texts: difference between the two sentences ,totally confusing for me

texts:
What is the difference between "pieces of information" and "the pieces of information"
e.g.:

The wages of sin is death.
why not?___Wages of sin is death.

Is there any method to overcome these kind of problems?

Try to explain instead of pulling leg ....


texts: Difference between "advantage" and "benefit"?

texts:
From Webster:

advantage:

  something (such as a good position or condition) that helps to make someone or something better or more likely to succeed than others
  a good or desirable quality or feature
  benefit or gain

benefit:

  a good or helpful result or effect
  money that is paid by a company (such as an insurance company) or by a government when someone dies, becomes sick, stops working, etc.
  something extra (such as vacation time or health insurance) that is given by an employer to workers in addition to their regular pay

It seems same to me. My professor use benefit more, some website use advantage more, is two of them same? or which one is more official?


texts: What are the differences between "Do dishes / laundry / household chores.." & "Do the dishes / the laundry / the household chores"?

texts:
What are the differences between "Do dishes / laundry / household chores..." & "Do the dishes / the laundry / the household chores..."?

I would say:

Do / wash dishes: refers to dishes in general. Eg: I do dishes every day

Do / wash the dishes: refers to the specific dishes that have been used & need to be washed. Eg: I will do the dishes before I go

Do laundry: refers to "laundry" in general. Eg: I do laundry every day

Do the laundry: refers to the specific laundry that need to be done. Eg: I will do the laundry before I go

Do household chores: refers to "household chores" in general. Eg: I do household chores every day

Do the household chores: refers to the specific household chores that need to be done. Eg: I will do the household chores before I go

Do housework: refers to "housework" in general. Eg: I do housework every day

Do the housework: refers to the specific housework that need to be done. Eg: I will do the housework before I go

The same principle applies to:

-"do homework" & "do the homework"

-"hang clothes" & "hang the clothes"

-"make lunch" & "make my / the lunch"

-"make beds" & "make the bed / the beds"

-"mop floors" & "mop the floor / the floors"

But I am not sure if I am right because people may say:

Eg: I often wash dishes and do the laundry.
They say "do the laundry" even though they are talking about it in general


texts: When based your culture politeness necessitates something

texts:
In my culture and as I know it well in many other cultures, people especially youths are thought not to raise their voices when they are talking to someone else e.g. and elderly. I was wondering if someone could tell me whether my self-made sentence below sounds natural to indicate the mentioned message to someone who does not observe this cultural rule?

  Politeness necessitates not to raise your voice when you’re talking to (a woman / an elderly) etc.

For me, it is grammatically correct, but I have no idea if it is structurally and constructionally correct or not.


texts: Can I change the place of preeposition in sentences below?

texts:
I want from the heart him to make his valedictory before the public

Would this sentence mean the same if I use “from the heart” in the end of the sentence like

  I want him to  make his valedictory from the heart before the public

I though the meaning changed in the second sentence but I couldn’t be sure. Can you please correct me if I am wrong? In the frist sentence I tried to say I hope from the heart that he can speak easily before the people but in the second one I want him to make his speach from the hear.Are my thoughts correct ?


texts: What’s the difference between I couldn’t get up at six today and I didn’t get up at six today

texts:
I’d like to know what’s the difference between:

  I couldn’t get up at 6:00
  I didn’t get up at 6:00


texts:
Is the phrase "claim one's autonomy" ambiguous? Could it mean "say one deserves autonomy" and "achieve or gain one's autonomy"?

Suppose someone said the following:

  The teenager claimed his autonomy while arguing with his parents.

What does it mean? I'd like to know if "claimed" here is the same as "claimed" in "claimed his rightful place on the throne."

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
When the priest stepped into the church, all (the) worshipers attending rose from their seats.

Do I have to put the article 'the' in this sentence?

I know the general rule about the difference between 'all + object' and 'all the + object'—the first referring to all of that object in the world or in general, the second about a more specific set. But after doing several searches on ngram, I found many cases that turned out to be quite tricky. And in a forum, I found a similar sentence corrected by native English speaker in two different ways, i.e. with AND without the article, which left me rather confused.


texts: May I use the simple present for a series of actions within a limited time period?

texts:
It’s well-known that the present simple is used to describe an action which happens regularly and occurs during an infinite period of time (or a finite but quite long one).

He sells cars.
I go to school.

Those are habitual, repeated actions.
But my question is about the cases when it’s used for some series of actions within a relatively short period of time. For example:
Two friends came to a party and found a piano there. One of them comes to it and tries to play something every other ten minutes. (But he can’t really play it.) So, let’s say that having been there for 3 hours the guy tried to play the piano 9 times. The other guy says:

Why do you try to play the piano? It’s obvious you are not a musician.

Do you find this sentence correct in this context?
One native speaker says the following:

If it can reasonably be considered a habitual, repeated action, and you consider it that way, then you would use the tense suited to that idea. You are at risk of someone else having to opinion that those five 'playings' were really just one incident, with rest periods. He would consider your use of the simple past to be strange. but that's just his opinion. If you can logically define the action as 'habitual/repeating', then OK.

Do you agree with it?
Does it mean then, that it would be OK to use it in a context like this:

A person has been chasing another person for the whole day trying to explain themselves, but the other person has been rejecting the former not wanting to talk. Would it be OK to say?
Why do you chase him all day?

Or if I have called someone today 10 times already:

You call him a lot. Why do you call him so much?

Any ideas?


texts:
Say I graduated from university in 2002 and I got married in 2016. And I worked in a bank from 2002 to 2016.
We can use "from ... to ..." with the simple past tense, for example, "I worked in a bank from 2002 to 2016."
But I am not sure if we can use past perfect continuous with "from ... to ..." to emphasize the continuous progress of the action, for example, "I had been working in a bank from 2002 until 2016"
Also, Is it correct to say "I had been working in a bank since I left university until I I got married"?


texts:
I do not know how to use 'of' when describing an amount, measurement or belonging. Here are some examples to explain what I have tried and what I want to achieve. Could you please explain the mistakes I have made?

  1)I need transparent one of this a square meter sheet .

  2)I need screwable one of this type of table leg.

  3)I need cheaper one of this model of t-shirt.

1)The Seller showed me colorfull plastic sheets of one square meter but I told him that I need transparent a sheet. And I said this sentence.

2)I need a toilet paper holder which I can screw on the wall, but the holder they have just can be sticked on the wall. Is sentence 3 be correct?

3) I saw my friends t-shirt. When I learned its price I thought it is too expensive and I said: 'Cheaper one of this t-shirt'.

Are all uses of 'of' correct to describe what I try to say?If any of my suggestions are wrong correct them?


texts: Can I use prepositions 'in' and 'for' interchangebly in this context?

texts:
Question:

  Which option is right. In case if both are right- for which case the using is more appropriate or I can use them interchangeably in some cases?

.

  1) IN or/and FOR

I haven't seen him in a few years
I haven't seen him for a few years

  2) IN or/and FOR

I haven't seen him in a seven years
I haven't seen him for a seven years


texts: We ask that you would do something (in prayers and religion)

texts:
I have seen English native speakers say prayers like this:

  God, we ask that you would heal those being affected by the coronavirus.

The form you use is: we ask that you would do something.

So I wonder what the use of "would" in that context is. Is it being used to make a polite request on something that you would like to happen?
Besides I wonder why you don't say it like this:

  God, we ask you to heal those being affected by the coronavirus.

This form is: we ask you to do something.


texts:
I have watched the movie Deadpool. I found the name quite interesting and read the following article about its origin.

  As explained in the movie, Deadpool takes his name from the “dead
  pool” at the seedy mercenary bar he frequents. Though the term usually
  refers to a group bet on which celebrity will die next, the film makes
  it seem like this particular dead pool is limited to the ruthless
  patrons of Sister Margaret’s Home For Wayward Girls bar, with the joke
  being that assassinating people is a dangerous line of work so they’re
  all betting on which one of them will be killed first. But it turns
  out that’s not the case at all. A handy screenshot of the bar reveals
  most people have selected real-life celebrities, and Weasel and Wade
  Wilson are the only two weirdos who have bet on people they know (as
  referenced in the film, Weasel bets on Wade while Wade bets on a
  fellow assassin named “J. Boothe”).

  -- Source: All the names on Deadpool’s dead pool

In the movie, Wade Wilson is named Dead Pool. His tough friend Weasel and the cab driver call him Mr Pool, which makes me wonder why the title of the movie is Deadpool, not Dead Pool.

Why does Deadpool get compounded here? To make it sound more pretentious or what?


texts: "In the (near) future" or "for the (near) future"

texts:
I am wondering what is the difference between the following two sentences:

The aforementioned signs point to a water shortage in the near future.
The aforementioned signs point to a water shortage for the near future

I guess the correctness or wrongness of prepositional phrase  mainly depends on what it modifies. In fact, I think  both of "Shortage for the future" and "Shortage in the future" are idiomatic phrases. However, I am not sure about it. Hence, my question. Thank you!


texts: two conditions in one sentence using would

texts:
Please help me with following sentence construciton.
I want to use two conditions using if and would.

Senario is our office bus is not passing near from my bosss residence hence he prefer to travel by train every day. I want to ask him if Office Bus route would have near from his residence or bus passes near from his residence, then would he travel by bus instade of train every day.

So if i say

Would you travel by train if our office bus passes near from your home.
or
Would you travel by train if our office bus would pass near from your home.
or
would you travel by train if our office bus is passing near from your home.


texts: "Martin Schkreli has been arrested" -- is the sentence present perfect?

texts:
I have been learning the 12 English tenses. The above sentence confused me. The sentence was a headline of a news website. It is kind of like present perfect but not. Present perfect is subject + has/have + past participle. It looks like present perfect progressive but not. Present perfect progress is subject + has/have + been + present participle.

