texts: Which one is the ellipsis of the sentence?

texts:
So, I thought that by taking an unrealistically utopian approach, I
  could keep the business from growing too much. Instead of trying to
  make it big, I was going to make it small. It was the opposite of
  ambition, so I had to think in a way that was the opposite of
  ambitious.

The above paragraph is on page6 of book Anything You Want by Dered Sivers. As for the bold sentence, I can't really understand its grammar. What I was taught in China is that the object of a preposition is always noun or pronoun. But in the last sentence, the preposition sits before an adjective－ambitious. How could this happen here?

I assume that there are two possibilities, but I'm not sure which one is grammatically correct.

1, There is an ellipsis of word being, so the sentence should be like 'It was the opposite of ambition, so I had to think in a way that was the opposite of being ambitious.' (but it seems the meaning is totally changed from what it was.)

2, The ellipsis is the noun after ambitious, and then it should be "It was the opposite of ambition, so I had to think in a way that was the opposite of an ambitious way. (I personally think this may be the correct on, but not really sure)

Is this usage a proper grammar way, or it's just informal, that preposition sits before an adjective?


texts:
"Curfew's been broken, you heard the noise," one of his companions told the barman. "Someone was out in the street against regulations -"

  "If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!"

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I only found be damned. I don't quite get "be damned to". What does it mean?

A side: what does the whole sentence is saying? "If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!"


texts:
The original sentence:

  It is recognition of compassion’s part that leads the upholders of
  capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in
  being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim.

My questions are:

Which one does "in being more sorry..." modify, "the abolitionists" or "sentimentality"? I would pick "the abolitionists."
Is it also fine to drop the preposition "in" before "being more sorry" as a state of being?

  It is recognition of compassion’s part that leads the upholders of
  capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality
  being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim.


texts: Using "definitely" with "may" or "might"

texts:
I'm a little bit worried about the use of "definitely" with "may" or "might":

I may definitely come to you in the evening.
He might definitely steal it from the shop if we don't stop him.

Could such a combination be possible?


texts:
But that was then and this is now. The thing's coming unwound on me, and I can see just enough to get myself tangled up if I don't watch Harvey.

From a short story by Daeshiell Hammett (Assistant Murderer)

What does 'watch Harvey' mean?

It doesn't seem to be an idiom, but Harvey is not a character in this story.


texts: Is it correct to say "don't force the bottle closed/open because the threads of the cap and the bottle don't align well with each other"?

texts:
Sometimes, when we screw / unscrew a cap on / off a bottle, the external male thread of the neck of the bottle doesn't align well with the internal female thread the cap. And As a result, the cap might get stuck in the middle.
When the cap is stuck in the middle, is it correct to say
"don't force the bottle closed/open because the threads of the cap and the bottle don't align well with each other"?


texts: Verbs which are always followed by past participle

texts:
You seem unconcerned.
The sauce tastes burned.

In these two sentences, past participle of verbs, unconcerned and burned, have been used after two especial verbs, seem and tastes. Are they always followed by past participle? If they are not always followed by past participle, please say when they will be followed and when they will not be followed.

It would be helpful for me if I got a list that includes the list of verbs, which are always followed by past participle of verbs.


texts: "Would", being the short version of "would like to" here?

texts:
Would can be used to describe what people are willing to do. This can also be seen as including an unspoken condition.

  Tony would lend you his  car.   (...  if you  asked  him  ...)

  Only a real fan would pay that much for a ticket
  (Only if someone was a fan would they pay ...)

  --Page 78 (Macmillan - Inside Out English Grammar in Context Advanced)

Is this particular usage of "would" normal to see or hear?

Can I think of "would" here as being the short version of "would like to"?


texts:
I heard the high thin laugh again. "You're nobody, son. You don't
  exist - can't you see that? The white folk tell everybody what to
  think - except men like me. I tell them; that's my life, telling white folk how to think about the things I know about. Shocks you,
  doesn't it? (Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man)

Which is the semantic subject of the verb think, the white folk or everybody?


texts: Difference between 'Nothing is impossible' and 'Impossible is nothing'?

texts:
I am not good at English contexts. I used to say "Nothing is impossible" when someone denies/worries about something. In one website I have seen a new form that is "Impossible is nothing". But when I compare both sentences, I think the second form is correct. (When I translate it into my mother tongue.)

What is the difference between these two sentences and which should be used in what situations? Are both the same?


texts: the difference between "to revamp" ,"enhance" and "overhaul"

texts:
When I look up on dictionaries, the common definition is that "to make change and improve something" for these words but what is the difference between the usage of these terms?

Only difference I noticed from definitions is that if there is a problem and if want to imply to fix it we can use "overhaul", Is that really correct? but in other situations are they interchangeable? How are these terms different for native speakers?

  They repaired and maintained aircraft and overhauled their
  engines.

  The county took steps to enhance water quality / in security /
  transportation system.

  This country’s health care system needs revamping.

  The software revamp/overhaul/enhance itself regularly for disabled
  people. (which one sounds better?)

  One of the most important policies of the company is that, they
  strive to revamp / enhance /overhaul its business system continuously.( which one sounds better?)


texts:
What will be a natural way to increase the length of "last one to. "?

Two people are racing to the camping site in their cars.  So one of them says:

  Last one to the camping site has to do the cooking.

Can it be:

  The person who gets there last has to do the cooking.

Is it correct to use it this way?


texts: Comma after a sentence starting with "Given [...]"

texts:
If I have a sentence starting with "Given [..]" does it make sense to put a comma? I have two sentences as below. I think the commas here make sense to put commas here.
Given an integer n, the equation x^n = y has a solution.
Also given an integer m, the equation x-m = y has a solution.
This is similar to my previous question
Should I put a comma after a phrase "given ..."?
but since the situation is a bit different I want to clarify. In particular, for the second sentence should one put a comma after 'also' as well? or is this unnecessary? Thank you.


texts:
I'm confuse with thousand numerals. Especially for 4 distinct digits and 3 distinct digits. For example:

How to pronounce 1987?

a)  one thousand nine hundred eighty seven

b) nineteen "and" eighty seven

c) nineteen eighty seven

d) All correct

Is it always allowed to make a partition on a number so we can speak it easily? So, if i have 6 digits number, i can divide it 2 pieces or 3 pieces?. Example: 111222. I will pronounce it as

a) Eleven twelve twenty two, or

b) one hundred eleven two hundred twenty two

Those sound weird to be honest. Or maybe that rule only holds for thousand numerals?

Second question if i have 3 distinct digits on thousand numerals. Example:

2003

Which one is true between:

a) two thousand three

b) two thousand "and" three

c) twenty "o" (Read: oh) three, i heard this from facebook video.

d) All true?

Please explain to me with easy language, because my English isn't good enough. Thanks in advance.


texts:
What is the role of 'for them' in the following sentence? Could it be omitted without any change in meaning?

  The only way for unions to maintain their clout would be for them to organise internationally.

(emphasis by me)


texts:
Here’s a conversation in the book “Practical Conversation in English for Intermediate Student”:

It’s a copied book. There are mistakes on almost every page. Here’s my comprehension of the conversation:

Shall we go to this movie? This movie means the movies(cinema) or a film?
Why doesn’t George specify which film when he buys tickets?
I think immediate seating is wrong. It should be immediately take a seat.
Is that the feature picture? does THAT refer to the picture beginning in 20mn or the one playing now?
Let’s wait for the next show, George. I think WAIT means wait in the cinema rather than going outside.
We won’t have to see the end of the picture first, then. Why? And what film is the picture?
Are popcorn and coke sold in there? I think they’re sold outside.


texts: Do I need to write "up" in the following sentence?

texts:
She was clearing (up) the debris of the world she had just destroyed.

Do I need the up? Why or why not?


texts: Can we use "although" and "but" together i.e. in one sentence?

texts:
Is this a correct English sentence?

  Although, I'm not very clear about the reason, but that's where the problem lies.

Can 'although' and 'but' be used together in one sentence?


texts: Husband is dead: He and his wife {are/were} great scientists

texts:
I would like to make a statement about two people. One of them is dead:

  He and his wife {are/were} great scientists.

Are probably indicates that both of them are still alive. Were indicates both are dead or at least are not great scientists anymore. If that is correct, will rewording be better? For example,

  He was a great scientist as his wife still is.


texts:
I am not sure if I should add an article. Should I use a mean or means or a means??

  Prior knowledge as means to combat ...

Or,

  Prior knowledge as a mean to combat ...

Or,

  Prior knowledge as a means to combat ...


texts: Should there be comma between 'me' and 'too'?

texts: As 'I can, too,' 'I can, either,' I think there should be comma between 'me' and 'too' because it seems like 'wow you are here,' but not 'wow, you are here.'


texts: "Has he worked" vs "Did he work" (with “today”)

texts:
Has he worked hard today?
  Did he work hard today?

Do the above mean the exact same thing? Can I use the present perfect with a time word like "today"?


texts:
What is the correct way to say that a certain mathematical theorem is relevant to a certain case?

The theorem applies to the case;
The theorem applies for the case;
The theorem applies in the case;
The theorem is applicable to the case;
The theorem is applicable for the case;
The theorem is applicable in the case;
Something else?


texts: Can l use whom instead of who in my example?

texts:
Who the nominee will be has not been officially declared yet.

Note : as far as l know we can use "whom" providing  that we us it in object position in noun clause .


texts: "We have always helped each other" vs. "We always help each other"

texts:
We have always helped each other and we’ll keep helping each other

We always help each other and we’ll keep helping each other

What’s the difference ?
Are both of them correct?


texts: Meanings and uses of the words "numerous" and "innumerable"

texts:
My question concerns proper use of the word numerous and of the word innumerable.

I am in a problem which is rare: which one to choose even if I consult thesaurus. This is what I have learned so far:

As regards parts of speech of the words, numerous is adjective and  innumerable is also adjective.

Here is the situation: Too many and numberless checks of a bank contain a schedule, which shows total number of checks.

