:

  Too: excessive & so: a lot

  People use too many plastic bags. (excessive)

  People use so many plastic bags. (a lot)

  People drive too many large cars. (excessive)

  People drive so many large cars.   (a lot)

  People use too much fuel.  (excessive)

  People use so much fuel.  (a lot)

  People spend too much time in traffic  (excessive)

  People spend so much time in traffic.  (a lot)


texts:
Is it correct to say

  Who belongs to this book?

or is it mean like book has somebody and who is the guy the book has?


texts:
Based on Oxford Dictionary indulgent means:

Having or indicating a readiness or over-readiness to be generous to or lenient with someone.
‘indulgent parents’

But it doesn't fit with the text below. Is it an irony?

So, Could you please tell me what the meaning of "indulgent" here?

  A few days later Dad came home with the most frightening machine I’ve
  ever seen. He called it the Shear. At first glance it appeared to be a threeton
  pair of scissors, and this turned out to be exactly what it was. The
  blades were made of dense iron, twelve inches thick and five feet across.
  They cut not by sharpness but by force and mass. They bit down, their great
  jaws propelled by a heavy piston attached to a large iron wheel. The wheel
  was animated by a belt and motor, which meant that if something got
  caught in the machine, it would take anywhere from thirty seconds to a
  minute to stop the wheel and halt the blades. Up and down they roared,
  louder than a passing train as they chewed through iron as thick as a man’s
  arm. The iron wasn’t being cut so much as snapped. Sometimes it would
  buck, propelling whoever was holding it toward the dull, chomping blades.
  Dad had dreamed up many dangerous schemes over the years, but this
  was the first that really shocked me. Perhaps it was the obvious lethality of
  it, the certainty that a wrong move would cost a limb. Or maybe that it was
  utterly unnecessary. It was indulgent. Like a toy, if a toy could take your
  head off.

Educated by Sara Westover


texts: "Deployed" stabilizer fins: installed in dock or unfolded at sea?

texts:
I have the following passage:

  When rough waters hit a cruise ship, the vessel stays surprisingly level. Its secret is stabilizers, relatively small movable fins attached to the hull below the water line. These small components have a huge effect on ship performance; they are capable of reducing roll by more than 85 percent. Shaped like aeroplane wings, these fins are deployed from the side of the hull and pivot up or down to exert dive or lift, thereby counteracting the waves’ effect on the ship.

What do you think is the meaning of deploy here: are the fins installed in a dock ("deployed" permanently) or are they unfolded as needed when (the?) weather turns rough?


texts: 'worth the name' meaning? in following context

texts: Several woman hardly had a married life worth the name, yet(at least among the higher castes) when their husbands died they were expected to commit sati.


texts:
I often come across a sentence in spoken English (and sometimes in written English as well) that I think is grammatically incorrect. The sentence is

  It's never a bad idea not getting advice from XYZ.

Although comprehensible, it sounds as though it could be better rephrased, but I just don't know how to do it.


texts:
When something happens in past and still has relevance in the present, we usually express it with the present perfect. But actually this doesn't tell us when exactly the action happened, it may  have happened recently or earlier. So sometimes it's hard for me to determine the time interval of the sentence as sometimes the intervals are not salient enough and actually I'm not native speaker.
Examples :
- We are at a party and my friend says to us "I've prepared a great program for today's party " so what's the interval and why didn't he use past simple?
- I was at my friend's house and he was showing me his new  picture, he said  "Look, I've painted a new picture". So I don't know when he did paint the picture so how can I determine the interval?


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "Oh, this Lego is of very poor quality. This red brick doesn't tightly fit in the yellow one"?

texts:
Do we have a common or general verb to express a Lego brick tightly fits in another brick in such a way that it won't easily fall apart after we put it together, for example, "Oh, this Lego is of very poor quality. This red brick doesn't tightly fit in the yellow one"?
We often say "I can't fit in the children's playhouse"
But for Lego bricks, I am not sure if "something tightly fits in something else" is the right structure that can be used in this case? Some people suggest to use the noun "flush fitting" or the verb "to snap", but I am not so sure.
There are some faulty Lego bricks which are a bit loose, we can put a Lego house together with the faulty bricks but when we hold the house, it may fall apart (i.e, some of the bricks may fall out of the others) (note: I am not sure "fall apart" is the right word?).


texts:
What does ""Don't I just bet you were" mean in the following?