It is not present perfect because of the word "been". It is not present perfect progressive because it doesnt have a present participle.

So my question is what tense is the above question?


texts: Should this sentence take "on stage" or "onstage"?

texts:
I'm not sure if I should use "onstage" or "on stage" here. Is this sentence okay as it is, or should I use "onstage" instead?

  It was decided that only actors should go on stage if that particular film won any awards at the awards show.

Since it is not used as an adjective here like "onstage antics," should I use "on stage" or "onstage"?


texts:
We started the conversation throught skype and 1my companinon didn't turn on his web-cam. How to ask the following:

  Will we talk without seeing through web cams?

in a more natural non-formal way?


texts:
Usage example with a context:

  When the occasion arises that you need a dip, be it for chips, crudités or crusty bread, think outside the box and head for the freezer. TJ’s Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Dip (which, to be clear, does come in a box) is our version of the restaurant favorite.
  And thanks to one of the miracles of modern culinary science—the deep freeze—it goes from freezer to microwave to sheer dipping bliss in less than 5 minutes. Versatile, delicious and incredibly convenient—a winning combination! We’re selling each 8.8 ounce package for $2.99—you’ll find it in our freezers.

What does sheer dipping bliss mean?


texts: I know "Cambridge University" is correct but why don't we use "the Cambridge University".


texts: Does "up" act as a preposition in the following sentences?

texts:
"Put up the banner."

"Make up your mind."

I get the impression that "up" functions as an adverb or phrasal verb in both.


texts: Matching a proper preposition with different words at once in a phrase

texts:
Sample sentence : To conquer the mountain, people need to be ambitious with the challenge and wisdom toward the mountain

I know "toward" can be used with "challenge" but
I hardly find "wisdom toward".

If I necessarily need to write this together with "and" like above
What could be the better option??

or any other suggestions ??


texts: What's the meaning of this sentence from MacDonald's "Lilith"?

texts:
"Ptolemy, Dante, the two Bacons, and Boyle were even more to me than Darwin or Maxwell, as so much nearer the vanished van breaking into the dark of ignorance."

The sentence is from George MacDonald's Lilith. I don't quite understand the second half of the sentence. What's the metaphor here? Thanks!

EDIT: this already appears in the comment and I'm putting it here.
From Google:
van, the foremost part of a company of people moving or preparing to move forward, especially the foremost division of an advancing military force.

And by the way, I consulted my giant American Heritage Dictionary and didn't find this meaning. Is this chiefly a British usage?

Just my last question: I actually don't really understand what "as so much nearer" means. Could anyone explain it? Thanks so much!


texts:
From IMDb it says

  Liesel arrives having just stolen her first book

Does arrives mean to achieve an aim here? (I found this in meaning in this online dictionary as an informal way of saying it)


texts: Which is correct? "...purchased from/in/at your store"

texts:
Which sentence is grammatically correct in formal letter writing context?

a.) I am writing to express my concern about the laptop that I purchased from your store last week.

b.) I am writing to express my concern about the laptop that I purchased in your store last week.

c.) I am writing to express my concern about the laptop that I purchased at your store last week.


texts: Can the word consider be used in this context?

texts:
This question is very much preferably to be answered by native English speakers
I've been looking through some text written by Russian native speaker. And I've encountered this phrase: "Why don’t people consider what they do?"
I've read this and it feels like something is very wrong with placing "consider" there.
I translated the word from English to my language and I found out that that word also has a meaning "think". But I guess "consider" doesn't fit properly here anyway. At least it sounds very strange for me. I feel like this word has a meaning a bit different from just plain "think"

Am I right? Or "consider" fits in this context nicely?


texts:
How do I know when to start a sentence with a verb without "to"? Example:

  "Go tomorrow in the morning and ask Mrs. Baker".

But if I say:

  "To speak to Mrs. Baker go tomorrow morning"


texts: Is "by all means" in this sentence a correct usage? How to express "I can be reached in any way"?

texts:
I've recently noticed that some of my colleagues(mostly non-native English speakers) write this in emails:

  I will work from XXX today. I can be reached by all means.

What they mean is they can be reached in any possible way. But does by all means imply by doing whatever is necessary? It sounds a bit too strong to use by all means in the above quotes.

What is the idiomatic way of expressing I can be reached in any possible way?


texts: Indefinite article + singluar noun to refer to a group/type of thing in general

texts:
My understanding is when referring to a type of thing in general we can either use the plural form or a singular with the definite article. For example:

  The tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable.

Or

  Tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable.

But can an indefinite article also be used to make a generic reference? I saw this in Google's definition of "scabies":

  A contagious, intensely itchy skin condition caused by a tiny, burrowing mite. Skin condition caused by a burrowing mite.

I found this definition kind of odd, because "mite" as a countable noun means an individual organism that belongs to the mite species. I thought the following would make more sense:

  A contagious, intensely itchy skin condition caused by tiny, burrowing mites.

  A contagious, intensely itchy skin condition caused by a kind of tiny, burrowing mite.

I am almost certain this question must have been asked, but I can't find any related questions. What are the applicable grammatical rules here? Also are there other examples?


texts: Is there a single verb that means "to label items in a list with letters"?

texts:
What SINGLE verb means to list with LETTERS, such as the following?
I seek only 1  SINGLE verb; please exclude verb phrases, verbs containing > 1 word,
and 'to enumerate' itself (it's not precise enough; it can mean 'to number' with numerals or letters).

  a)
  b)
  c) ...


texts: What does “studies need to be taken with more than the usual grain of salt” mean?

texts:
I found this quote in a psychology paper entitled If We Are So Rich, Why Aren't We Happy? by M. Csikszentmihalyi:

  “Thus, the results of culturally and methodologically circumscribed studies need to be taken with more than the usual grain of salt.”

focusing more on the part:

  studies need to be taken with more than the usual grain of salt

What does this idiom or phrase means?


texts: Why is the past perfect better used here instead of the simple past?

texts:
CORY

Dan and I met back in 2010 or 2011. He was a regular at the record store I had been working in for years. He asked for the Gun Club's Death Party EP and it happened to be the next record in the stack I was pricing. Kind of a magical coincidence when you work around records for a while. We had talked about playing music off and on for a bit, but nothing came of it.

Why we had talked? He is referring to one special event (when he asked for the gun club) and it is obvious that he first talked so past simple could also do it. If it choose past perfect is it to connect both action (the talking and the result nothing came from this discussion.
Maybe he is not referring to that single action (GUN CLUB RECORDS) but every time he came to the shop he had a chat.


texts:
Which modal verb comes after 'in all probability' ?
For example 'In all probability it will/may/can rain tonight.
Which modal is appropriate?


texts: What is the difference between "criteria of" and "criteria for"?

texts:
The criteria of 'dog-ness' are the following...

The criteria for an animal to be a dog are the following...
Are both phrases correct and, if so, what's the difference between them? Are 'of' and 'for' interchangeable?


texts: Can I write "inspector takes a sample of vials" ("sample" with countable nouns)

texts:
After the vial crimping operation, the Quality Control inspector takes a sample of vials for leak-testing.

The meaning is: the inspector collects from one to several vials from the batch in order to perform a leak test. But can one use the word sample here, or is it only used with noncount nouns such as blood, powder, etc.?


texts: "He looked at her with a hurt expression" - Who has the hurt expression?

texts:
There is a sentence like below.

  He looked at her with a hurt expression.

I don't know whether he has a hurt expression or she (her) has a hurt expression.


texts:
To provide some insights on how to construct the region, we give the following simple example.

Is the usage of insights on correct in the above sentence ot it should be insights into ?

Please do not hesitate to suggest a better way to express the idea of the above sentence.


texts: What is the opposite of "spread" as used in "spread its wings"?

texts:
We can say that a bird spread its wings (and flew away), to describe the action of extending its wings to their full length.

Which verb, or phrase, would we use to describe the opposite action, when a bird's wings were spread but now (perhaps because it has just landed) are not any longer?

To clarify: I'm looking for a verb, or phrase that acts as a verb, to describe the action of the bird doing that to its wings; not a way to say that the bird's wings are not spread.


texts:
Infusion cannula entry sites are anesthetized with
  1% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine and small
  incisions are made using a #11 blade.
  Whenever a file is opened using fopen function, a
  file pointer is returned.
  The area selected for developing is cleared using bulldozers, either by cutting the trees with a V-
  cutter or by walking the trees down with the dozer
  raised about 3 feet off the ground.
  Using a screwdriver, remove the four screws
  holding the cover in place.
  Four specimens each of 38 mm in diameter are cut
  using the appropriate cutter.

In these five sentences using has been used in different ways. But by has not been used before using. Will it be wrong if I use by before using? Why will it be wrong? If using of by in this case is wrong, please tell me when I can use by using.


texts: Does "pulchritudinous" have a negative connotation?

texts:
When somebody says:

  That girl is pulchritudinous.

Does it have a negative connotation?

According to Merriam-Webster "pulchritudinous sounds more disgusting than enchanting"


texts:
Can we say

  I have been at New York, Chicago, etc. (I have been to New York.)

or this is only used for a specific places

  I have been at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  It was great.  (I visited it and came back to my home)


texts:
A: You can't keep me from seeing my daughter.

B: When you and your drinking are hurting her, I can.

A: Yeah, 'cause you've never did anything to hurt her, right? You wanted the divorce. I think that's hurt her more than anything else.

My question is if the line "'cause you've never did anything to hurt her" is completely natural here? Or does it indicate that B divorced A to (deliberately) hurt their daughter?


texts:
I am not sure which sentence is correct.

  In general the weights could be arbitrary chosen, but one special case is obtained by using exponential weights.