If I had 10000 checks, would that be many or too many checks? (In the context, the total number of checks vary; sometimes the check numbers range from AS MANY AS 6 or 7 to 22000 thousands.

This has been quite a number of years, I can't remember exactly the total number of checks.

In this context, I think I cannot make distinction between "many" and ""too many" in any other way (is this hyperbole?). The day's work must be completed on the same day, this is the office rule. I can not evade responsibility even if the number of checks is double next day. Whatever be the number of checks, I must obediently obey the order, because if the check numbers are double or triple than the previous day and  the order comes very higher authority from H/o or z/o.

This is  reply of the office of grievance, if any, about questions regarding many and too many.

In other informal cases The dictionary meanings are:

  numerous (adj) many; consisting of many members; existing in large numbers

  innumerable (adj) too many to be counted; very many; numberless

Is the distinction between formal and informal?

Here in this official case of mine, innumerable (meaning very many, numberless) checks to be counted. Obviously, in this particular case hyperbole exists.

Is "to be counted" an idiom or phrase which has a special meaning in the context of dictionary meaning?


texts: Meaning of 'could' when expressing annoyance

texts:
You could have told me!

Why couldn't she have said something?

Does 'could' here still indicate possibility? Is this even a legit question? Because no dictionary puts it in the 'past possibility' category.

Thanks. :-)


texts: What does this perfect tense intend to say?

texts:
Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley - how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron. (Harry Potter)

What does the perfect tense intend to say?


texts: What does "the take-away" in this text mean?

texts:
After four days of increasing complaints from citizens across Houston, the city's Public Works Department finally posted some answers on its website. A spokesman told Local 2 the earthy or musty smell and the taste of dirt is from two naturally occurring compounds: MIB and geosmin, sometimes produced by seasonal algae blooms. The take-away ? The city says they are safe and the water is fine to drink.
  Source: City of Houston: Water is safe to drink, use

Does it mean to "summarize"?


texts: Use of "which" in the middle of the sentence

texts:
Consider this sentence:

  There are many questions in this question

  I don't know to answer which one
  I don't know which one to answer
  I don't know which to answer
  I don't know which one I should answer

I guess 2 and 4 are the ones that I heard most. However, I'm not sure what makes the first one different from the rest and illegible.


texts:
What is the difference of the meaning of these two sentences?

  We usually go away for the summer.
  We usually go away during the summer.


texts: I don't see someone or I didn't see someone?

texts:
When I was working alone and someone came to me and asked: “Do you know where Amy is?” Should I respond to my colleague “I don’t see her” or “I didn’t see her?”

I’m confused about in which situation that I should say “I don’t see someone” or “I didn’t see someone”.


texts: "Describe something as" or "Describe something by"?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  She describes these classes as trivial

Or

  She describes these classes by trivial


texts: How to rewrite "I think that in the film is some similarity with our real world but with hyperbole, sure."

texts:
How would be the following idea expressed in more fluent and idiomatic English?

  I think that in the film is some similarity with our real world but with hyperbole, sure.

It is somebody defending Hunger Games by pointing out that even though the story might be dismissed by some as a pile of nonsense, it is actually centered around valuable things like love, friendship, family relationships and it even touches some social issues. Well, I think that is the intention.

  There is a lot of thinks to thinking about in this movie. I think that
  there is some similarity with our world but with hyperbole sure.

Correcting the first sentence is easy. I am having trouble with the second.


texts:
Please tell me when should I say Of and when should I say In.

For example consider the sentence below.

  I don't see the point of/in doing that.


texts: why does letter s pronounced differently in word resume and assume?

texts:
In assume consume,s is pronounced as /s/,but in resume presume,s is pronounced as /z/.why?

The 4 words have a common root sume which is from Latin,but get different pronunciation eventually.


texts: "Out of interest for/out of interest in"

texts:
I am quite unsure about which preposition is correct, but I am aware that "interest" is usually followed by "in".

For example:

  "I've been interested in sports ever since I was young"

Though I am not sure if I should say

  "I study ___ out of pure interest in the language."

Or

  "I study___ out of pure interest for the language."


texts:
In our country, during an exam hour there is an invigilator whose duty is to stand guard outside the toilet. He makes the invigilation of cheating and records the list of students who use toilet during the exam time.

How should we call this teacher, toilet invigilator or toilet keeper?


texts:
B has done something bad that A hadn't ever expected B to do so A is asking B

  1- A: Why would you do that? I don't understand.

  2- A: Why would have you done that? I don't understand.

What is the difference between these two options?


texts: What's the verb that describes a color going closer to gray?

texts:
For example, blue becomes kinda like purple. White kinda like gray. Green kinda like brown.

Is there a word (a verb) to describe this change? (Which isn't grayed?)


texts: General arrested for fondling privates: Ambiguous sentences

texts:
I was watching a video-lecture about languages and the professor started talking about the subject ambiguity in a language and gave these example sentences.  But I could not figure out their double meanings.  So could you tell me what  they could mean in both way?

  1.Kids make nutritious snacks

  2.No one was injured in the blast, which was attributed to the buildup of gas by one town official

  3.General arrested for fondling privates

  4.Let him have it

Here is what I get from the sentences:

Kid produces some snack food and the food is nutritious. (This is funny interpretation which I only can understand)
I am not sure because I couldn't understand "one town official"
The highest-ranked army officer was arrested because he/she was harassing the lower-ranked soldiers sexually. (This is funny interpretation which I only can understand)
I cannot think either way.


texts: Why is the K silent in 'know' and 'knotty' etc?

texts:
Why don't we read ''k'' here?

Know → /nəʊ/

Knotty → /ˈnɒt.i/

Knockout → /ˈnɒk.aʊt/


texts:
Which one is correct between the two given sentences and why?

1) It is five years since I saw a movie.

2) It has been five years since I saw a movie.


texts:
Can you please tell me whether or not it is pertinent to use pluperfect tense here:

  I thought that more time than that had passed.

Is the sentence grammatically correct?

To give you a context: I had approximated the amount of time that had already passed since a particular event, and then I referred to the calendar to make sure.


texts:
Please help me to choose the correct sentence.

  1.- this car found suitable as a sport car
  2.- this car found not suitable a a sport car

  3.- the room was noted tidy
  4.- the room noted in clean.


texts: Difference between "they had" versus "they have"

texts:
What I know is: whenever we talk about the past, we use had unless it’s a negative statement, where we use didn't have. But I have seen a sentence today where they used "… they have in the last 10 years …".

Complete sentence:

  Members of the 16th Lok Sabha worked harder in the budget session
  than they have in the last 10 years, parliamentary data shows.

Source

I am again confused now about the use of have or had in sentences referring to the past.


texts:
I'm writing a book and I don't know how to write the first sentence.
Is it "It was my thoughts that began to drive me slightly mad." or "It were my thoughts that began to drive me slightly mad"


texts: What does "plan well to challenge" mean?

texts:
Teachers plan well to challenge and meet the needs of all students.

I read this from a brochure about a school, and does "plan well to challenge" mean "plan well about problems"? I am not sure if "challenge" is used as a noun or verb.


texts: Help understanding the definition of "Better late than never"

texts: Shouldn't there be completing instead of doing ? Because to do something after the expected time sounds like doing something at that time.


texts: Which one of these phrases is correct? "I and my thoughts" or "Me and my thoughts"?

texts:
I and my thoughts on website www.___.com

OR

  Me and my thoughts on website www.___.com

Which one of these phrases is correct?


texts:
Is the a superlative of the word "tired"? I mean, you can say "you look very good" or say "you look superb".
 How can I say "I'm _word here_" instead of "I'm very tired"?


texts: Why do we use past tense in this sentence?

texts:
I was watching a video on youtube and there was a line :

  Until you made me think about how hard it is to be a good Santa, I thought I'd be a strong candidate for the job.

I thought that we should use the present tense and future tense here, as the situation happens in the future. So, in my opinion, it should be:

  Until you make me think about how hard it is to be a good Santa, I thought I'll be a strong candidate for the job.

Can someone please explain why we use the past tense in this sentence? Also, as past tense is used here, shouldn't it be "how hard it WAS"? why is it "how hard it is"?
Below is the link of the video, the line is at about 4:48

BBC learning english


texts:
How do I best insert a synonym for a technical adjective?

For example, in the title of the question,

How to provide technical as well as colloquial, or non-technical, adjective

I gave the explanation of "colloquial" by inserting "or non-technical" with commas. Are there better alternatives? I feel like the most clear way would be

How to provide technical as well as colloquial, that is, non-technical, adjective

but I don't like the three commas. Finally, I can think of just doing

How to provide technical as well as colloquial, non-technical adjective


texts: Does "be subject to" indicate a complaint and a suggestion?

texts:
This is a part of the paper "THE PERCEPTRON: A PROBABILISTIC MODEL FOR INFORMATION STORAGE AND ORGANIZATION IN THE BRAIN"

  The first of these questions is in the province of sensory physiology, and is the only one for which appreciable understanding has been achieved. This article will be concerned primarily with the second and third questions, which are still subject to a vast amount of speculation, and where the few relevant facts currently supplied by neurophysiology have not yet been integrated into an acceptable theory.

Where "be subject to" seems to indicate the author is complaining the vast amount of speculation, and suggesting integrate the few relevant facts into an acceptable theory.

Am I misunderstanding this?


texts: Are the sentences in quotations marks objects of verbs of the main sentences?

texts:
Harvold, who has not passed his driving test, said, 'I realized the bus was out of control when I was speaking to the students on the microphone.'

'We hit a barrier and swerved to the other side of the road and I grabbed the wheel,' Harvold explained.

Are those quotations objects of the verbs say and explain?


texts: What is the subject in "While nestled inside that divine sanctuary"?

texts:
While nestled inside that divine sanctuary, words were my window to the world outside my perch in Columbus, Ohio. (Benita Porter, The Power of Words)

It seems like while-clause is a participial clause (a dangling participial one). Is it? If so, is the subject ‘I’?


texts: Difference between 'Some woman' and 'A woman'

texts:
What's the difference between the following sentences?