  A: I was about to demonstrate how to use the tool.

  B: Don't I just bet you were.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
Does "incidental remark" mean off-topic or occasional or something quite different?

For the purpose of giving information my summary is scant; and, as I have already said, many of Schopenhauer’s incidental remarks are just and illuminating.

After a couple of paragraphs, he says,

Schopenhauer, like Croce, shows in many incidental references, more, not less, sensitiveness to works of art than most philosophers.


texts: Problems are for being solved/for solving them/for solving/to be solved/to solve them/to solve

texts:
Which of these sentences is grammatically correct if we want to mean the reason problems exist is to be solved? I have trouble in terms of the usage in sentences of this kind.

“Problems are for being solved”
“Problems are for solving them”
“Problems are for solving”
“Problems are to be solved”
“Problems are to solve them”
“Problems are to solve”

My guess is either 1 or 2 is or both are correct.


texts:
Please check the sentence and let me know is it correct or not? My question is that "can we use since to tell the complete duration of time as well in this way?"

  I have been doing it since 4:40 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
what is the true meaning of "save from" in this context?

  The many discreet, serious and religious circles were for a season
  almost obscured by swollen-headed ranters who imagined themselves to
  be in touch with every high entity from the Apostles downwards, some
  even claiming the direct afflatus of the Holy Ghost and emitting
  messages which were only saved from being blasphemous by their crudity
  and absurdity.

from http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301051h.html


texts: Need to check which one of following grammar is correct

texts:
I need to check which of the following has correct grammar

Basically I have to create new web page, I am asking query that can I go doing same

  1: Have we to make a new page for the same?
   2: Shall we make a new page for it?
   3: Should we make new page for it?


texts: how to change spelling to make a silent e sound

texts:
My name is June and I am Basque (North of Spain). My name is pronounced almost like in English except for that the final e is not silent.

How do a write my name phonetics to show people how to pronounce it? Also, is there any way to change the spelling do people can read it correctly? Many people don't have knowledge of phonetics.


texts: Always take your (competitor/rival) seriously

texts:
There is a popular sentence in our language which says:

  Literal translation: Always, take your competitor/rival seriously.

Connotation: if you are going to defeat your rival during a match, you cannot thing as if your rival is weaker than you. Because if you continue thinking like that, you might lose the match while you've adapted your mind to a specific mindset regarding them and they can shock you during the match. So it would be better to consider them as even more powerful than they are so that you will not get shocked when it comes to the competition (if they are stronger than you.)

This is a term which comes from our ancient wrestling culture and I need to inquire whthere there is any fix quote about it or not.

Also, I wonder if you let me know whether my own self-made translation using both words "competitor" and "rival" works naturally or not.


texts:
You are standing "in/on" a corridor (I am not sure we say "in" or "on" in this case) as shown in the above picture.
Someone: Where is the elevator?
You: Go all the way through the corridor, the elevator is just around the corner
Is it correct to say "go all the way through the corridor, the elevator is just around the corner"?


texts: I have looked up Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary but I still don’t get it!


texts:
Google Translate gives this definition:

“apt - having a tendency to do something”

If I want to show my disagreement, is it suitable to say so:

“I’m not apt to think so.”

Is it weird?


texts: How should I align the tenses: I {would / would have} be sleeping right now if I {knew / had known} that the class {will / is going to} get cancelled

texts:
Which statement is correct grammatically?

I would be sleeping right now if I had known that the class will get cancelled. (due to rain)
I would have been sleeping right now if I knew the class is going to get cancelled. (due to heavy rain/rains)

I've highlighted several parts and I would appreciate if someone could point out the mistake in each of them.


texts: Should the noun be in singular or plural form after "some"?

texts:
I usually use the plural form after "some."

Example:

  I bought some books about France

But I would also say some source states that France is best toured in fall.
Is there a specific grammar rule? May I say that in the second sentence I am really thinking at a very specific source, so singular is needed?


texts:
I checked the dictionary for the meaning of this expression. It means "not very many or not appearing very frequently".