  In general the weights could be arbitrarily chosen, but one special case is obtained by using exponential weights

According to a previous post of mine, I think arbitrarily is correct, since chosen is a verb. Is this correct?


texts: confusing hows: (i) used to express surprise, pleasure, etc. (ii) the fact that, the way that

texts:
I’m embarrassing whenever I come across how clauses. The two meanings –– (i) used to express surprise, pleasure, etc.  (ii) that, the fact that, the way that –– are especially confusing. Would you check which of the two do I have to pick up in next examples? Are there any patterns that I attend to?

It seems like the way in 5 can be replaced by how without semantic change.

  1
  The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought aboutthem and their kind.... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on –– he yawned and turned over –– it couldn't affect them....

–– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p.8

  2
  There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.

  "What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.

  "Your new school uniform," she said.

  Harry looked in the bowl again.

  "Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."

  "Don’t be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."

  Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High -- like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.

–– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p.33

  3
  Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

  "All yours," smiled Hagrid.

  All Harry's –– it was incredible.The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep?

–– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p.75

  4
  Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.

–– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p.134

  5
  Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.

–– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p.195

  6
  “There’s this real Al Capone fear that they’re going to get our guys, not on marijuana, but on something else,” Mr. Edson said, referring to how Capone was eventually charged with tax evasion rather than criminal activity. - witioanry.org

  7
  Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.

  "Weird!" he said, 'What a shape! This is money?"

  "You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was.

–– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p.200

  8
  "So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"

  "That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that –– what was it? –– 'to
  the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.’”

  "I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite
  impressed at how crazy his hero was.

–– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, p.302


texts: Should I use "dancing car" or "dancer car" ?

texts:
"It is a dancing car."

or

  "It is a dancer car"

Which one is idiomatic and appropriate ?


texts: Is there an idiom that means "offering little resistance" as in a negotiation, physical fight, war?

texts: I am looking for an idiom that means "offering little resistance" in a very general way such that it can be used in the context of a negotiation, physical fight or even war. Is there such an idiom? If "offering little resistance" is too specific, try something like "being weak", which has a similar meaning.


texts: Why is the expression 'in car' possible instead of 'in the car'?

texts:
I want to know the difference between in car and in the car.
Please, tell me.


texts: "no longer assumed not endotherms" = endotherms or not endotherms?

texts:
I'm practicing integrated writing with a friend of mine, and I wrote a sentence that she found confusing, which is:

..., the writer discusses the fact that dinosaurs were no longer assumed not endotherms. The lecturer in
the listening passage disagrees. She believes that dinosaurs are not endotherms and attacks each of the claims
made in the reading.

Here is the comment of my friend:

You are saying that the article no longer assumes dinosaurs as endotherms and again the listening also believes that
dinosaurs are not endotherms.
I think the article assumes dinosaurs as endotherms and the lecture refutes it.

So, no longer assumes dinosaurs as not endotherms is it means that they are endotherms or not endotherms.


texts: Why use the" have+p.p "in this sentence?

texts:
Once you've obtained your precious ticket, you can relax in the cafe with a snack and an ice cold drink as huskies roam around on the hunt for some snacks.

Why use “you've obtained” in the sentence, isn't use the present tenses ?
What is the “as” meaning in the sentence?

Thank you.


texts: Missing 'us' in "The knowledge enables to determine..."

texts:
I have seen in at least two academic contexts sentences such as

  The knowledge enables to determine...

I would instead write

  The knowledge enables us to determine...

Since English is, in all of these cases, a non-native language for the writer, I am not sure if the word 'us' belongs in this type of sentences.

Is it correct to add the word 'us'? Is it correct to omit it?


texts:
"Subdue" means to control a group of people. So, I expected that "subdued" to mean "people/things under control". So, I expected to use it like "subdued people/nations/groups/countries/etc.". However, it apparently means something else.

So, what other terms I can use for my purpose above, "groups or people under sovereignty or control (of a historical Empire)"?


texts: Can I say "government of the prefecture"?

texts:
I want to express like this sentence,

"According to the government of Kanagawa prefecture, there is no child who is waiting for a nursery school."

Should I use "government" or is it better to use "public administration of Kanagawa prefecture"?


texts: What adjectives do you use for someone who is constantly striving for glory and loves to be admired? In Russian we use the adjective тщеславный for this. It translates as vain or conceited in English. But those word aren't defined as someone who loves to be admired by others and as someone who is always striving for glory.


texts: Is it correct in formal writing to use Firstly alone?

texts:
My colleague will have to present her report some time in this week. She wanted some preparation for the presentation and asked me to be her audience. In her presentation, she said:

  Firstly, company A's annual income is at least 4 times more than Company B's. And then...

I asked her, "and...?"

I meant where are secondly and thirdly and so on? But she said, "That's all."

Referring to my colleague's sentences, is it grammatical to use "Firstly" alone without "secondly," "thirdly"? Or is it just an informal way to use "Firstly" this way?


texts: "Please use English" or "Please use the English language"?

texts:
We are having an argument, about the correctness of saying "Please use English".

A: Is it correct?
B: Is "Please use the English language" more correct?
C: Is the "Please use English" acceptable as a way to shorten the expression? (it is for a title, so space is scarce)

One side argues that "Please use English" would incite people to for instance take British persons and make them cook Fish & Chips.


texts:
Is "of blue" in order to mean "blue" grammatical? I am wondering if saying "blue sky" means the same thing as "sky of blue"? Is it grammatical? How idiomatic it is? I've seen some passage use similar structure in poems, but I am not sure how correct it is.

  A shower of brilliant fireworks was reflected in the ponds; dazzling rockets rivaled the fire of the Pleiades in the sky of dark azure.


texts: past simple or past perfect in this example

texts:
The tree was planted by settlers who founded the city over 400 years ago.
What was done first? planted the tree or founded the city .
Would it be clearer if it was had founded because I suppose the foundation  was first. May be the date the tree was planted is not important or maybe both action were done almost at the same time


texts: what is the use of "used" in this sentence?

texts:
I want to know the difference between these two sentences.

I used to go by bus to school.
I go by bus to school.

In the first sentence is it necessary to use the word used?

Thanks in Advance.


texts: "being one of the masses", or; "being one of the mass"

texts:
Writing an English book as non native speaker leaves one suspended in mid-air on numerous issues. Should mass here be plural or singular?

  being one of the masses
  being one of the mass

I've tried to Google it, but nothing useful popped up.


texts:
Is the use "intended on" natural in this  context?

Someone says something that was satirical.  So the listener got it and jokingly asked:

  Who was this pun intended on?

Is the use of "intended on" natural or should it be "for"?


texts: "[..] to bother you again" vs "[..] for bothering you"

texts:
What is the difference between

I am sorry to bother you again.

and

I am sorry for bothering you.

Do they mean the same thing because again implies that it is not the first time the person  has bothered the other one; as if "bothering" was an ongoing action (began in the past and  has continued up to now).
So what is the difference? Does the gerund imply that the action has lasted for a long time: a kind of habit?


texts:
I've heard this phrase recently:

Are you paying attention for this crucial information?

It's a mistake, isn't it?
I wouldn't ask you about that, if this person wasn't a British one.
Why did she say so?


texts:
Reporter: Hi. Today we're here with Captain Paul Lesley of the fire department and he's going to give us a few tips about fire prevention around a stove.
Captain: When you're cooking with oil, so you want to make sure you got a lid that fits your pot securely. You got that available. The reason for that is that if the pot catches fire,
you could slide that slowly over the pot and extinguish the fire.

What does " You got that available" mean?


texts:
Which one is right?

I have been to New York in 2015.

and

I went to New York in 2015.

I think the first one is wrong and the second one is right.
but still, I am not sure if we can use 'in time' in present perfect.


texts:
A native speaker said to me that this sentence is not correct with can, I have to use could.

  The story can could be true.

He said that if a story can be true, it means that it is true. But if I'm not sure and I want to encode uncertanty I have to use could. But I think that any story is potentially true or not, it may turn out to be either way, so it actually can have this property to be true.

I also know that this sentence is correct:

  The weather is nice but it can change later.

So if the weather can change when we are not sure that it will happen, so that the story can be true, when we are not sure that it is.

Can you settle this dispute?


texts: Is this a run-on? If so, how to fix it while maintaining flow?

texts:
Is the emphasized text a run-on sentence?

  I believe that a person who truly understands the value of their life will spend each and every moment aiming to become a stronger person: mentally, physically, and spiritually. Not for selfish or base pleasures, but to enrich both his and her own life and, more importantly, to enrich the lives of his loved ones, community, and the world.


texts: Capitalizing family members' names (i.e. nouns, NOT proper nouns)

texts:
My daughter's English text book has a note which reads if you are directly talking to a person about the only person in your house, it can be capitalized.

For example:

  "Mommy, have you seen my tab?"  "What would I do with it? Ask your Sister. She's fond of playing on it"

I want to confirm the capitalization of 'sister' here. This is new to me, actually!

And yes, it has nothing to do with emphasizing 'sister' that many may think the reason of capitalizing. Say--

  "Yes, last night I asked Mommy about it, but then she gave a reluctant smile!"


texts: Can we drop the T sound in word grunting in American English?

texts:
I was taught that when the T sound after an N sound, the T can be dropped in American English. As internet can be pronounced as innernet, winter can be winner, printer can be prinner.

What about grunting? Can we dropped the t sound? Or the rule is only apply to some specific words as I mentioned above?


texts: We're out of time. We're running out of time

texts:
What is the difference between "We're out of time." and "We're running out of time."?

Are they both correct phrases? And they have same meaning?
Could you please tell me what is the difference.


texts: What does "final word" mean in this context?

texts:
Which option should I choose here?
http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/final%20word

"For investors, a sigh of relief over France is understandable. But the election may not yet be the final word."

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/investors-are-breathing-a-sigh-of-relief-over-france-for-now-2017-05-07


texts: Is "He told me he will come here." redundant?

texts:
I feel the sentence, "He told me he will come here." is redundant and bit wired because "he" appears twice.

I'm writing the sentence in a message to my close friend. So, I can say it with casual manner.