1 There was a woman waiting for you.

2 There was some woman waiting for you.


texts: Can I say "What should be doing these days?" or is that wrong?

texts:
Is this right:

  What should I be doing these days?

The answer can be:

  You should be preparing for your exams these days.


texts:
Mrs. Smith was busy last weekend because her grandchildren were staying with her.

Can we say "Mrs. Smith was busy last weekend because her grandchildren were with her." -without "staying" ?


texts: Which preposition is better to use in the following sentence?

texts:
In my first question I used preposition "in" ("There is meat, rice and tomatoes in the plate"), but I was said, that it should be "on".

But if the plate is not flat, but deep, like a pot then you can pour soup in it, or put rice, meat etc.

Why does it have to be "on", not "in"?


texts:
I bought noodles from the Chinese restaurant.

The restaurant is near my wife's company.

My son wanted to eat noodles this morning and asked where the noddles bought from.

  "The noodles were bought from a Chinese restaurant where near mummy's
  company."

  "They's were bought from restaurant near mummy's company"

Between noun and noun, is "where" neccessarily to add in?


texts:
I have read this phrase in a Book(American Gods):
“If you are to survive, you must believe"

And it sounds very strange to me.

I actually didn't get the actual meaning of the phrase.

This sentence: "If you are to survive" feels like it's lacking a word.

I believe the missing word is "willing" but I hope someone could explain why the writer chose to suppress this word, and if this is a grammatically correct phrase.


texts: What did Obama mean when he said, "John was the stein of one of America's most distinguished military families."

texts:
I am not sure I understand Barack Obama's use of the word stein in the speech he delivered at John McCain's funeral:

  And in fact on the surface, John and i could not have been more different. We're of different generations. I came from a broken home and never knew my father. John was the stein of one of America's most distinguished military families. I have a reputation for keeping cool, John not so much.

I have checked several dictionaries, and stein is a beer mug as I already know. But what does Obama mean here?


texts: "I first saw him in X in year Y" vs "the first time I saw him was in X in year Y" vs "the first time I saw him in X was in year Y"

texts:
I made up the sentence: "I first saw my old friend in Spain in 1946."
Does it mean that the first time I saw him was in Spain in 1946 or that I saw him many times in Spain but the first time was in 1946?


texts:
Why was not it used "with" in the following sentence?

  Because architecture grows out of human needs and aspirations, it
  clearly communicates cultural values.

Shouldn't it was this?:

  Because architecture grows out of human needs and aspirations, it
  clearly communicates with cultural values.


texts: Class-approved wet welding: the meaning of "Class" (and why capitalize?)

texts:
A quote:

  With a dedicated staff situated globally, Subsea Global Solutions has revolutionized the methods of repair for ships; ship propellers, thrusters, ship seal, Class approved wet welding, and permanent shell plate repairs with cofferdams.

"Class approved wet welding" - what could it mean precisely? Approved by a classification society or complying with specifications for the execution of work typified into a particular class (class A welding, or class B welding, say)? And why is the word class capitalized?

P.S. A related question was asked by me at ELU.


texts:
One of the answers in a reading exercise in my class today was:

100,000,000,000,000,000,000

... which was the value of the highest denomination note ever issued. It was a 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 Pengo note, issued by Hungary in 1946. The students in my class wanted to know how they could say that last sentence in words in English. So I told them that I didn't know. They pointed out to me that if they wanted to read this bit of writing to someone they'd want to be able to use the words. Fair point.

Can anyone help?

[In case you're interested, a 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 Pengo note was worth about $0.20!]


texts: What does "She was sick of old men leering at her." mean?

texts:
What does the following sentence mean?

  She was sick of old men leering at her.


texts: Does "which" make this sentence clearer?

texts:
As I am proof-reading my own writing, I am not sure if which one of these two sentences sounds clearer.

  Language skill can bring distinct advantages that set those learning it apart from their monolingual peers

  Language skill can bring distinct advantages to those learning it, which sets them apart from their monolingual peers


texts: Who or what? Questions about animate beings

texts:
Which of the words should I choose when I ask about the meaning of a word that I don't know exactly but I know that the word I am asking about is an animate being?

  What/who is a king?
    What/who is a fairy?


texts:
I need to know whether it is possible to call a movie artist's performance natural in English?
For instance, can I say something like:

She's a good actress........
a) she always acts naturally.
b) her acting is natural.

Do the both provided options above sound correct to you?
I wonder if you let me know a natural phrasing of my sentence, if mine is not idiomatic or natural to you.


texts:
I have referred to many grammar books and they say that

"A cow gives us milk" and "The cow gives us milk" mean the same thing. They mean all cows give us milk or cows give us milk.

I know that the article "the" talks about the whole class.
Does the indefinite article "a" also talk about the whole class of animals in the given sentence?

I would like to know when a cow and the cow differ in meaning.


texts: Why is "bad news seemS" and not "bad news seem"?

texts:
In an online English test I found that "bad news seem" is wrong, the correct would be "bad news seems" as in the sentence:

  Bad news seems to be more attractive than good news.

I'm considering news is a plural, but I could be wrong. Someone said about uncountable nouns. Other said about news being singular. Could anyone explain to me why the use of the "s" and also if news is both singular what and uncountable and how can I tell if any other word follows the same conjugation?


texts: I just saw "initial talking" as the title to the introduction on an academic text. I had only seen "talk" not "talking". Is initial talking also used as an introduction of sorts?


texts: discerning between "the community of engineers" and "the society of engineers"

texts:
Would you please specifically show me what is the difference between the two?

the community of engineers

the society of engineers

Thanks


texts: In the night-morning when / on the night-morning when

texts:
"We use in with morning, afternoon, evening and night, but we use
  on when we talk about a specific morning, afternoon, etc., or when we describe the part of the day."(Cambridge Dictionary)

As Cambridge says we use "on+morning+when" with  specific mornings and nights. But after searching a little bit, I found that "in+morning+when" is much more common. Source

For example : Which of the following example is true?

  1- I had panic attacks in the night when I heard him coming.

  2- I had panic attacks on the night when I heard him coming.

But on the other hand we use a bit more "on+night+when" than "in+night+when".
 Source

For example : Which of the following example is true?

  3- We saw him in the night when he left.

  4- We saw him on the night when he left.


texts: Can which be used with plural antecedents?

texts:
If I use which as a demonstrative adjective, can the noun be plural?

Example:

  Which players won the best player awards last night? (When there are more than one who won the award)

If the above example is not correct, what would be a better sentence?


texts: How to ask somebody to help you get up on a wall?

texts:
You're in a park and your friend wants to get up on the wall/tree. You cross your hands, or hold your hands together so that he, better yet she, could get up there. :)

How would you refer to this action? Or, putting it another way, what would you say to the person you want to help in this situation?

  I will <verb> you.

Or what would a person who wants to get up on a wall, desk or anything, ask you for?

  Please, <verb> me.

There just has to be something for that, or even a few ways to say that. Thanks, guys. Would be really cool to know. ;)


texts:
I understand the concept of countables and uncountables in interest(s).

  Engineering and Math interest me.

  Books interest him.

  His interests include sports.

  he only seeks his own interests.

however the OR is bothering me here.
do we say:

  Engineering or Business in PwC interest me.

or do we say:

  Engineering or Business in PwC interests me.

this is for a cover letter.


texts: from where & from which, during which & during which time

texts:
Could you explain the differences between:
1. from where & from which;
2. during which & during which time.

Thanks!


texts:
While buying a ticket from one of the main low-fare flight operators in Europe I've encountered a pop-up with this message:

  Select a seat if you don`t want to stuck in the middle row!

Is this the correct grammar? I always thought that the correct form is "to be stuck" but it is hard to imagine to me that such a big company would make a grammar error on their website.


texts: Why "have this habit of" instead of "have a habit of"?

texts:
If someone's rambling on, I have this habit of saying 'And your point is?'.

  I have this habit of talking to myself.

  I have this habit of not being able to control my facial expressions when someone says something stupid or annoying from Instagram tagged as Meme.

Why has this been used instead of a or the? Is this usage of this generalizable? It looks as if this acts as an article here.


texts: "Which of the following statement" or "which of the following statements"?

texts: I have seen both expressions online. I don't think "which of the following statement" is grammatically correct but I'm not a native speaker so I'm not sure. Which one of them is more reliably correct?


texts: Which is the main clause in "If she beats him he will claim she cheated."

texts:
If she beats him he will claim she cheated.

she beats him
he will claim
she cheated

In these clauses which is the main clause of speaker?


texts: Can we say "Yes, I would" if someone asks "Would you mind buying me a drink?"

texts:
Here is in the textbook.

If someone says Would you mind buying me a drink? to you, then you should answer:

  — Not at all (Yes, I can buy you a drink)
  — I’m sorry I can’t (No, I can't buy you a drink)

Can I say Yes, I would which means Yes, I would mind buying you a drink?


texts:
I did let you know over skype about the meeting.

Is the above statement correct? How can I make sure there is a difference between present and past tenses of "to let"?


texts: "The prince has chosen his wife for a week" - Does this sentence sound fine?

texts:
My friend and I are discussing the following task from our English exercise book.

  Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the
  same as the sentence printed before it.

  The prince began choosing his wife a week ago.
  => The prince has ___.

My friend wrote her answer as below:

  The prince has chosen his wife for a week.

For me, her sentence sounds awkward because 'to have chosen' is an action that seems to happen very quickly, not over a period of time. So, I suggested another sentence to my friend:

  The prince has not decided his wife for a week

Is my explanation correct and if my rewritten sentence doesn't sound fine, please could you suggest a better one?


texts:
"North-country" refers to where?
The author has come to the conclusion, as already stated, that up to a point they are under the control of the medium, and that beyond that point they are not. He cannot easily forget the distress and embarrassment of a great North-country medium when in the author's presence loud raps, sounding like the snapping of fingers, broke out round his head in the coffee-room of a Doncaster hotel.
The History of Spiritualism   By A.C Doyle
XI.THE RESEARCHES OF SIR WILLIAM CROOKES (1870-1874)


texts:
What is the antonym of "interdisciplinary"?
I want to say that articles related to particular related major or specializations are accepted as well as inter-disciplinary articles.


texts: When to use "wherein" instead of "where"?

texts:
I've came across the word "wherein", and I'm doubtful about how different it is from using just plain "where". For example in this sentence:

  There is a case, though, wherein you can use the aforementioned property.