Can anybody decompose this structure and justify why the expression gets this meaning? Especially, what is the "far between" part meaning here?

Thanks


texts: "it rained the day before" vs. "it had rained the day before"

texts:
This is a grammar question about the Past Perfect and the Past Simple.

  The road was muddy, as it ( _____ ) the day before.

  rained
  had rained

Which is correct, or both are acceptable?

My grammar book says it has to be had rained, but I think both options are acceptable. Can I use either, or is option 2 the only correct answer?


texts: In this picture there are two grates, which is the name I use for them, I call the bottom one, the damaged grate, what to call the top one, which is not damaged and intact?


texts: Meaning of 'Or What', 'What it takes to be'

texts:
I'm learning english using 'Phineas and Ferb'.

This situation is
before introducing some auditions(like American idol),
there is one singing tone-def person.

After singing, the dj was like,

  Oh, boy! Did that kid stink or what?
  But maybe you've got what it takes to be
  The Next Super American Pop Teen Idol Star!

I didn't know these two sentence.

In first sentence,
Stink means bad smell? And what's the meaning of or what??

In second sentence,
What's the meaning of it takes to be?


texts: Two cups of coffee is too much / is too many / are too many

texts:
My understanding is that depending on whether we consider two cups of coffee as a whole/unit or counting them individually we could say either:

  1.1 Two cups of coffee is too much (the quantity contained in two cups)

  1.2 Two cups of coffee are too many (1 + 1 = too many cups)

  1.3 Two cups of coffee is too many (cups) / Not quite sure but could work as when we say "My favourite food is nuts"

If we were to give an answer to "how many cups a day do you drink?" -"About 5" I would reply either

  2.1 That's too much (the quantity)

  2.2 That's too many (cups)

And similarly ask these questions

  3.1 Is two cups a day too much?

  3.2 Are two cups a day too many?

  3.3 Is two cups a day too many? / Not quite sure

  3.4 How many cups a day are too many?

  3.5 How many cups a day is too much?

Are these all correct? Which ones are more natural?


texts:
Prepositions are still very difficult for me.

Why is "on" used instead of "in" in this sentence?

  This library has the definitive collection of books on ancient Egypt.

I have no idea. Why is that?

Thanks for your help in advance.


texts:
I came across this sentence:

  "It may not have been delivered yet"

I can't understand: why is "have" used here with "it"?


texts: Is it correct to use 'have had + verb (past participle)'?

texts:
A reward has been announced for the employees who have worked or have had worked hard.

As far as I understand this is an example of present perfect tense. Here, have is an auxiliary verb and it will be followed by a past participle verb. So have worked is grammatically correct in my opinion.

Could anyone please tell me if 'have had + verb (past participle)' is grammatically correct in any case.


texts: Difference between warm wishes and wishes?

texts:
When should I use Thanks! for your warm wishes or Thanks! for your wishes?

As I understand it, thanks! for your warm wishes means that your wishes are taken heartily. Also, I can use thanks! for your warm wishes on my birthday occasion.

Is my understanding correct in this?


texts:
Would it sound awkward or would it be more coherent if instead of

  I support the idea that...

I say/write this?

  From my perspective, I support the idea that...

Please let me know if your response also applies to these expressions (so if it doesn't, I'll ask them separately):

  In my experience, I feel that...

  In my view, I posit that...

  All things considered, I believe that...

  From my perspective, I contend that...

  Personally speaking, I believe that...

  In my estimation, I postulate that...

  From my perspective, I reason that...


texts:
Someone that I admire and that has a solid background has written in a post in relation to a book: "hold out for the audiobook - trust me"

I looked at the dictionary and it says:

Hold out for. Continue to demand (a particular thing), refusing to accept what has been offered: he is holding out for a guaranteed 7 per cent rise.
Hold out. British troops held out against constant attacks: resist, withstand
Hold out. We can stay here as long as our supplies hold out: last, remain

I am confused. What does "hold out for the audiobook" mean? He recommends the audio version or not? Is that a good, precise or common aplication of that expression?