I guess "He told me to come here." is wrong sentence. How do I rewrite that sentence to be more simple and casual?


texts:
What is the difference between

a three-week holiday

a three-weeks' holiday

  I am so tired so I want to take a three-week / a three-weeks holiday.

Which one is more suitable to use or which is the correct one?


texts:
Which word is it better to use when someone get a new job and they are at it right now?

  I am at my new job.

  I am at my new work.


texts: What is Google Play Services' "location with low power consumption"?

texts:
According to TEKNOLOGYA, Google Play Services "offers features that allow you to manage access to Google services, the location with low power consumption, the management of privacy settings and the installation and update of all applications from the Play Store."
Could someone help me understand what is "a location with low power consumption" in Google Play services? Thank you !


texts: What do you think about the sentence, "Quality does not compromise?"

texts:
“Quality does not compromise.”

Do you think the sentence is natural? Even if it is grammatically correct, I think quality is something that "is compromised", since it doesn't have any power on its own to "compromise".

Back to the question. Do you think it's grammatically correct and natural? If not, how would you change the sentence?


texts: Use of verb when "either" is used in the sentence

texts:
For the sentence:

Either the method used by the student or the techniques used by the teacher __________ a re-examination before we move ahead.

Will we use 'need' or 'needs' for the blank?
On reading the sentence for the first time, I thought it would be 'need'. But I am not sure if the verb has to comply with the first part or the second part, where 'either' is concerned.
So what should be the answer?


texts: "We need to protect (environment / the environment) from pollution"

texts:
We need to protect (environment / the environment) from pollution

I have confusion in above question. Should I use 'the' or not?


texts: “There goes my chances” or “There go my chances"

texts: Is “there goes my chances” or “there go my chances” correct? The first seems to be more natural, but since chances is plural, shouldn’t you use “go” instead of “goes”?


texts: "turn down the volume" or "turn the volume down" - phrasal verb structure

texts:
I'm learning about phrasal verbs, but I'm not sure if I'll use them correctly.
Which one of the following phrasal verb uses correct:

-I don't know how to turn down the volume?
-I don't know how to turn the volume down?

I always think that they're same, but lately I feel like there must be a rule how to use them correctly, or perhaps they get different meanings?


texts: What is the difference between abstract noun and stative verb?

texts: A noun has several types, like proper, common, collective, etc.; while verbs can be classified as transitive and intransitive. what is the difference between noun and verb? what is the difference between abstract noun and stative verb?


texts: Where can I add "already" in "I am going to have gone to bed by the time you come home"?

texts:
I am going to have gone to bed by the time you come home

Where can I add "already" in this question?


texts: why we need dummy subjects and it's usage?

texts:
There is a book on the table -- existential clause
A book is on the table -- basic version
A book is there -- (there= on the table, adverb of place)
An existential clause is a clause that refers to the existence or presence of something. If something exists in some place then we use adverbs of place. So adverbs can fulfill the use of existence or presence of something. Then why we need dummy subjects and its usage?
A book is there ~ There is a book.
If we point out that thing (here "the book") and tell that " There is a book", here "there" is not used as dummy subject but it is an adverb. The normal word order in positive sentence is “A book is there” (subject-verb-other components) but here “adverb-verb-subject”. Can we use this order? And which order is the best to use and why?


texts:
What will be the question tags for the following two sentences

  I have a correct answer.

  She had another answer.

According to me it should be

  Don't I?
  Didn't she?

Respectively


texts:
I am having some difficulties in an attempt to understand the meaning of the sentence:

  Of many companies of bells that ring
  Rousing pale visions of majestic days
  The windy years have strewn down different ways;
  And in the halls still doth thy spirit sing
  Songs of old memory amid thy present tears,
  Or hope of days to come half sad with many fears.

Can someone phrase this sentence differently (particularly the last four lines), but so as to lose as less as possible of the original exact meaning?


texts:
"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"
      Their mother suddenly became very stern. "I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."
      "All right, keep your hair on."
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Don’t you dare is an idiom showed in OALD and dare can be stranded, says CGEL (p.110).  But when you say a directive not to do something like don’t you dare ask him about it, the complement of dare needs only to be an bare infinitive, not permitting don’t you dare to ask him about it? (OALD says lexical verb dare can have to-infinitive or bare infinitive.)


texts: If something happens at, say, 1 A.M. on December 10, how should I say it?

texts:
Is it

  on the night of December 9

or

  on the night of December 10

or

  on the morning of December 10

What is a grammatically correct way to refer to 1 A.M. December 10?


texts: Help me understand this quote: "There are two kinds of leaders, cowboys and shepherds. Cowboys drive and shepherds lead."

texts:
I came across a quote by JP Warren

  There are two kinds of leaders, cowboys and shepherds. Cowboys drive and shepherds lead.

Question 1: Why are cowboys called leaders in the very first clause because the later part of the quote don't prove them leaders.

Question 2: If cowboys drive livestock, they lead them, don't they? And if shepherds lead livestock, they drive them, don't they?

The meaning of lead and drive in this context is the same. Am I missing something?


texts:
If you were to add up all of the people who have some psychiatric disorder, struggle with depression or suicidal thoughts, have been subjected to neglect or abuse, have dealt with tragedy or the death of a loved one, and have survived serious health issues, accidents, or trauma.

I am not sure if this sentence is correct or not if we consider the parallel structure. Can anyone please tell me if its right or wrong, and why?


texts:
From NPR: Obama's State Of The Union And Your Economic Reality

  OBAMA: Average wages have barely budged. Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled. The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by, let alone to get ahead. And too many still aren't working at all.

What's the meaning of "ever" here? I've looked the word up in the dictionary, but couldn't find a proper definition. Is it only used to emphasize the context?


texts: Grammatical terms for different verbs in a multi-verb structure

texts:
e.g.
We want to leave.
I like to sleep.
She tries to help.
They go running.

In these sentences what grammatical term would you use for want/like/try/go, and what would you call to leave/sleep/help/run? How do you differentiate between the two verb-roles?

I’m not looking for „infinitive” as an answer.
Is the 1st group called primary verbs of the sentence? Auxiliary verbs? Helping verbs? Linking-verbs?
Is the 2nd group called secondary verbs? Main verbs? Verb-objects? Linked verbs?

And while at it: what would be the grammatical term for this whole structure? I used the word multi-verb structure, but maybe there’s a better way to describe it.


texts:
In the following sentence, I mean policy makers and decision makers. It is not clear to me how to express this and where to place the comma:

If I use this:

  This study benefit vendors, policy and decision makers

Or

  This study benefit vendors, policy, and decision makers


texts: Is it correct to say- "I love him and I admire him since I know him."?

texts: Is it correct to say- "I love him and I admire him since I know him." ?


texts: 'immediately before', 'right before' and 'just before'

texts:
What is the difference (if any) between immediately before, right before and just before ?

What is the most suitable one to use in this sentence:

  The paragraph ..... before the image.


texts:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pugetsound/species/salmon_cyc.html

this is the source providing sufficient information about the life cycle of salmon. From the article we could see that the life cycle involves varies stages :Incubation, Emergence, Freshwater Rearing, Estuary Rearing, Estuary Ocean Transition, Ocean Residence ...
The two of them as you can notice are called "Freshwater Rearing and Estuary Rearing". Now what gets stuck in my mind is their name - Rearing.  According to dictionaries, rearing means "Bring up and care for until they are fully grown" so to be able to say that the fish is reared in the freshwater or estuaries, there has to be a factor - mother fish - to care for the young, right? However, when we look through the life cycle we cannot see any other fish playing a role in the growth process of salmon. It reaches maturity on its own, from egg to the maturity. In conclusion, the question is that, how is the name of the process, rearing, relevant to the process itself? Why is that stage named as "Rearing" if a fish gets matured without any help ?


texts:
When I record a video in which I demonstrate a software application in action, I should say I click on the button or I am clicking on the button?

In the video, I click on the button one second after saying the sentence. They can use the application in the way in which I have shown them in anytime.


texts: Should I use "know" or "knows" in "How many of you {know/knows} English?"

texts:
How many of you {know/knows} English?

Without knowing the outcome of the above question are we supposed to use a singular verb or a plural verb?

This question is different from the one already asked as this question is used with a main verb 'know' where as the previous one with 'be' verbs.


texts: Using the verb graduate with the major or field of study (completing study of a field)

texts:
I was googling to see how the verb graduate is used. graduate college or graduate from college. and I got my answer to this in an article about this:

  Did you catch that ugly grammatical blunder? The problem is with the verb: graduated. In this context, it should always take the preposition from.

  Graduated from. You don't graduate college. College graduates you. You graduate from college.

However I couldn't find anything about completing study of some field and not college or highs school. Is it used the same? like this:

I have graduated from Computer Engineering.

or is there another verb to describe completing a field of study?


texts: is sentence "tend to be being mature" correct?

texts: Is sentence "They tend to be being mature" correct? Am I right in thinking that "being" is not needed here?


texts: Interpretation of "which must be widely open to tourist visits"

texts:
Particular care should be devoted to preserving and upgrading monuments, shrines and museums as well as archaeological and historic sites which must be widely open to tourist visits.

Interpretations:

1)The care should be devoted to only those sites that are visited a lot. I mean the sentence puts an emphasis on preserving the sites that are necessarily exposed to tourists, not all existent sites and monuments and the other mentioned.
Since restrictive clause has been used I jumped to this.