Is there any difference in meaning if I use "where"?


texts: Can "not only, ... but also" be used like "either .. or"?

texts:
You can reach the place via not only Route A but also Route B.

I created the sentence above to intend that there is no need to use both Route A and Route B to reach the place. Is this usage correct?


texts: "Nowhere near ready/finished" vs "Nowhere near being ready/finished"

texts:
I have a quick question.

Which is correct? Are they both correct?

I am nowhere near ready.
I am nowhere near being ready.

Is "ready" being modified by an adverb in #1?

Please help!

THANKS!


texts:
She walked away. Harry stood staring after her, his brain working frantically. Then something clunked into place.

  "Cho! Hey - Cho!"

  He ran after her, catching her halfway up the marble staircase.

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I feel "clunked into place" means the same as "click into place" - "suddenly understand how different pieces of information are connected and everything becomes clearer".

Am I getting it right? If not, what's it supposed to mean?


texts: How to invite someone for biking (The most common way)

texts:
Which one of the following sentences sound more natural when you want to invite someone or a group of people to ride bicycles together:

  Let’s go cycling.
  Let’s go biking.
  Let’s go ride bicycles.
  Let’s go ride bikes.

Based on my dictionaries, they all work for me, but I cannot understand if there is a regional preference in the AE or not.


texts:
Dirt is defined as any unclean substance, such as mud, dust, excrement, etc; filth. However, I am not sure if dried pee is considered dirt, because it's not visible and it's barely solid. You can't scrub it off and it's soluble. So is it considered dirt or not? I know this question is weird and sound stupid, but the answer isn't as simple as it might appear.

For example:

  He went to the bathroom to pee a while ago, so he took a bath to clean
  off the dirt on his private parts.


texts: Adjective for things that in theory can exist but in real world cannot exist

texts: What adjective can I use for things that in theory can be assumed but in real world never happen? For example, consider "different types of societies". One of the types that we mean is a society in which the thoughts and beliefs of all the members are exactly the same. Another type is a society in which each members has thoughts and beliefs that are totally independent form others. Obviously, these types can be assumed but never happen in the real world. Is "different theoretically possible types of societies" appropriate?


texts: Which tense is acceptable to use in titles?

texts:
What tense(s) is it acceptable to use in titles?

For example: In the the newspaper, or if I post on Facebook a video of someone that talked about me very nice in the video. Would I need to write in the title:

  This woman talks nice about me.

or

  This man is talking to me very nicely.

or

  This man talked to me very nicely.


texts: a particular case of using Past Simple instead of Present Perfect

texts:
I have come across the following dialogue in New Round-Up 3 (Pearson Education Limited, 2010):
Policeman: Where were you last night?
Mr Laton: I went to the Rex cinema with my wife.
Policeman: That is very strange, Mr Laton. That cinema was closed last night.
Mr. Laton: Oh yes, I made a mistake. It was last week. Last night, I umm...
Policeman: Did you forget?

Why isn't it 'I've made a mistake' and 'Have you forgotten'(Present Perfect)? The fact that he's forgotten is definetely conntected with the present i.e.: he can't come up with the right answer; the same goes for 'have made a mistake' - as a result he is giving the false information to the policeman.


texts: The use of probable and may is confusing

texts:
I am completely confused about the combination of this two words.

"she probably may have a form"
"she may probably use it"

The combination of this two words are quite confusing. I think one should be used instead.


texts: Which one is correct, "There are too many words that I don't know." or "There are too many words that I don't know of."

texts:
I am so glad if you kindly take a look at my question and give me the answer!

I have a question, I've been wondering which one is correct
"There are too many words that I don't know."
or
 "There are too many words that I don't know of."

I think,
"I don't know these words."
is grammatical.
Therefore, I suppose "There are too many words that I don't know." should be the correct one.
However, I suppose I heard someone used
"There are too many words that I don't know of."

I am wondering which one is really grammatical.
Thank you!


texts:
"One of my family members were/was sick last night."
In this sentence should I use was or were? Please explain. Which one is subject and why? Please explain with detailed information. I am having trouble with sentences like this.


texts: "Thank you back" VS "Thank you as well" VS "Thank to you, also"

texts:
"Thank to you, too."
"Thank to you, also."
"Thanks to you, too."
"Thanks to you, also."
"Thank you, too."
"Thank you, also."
"Thank you as well."
"Thank you to you too."
"Thank you back."
"I also thank you."
"I thank you, too"
"You're also thank you."
"You're thank you, too."
"You're welcome."

Which ones of these are really used?


texts: What do you call someone who livens up the atmosphere

texts:
What do you call someone who always livens up the atmosphere at social gatherings, e.g someone who is the most talkative one or helps enliven a party that would otherwise be a boring one. what is the word for this kind of people?

Thank you so much.


texts: How can, "It still doesn't work" be rephrased as a question?

texts:
How could the statement, "It still doesn't work” be converted to a question?

I want to ask if something is still out of order or not.


texts:
Is this sentence correct?

He does blogging.

If so, what would be the meaning?


texts: 'Resonant frequency' or 'resonance frequency'?

texts: I have seen both 'resonant frequency' and 'resonance frequency' used in scientific literature. But which one, actually, is correct: 'resonant frequency' or 'resonance frequency'?


texts:
According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expatriate,

"An expatriate (sometimes shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person's upbringing"
and, "In common usage, the term is often used in the context of professionals or skilled workers sent abroad by their companies,1 rather than for all 'immigrants' or 'migrant workers'. "

If a person is born and raised in England, but is now living in Canada permanently and is a citizen by naturalization, is it right to call the person a "British expat"? Looking at the Wikipedia article, it doesn't seem to be wrong but is probably not common.
What else will be a concise way to describe this person instead of "Canadian, born and raised in England"?


texts:
I'd like to know what is the most polite way to ask a university director/coordinator in a email how much is the stipend/salary of a graduate program.
Thank you very much!


texts:
In the movie Ratatouille, the father rat tells his son:

  Django: Take a good long look, Remy. Now, this is what happens when a rat gets a little too comfortable around humans. The world we live in belongs to the enemy. We must live carefully. We look out for our own kind, Remy. When all is said and done, we're all we've got.

I think I understand the last sentence, but it's still not clear to me. I can search for when all is said and done (after considering or doing everything —used for a final general statement or judgment), but there is no result for "we're all we've got".

How would you rephrase that sentence?


texts: Why does it need to use "of " in "I told her of my secret plans."?

texts:
I told her of my secret plans.

Why should it use "of" here?

How to parse this sentence?

Why not rephrase this sentence to "I told her my secret plans"?


texts: Examples of usage of Effectual vs. Effective?

texts: What is the difference between effectual and effective? I have seen the dictionary definition but there were no examples of usage of effectual that to me couldn't be substituted by effective. Or maybe I am missing something?


texts: A friend always writes in her emails that she and her husband are going to get their “hairs cut at a salon”, not hair cuts or haircuts. She grew up in the 1930s in L.A. so perhaps this was normal for that era but it seems awkward. I would never correct her but I would like to know if this is correct English.


texts: A coworker told me that the word "sombrero" is an English word borrowed from Mexico. I had the idea is a foreign word. Is that right?


texts: How to understand this 'If', without a logic turn

texts:
A conversation starts with 'if' but without 'then' without 'else', without any logic turn.

Example:

  "If I tell you what we did...(details what they did)".

  "If I tell you how this ice cream taste, it is delicious"

How do I understand the 'if' logic?


texts:
Ann made (for) him a cup of tea.
  He drank the tea Ann had made (for) him.

Are both sentences correct, with or without "for?
If yes, is there any difference in register?


texts: Generic nouns plural/singular: Difficulties for ESL speakers

texts:
I work in Montreal, Canada with a great group of first-language French speakers, who are nevertheless very articulate in English. However what thing that comes up, again and again, is the pluralizing of nouns, confused by the fact that the noun is generic.

i.e., should be "The Component form's fields..." is always written "The Components' forms fields...". I correct this, and their valid comeback is: what, there's more than one component and more than one field!

I tried to explain the difference between generics and item-counting as follows:
HR departments (generic) have tried to...
Our HR department (item-counting) has tried to...

This kind of gets at it, but not quite:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/generic-nouns/

I have no adequate way to explain this and no rule for them to memorize, and I'm losing credibility. Does anyone have either a good rule or a good explanation? Thanks in advance!


texts: Should I use tickets "of", "for" or "to" a concert ?

texts:
I have two tickets for (to) a concert.
  I have two tickets of a concert.

The first is a correct sentence, but the second is wrong.
Why can't we use the phrase "tickets of?"


texts: Using principal verb "has" as auxiliary verb

texts:
1.How many children do you have?

2.How many children have you?

1.Does she have a boyfriend?

2.Has she a boyfriend?

1.Don't they have a TV?

2.Have they no TV ?

3.Haven't they a TV ?

Are all these sentences correct and mean the same thing?


texts:
Consider these two sentences:

His first obligation is always an obligation to his family.
His first obligation is always to his family.

Could sentence 2 be a shorter but more poetic version of sentence 1?


texts:
For example,
3=collective
1, 1, 1=individual
Then,
1, 2, 3= ???
What word (adjective) expresses 1, 2, 3?


texts: Is the given sentence grammatically correct?

texts:
"I haven't read much of Shakespeare's works."

If one used the above sentence, would it be grammatically incorrect?


texts:
I know that "on the wall" expresses the likelihood of something happening, however, what do these mean?