Any advice to learn phrasal verbs? for me are usually confusing and difficult to learn.

(I am from a small country in Europe and I am learning English)


texts:
From the picture above, I think the use of would in the sentence is correct because would could also be used to express uncertainty, opinion, and hope.

Would
5. Expressing a conjecture, opinion, or hope:

I would imagine that they’re home by now.

I guess some people would consider it brutal.

I would have to agree.

So, is it okay to use would in that sentence? If not, why?


texts:
Good morning guys,

What does crickity mean? I was reading a basic English book for my little song and the phrase "crickity" showed up. I looked it up in the dictionary but could not find it. You can find this part of the book following this link.

Thanks


texts: What makes the need of a definite article?

texts:
(i) He works (a) at night and sleeps (b) during the day. (ii) Nocturnal animals
  sleep (c) by day and hunt (d) by night.
  (source: OALD)

There’s a definite article in (b), while there're zero articles in the others.
Why does (b) need one, while the others don't?


texts:
The sentence is in Chapter two of Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me.

  “Women in the online gaming communit have been harassed, threatened,
  and driven out. Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist media critic who
  documented such incidents, received support for her work, but also, in
  the words of a journalist, 'another wave of really aggressive, you
  know, violent personal threats, her accounts attempted to be hacked.
  And one man in Ontario took the step of making an online video game
  where you could punch Anita's image on the screen. And if you punched
  it multiple times, bruises and cuts would appear on her image.' The
  difference between these online gamers and the Taliban men who, last
  October, tried to murder fourteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai for
  speaking out about the right of Pakistani women to education is one of
  degree. Both are trying to silence and punish women for claiming
  voice, power, and the right to participate.”

I think that it meant that the two incidents are the same?

But, I'm not sure, please provide me with a definition.


texts:
It's the definition of campaign from Cambridge Dictionaries Online.
It said:

A planned group of especially political, business, or military activities that are intended to achieve a particular aim

Does it mean a planned group or a planned activities? And why?


texts:
Tom has been to China

Am I right in thinking this sentence is present perfect?

When forming the present perfect we use Has/have + been + past participle.

In this sentence I cannot figure out what the past participle is?


texts:
Which of these phrases is correct:

  "We are in the end."
  "We are at the end."

I know that most of the time when using "at the end" there should be a noun. Like, "...at the end of something". But I also know "in the end" means "finally, at last, or so on.

Can anyone explain to me?


texts:
He lunged for the nearest painting he could see, a Caravaggio. Grabbing the gilded frame, the seventy-six-year-old man heaved the masterpiece toward himself until it tore from the wall and Sauniere collapsed backward in a heap beneath the canvas.

  The Da Vinci Code

I don't understand the clause "it tore from the wall" here. According to dictionaries, the usage is "tear sth. from sth.". So, "it was torn from the wall" looks right to me. I can be wrong as it's been written in the book like that.

Any thoughts?


texts: which one is right, "see" or "seen" in the sentence below?

texts:
Which one is right "see" or "seen" in the sentence below?
I should've tried a regular size first and then see/seen if I'd need more.


texts: Punctuation with “equivalently” and “alternatively”

texts:
What is the preferable punctuation when using equivalently in the middle of a sentence in order to give an equivalent interpretation of something as illustrated below?

It minimizes the power consumption or equivalently the energy consumption of the system.
It minimizes the power consumption or, equivalently, the energy consumption of the system.
It minimizes the power consumption, or equivalently the energy consumption, of the system.
…

Similarly, how is it with alternatively?

It can minimize the power consumption or alternatively the execution time of the system.
It can minimize the power consumption or, alternatively, the execution time of the system.
It can minimize the power consumption, or alternatively the execution time, of the system.
…


texts: Usage of auxiliary verbs in "How ..." questions

texts:
I don't understand the usage of auxiliary verbs in questions that begin with How ("How ...?"), and always use structures such as:

  How to learn play piano?
  How long it take to deliver product?