2)The mentioned should be preserved and upgraded and these places must be open to tourists. So first they should be safeguarded. Then they need to be prepared for visitors and be open to them. I mean the texts implies an obligation to provide the possibility of being visited. They should not be banned for visitors.
A translation of this text into an Asian language conveys this meaning!


texts: The ambiguity of structures like 'ask someone to do something'

texts:
When you, for example, appeal to someone to do something, do I understand correctly that it can both mean that that "something" is what you want them to do OR that it is the purpose of your appeal? For example, the sentence

  I appealed to her to get help.

seems to be ambiguous, am I right? Does it mean that you want her to get help or that the purpose of your appeal is to get help (for yourself)? It can mean both, can't it?


texts: Can "It mattered..." be rewritten like this "...was important"?

texts:
Can I rewrite the sentences in bold like this: "Not whether the parts of the system functioned, or even existed was important, but only that certain people, for a certain period of time, believed that they did was important"

  Instead of serving intended rational purposes, modern management techniques contributed to a saga that built external legitimacy and support and kept critics and legislators at bay. The myth afforded breathing space for work to go forward and elevated participants’ spirits and self-confidence. The Polaris story demonstrates the virtues of drama in engaging the attention and appreciation of both internal and external audiences: “An alchemist’s combination of whirling computers, bright-colored charts, and fast-talking public relations officers gave the Special Projects Office a truly effective management system. It mattered not whether the parts of the system functioned, or even existed. It mattered only that certain people, for a certain period of time, believed that they did”(Sapolsky, 1972, p. 129).

Source: Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership


texts: She has that Rare character / rare characteristic

texts:
She has that rare character - the ability to listen to people.

This is a sentence improvement question asked in my exam.

I was given four options out of which I managed to rule out two options but these two options are confusing me

(A)  rare characteristic

(B) no improvement

My  book says it's no improvement.  But If I go by the meaning given in dictionary option A seems a little better although both almost mean same thing. Is there any difference in meaning of the two words ?


texts: correct adjective: (a clear memory) or (a strong memory) or (a deep memory)

texts:
(1) Jack has a clear memory of his most important childhood event.
(2) Jack has a strong memory of his most important childhood event.
(3) Jack has a deep memory of his most important childhood event.
Which adjective for "memory" is correct?


texts: To have different colors or to be different colors?

texts:
could you please tell me whether the following sentences are both grammatically correct and whether both of them sound natural?

  These objects (e.g. flowers) can have many different colors.

  These objects (e.g. flowers) can be many different colors.


texts:
a list in python looks like

list_of_int = [1, 2, 3]

there are 3 items in this list.

the question is, when there are more than one items in the list, should i say "a list of item" or "a list of items"


texts:
I've recently heard the follwing sentence in a text for children learning English:

  The blackboard is square.

It got translated to the German equivalent of “the blackboard is quadrilateral”. The English version felt plain wrong to me, since to me a square has to have four right angles and four edges of equal length, while blackboards tend to be wider than they are high. But since my professional interest lies with geometry, I might be overly picky when it comes to using correct terms for geometric objects.

I've seen an online dictionary use the term “square” as a possible translation for the German term for quadrilateral. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary, on the other hand, only gives the precise mathematical meaning, with no leeway for rectangles or other quads.

So I wonder, what's the common man-on-the-street interpretation of the word “square”? If presented with a definitely non-sequare rectangle (in the mathematical sense), would people call this a square by themselves, or accept square as a correct term if used by someone else? How about a quadrilateral which is not even rectangular?

The accepted answer at In daily conversation, can I call an object (eg a button) square to emphasize it's not round even though it's rectangular? suggests reserving the word “square” for things which are actually square in the mathematical sense. While I agree with that preference in active use, I'd like to gain some intuition whether diverging from this is plain wrong, or just imprecise everyday language.


texts:
I would like to use the word "know-how" in my letter of application.
(I don't want to use "experience" as a replacement because I have used it before, therefore it wouldn't sound nice.)

Can I use it in this case or is it informal?


texts: She is carving in the door. How to change it into passive voice? If I write it like this; the door is being carved. So, where the "in" is to be put.


texts: "Orange" is a countable noun, can we say "he is eating orange or some orange" when we mean "he is eating some segments of an orange"?

texts:
or‧ange 1 /ˈɒrəndʒ $ ˈɔː-, ˈɑː-/ ●●● S1 W2 noun

  1 Image of orange[countable] a round fruit that has a thick orange
  skin and is divided into parts inside

  Peel the oranges and divide them into segments.

  orange juice

  orange peel

  orange groves (=areas of orange trees)

A little child can only eat some segments of an orange. An orange or 2 oranges are way too much for him.

So, if I say "he is eating oranges or some oranges" then that is not right.

But if I say "he is eating orange or some orange" then it breaks the rule which says "countable nouns can not stand alone in its singular form without articles" (source)

can we say "he is eating orange or some orange" when we mean "he is eating some segments of an orange"?


texts:
I have seen an article regarding whether should we exercise first thing in morning or not and I came across a sentence which seems a little odd to understand.

  Early morning exercise can be bad for your health, say researchers.

  They claim the body's immune system is not ready to cope with intense
  exercise first thing in the morning.

  A pre-breakfast work-out puts the exerciser at greater risk of
  infection than the same level of exertion after work, the study by
  sports scientists suggests.

(Source)

What does "work" mean here?


texts:
One of the cops escorts Tim out of the house and toward a police car. Curious neighbors have gathered outside. Tim spits on the cop escorting him. (1) - Tim spits on the cop who's escorting him. (2) - Tim spits on the escorting cop. (3)

Are the three suggested sentences all OK or are some of them awkward-sounding?


texts: Why would you say "it changed me" instead of "it changed myself" here?

texts:
I was correcting a sentence written by a Japanese friend, and I corrected one of his sentences to:

  "Learning foreign languages changed me".

He asked me why he could not use "myself" instead. I am kind of at a loss of how to explain this to him. Please help me. Thank you in advance.


texts: subject verb agreement question - was or were?

texts:
The other THING that made that night special for me WAS/WERE the GUESTS.

Do we bring "was" because of "thing" or "were" because of "guests"?


texts: Is the phrase "let's go harvest" correct?

texts:
I wonder if "let's go harvest" as a line in a song would be more fluent than "let's go harvesting" which sounds to me really heavy. What is your point about that?
Thanks for your answers.


texts: "I'm missing someone" vs "I miss someone"

texts: I'm missing someone, this sentence is correct? and what is the difference it then I miss someone?


texts: Custom question lists is available for testing - why?

texts:
There is a Meta SE post title

  Custom question lists is available for testing

Maybe my question is stupid, but why is it correct? Why not "Custom question lists are available for testing"?


texts: What are the names for physical compounds of letters?

texts:
What's the name for a group of letters that create a unified information/message like this? (I'm looking for a general name whether they are on a sign, engraved, or written)

letters
If I write myself a note on a paper, is it a sign?
If a building has a name of the enterprise on it, can I say it's written on it whatever is the format of the letters?
If the name of the enterprise is engraved or embossed, what to call it? Can I call it a sign?

letters 3D

In Czech, I'd call all of these nápis, which translates as sign, inscription, lettering but I'm confused about differences between them.


texts: Are "have" and "need" interchangeable here?

texts:
A: Do you have a good relationship with your ex-husband?
B: Define "good."
A: Can you talk to each other?
B: When we have/need to.
Are "When we have to" and "When we need to" interchangeable in the context? Are they equally natural?


texts: Synonym for 'mainly unsubstantiated' or 'claims-making'

texts:
I'm looking for a synonym that implies mainly unsubstantiated.

This synonym is going to be used in the following sentence.

  How a _______ industry dictates the most unique experience.

By 'mainly unsubstantiated' I mean an industry that is primarily built on 'unfounded claims', e.g. the beauty industry, where many claims are hardly backed scientifically. However, I'm not talking about the beauty industry.

It would need to be a single word, and it needs to precede "industry" in the sentence.

Words such as:

fallacious
delusive
deceitful
deluding

are considered as being 'too strong'.

UPDATE 1:
Maybe a single word for claims-making such as in a 'claims-making industry'

UPDATE 2:
Maybe I will be going with conjecturing as in 'How a conjecturing industry dictates the most unique experience.'


texts:
Many opinions have been voiced of the likely effective computer
  A.Many B.have been C.effective D.computer

In my point of view, the question has no error
If I am wrong plz correct me..


texts: What does "in two months’ time" mean in this paragraph?

texts:
I have the book "if life's a game these are the rules". In the Epilogue, the writer said:

  if you did enjoy reading this and want to improve your life, do yourself a favor and set yourself a reminder to read this book again in two months’ time.

What does "read this book again in two months’ time" mean? Does it mean "read this book over and over during two months’ time", or "two months’ time after first read, I should read this book again"


texts:
Look at theses sentences taken from an esl exercise:

  In Nigeria, a three-year-old British girl has been reunited with her parents after being freed by kidnappers in southern Nigeria who  had held her for four days.
  Margaret Hill's parents, Mike and Oluchi Hill, said she was in good health but "covered in mosquito bites".

I don't understand  why it is not "had been holding" as the emphasis is on the duration  "for 4 days" not on the result. Am I wrong?


texts: A verb to describe a smart response to a joke

texts:
Jenny: Why did you come home earlier than me?
Jack: Well, because I am smarter than you. That's why!   :)
Jenny: But how come only today?  :)
Jack:  :(

In the conversation above we can see that Jenny has brilliantly responded to Jack's joke in such a way that his joke came back on him, meaning that he got trapped by his own joke.
I wonder what past participle in English would precisely describe Jenny's response here. Should it be something like:

Jenny never leaves any of his jokes unanswered.

or

Jenny never leaves any of his jokes unreturned.

or

Jenny never leaves any of his jokes not come back.

or

Jenny never leaves any of his jokes unequaled.

or

Jenny never leaves any of his jokes unpaid back.

or

Jenny never leaves any of his jokes ____________. ?


texts: What English common word or phrase used to describe Passing of humorous complimentary remarks while eating a good food that one is unaccustomed to?

texts:
What  English common word or phrase used to describe Passing of humorous complimentary remarks on food one is eating (the remarks are considered silly or funny and as showing that the speaker is unaccustomed to good or well-cooked meals)?