^ This has nothing to do with the following sentences; I got confused. See the answer below.

kamelot song

  liar, liar on the wall

question on puzzling.SE

  teacher, teacher on the wall


texts: Difference between “please note” and “I would like to point out”

texts:
Received an e-mail from a company I work with saying:

  Please note that. . .

Personally I prefer to say “I would like to point out that...”

Are both sentences correct?


texts:
I was wondering if there is a phrase

  to knock at the door of the doctor

in order to mean "to see a doctor"

or do I get it wrong what the woman says in this recording.


texts: Difference between "same to you, too" vs "same to you"

texts: I'd want to know what is the difference between "same to you, too" vs "same to you". Like people does use just "you, too" as well, but is it valid to use "same to you, too" or that's what the correct way really is.


texts: "Normal distributed" or "normally distributed"

texts:
I am not sure if I should use an adjective or an adverb in the following sentences.

  The returns are normal distributed.
  The returns are normally distributed.

Also see this example:

  The most famous approach assumes the returns to be normal distributed.
  The most famous approach assumes the returns to be normally distributed.

Which is correct?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "manage with someone" and "manage someone" in the sense of dealing with difficult persons?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between the following two pharases?

  However do you manage those unrully children?

  However do you manage with those unrully children?

As Macmillan Dictionary puts it manage someone is to deal succesfully with someone, and manage with is to deal with a succesful situation or problem.
Judging from the given definition basically they mean the same because unrully children are a difficult problem. If so, then which one is more common in that sense: manage someone or manage with someone?


texts:
There are many examples that demonstrate how to reduce relative clause, but I can't find any example that reduces relative clause having "NOT" in it, like:

I can't find my notebook that contains all my addresses.
I can't find my notebook containing all my addresses.

So, if the original sentence has "NOT", like:

I can't find my notebook that DOESN'T contain all my addresses.

Is it possible to have a reduced relative clause that has "NOT" in it?


texts: matching the tense of two verbs in one sentence

texts:
"What you gave me is really interesting."

When I say this kind of sentence, what I want to say is like below.

  "I have one object. And it was given to me from you in the past. Now, I think it is really interesting."

That's why I use the past tense in the first verb 'give' and the present tense in the second verb 'be'.

But the textbooks in my country say that it is wrong because I use different tenses in one sentence. So is it really wrong? If it is, is there any way that I can describe two different time point in one sentence?


texts: What is the meaning of 'as much as' in "Kevin dislikes apples as much as bananas."?

texts:
Kevin dislikes apples as much as bananas.

Does the statement suggest that Kevin has an equal dislike for apples and bananas?


texts: "rent" vs "rental" to represent property or payment

texts:
I looked for the dictionary and it seems both of words, 'rent' and 'rental' can mean the property or payment:
Rental from Meriman-Webster:

1: an amount paid or collected as rent
2: something that is rented

Rent from Meriam-Webster:

1: property (such as a house) rented or for rent
2a: a usually fixed periodical return made by a tenant or occupant of
property to the owner for the possession and use thereof especially :
an agreed sum paid at fixed intervals by a tenant to the landlord
b: the amount paid by a hirer of personal property to the owner for
the use thereof

But it seems there are some preferred usages of both words. For example, I found this article. In the article, it says 'rent' is payment and 'the rental' is property.
What is a more idiomatic way to say in the following sentences using two words? (assuming we are looking for a place to stay for a while.)

I need to find new _________
For the room, I need to pay monthly _________


texts:
If you have tower A and tower B, and you know that they both have the same number of floors.

So complete the following sentence:

  Tower A has the same number of floors ______ Tower B

Well obviously it should be "as," but can't it be also "of"?


texts: Could "imply" be used to "explain" in one passage

texts:
I have a hard time telling what's the difference between using "implication" and "explanation" in the following passage:

Even fatal pathogens can achieve evolutionary success. One implication is that a pathogen's virulence is a function of its mode of transmission.

Wouldn't it mean almost the same if I replace implication with explanation?

Even fatal pathogens can achieve evolutionary success. One explanation is that a pathogen's virulence is a function of its mode of transmission.


texts: Meaning of sympathetic to an object or concept

texts:
I get this example from the definition of 'Sympathetic' while I was studying the meaning of the word:

She is sympathetic to the project.

(the link for the example: dictionary.com)
What is the difference between the above sentence and the below one using 'favor'?

She is in favor of the project.

Does the first sentence convey the feeling of sympathy?
For example, she thinks that the project is not excellent but she feels some connection or painful memory with the project and she considers giving more score to the project.


texts:
I'm kind of confused as to which one I should use. While I'd normally opt for "didn't", I'm not sure if I could get away with "hadn't", though Google displays many results for both structures. Are there any semantic differences? Would present perfect be passable in any of those?

I'm surprised they didn't listen to my advice.
I'm surprised they hadn't listened to my advice.

Also

I want to express my amazement that he didn't listen to me.
I want to express my amazement that he hadn't listened to me.


texts: "spot defective goods" or "check products for defects"

texts:
Which of the following is more natural?

  Your job is to check products for defects.
  Your job is to spot defective goods.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What does "In others, not at all." mean?

texts:
From the NY Times,

  "Their father has the only key to the front door, and he keeps it locked. In some years, they are allowed outside only a handful of times. In others, not at all."

The sentence is too ambiguous for me to understand. What I understand is that, their father had only one key for front door. After some years they are allowed to go outside. After that, it's as in the last sentence: "In others, not at all." I don't get that part.

Is that grammatically correct, if yes what does it mean?


texts: If + past perfect, then + past conditional - Why's this wrong?

texts:
What would have [VERB]ed if this park had been [VERB]ed? [User StoneyB answered:]
The second is semantically unacceptable in the circumstances you describe. The past perfect in the conditional clause and the irrealis modal past in the consequence clause mark this as a question about the past, not the future: you are asking about the past consequences of a past demolition, which would only be acceptable if you were indulging in historical speculation.

Alas, I don't apprehend the answer above; please enlarge on the problems here? The apodosis here is 'would have [VERB]ed', which is the past conditional tense, and so which concerns the past, not the future coherently with the above?


texts: Asking to come up with a verse containing one line that would rhyme with a certain word

texts:
I have a word "box" and I want my friend to come up with a verse containing one line that would rhyme to "box", for example:

 "You are okay!"
 Said Little Fox,
 "So I will pay
 For your small box."

What's the shortest and yet a clear and natural way of conveying this thought to my friend?

1) Can you come up with a poem to rhyme "box"?

2) Can you come up with a verse containing a line rhyming to "box"

3) Can you come up with a poem with the word "box" as one of its rhymes?

or how?


texts:
I am confused about a line from the movie Kingpin:

  Ernie: All right, let's go. Thank you for the education, gentlemen. We've just received a PhD in stupidity. (to Roy) Doctor, shall we?

  Roy: Give us a chance to win our money back.

  Ernie: Are you crazy? (to the winning bowler) Padre, how much are you into us for already?

  Winning man: $350.

  Ernie to Roy: That's a landau roof and power steering down the drain. Could be in your pocket right now. Let's go.

I am confused because the scene is pretty clear that Roy and Ernie lost money to the other person. However, Merriam Webster says be into someone for means "to owe someone an amount of money". So if I am into him for $2,000, I owe him $2,000, correct? If that's correct, shouldn't Ernie say "How much are we into you for?"


texts: Omission of the subject for friendliness?

texts:
I've found on the AT&T homepage that they say

  "Don't see what you're looking for?"

The omission of the subject is on purpose for friendliness, correct? I feel it's friendlier than "Don't you see ~?"


texts:
Does it mean "that's what they can save after paying for everything"?

  Although Silicon Valley is not short of high-paying technology jobs,
  when adjusted for cost of living, the relative value of the earned
  salary is far from impressive. Among the seven metros studied, San
  Francisco’s average technology salary ranks third at $93,171 after
  this adjustment, while San Jose ranks fourth at $92,577. Both are
  left behind by Seattle and Austin at over $97,000 a year.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-san-francisco-losing-its-technology-talent-to-other-cities-2017-04-17


texts: How do I describe a rotation of a triangle in natural language clearly and concisely?

texts:
I am asking for a formula for the rotation of a triangle in this post

I am concerned about if I describe the question clearly and concisely, by saying

  which formula could be used to get the x axis of left vertex and (x,y)
  of top vertex of the new triangle?


texts: By which preposition is "equality" followed:on,of,or in?

texts:
I am writing an article to discuss whether a recent reform of college entrance examination in my country equally benefits every students,so I give a title that "Education equality on The New College Entrance Examination System Reform". But somebody told me this title wasn't decent enough,since the preposition following equality should be "in" or "of",rather than "on".

So I am curious about which preposition should be used.Thanks!


texts:
Are they all grammatically correct  and do they all have the same meaning ?

  She was on the computer writing an email a minute or two ago.
  She was at the computer writing an email a minute or two ago.
  She was  writing an email on the computer a minute or two ago.
  She was  writing an email at the computer a minute or two ago.


texts:
I know "I have no time." is correct.

  I have no much time.

But as to "I have no much time." to mean "not enough time",
the sentence seems to have self-contradiction in a sense.

Is the sentence correct?


texts: Past perfect tenses in compound and complex sentences

texts:
Consider the following sequence of events.
My smartphone starts behaving weirdly. On a Friday, I send an email describing the problem to the customer care of the manufacturer of my smartphone. The employee of the manufacturer who reads my email explains my problem to a customer support officer and asks him to call me to tell me how to fix the problem. But for some reason the customer support officer doesn't understand the problem correctly. He calls me, quickly gives me a wrong advice and hangs up. After that, I apply his advice and learns that it doesn't work. I email the customer care again on the following Monday. The same customer support officer calls me up again, but this time he abuses me instead of giving advice and quickly hangs up. Now I have to email the customer care for the third time. So, I write again, and this is where I have some problems with past perfect tenses in compound/complex sentences.
Which one of the following is correct:

Dear customer care, after I emailed you again on Monday, the customer support officer who called after I had emailed you for the first time on last Friday, called again.