Do these questions require do/does or may/can?
Where do we place them in our sentences, if they're necessary?


texts: Which one is correct? "cancelled" or "canceled"

texts:
I am confused about the spelling of the past tense of the verb "cancel".
I googled a bit but everyone has a different opinion apparently. I need to know the correct standard spelling.


texts: meaning of the word "ever" before a verb in the continuous form in context

texts:
Here is the context:

  "Before ever writing Chapter one, he will write synopsis after synopsis, for up to a year, ironing out all the wrinkles, developing not just plot and peripeteia (or twists) but character." — Andy Martin, The Independent, 25 Nov. 2016

Did the author use the word ever for emphasis there? If not, then what is it for there? Wouldn't the sentence make more sense without it?


texts: Is "to board Flight 139" an attribute or complement in this sentence?

texts:
I am trying to diagram this sentence:

  This is the last call for passengers to board Flight 139 at Gate 57.

Here is my specific problem: I'm not sure "to board Flight 139" here is either attribute or complement (esp. "for passengers", I do not know the role it plays in this sentence in structure "for somebody to do something").

Can anyone explain how this might work grammatically?


texts: What do you call a set of three(or four, etc.) things of the same type that are used together?

texts:
A pair is a set of two things of the same type that are used together.
What do you call a set of three such things?
What about four, five, etc.?


texts:
I have come across it in the 17th episode of the 6th season of The Office. Here is the context:

Dwight: [on the phone with a client] Hey there. Dwight Schrute here. Listen, uh, would you be interested in restocking on paper? … Yeah, I could sure use the money. My cousin, uh, came down with a case of that nasty new goat fungus. Oh, it’s just horrific. The doctor says he’d never seen it beard so quickly. Okay.


texts: What is the difference between ‘woke’ and ‘awoke’ in the following sentence?

texts:
When the soldiers awoke, it was a bright day.

Can I replace ‘awoke’ by ‘woke’ and why?


texts:
In the sentence "they were extremely well made", is the "made" a noun or participle?
Could the "made" be a noun?
Thank you very much!


texts:
Which synonym can I use for the word "desired" in this context?

  The monitoring component is the visible interface which the consumers interact with to visualize the desired route location.


texts:
Can a noun or word have more than one case?
I was thinking the phrase "you look like a spider climbing up the stairs" before I thought that within that phrase or sentence, "spider" might be a subject complement, similative case and an object of preposition.


texts: Do I use present or future with "so that"?

texts:
You will find some food so that you won't need to go out when you arrive
      or
  You will find some food so that you don't need to go out when you arrive.

Which one is the best? I think first one is better.


texts:
I was reading a book and stumbled upon this piece:

  Not one person, dead or alive. Where was everyone? What had happened?

Can someone explain to me why this sentence is in past perfect? What is the difference between

  What happened? What had happened? or What has happened?

and how to use them?

PS. English is not my native language.


texts: "Dramatic" vs. "big" in "a dramatic effect"

texts:
Kindly consider the following sentence:

  This rise in sea level will have a dramatic effect on coastal cities and towns all over the world.

I was told that the adjective "dramatic" in this context means "big" (= big effect).

If this is correct, what is the difference between "dramatic" and "big" in terms of usage? In other words, what makes the author choose to use "dramatic" instead of "big" in this context?


texts:
The last time England beat a side on penalties in a major tournament was at Euro 96 against Spain in the quarter-finals.

From BBC.news

Does the phrase beat a side here leave out some words, otherwise a side can't make any sense here.

The preposition at in this sentence also confused me, why not use in here, for all I know, he refer Euro 96 to the European Cup in 1996 which is also a tournament.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-44706168


texts:
There is a rule called transferred negation in a sentence with object clause.
Look at the examples...

  "I don't think you are right".
  "I don’t believe he will come."
  "It doesn’t seem that they know where to go."
  "It doesn’t appear that we’ll have a sunny day tomorrow."

I am wondering after what verbs should we adopt this rule. Should we adopt this rule after "besides think, believe, suppose, expect, imagine, guess, seem, appear"?

Thank you very much!


texts: Did you cry / Have you cried at the end of Titanic?

texts:
My question is which one to use in the following example:

  _____ you _____ at the end of Titanic? (cry)

I think it should be present perfect since it doesn't have a time expression, the exact time is unknown or it doesn't matter, and it refers to an experience.
But some say it has to be simple past because it (the crying) happened at the time of watching the movie, so it's an exact, known time.