I am looking for English equivalent expression for a Hausa word santi or fanya.

For example, Mr A hosted Mr B for a dinner in his house. Mr B was served a good food (specially prepared for him) eating together with Mr A and some members of A's family. During the dinner Mr B suddenly made a remark not necessarily considered complimentary but considered silly and funny by his listeners.

Assuming I am among the listeners who were laughing already, how could I in English common expression show that the speaker was carried away by the taste of the good food to make fun of him alluding to the fact that he was unaccustomed to that type of food which he never ate before?


texts: Why present tense in “Direct hit and Amla was gone but Kohli misses”?

texts:
I've just stumbled upon this quote from a commentary,

  Direct hit and Amla was gone but Kohli misses.

Is this sentence grammatically correct?

Why is it misses? The event has already been happened by the time when he says this, so why would it not be therefore written in past tense?


texts: Nuance of benchmark, criterion and so on

texts:
I was wondering if someone could tell me about the slight semantic nuance between the words bellow and when each one can be used:

Benchmark

Criterion

Yardstick

Touchstone

For me 'benchmark' and 'criterion' mean the same and 'yardstick'and 'touchstone' mean the same too.


texts:
Now, we provide the definitions of A, B and C.

In the above sentence, should I put an s for word definition or not?


texts: Why ordinal number has been used in "fourth helpings at every meal"?

texts:
Mrs Weasley fussed over the state of his socks and tried to force him to eat fourth helpings at every meal.

The word "helping" is a countable noun, meaning a single portion of food taken at a meal. So, I might think four helpings at every meal seems to be more reasonable. On the other hand, usually the ordinal number is preceded by the definite article "the", like "the fourth helpings". Any thoughts?


texts: Meaning of 'you understand' in the context

texts:
I know the literal meaning of 'you understand', but this sentence in the context below seems to have another meaning. Here is the example, which is from a novel 'Baker's blue-jay yarn' by Mark Twain.

It was a knothole in the roof. He cocked his head to one side, shut one eye and put the other one to the hole, like a 'possum looking down a jug; then he glanced up with his bright eyes, gave a wink or two with his wings - which signifies gratification, you understand - and says, 'It looks like a hole, it's located like a hole - blamed if I don't believe it is a hole!'


texts: Is the following sentence unclear for a native speaker?

texts:
"As your company is currently doing, I also believe that now is the perfect time to invest in AR/VR."

What I wanted to express is that I'm currently investing in AR/VR as the company I'm contacting.


texts: What's mullet they are saying in this video?

texts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGc-ZawSoyE&t=944s

I found the meaning of 'mullet' in dictionary and it's a fish..?
Does it mean a real fish what they are saying in this video about Ezra's hair ..?


texts:
I'm new to English. Could anyone tell me what is wrong with the first statement?

She held the bag tightly, even her arm hurt badly.
She held the bag tight, even her arm hurt badly.
(Correct one according to a source)


texts: Idiom request for describing a guy who's crazy but not stupid

texts: Take Kim Jong-un for example, he's regarded as one of the most dangerous men in the world. However, behind his crazy action we can certainly discern his secret motives for making nuclear threats.


texts: This task requires "all conditions to be met" or "that all conditions are met"?

texts:
This text is a "hint" that is shown for a task in a task management app.
I want to indicate to a user that this specific task is only created when all conditions from a list are satisfied.
Please help me to put it in a grammatically correct way.


texts: "Most" is used as an adjective and an adverb

texts:
I read a sentence " He gave the most money". In this sentence "most" is used as an adjective. If I want to use "most" as an adverb can I say "He gave money the most" Is the latter correct grammar? and if it is does it sound natural?

Thank you :-)


texts: What is the document called that parents have to sign so their underage children can take part in something?

texts: When you're a kid and you want to go to some event or a school excursion you have to bring a document signed by your parents saying that they've given their permission. What is this document usually called?


texts: Does the sentence "Aren't they pretty!" mean "They are pretty."?


texts: What are the differences among these phrases? as long as VS so long as VS as far as VS so far as

texts:
It is hard to tell the differences these phrases below.

Are they really different or interchangeable?

as long as
so long as
as far as
so far as


texts:
When reading about the 2016 Brussels bombings on wikipedia, I came across a paragraph that was a bit difficult to comprehend.

  Belgium also has the highest number per capita of foreign fighters in Syria of any western country, with nearly 500 having left for Syria and Iraq as of 2016.

The source of the claim is a CNN article. Searching for '500' brings us to the following paragraph:

  Per capita, Belgium has the highest number of foreign fighters in Syria of any Western European nation. Experts say nearly 500 men and women have left Belgium for Syria and Iraq since 2012.

From the context, I gather that people have left Belgium to actually join extremists, but the phrasing first lead me to believe that people were leaving Belgium to fight extremists (as in, deployed by the Belgian Armed Forces).

I am having trouble breaking down this sentence, and essentially would like to ask:

What does it mean to be a "foreign fighter"?
What does it mean for a country (Belgium) to "have foreign fighters"?
What does it mean to "leave Belgium for Syria"?

Am I correct to assume that a lot of critical information is missing from the above quote, and actually needs context to make sense?


texts: "Suspect someone" VS "Be suspicious of someone"

texts:
I was wondering whether the words "suspect" as a transitive verbs and the phrasal verb "be suspicious of..." mean the same or not.
Example:

1- No one knows who killed her, but police suspect Sam.
2- No one knows who killed her, but police are suspicious of Sam.

To me they both mean the same thing. If I am mistaken, please let me know about their nuance.
PS. Unfortunately, I did not find the similar thread quite helpful.


texts:
What is the difference between these expressions :

I want to do something
I need to do something
I would like to do something

Specially when you want to ask for help (In doing something).

and is "I'm wanting ..." right?


texts: Can "something is off" be used for objects or events as well? I have found it mostly being used to describe people.


texts: Would a pupil say: "I'm afraid of getting bad marks." or "I'm afraid to get bad marks."? What is the nuance introduced by OF and TO?


texts: What is exact difference between ( Accent - Dialect - Colloquial )?

texts:
I know the meaning of these words but I don't know the difference between them exactly.

Would you tell me what the difference between these words is?
Accent - Dialect - Colloquial.

I would be thankful if you give me some examples in your answer.


texts: average Joe vs. ordinary Joe vs. everyday normal guy vs. regular guy

texts:
I'd like to write something like the following sentence.

Original sentence:
Like a regular guy, you don't like picking up your dirty socks.

Or maybe this sentence is not a wise word choice because a regular guy seems to be a positive thing.

Unfortunately, I'm stuck. I have no idea which one is the best choice.

Average Joe, ordinary Joe

average Joe --> urban dictionary

average Joe, ordinary Joe --> wikipedia

average Joe --> a title of tv series

Everyday normal guy

everyday normal guy --> youtube

everyday normal guy 2 --> youtube

Regular guy

regular guy --> urbandictionary

regular guy --> a title of a book

I have a few questions:

Which of these terms are neutral ones?
Are "average Joe" or "ordinary Joe" old-fashioned? Do people use them in 2018?
Which one is the best choice for my sentence?

My summary:
The word choice depends on a person who says such a sentence.

1) a regular guy
Man who assumes it's normal to do such things

Like a regular guy, you don't like picking up your dirty socks.

2) a typical guy
Woman who criticizes the man's behavior:

Like a typical guy, you don't like picking up your dirty socks.

3) Who would say such a sentence?

Like an ordinary guy, you don't like picking up your dirty socks.


texts: Although usage with the sentences without contrast meaning

texts:
He is clever, but he is not proud.

My teacher ask me to change these two sentences into

  Although he is clever,he is not proud.

I think this sentence cannot be joined by using "although".In my point of view, the two sentences are not contrast. May I know your opinion? Thanks in advance.


texts: "it's even been linked to" VS "it's linked to"

texts:
Sleeplessness may also cause inflammation, hallucinations, high blood pressure, and it's even been linked to diabetes and obesity.
Sleeplessness may also cause inflammation, hallucinations, high blood pressure, and it's linked to diabetes and obesity.


texts:
I would like to know what word would fit best in the following sentence about computing:

  As the database size increased, the memory used by the program grew up which ultimately lead to a crash.

I am hesitating between "ultimately" and "eventually", but if anyone has a better idea, please share it with the community!

The information that I want to convey is:

The crash has happened.
It is an abrupt consequence of the memory growth. Before the crash, everything was working fine, which explains why nobody saw the problem coming.
However, the crash was still previsible: it was sure that one day the database size would be such that it will make the program use all the memory.


texts: Single verb for multiple subjects vs multiple verbs for multiple subjects

texts:
I have different things to do. I would like to express this in a passive voice. I would like to understand the correct way to do this in English.

  Suppose that a model A is given, fitted to the simulated data and estimated.

or

  Suppose that a model A is given, is fitted to the simulated data and is estimated.

Do I need to repeat the verb or a single verb is enough?


texts: "Score monkeys fighting over a premise with fondue forks"

texts:
A joke Dennis Miller made is completely nonsensical to me.

  You would think that it would be... You get eight male comedians together at a dinner table would be like score monkeys fighting over a premise with fondue forks. But it was actually rather polite and curt (source: YouTube)

What are score monkeys? Why would they be fighting over a premise? Or was this line intended to be illogical as it gets?


texts:
I : You look like xxx

Girl : lol I'm a little shades off haha

I looked up google and dictionary but can't find any definition.

What does that mean?


texts:
I have always been confused about this pattern.

  I can't be the first person to forget to pay his taxes.

  That was the 11th family member to have been killed.

  He can't be the person to have committed the crime.

This pattern makes me confused about when I should use the who-clause and this pattern. Why are using to-infinitive here instead of adding the who-clause?

  I can't be the first person who forgets to pay his taxes.