Dear customer care, after I emailed you again on Monday, the customer support officer who had called after I emailed you for the first time on last Friday, called again.

Dear customer care, after I emailed you again on Monday, the customer support officer who had called after I had emailed you for the first time on last Friday, called again.


texts: What is different between "What is the dog can do?" and "What can the dog do?"

texts:
What are different "what is the dog can do?" and" what can the dog do?"

The right answer is:

  "What can the dog do?"

The question is how to make Interrogative sentences?
The sentence is

  It can jump (the dog).


texts: When should I use "didn't" instead of "haven't"?

texts:
Is haven't supposed to mean something I may still do and didn't not?

Can I use didn't for something I might still do?


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

texts:
"The soft smile they traded left him with a pleasant, lingering
charge."

Does it mean "feeling" or "emotion"?


texts: quick question about translating 'It would rain on our wedding day.'

texts: I know that this sentence falls under the 'ironic / typical behavior' category, since you could add 'wouldn't it?' at the end of it. It's just that in an English-Persian dictionary, the author has used the Persian word for 'definitely' in the translation of this sentence. Is that for the irony? Is that OK?


texts:
We say,

  Let's go home.
  You belong here.

We do not say go to home and belong to here because prepositions and adverbs cannot be together. Then why the same rule is being violated by people saying "in there", etc?


texts: What is the active form of 'I must be scolded for my folly.'

texts:
I must be scolded for my folly.

Please kindly change into active. I changed it like this: is it correct?

  He must scold me for my folly.


texts: "When I have had to break bad news I never know whether I .." or "I never knew whether I ..."?

texts:
From "Do No Harm" by Henry Marsh:

  'Well, it's very difficult,' I said in a gentler tone. 'That's why I was asking you.' When I have had to break bad news I never know whether I have done it well or not. The patients aren’t going to ring me up afterward and say, ‘Mr. Marsh, I really liked the way you told me that I was going to die,’ or ‘Mr. Marsh, you were crap.’ You can only hope that you haven’t made too much of a mess of it.

Shouldn't it be "I never knew" or "I never have known", since the instances he recalls are in the period up to the present moment (have had)?

Or maybe it should be "When I have to break bad news", to harmonize it with "I never know"?

Additional context: this is from the book's story titled Ependymoma. The neurosurgeon shows a scan of a just-discovered incurable brain tumor to a group of students he supervises. He then asks a student to tell what he would tell this woman patient if he were her surgeon. The student fumbles for words, telling of "abnormality" and "mass effect" in the brain. The neurosurgeon mocks the use of such terminology, saying that the patient will guess the harsh truth anyway. The student stalls. Then Henry Marsh says the words in the quotation above.


texts: "Much to" to use possessive proper noun first or pronoun first?

texts:
Ben was elated. He had won the first prize for an art competition.

Which is correct?

  Much to Ben's elation, he had won the first prize for an art competition

  Much to his elation, Ben had won the first prize for an art competition

  John's missing car was found badly burned. He was horrified.

Which is correct?

  Much to John's horror, his missing car was found badly burned.

  Much to his horror, John's missing car was found badly burned.


texts:
I've read it at many places. I'm not sure whether they were authentic sources. But in any case, is it grammatical to say 'A dead [proper noun]'?

Say,

  A dead Michael Jackson

I mean an indefinite article for a proper noun?

[Here are some results; kindly consider the relevant ones]

I only had asked this question but then the explanation in the selected answer is specific. It talks about making difference between one and many with the same name. Here, it's not the case.


texts: How to combine two sentences by using "who"?

texts:
I want to combine two sentences into one sentence by using "who", but I'm not sure how to do it.
For example:

We are not super user.

We don't have root authority.

Can I combine them into:

We who don't have root authority are not super user.

Is this #3 sentence correct?


texts: use of the verb 'come out' regarding photos

texts:
Read the following sentences

My photos don't come out well.
I dont come out well in photos / pictures.

My understanding about the above sentences is

When i say the first sentence it means -

The photos which I click do not come out well. (means i am not a good photographer)

When i say the second sentence it means -

I do not look good in photos / pictures.

Can you confirm if i have got the correct understanding of the sentences or there is anything about it that i should know ?

Thanks


texts: When is it better to use "believe" over "think"?

texts:
I can think of one context in which it is always better to use "believe" over "think." When you want to convey your belief or trust in someone or something. God, for example. Being faithful, too. That your child will complete college.

In other contexts, I sometimes struggle to know which of the two words is appropriate. I understand that thinking is weaker than believing, but is the difference between them as simple as the one between thinking and strongly thinking.

In the following sentences, I'm not sure whether believe or think is the better choice.

  I believe/think you will win the competition if you practice every day for the next three months.
  I believe/think I got a B on the exam, but I'll have to double check. It's been a while since I saw my grade.
  I know that context always matters for questions like this one, but I believe/think you will be able to provide some insight anyway.


texts: What is the meaning of ‘through’ in ‘playing through the pain’?

texts:
I often read on sports websites that X player played through the pain and helped his win the game.

What exactly does through mean here?

The dictionary meaning of through closest to the context seems to be

  from beginning to end of (an experience or activity, typically a tedious or stressful one)

like through a bad incident or accident.

My question is that how is it through the pain not in the pain? Because most likely the player would still have the pain even after the game.


texts: "You can do anything you set your mind to, man"

texts:
In the song Lose Yourself by Eminem (which is by the way one of my favourite songs of all time), at the end he says:

  You can do anything you set your mind to, man.

Why do we need the "to" after "mind"? Note that I have understood the meaning of the sentence, but not the whole construction.


texts: manifest solutions in the physical world meaning

texts:
I'm confused, please explain me what does manifest solutions in physical world and maintaining tangible quality mean?

"manifest" means (adj) clear or obvious (verb) "display or show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate."  So I don't understand.  If an adjective, "manifest solution in physical world" means "clear/obvious solutions...".  And if it's a verb then it means "displaying or showing a quality or feeling about a solution."  Neither of those makes sense to me.

Also, "maintaining tangible quality" could mean multiple things depending on which definition of "quality" is used (value or characteristic), and I'm not sure how to determine which way to understand this.

Here's the context(it's a test result. terms are more technical, related to manipulating physical creations and ideas. There are more like phrases, and I don't know are those phrases related to technical terms or not.):

  IMPLEMENTOR (How I handle things literally- It's coming up from abstract to concrete ) - On this implementor continuum, I don't need to deal with the abstract or the concrete. I can both build and imagine to some degree. I restore what's already built, I renovate it. And I can imagine how it will look like. And I don't need all the drawings or technical ability to make it happen. I can communicate to other people how I need it to physically happen or done for me. I'm good communicator in dealing with environment, dealing with tangible 3-dimensional items. This is important talent because the world requires that we deal with the things in it and that we are able to do it hands-on.

  I have following abilities:

  +protecting what has been built
  +safely transporting people and things
  ??????+maintaining tangible quality????? (tangible quality example: exterior and interior design of hotels, the equipment found at hotels and the ambient conditions in the environment of hotels. )
  +using tools well
  fixing things that break

  AVOID THE STRESS OF HAVING TO:

  +build something that won't break
  use lousy equipment
  +be literal about a solution
  +present information without props or photos
  +sit at a desk all day.

  MY BEST WAY OF HANDLING SPACE/TANGIBLES IS BY RESTORING(I KEEP THINGS WORKING THE WAY THEY SHOULD). FOR INSTANCE, I MIGHT:

  +Create simulations of physical action
  Renovate structures
  +Test ingredients
  Fix moving parts
  +imagine a context where things could work
  +Reproduce models
  Utilize mechanical equipment
  +Interpret sign and body language
  keep things working
  ?????+manifest solutions in the physical world??????


texts:
In a sentence like the one below, is it okay to use the subjunctive form as is:

  It is expected that I comfort the bereaved families, show up in their difficult times.

Is this grammatically okay? Or should it be revised to this:

  It is expected that I should comfort the bereaved families...


texts:
Competition can be raised.

I want to say a sense of competition should be encouraged in children but I'm not sure if "competition" can be used with "raised".

Is it correct?

It is not just a matter of collocation.

I know we say "Raise sth" and "sth rises" but when do we use the passive form of "raise"?


texts: How to pronounce the word 'quiz' correctly , some of my friends say 'KWIZ' and some others say 'KYUZ'. which one is the correct ?


texts: What is passive voice of 'I have a pen to write'?

texts:
My question is in continuation to this question :
Is there a passive construction for 'I have a pen.'
Wherein it is said that no passive possible for 'I have a pen' since it has 'have' as transitive verb. But then there are other sentences like 'There is a book to read' which has passive form : 'There is a book to be read'. Please enlighten me.


texts:
A: Do you have a good relationship with your ex-husband?
B: Define "good."
A: Are you able to talk together?
B: When we have to.

Is "Are you able to talk together?" a natural way to phrase the question?


texts: Meaning of "but I wouldn't squeeze it too hard"

texts:
Reading Raymond Chandler's "Farewell My Lovely", I saw the following dialog:

  “You didn't pay for the drinks," I said.

  He stopped and looked at me carefully.

  "Maybe you got something there," he said, "but I wouldn't squeeze it too hard.”

Could anyone explain the literal and actual meaning of the response?

The character who says that is a brute who just killed a man, threatens people with a pistol. The first person (I said) acts as if he is not intimidated, hence the phrase about the payment. The meaning of the response is unclear to me.


texts:
How should I tell a period between two dates? For example,

The DVD contains data from April 2010 to July 2019.
The DVD contains data from April 2010 until July 2019.
The DVD contains data between April 2010 and July 2019.

Which one is correct or better?


texts: Please help me with a sentence in Past and Present Perfect Continuous tenses

texts:
I was reading my diary, and in one of the pages, there was a sentence:

  I have been using Chrome happily until recently I was told that
  Chrome kept sending my private photos back to their headquarter
  without my consent.

I think I should change the tense, "I have been using Chrome happily",
to "I had been using Chrome happily",
because the clause, "until recently I was told that Chrome..."
can not happen before "I have been using Chrome happily".
Am I right?