Now, I feel like following that logic would mean that if I said "I've seen Titanic", it would also be wrong since it also happened in an exact time, nothing really can happen in a non-exact time, but that's physics, not English usage. But obviously it's not wrong.

So, does crying at the end of it make it a known, specified time that requires the usage of past simple? If it does, why?


texts: Can I say "He is down" in the following context: "He is down, in the ground floor"?

texts:
I live on third floor in the hostel of the university, and sometimes friends ask me about other friend "where is he", and I know that he is on the ground floor. So my question is if I can say to them

  "He is down, in the ground floor",

or maybe it would be better to say

  "He is downstairs, in the ground floor".

The same question I have about "up" and upstairs.


texts: Is "... and go to work by car." correct in this sentence?

texts:
Is the sentence below correct?

  "It was not until he bought a car that he started driving and go to work by car."

I know that the following part of the sentence is correct:

  "It was not until he bought a car that he started driving."

but the "and go to work by car" part bothers me, because it sounds correct, and it flows well in my text, but the present tense mixing with past tense is a little weird.

Another example:

  It was not until he began lifting weights that he started growing and get big.


texts: Implied plural before vs implied singular after

texts:
I'd like to note (and confirm) the following (inconsistency):

Equations (3) and (4) are complex.

The 3rd and 4th equation are complex.

The full version of the sentences:

Equation (3) and equation (4) are complex.

The 3rd equation and 4th equation are complex.

I was told the reason that it was singular in the second sentence was due to the intention of the full version in fourth sentence. Same logic, though, doesn't apply to the first sentence.

EDIT 1
I changed the sentences from 'fine' to 'complex' not to confuse when someone says that the sentence is fine.
I'm also adding more details since there might be a disagreement in the comments about the second sentence--that is should be equations and not equation.
It all started here:
https://www.englishforums.com/English/TwoAdjectivesForANoun/bnhvmb/post.htm
The surfers example isn't good since beginner isn't an adjective, but you get the idea.
Back then, I asked Neil about it and he said:

It should be singular in the case when you use the definite article in
front of the adjectives.
"He fed a small and a big dog."
There is an elision of a word in that sentence [* elision doesn't seem to refer to this], which is fine in
English. It is shorthand for "He fed a small dog and a big dog." You
can omit the first instance of the noun and still be OK but you do not
pluralize the remaining instance.
But the indefinite [* I think he meant definite] article or no articles require a plural:
He fed small and big dogs.
He fed the small and big dogs.
He fed the small and the big dogs.
He fed a small and a big dog.
So, in the case in the forum, it should be: We are a beginner and an
advanced surfer.
The definite article is what forces the singular noun.

I asked him about two links:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/111152/adjective-and-adjective-noun-should-the-noun-be-singular-or-plural
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/221331/plural-or-singular-noun-when-it-refers-to-two-things-in-a-list"
and he added:

There is an overlapping case where either the plural or the singular
works, as noted in the first of your examples.
He fed the small and the big dogs -> implies that there is at least one of each
He fed the small and the big dog -> implies there is exactly one of each
He fed a small and a big dog -> implies that there is exactly one of each
He fed a small and a big dogs -> is wrong

I'm still not clear if
He fed the small and big dog.
is okay (implying one of each), and if not why.

EDIT 2
Similarly, I'm not sure if I can say:
It involves a technological and theoretical challenge,
where I mean that it involves a technological challenge and a theoretical challenge. It might be confused with involving a single technological, theoretical challenge.

EDIT 3
I tweaked a bit the above edits.
I think that even if technically I can use a single in/definite article with a singular noun (describing two objects), due to the risk of confusion (that I made a mistake and used 'and' between two adjectives preceding a noun), I should avoid it.
This puts some doubt on the correctness of the 2nd sentence even though it should be clear that I'm referring to two equations (it's an elision of the 4th sentence) and not a single equation that is both the 3rd and 4th.

EDIT 4
Seeking more confirmation since it became convoluted
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/567592/a-pair-of-adjectives-describing-more-than-one-noun