  That was the 11th family member who has been  killed.

  He can't be the person who has committed the crime.

My second question: Are there situations in which the use of one of them is more appropriate than the other?

My third question: What grammatical concept does this particular pattern represent?


texts: Does the word glowing have a meaning of appearing?

texts:
Fireflies very similar to those we see today have been found fossilised in rocks which were formed about 30 million years ago, and their ancestors were probably glowing long before then.

I am guessing the word glowing here, which probably means that fireflies' ancestors appear or exist long before 30 million years ago. However, I am not sure about this because there is no such meaning in either Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries. While the other meanings from the dictionaries do not make sense to me.

What does the word "glowing" mean?


texts: What should I say if someone from the opposite side of the earth says “good morning”?

texts:
This may sound like a silly question, but I'm having a bit of confusion.

I'm not sure what to say. I work remotely and I am a member of a team on the opposite side of the earth. On the chat, when they say “good morning” or “good night”, I get confused about what I should reply because when they are enjoying morning it is night for me.

Should I say “good morning” when they say “good morning”? Can I say “good morning” to them when it's morning for me? Thanks!!


texts:
I've been taught that a child is gender-neutral noun. But in the textbook on linguistics I've been reading, the noun is used as feminine. For example, a sentence in the book goes like this:

  The child must also learn many aspects of grammar from her specific linguistic environment.

Is there an explanation for the use of the pronoun her instead of its?


texts: where CSS cascades, so HTML inherits -- I don't quite get how "so" is used in this context

texts:
Inheritance describes situations where HTML elements inherit stylistic properties from a
  parent element. By not declaring a particular CSS value for the child element, that child element may in some circumstances inherit the CSS value given to the parent element. Where CSS
  cascades, so HTML inherits.

If we get rid of so, the sentence, at least to me, reads quite well: where CSS cascades, HTML inherits. That makes perfect sense. But I don't know how I should understand the sentence when that so is thrown into the mix. What meaning does it have then?


texts:
Is there any difference between with and by in sentences below?

  You can buy better one by an extra payment of $400.

  You can buy better one with an extra payment of $400.

When I use these preposition I know what “with” means here. But I couldn’t understand what “by” means . Is it used like “with” or “by making extra payment”?


texts: What exactly does the verb "fall" mean when it is used for a cake?

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

  When my mother tried it [raisin pound cake], the cake fell almost every time.


texts:
I want to thank reviewer #1 and reviewer #2. Should I say

  We thank reviewer #1 and #2

or

  We thank reviewers #1 and #2


texts: "Have you fell in love" or "Have you fallen in love"

texts: Can someone please explain to me which is the correct statement between the two? "Have you fell in love with someone who's shorter than you?" Or "Have you fallen in love with someone who's shorter than you?"


texts: meanings of "the cares of the Curia" and "cross the thresholds of the mighty"

texts:
I'm reading an article about Italian poet Petrarch. The article says that he enjoyed solitary life and quotes his sentences as follow:

  I flee men’s traces, follow the birds, love the shadows, enjoy the mossy caves and the greening fields, curse the cares of the Curia, avoid the city’s tumult, refuse to cross the thresholds of the mighty, mock the concerns of the mob.

There are two parts of this quote I don't understand. Firstly, does "Curia" refer to a church? If so, why would he "curse the cares of the Curia"?

Secondly, what does "the mighty" refer to? What does "cross the thresholds of
the mighty" mean?


texts: Is "bull nose pliers" a lesser used synonym for "combination pliers" and "Lineman's pliers"?

texts: I couldn't find a definition for "bull nose pliers". I've had a look at the results in Google Images and it looks to me that "bull-nose pliers" could be a synonym for "combination pliers" and "Lineman's pliers", but I'm no expert. Wikipedia, however, lists only Lineman's, linesman's (US English), linesman pliers (Canadian English), combination pliers and side-cutting plier for the same type of pliers. Bull nose pliers don't appear on their site at all as a term, and it's hard for me to make out any particular characteristics of this tool to set it apart.


texts: How to describe a 90-degree down instead of up side down?

texts: In a scenario of a box, up side down is a 180 degree down. But, how to describe a 90 degree down? Such as fall down? Thank you!


texts: Mispronounce dʒ as tʃ - Do native English speakers do that sometimes?

texts:
I hear dʒ is pronounced as tʃ in these examples:

J in "jailed" of the sentenence the Judge jailed Jokesters in jucy jails (from this video on youtube)
J in job (from Oxford Dictionary)
J in judge (from Oxford Dictionary & Collins Dictionary)

  Do you hear that or it's just my problem with /dʒ/ ?


texts:
I saw this sentence this morning and I don't know which word I should put

  ... world's worst ________ environmental disaster. (fold)

I know one form of fold is folding but it seems not suitable in this sentence. What is the correct word to fill the gap? Thank you


texts: "Call on somebody" vs "call out on somebody"

texts:
Are the two different?

Example sentence:

  Mary cheated on her exam. If her teachers called (out) on her, she'd just deny everything.

Note: I found the usage in some dictionaries:

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/call+on

  When I called her on her bad behavior, she apologized and said that it would not happen again.

But the examples refer to something not to somebody.


texts: Usage of embed : A larger item embedded in a smaller one?

texts:
A lahar deposit, formed once the flow stops, consists of clasts (rocks having diameters >16 mm) embedded in a matrix (a mixture of particles having diameters < 8 mm). (From ACT science test passage)

Based on the Oxford dictionary definition and examples:

~ sth (in sth) to fix sth firmly into a substance or solid object e.g.  an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg

I think it should be a small thing imbedded in a larger one, but the original sentence is showing the otherwise.


texts: Why use the past perfect in "Theodora had been beautifully bred"?

texts:
The Apple dictionary defines the word "breed" and gives this example to show a meaning:

  Theodora had been beautifully bred.

I know the past perfect comes when there are two actions in the past, and  one of them happened before the other; yet in this example there is only one verb or one action.

So what does it indicate or how does the meaning here differ from the simple past tense ?


texts: "This day will be forgotten just like the rest of the ones do" - Are alternatives to 'do' correct?

texts:
Sometimes I have difficulty with sentences which can seemingly end in more than one way but retain the same meaning.
Namely, I can think of several variations to use and they all sound natural and correct to me:

This day will be forgotten just like the rest of the ones do.
This day will be forgotten just like the rest of the ones get.
This day will be forgotten just like the rest of the ones become.

Are they all equally correct? Or is there more to it?


texts:
My son ate bread and the bread happened to stick to the "hard and soft palate" of his mouth.
I had to put my fingers in to "take it off".
What do people say "hard and soft palate" in everyday conversations?
For example, "the bread got stuck on her inner upper mouth and I had to take it off with my fingers"


texts: How to describe the decision in the future related to another future event

texts:
Here is the background facts:

I now live in Asia.
In the future, I am going to live abroad, in Europe.
It is (right now) my decision to adopt some kittens in Europe.

I'm not sure about constructing the present/future tenses to relate these two events like this.

"Once arriving abroad, in the new country, we decide to keep some kitten."
"Once arriving abroad, in the new country, we have decided to keep some kitten."
"Once arriving abroad, in the new country, we are going to keep some kitten."

Also, I'm not sure about the plural of "young cats":

Kitten?
Some kitten?

Many thanks.


texts: "If the bike wouldn't start soon, I wouldn't get the helmets."

texts:
I'm currently researching into Conditional Sentences, and from the sources I've seen so far (which range from ELL to its ELU, Wordreference,...), the "will" can be used in the if-clause, as in, for instance:

  If the bike will start, I will take the helmets just in case.

However common it may be.

The bigger question though is this:

  If the bike will start, I will get the helmets just in case

Then, should I rewrite this sentence, can it be like this?

  If the bike wouldn't start, I wouldn't get the helmets.

I doubt whether the latter one is semantically similar to the one prior. Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks a lot!

PS: Also, may anyone consider this rewriting too?

  Because aspirins won't cure it so I have to try other alternatives.

  ==> If aspirins will cure it, I don't have to try other alternatives.


texts: He has asked for my number/ he asked for my number

texts:
Today my teacher told me that when there are two girls having a conversation the only correct version is:

  This guy is so hot! He even asked for my telephone number!

While I think that version

  He has asked for my telephone number

is also correct, because they aren't talking about specified time - it happened, but it's not in the context of specified time, place etc.

Obviously, nobody would care in common conversation and everyday's language usage, the past simple version would be better in common usage, but I'm just curious if my teacher was right or not.


texts: Can you say "New York is in night time"?

texts:
New York is in night time.
  New York is night time.

Which one is correct?

I know that you use "It's night time in New York", but does the inversion sound wrong apart from the grammar problem?


texts:
Right down the long, broad, straight highway through Altona towards the centre of Hamburg other drivers had heard the same broadcast and were pulling in to the other side of the roads as if driving and listening to the radio had suddenly become mutually exclusive, which in a way they had.

Source: Frederick Forsyth: The Odessa File. Corgi Books: London, 1980, p. 12.

Can you please clarify to me the bolded part which does not make much sense to me. The translator of the novel to my native language this passage translates in a sense as: and that was true or that was the case.


texts: Name for the people who hustle you into restaurants

texts: What do you call those people who hustle you into restaurants, like those in tourist areas that stand in the street with a menu, suggesting you go into their restaurant. (Brussels is a good example.)


texts: What is the meaning of "in what its commanding officer said was a milestone for himself" in the following sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of "in what its commanding officer said was a milestone for himself" in the following sentence (source),

  The missile was fired by the submarine in what its commanding officer
  said was a milestone for himself.

Does it mean "The missile was fired by the submarine. in the submarine, that its commanding officer said was a milestone for himself" ?

What is the difference between "The missile was fired by the submarine in what its commanding officer said was a milestone for himself" and "The missile was fired by the submarine what its commanding officer said was a milestone for himself" ?


texts:
Please tell me which one is correct and why?