Please help!
Thank you.


texts: Could you teach me the meaning of the sentence?

texts:
I came across the sentence

"Some men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comes right– all that falls to them is so much gain–all their geese are swans–all their cards are trumps–toss them which way you will, they will always, like poor puss, alight upon their legs, and only move on so much the faster."

I couldn't understand the sentence "only move on so much the faster". Could you teach me?

Could i ask a question? What do "them" in the sentence " toss them which way you will" indicate? Lucky people or trumps,anything else?


texts:
Mostly we add "s" to the noun to mean it as plural, but not for all of them. Is there any rule  for adding s / es / some thing else. I mentioned few words for Understanding.

Eg : Dog - Dogs Knife - Knives bus-buses.

And i also have a doubt, should i mention Plural or Plurals. Which is correct.
 Eg : Plural of Nouns ? / Plurals of Noun ?


texts: Why do they make the [r] sound between words when speaking?

texts:
https://youtu.be/YozWDsiKQUk?t=6m5s

(6:05) Here, the reverend is saying "I feel like I'm experiencing something that's really nice with Nutella in it." But for me it actually sounds like "Nutellar in it."

(6:33) again, the woman is saying "but Netella is great", but it sounds like "but Nutellar is great."

And I couldn't find the clip, but in the TV show "Anne with an E", Marilla says
"and be good friends with Diana again", but it actually sounds like "be good friends with Dianar again."

I often hear these [r] or [ar] sounds when natives speak English. What is this?
Is this just their habits or Do they often do this to pronounce easier or something?


texts: In passivizing "The children bought the dolls", should I use 'by' or 'for the children'?

texts:
Active:  The children bought the dolls.

Passive:

  The dolls were bought for children.

or

  The dolls were bought by children.

Which is the best and correct sentence?
I am confused here.


texts:
One of the uses of present perfect continuous is:

  One continuing event

  We use the present perfect continuous for a single activity that began at a point in the past and is still continuing:

  Source: Cambridge Dictionary

Now, imagine this situation, I am working as web developer in a company...:

  Boss: I am really disappointed with your project.

  Me: Which is the reason for that?

  Boss: The reason is all. Your project is so bad.

  Me: Let me tell you something, I have been working on this project one year approximately and you only told me that my project is so bad without any given reason.

My question: When I said "I have been working on this project one year approximately", Am I expressing time in that tense correctly? I will explain what I mean, for example: I worked as football trainer two year ago approximately. In that example I finished my activity two year ago approximately, but in the first example of this paragraph the activity began in the past and is still continuing, I did not use ago, for me ago sounds like past (started/finished in the past), I do not know if I am right or not.


texts:
Are both the sentences correct?

There are churches being built in India.

There are churches that are being built in India.


texts: What is meaning of 'following a heated news conference'?

texts:
Can you paraphrase and explain meaning for 'following a heated news conference'. It sounds complicated for me not native speaker. 'Following' and 'heated' particulary.

  The administration removed Acosta’s press pass following a heated news
  conference last week.


texts:
Scientists have long believed that caels originated in North America and then spread throughout the world, a theory that was first proposed after a camel fossil was discovered in Canada's Yukon Territory in 1913.
  A) No Change
  B) this first being proposed
  C) this theory was first proposed
  D) and the first theory proposed

I had thought the answer would be B), rather than A) although A) too sounds correct. However, the answer apparently is indeed A). However, I don't understand why I should choose A) over B)... Could someone help me understand this, please?


texts: Is the tense in “people wonder how they ever lived without them” correct?

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically wrong?

Organic pulses are so popular today that many people wonder how they ever lived without them.

I think it is not incorrect but the solution in my book says how they ever lived without them is wrongly used, instead it should be used in present tense.


texts: anything to discuss or something to discuss

texts:
I am trying to create the following sentence:

  Please call me if there will be something to discuss

But it sounds like I am not really interested in the other's person opinion. I was thinking about replacing "something" with "anything", so that it would be more clear that I do really wanna hear from that person.

Is there any difference between these two?
What are your feelings about it?


texts:
http://underscorejs.org/ has a paragraph:

  Underscore [library] provides 80-odd functions that support both the usual
  functional suspects: map, select, invoke...

What does '80-odd' stand for? From the context it looks like it means 'approximately eighty', is that correct?


texts: Is "Did you not tell me..." proper English?

texts: Is "Did you not tell me..." proper English, as opposed to "Didn't you tell me?"


texts: Is 'what' used as a modifier in this question?

texts: Is 'what' used as a modifier in the question "what happened?"


texts:
This is a paper ad:

  Assistant Cruise Director

  Have you ever dreamed of seeing the world? Here's your opportunity to get paid to do it!...You should love being around people from different cultures. Experience planning recreational activities a plus. Knowledge of languages desirable but not necessary.

What does 'a plus' mean here? I haven't seen this usage of plus before. Since this is an ad, I figured it might be ad language. Does it mean 'advantage' here because it's followed by 'Knowledge of languages' so that would be an advantage you'd have if knew some languages?


texts: Has " they were" been left out before the "convicted" because of parallelism?

texts:
others, less courageous or less inclined to self-assertion, sought rather to conceal their creed; but these latter were carefully sought out, both in the towns and in the country districts, and when convicted were relentlessly put to death.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts:
I've studied that comma is used before FANBOYS ("For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So"), but in the following lines extracted from text there had been used colon and semicolon before AND. I could not understand the reason behind it?

The medical profession began to pay more attention to what he said: and at that time he had quite a lot to say.
Lysozyme was not a chemical but a natural antiseptic; and unlike chemical anti septics, it destroyed germs and yet had  no harmful effect on leucoytes.


texts:
I have some question about the usage of the present perfect tense in this wikipedia article:

  The decline of newspapers has been widely debated as the industry has faced down soaring newsprint prices, slumping ad sales, the loss of much classified advertising and precipitous drops in circulation.

Would the meaning change significantly if "has faced down" is changed to the present tense "faces down"?


texts:
How I met my certain fate by Stewart Lee

  I realised that the structural framing device for this show, a single
  hour-long shaggy-dog story about anal investigation, religious
  persecution and a blasphemous physical encounter with Jesus, would
  be that the whole thing had been conceived as the joke that Joe
  Pasquale could not steal.

The author writes about how Joe Pasquale used to steal jokes from other stand-up comics. That's why Lee constructed this "framing device", so that it would be certain that Pasquale wasn't the creator of Lee's joke.

Does would be mean would seem in this context? Thanks


texts: does "negative" here means that the doctors deny presence of a supernatural force or they accepted it?

texts:
does “negative” here means that the doctors deny presence of a supernatural force or they accepted it?

  Attempts to expose the phenomena were made from time to time. In
  February, 1851, Dr. Austin Flint, Dr. Charles A. Lee, and Dr. C. B.
  Coventry of the University of Buffalo, published a statement [Capron
  "Modern Spiritualism, etc.," pp. 310-31.] showing to their own
  satisfaction that the sounds occurring in the presence of the Fox
  sisters were caused by the snapping of knee joints. It called forth a
  characteristic reply in the Press from Mrs. Fish and Margaret Fox,
  addressed to the three doctors: As we do not feel willing to rest
  under the imputation of being impostors, we are very willing to
  undergo a proper and decent examination, provided we can select three
  male and three female friends who shall be present on the occasion. We
  can assure the public that there is no one more anxious than ourselves
  to discover the origin of these mysterious manifestations. If they can
  be explained on "anatomical" or "physiological" principles, it is due
  to the world that the investigation be made, and that the "humbug" be
  exposed. As there seems to be much interest manifested by the public
  on that subject, we would suggest that as early an investigation as is
  convenient would be acceptable to the undersigned.
  Ann L. Fish. Margaretta Fox.

  The investigation was held, but the results were negative. In an
  appended note to the doctors' report in the New York Tribune, the
  editor (Horace Greeley) observes:

  The doctors, as has already appeared in our columns, commenced with
  the assumption that the origin of the "rapping" sounds must be
  physical, and their primary cause the volition of the ladies
  aforesaid—in short, that these ladies were "The Rochester impostors."
  They appear, therefore, in the above statement, as the prosecutors of
  an impeachment, and ought to have selected other persons as judges and
  reporters of the trial . It is quite probable that we shall have
  another version of the matter.

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


texts: The meaning of "to get under someone/something's guard"

texts:
I'm translating a book by Victoria Schwab and I'm not sure about the meaning of a sentence here. The scene describes a character fighting a monster, and here's the sentence that has confused me:

  "She danced between blows, trying to avoid the monster's claws and
  get under its guard.
  Nails racked the air above Kate's head as she ducked and slashed the iron spike across the creature's
  out-stretched hand."

Does it mean she is trying to find a flaw in the monster's guard so that she can attack it?


texts:
A)Vehicle is first fully electric Suv to be produced in Turkey.

B)Vehicle is first fully electric Suv which is produced in Turkey.

Sentence A and sentence B are the same in the meaning? which one is more idiomatic? what is the diffrence (if exists) between the sentences?


texts: Which word is modified by the adv 'just'?

texts:
Can I just say a word?
You can just say a word.

Does just modify say in first sentence ?

Does just modify can in second sentence ?

If so, The question and response is not corresponding

how do I get just modify say in second sentence then ?


texts: Can one say "... if you(I) could see me(you) on Friday..." when requesting a meeting?


texts:
The parallel has been invoked more than once in discussion of Heidegger, the implication being that his tragicomic error was to have momentarily believed that philosophy could guide politics, especially the gutter politics of National Socialism.

I would like to ask whether it is possible to rewrite the bold passage that I don't fully understand in this way: the implication is that his tragicomic error rests in the fact that he was supposed to believe that philosophy could guide politics… I am not sure if the original passage expresses modality ("was to have believed") or not.


texts: Please help me with the verbs 'dodging', 'evading' and 'ducking'?

texts:
In the following images I have tried to show you which verb I am trying to find; I need to know what are the persons marked with "B" doing in the images bellow:

A) They are evading.
B) They are dodging.
C) They are ducking.

I think "b" is the only correct choice. If not please tell me what verb is used for these reactions?


texts:
A recent exchange between a student and I:

  ME: I have found a technique for doing ….
  HER: How have you found it?

Why not ask, “How have you found it?” Why is the simple past tense correct, and not the present perfect tense? It seems to me that, as a general rule, a statement and response use the same tense. Why not in this case? I realize that this is something that happened in the past, and so the simple past tense makes sense for the question. Maybe then, I should ask why the simple past tense would be used for the statement.

On a broader note, where can I learn about nuanced details of the use of tenses? I often know my own thoughts and feelings about how I’d use this tense or that tense in any given situation. But what I’d like to know is why native speakers in general would use tenses in one way or another - reasons that are not found in textbooks. For example, someone recently answered a question I posed about tense. The answer was that ‘native speakers generally prefer to ….’ This isn’t something you’ll find in a textbook, and, this answer never occurred to me. This is the sort of thing that I want to be able to say when a student confounds me with a question about tenses. Maybe there’s no such book because it’d be impossible to compile such information.


texts:
I was supposed to be getting copies. I wrote the label when these were first announced asking for 30 something copies and he wrote back that he would contact me when they were ready.

Did the author choose to use continuous because it was a future thing planned before? I think so after reading the great answer for Is "supposed to play" semantically different from "supposed to be playing"?


texts: This is a common sentence pattern, but I met several variants that I am not sure if they expressing the same meaning. As far as I knew, too adj to do something means they dont want to do this thing, but too adj just to do something means they want to do. But when I was meeting this one you are never too cool to learn new things, I got lost.


texts:
I came across a sentence

ReWalk was created by Argo’s founder, Amit Goffer, himself quadriplegic as the result of a 1997 ATV accident.

"Who is" is omitted in it. Does that mean I can use similar sentences like

This cake is eaten by him (who is) happy.
He solved a problem (which is) difficult.

I am not native speaker but they sound strange to me.
Can (relative pronoun+ be verb) be omitted in that structure?


texts:
"Here it comes". and " There she is." What do they mean?
Where are they used? I don't know how to use it.


texts: How many are "a couple of twin brothers"?

texts:
From "The Walking Dead", season 05 / episode 09:

  Still got a mom and a couple of twin brothers.

I know that it means that in total there are 3 people: the author of the sentence and his two brothers, wo are twins. But can it also mean that he has more twin brothers, e.g. 4 or 6?

(Mind that this is American English. )


texts:
Can we use waswith would have been?. I would like understand how do we say if the two hypothetical situations occur in the past.

Example :

If lockdown was not imposed, condition would have been serious
If lockdown had not been imposed, condition would have been serious


texts:
The phrase appears in this article:
https://blog.jupyter.org/the-big-split-9d7b88a031a7


texts: What difference does "up" make in these cases?

texts:
How do these sentences work? Is there any difference? Sorry if it's obvious, I'm not a native speaker.

  He stitched me up.

and

  He stitched me.

I'm using the verb stitch, but it could be other verbs or tenses. Other examples:

  He calls me X He calls me up

  She showed in the room X She showed up in the room.

  She beat the enemy X She beat up the enemy.


texts:
This is the headline of an online article

  How to Prepare a Quote for a Job

The closest meaning I've found in dictionaries is an estimate, but what does a job estimate mean? Is it all about telling the employer my rate?


texts: What is the meaning of this sentence with "degenerating into mere arbitrariness" in it?

texts:
I checked the meaning of "arbitrariness" which says the meaning is "the quality of being based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system."
But I don't think I could make out the essence of the statement. So please help me.

In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness.

Excerpt From: Viktor E. Frankl. “Man's Search for Meaning.” Apple Books.


texts:
I Google-searched in quotes this: "The top 20 most common verbs is" and received 32.600.000 articles.

I Google-searched in quotes this: "The top 20 most common verbs are" and received 28.700.000 articles.

What is correct, "is" or "are". I think like this. Article "the" means always singular, means 1, like "a". There is no "The verbs" and "top 20 most common verbs" means "list" (1 list) and we have "The list is" and not "The list are".

Or these sentences:

  "Check out this list of the 30 most common verbs in the English language! The verbs are listed in their base form, present tense, past tense, and perfect forms." (URL: https://ginsengenglish.com/blog/most-common-english-verbs)

"The verbs" in second sentence means "this list" in the first sentence. Why do not write only "Verbs are listed..." without "The"?
"The" article builds superlative because noun with superlative is alwayes 1. There is no more "The best", but only 1. Because of that there is no more "lists the most..." but only 1 "list the most...".

This my question is being induced by this: "England (have/has) been the weaker side..."?


texts: The word "class" in questions about grades/years

texts:
Does the word "class" sound idiomatic in questions about grades/years at school, e.g.: What class are you in?

Is it acceptable to say: "I'm in (the) fourth class" (see here)? (I've added this question after placing my post here.)


texts:
Dictionary says 'lay over' means 'a short stop in a journey', 'stopover', but
I don't understand this sentence translating 'lay over' as 'stopover'.

Here is the sentence, which is from 'Baker's blue-jay yarn' by Mark Twain:

  And there's yet another thing; in the one little particular of scolding - just good, clean, out-and-out scolding - a blue-jay can lay over anything, human or divine. Yes, sir, a jay is everything that a man is.


texts: "instead of" vs. "rather than" when choosing words

texts:
A VOA tutorial says

  teachers and test graders want to see the words trying to instead of tryna.

I understand this sentence clearly.

I just wondering whether "rather than" could be substituted for "instead of".

I searched a bit and one of the answers gives some clear rules (I modified it a little bit)

  (rule#1) "Instead of" is used when you were given a plan and you want to change it.

  (rule#2) "Rather than" connotes a situation where you are asked about something and you like both options and you need to choose your favorite.

I suppose most VOA articles use the correct words though, the use of words does not seem to be a plan. That is more like the rule#2.

Which rule is supposed to be used in this context? Are "instead of" and "rather than" interchangeable in the case?


texts: In phrasal verbs, why is it sometimes considered 'adverbs', and sometimes 'prepositions'?

texts:
I was studying phrasal verbs and I couldn't figure out something. The source separated them into three type which are:

  Type1: Verb + Adverb

  Examples:

  Put off, turn down, get up, break down

  Type2: Verb + Preposition

  Examples:

  Look after, talk about, wait for

  Type3: Verb + Adverb + Preposition

  Examples:

  Get on with, put up with, run out of, look forward to

What makes me confused: The words which are called adverb in types 1 and 3 are accepted as prepositions generally. Am I wrong? So why are 'prepositions' called as an adverb? Here is the preposition list I found on the internet.

So what is the mentality that makes a person categorize phrasal verbs into, especially type 1 and type 2?


texts: Whosever or whose phone is ringing will be forfeited by the homeroom teacher?

texts:
{Whosever phone is ringing} will have it confiscated by the homeroom tracher.

I cannot use whoever's because I just need to use the word whosever, this archaic one for some reasons.   Does the subject of the noun clause in the bracket refer to the person or the phone after all?    Since the main verb is will have + Object + p.p, it is likely to mean the person.   Then, I found it difficult to  regard it as the subject because I thought it was the phone, it sounds like the phone ...etc

Could you help me clarify it?  Thank you always.


texts: I'm an electrical engineer. How can I describe that in a CV?

texts:
I would like to describe my job in a CV. What is the best way to do it?

My study (experience) is about generators that produces a very high power, Large transformers, Power Transmission lines, large three phase motors and so on.

  Does the term "Electrical Power Engineering" describe my job?
  Should I use Electrical or Electric?
  Should I use Specialization or speciality or Department?

What should I write in my CV to clarify these three questions?

Specialization: Electrical Power Engineering
Specialization: Electric Power Engineering
Department: Electrical Power Engineering
Department: Electric Power Engineering
speciality: Electrical Power Engineering
speciality: Electric Power Engineering

Tell me if you have better suggestions.


texts: What’s the difference between wilt and die?

texts: It seems like wilt refers to plants and die refers to animals and human beings.Can anyone help me clarify the difference?


texts: Is there a difference between "be nice with" and "be nice to"?

texts: I got an edit correction in another Stack Exchange. I wrote a sentence with an "x person is nice with" statement in the sense of a person being friendly to other, and it was edited to "x person is nice to". I've seen "be nice with" being used several times, I wonder if this is still incorrect or if there is a difference among both sentences.


texts: I wanted to know whether there are some similar English idioms for this Persian Idiom or not?(look at the definition)

texts:
There is an idiom in Persian (I translated it in English) and also I wrote its meaning.
I wanted to know whether there are some similar
English idioms for this Persian Idiom or not?

  PERSIAN: someone is not in the garden. or someone is out of the garden. MEANING:  used to say that someone is not actually involved in the situation that you are talking about.

Some examples:

Conversation 1:

  Student: I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to what you were saying.

  Teacher: You are out of the Garden, Nothing can excuse this kind of rudeness.

Conversation 2:

  Frank: Mum, I want to go to French language classes, just like Bobby, our neighbour's son.

  Susan: I want to go to dancing class like Elizabeth my classmate. I don't like you anymore! (Susan yelled hysterically)

  Mother: There’s no need to shout! I can hear you! (Mother moaned and cried out, left the house)

  Mother told the story to Aunt Julia and said:
  I’m a bit hard up at the moment.

  Aunt Julia: They're out of the garden, need to be taught a lesson!

  Mother: You know Julia, Nothing can compensate for my husband's death. I don't know what else to do! They cannot comprehend the extent of the disaster.


texts:
there are two sentences:

  The HR department
  will also be involved with training and professional development of the company's staff.

  A company's HR department may also be involved in making people redundant.

What's the difference between involved in and involved with in these two sentences?

Where should i use former and latter? Thanks!


texts:
If someone wishes that you're doing well in your studies, can you reply the following?

  Thank you for wishing me well!

What could be some other informal replies?