  "I want to make sure it's perfect"
  "I want to make sure it would be perfect"


texts:
Can the sentence

  See you next week too

be read as

  I, too, will be seeing you next week

Or, as I think, it could be read as

  see you this week and the next, too.


texts: what is the reason that "would " here to be used?

texts:
"Australopithecus afarensis had much longer arms and larger hands, which would have been useful for climbing trees"

(Note: Australopithecus aferencis was the early type of human beings)

again "would" involved sentence and again I'm facing a high dose of perplexity   -  What kind of sense an author wanted to give to the sentence by using "would have" construction?  I mean, couldn't we replace the "would have been"  with  "was" here?


texts: Why in the idiomatic phrase "to catch a cold" is there an article even though it's uncountable?

texts:
The word "cold' is a mass noun, meaning that it's uncountable noun. We cannot count cold as we cannon count hot. Nevertheless, we find a usage of "to catch a cold" using of an article before the mass noun "cold".

What is the explanation for that?


texts: Should I say "the reason is" or "the reason was"?

texts:
I was wondering if you could turn the "the reason is [...]" phrase into the past tense.

Can you turn "The reason I was late is because I slept in this morning." to "The reason I was late was because I slept in this morning."?
Should I have to push it further back, such as in "The reason I was late was because I had slept in that morning."?


texts: Anni's smoking habit has done seriously and potentially fatal damage to her lungs

texts:
has done seriously and potentially  fatal damage to
did damage that is seriously and potentially fatal
damaged, serious and potentially fatally
has done serious and potentially fatal damage to

Which will be the right answer and why???


texts: What decides where the definite article(s) goes in “A of B”?

texts:
Let's take the following for example: “trajectories of hand movement.” Is the only factor that decides which option below is correct whether "trajectories" or "hand movement" has been mentioned beforehand? Is Option 4 always incorrect?

A of B: Trajectories of hand movement are similar.
the A of B: The trajectories of hand movement are similar.
A of the B: Trajectories of the hand movement are similar.
the A of the B: The trajectories of the hand movement are similar.


texts: How do you say that some time had elapsed?

texts:
I want to express simply that some time had elapsed. Is the following correct?

  It was passed 10 minutes.

Are there any alternatives?


texts:
I think the sentence basically means that we need to consider the man's history to judge if something is good or ill fortune to him.
I also think the relevant part of it can be shortened as "good or ill fortune has a person identified by...". If I'm right, then what does "have someone identified by" mean in this context?

It therefore seems to me worth exploring the position that most good and ill fortune has as its subject a person identified by his history and his possibilities, rather than merely by his categorical state of the moment  -- and that while this subject can be exactly located in a sequence of places and times, the same is not necessarily true of the goods and ills that befall him.
-- From Nagel, Thomas. "Death." In Mortal Questions. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1979. pp. 1-10


texts:
RDA is the abbreviation of Redundancy analysis.

Can we say "the RDA method"?

Is that redundant? What should I say then?


texts:
Advertising used to be about persuading people to want your product. Now the task "seems to be to make "people admire your advertising.

Shouldn't we say "seems to make" or "seems to be making"?


texts: What is the difference between 'to be important _to_ smb' and 'to be important _for_ smb'?

texts: I have read in LDCE for Advanced Learners (2009) that 'when you mean that you care about smth a lot, say that it is important to you, not that it is important for you' and for instance in Face2Face Elementary (2nd edition) they teach you to use to be important to smb but I have come across on more than one occasion the exact same phrase with preposition for in coursebooks. I wonder what it means and whether there are any shades of meaning in usage in these two prepositions in the expression above.


texts:
I read this sentence in The Hindu:

  We have not seen national will on a similar scale since. This when we urgently need an agricultural initiative comparable in its transformative capacity today.

What does "this when" mean? And what does the whole sentence imply?


texts: What does "-" in the word first-class means?

texts: What does a hyphen signify in "first-class"? I can't seem to understand it.


texts: "My mom told me that this store is going to be hiring a cashier soon. " -- should mom be capitalized?

texts: I found the above sentence on a quiz. Mom should be capitalized because it is used as a  proper noun in the above sentence.


texts: OSASCOMP soft warm or warm soft? Does NOSACSCOMP offer the needed guidance?

texts:
Winter continues to chill us in Colorado. I enjoy lounging in my warm, soft sleep pants. Or are they soft and warm? I couldn't figure out which OSASCOMP category warm belongs in. To me, soft seems like a material. I found Adjectives  Word Order Woodward English, which adds number and condition to opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, and purpose: NOSCASCOMP. Can I trust the NOSCASCOMP guidance? In that case, maybe it doesn't matter because warm and soft could both be considered the condition of the pants. Or was my first instinct correct, that soft belongs to the material category?
Originally asked in English Language & Usage.


texts:
Is the phrase "on TV, radio, or in films" a good parallel structure?
Is it ok to say "on radio" without the definite article?


texts:
I’ve recently stumbled upon a “key word transformation” sentence which sounded like this:

  The poor harvest led to many families leaving the island.

It had to be transformed using the word “reason”. I rewrote it as follows:

  The poor harvest was the reason of many families leaving the island.

Is that wrong? I can’t find any information about it on the internet.


texts:
(1) We could create a product that helps people in need.

  (2) We can create a product that helps people in need.

  (3) We could create a product that could help people in need.

Between those three, (2) sounds the best to me. However, is (1) necessarily incorrect? More specifically, I'm concerned about whether it is permissible to use "helps" after "could." It sounds like some breach of tense agreement, but I can't be sure.


texts:
What is the difference between

  We have

and

  We do have?

Has it same meaning or different meanings?


texts: a phrase for using another battery for our vehicle

texts: Is there a phrase (or idiom) for a situation in which the battery of our vehicle is finished and we need to use the battery of another vehicle in order to start our engine?


texts:
I have seen a few restrictive and non-restrictive clauses with no ‘that’ and ‘which’ respectively. For example:

It’s a car I bought last year.
The pen I bought today.

To me, the sentences should be structured as follows:

It’s a car that I bought last year.
The pen, which I bought today.

Kindly let me know which amongst the above sentences are acceptable, grammatically.
Thank you.
Regards


texts:
direct(a) happening or done without involving other people, actions, etc. in between
and we can form it into an adverb "directly"

Ex: look directly into his eyes

but "directly" is also an adverb

direct(adv): without involving other people

are "Look directly into his eyes" and "Look direct into his eyes" the same?

I would think "Look direct into his eyes" is not common or strange but I am not sure although you can see 800 results when googling "Look direct into his eyes"


texts:
Today I bumped into this:

  "The woman responsible for this incident is not here at the moment."

The sentence sounds perfectly natural and easy for the ears. However, when I replace "the woman" with:

  "Tracy responsible for this incident is not here at the moment."

The whole thing becomes odd. To the extent of my knowledge, proper nouns and common nouns share all the placements and functions in a sentence so is this just my personal feeling or the 2nd sentence sounds weird to you.

On another note, I know that reduced relative pronoun can serve as attribute adjective in certain case like:

  "the man standing in the corner is my friend"

when the clause is in participle form

To my surprise I came across:

  "the people angry at the law are protesting"

To reiterate:

a/ Is the usage of sentence (2) correct, is there a rule to it?

b/ Can you just use any kind of adjective phrase to modify a noun and not just participle adj phrase like number (4)?

Thank you for reading.


texts:
A: A is drinking cups of coffee nonstop in the kitchen.

  B: What the hell! You trying to make your heart explode?

  A:  I am loading up on coffee. Because it is a pain in the ass
  getting to the kitchen and I don't want to come back here.

I quoted this dialogue from an american sitcom.

This sentence's construction seems little different to me. I suppose "getting to the kitchen" refers to "it".

I think I can rewrite it as in sentence 2:

  2- ...Because getting to the kitchen is a pain in the ass and I don't want to come back here.

Can I use sentence 3 too?

  3-  ...Because it is a pain in the ass which is getting to the kitchen
  and I don't want to come back here.


texts: How to read aloud this math symbol u_a(x)?

texts:
I asked a question about ua(x) just now.

Then I realized I have no idea how to read aloud the symbol.

Usually I read aloud X1 as "X one". Should I read aloud ua(x) as "u a of x"?


texts:
Prepositions are the words that join a noun, pronoun or the noun phrases and make each sentence complete. However, learning preposition is little tricky and hence, students should be conscious while reading a book or other documents and check the usage of the preposition.
  (Medium)

Why is the preposition "to" not used in this sentence? Like this:

  Prepositions are the words that join to a noun, pronoun or the noun phrases and make each sentence complete.


texts:
Why can't I hear and speak? Or,
Why can't I either hear or speak?
Why can't I see any pictures on Facebook and YouTube? Or,
Why can't I see any pictures on either Facebook or YouTube.

1 and 3 sound good to me. Are all of them usable?


texts: Is being, to be, or will be in this passive construction?

texts:
Here are the following sentences that I am having some problems with. The problem is that whether they are grammatical or ungrammatical.

The speed limit is being introduced gradually.

The speed limit is to be introduced gradually.

The speed limit will be introduced gradually.

To me, all these sentences are grammatical, although the aspects express slight differences.
I'm not an expert but if I'm not mistaken, these sentences are syntactically correct?


texts: What does "deliver" mean in this context?

texts:
A person on Reddit made a post showing a camera he found embedded in a log while he was splitting it.

A user commented and said:

  Develop the film and deliver!

What does deliver mean in this context? I have looked it up in several dictionaries, but couldn't find a definition that's relevant to the context.


texts: What do you call a person who orders/hires someone to commit a crime (e.g. a murder)?

texts: If someone pays someone else (through an intermediary or not) to illegally kill another person or commit some other crime, what noun should I use to describe the first individual? 'Customer'? 'Mandator'? 'Hirer'?