texts: "to tap into sth" vs " to make use of sth" vs "to use sth"

texts:
I have come across  the phrase 'to tap into sth/sb' many times.When I look it up, dictionaries says it means 'to make use of sth/sb'. I'd like to make sure I understood them right.

Does 'to tap into something or somebody ' imply take advantage of something or somebody and  little bit exploit their workforce  giving little in return Or just use something/somebody  or it can be used in both sense?

For example :

  For instance, local media publish stories in the business section of
  newspapers on tapping into the skilled migrant pool.

  UK and US publications have found trying to tap other English speaking
  markets.

Can I use it without causing any misunderstanding?

Can I say in order say that "I just want to work with new graduates in my company" with the following sentence?

  I would like to tap into new graduates in this country for my company?

What is the difference between the following sentences in terms meaning they imply?

  Can you make use of these papers?

  Can you use these papers?

Does the first sentence mean like ' Can you use these papers in a efficient way? '


texts: What's the meaning of `pronounced bye-frost`?

texts:
When I read the document:

  Bifrost (pronounced bye-frost) is a set of Ansible playbooks that automates the task of deploying a base image onto a set of known hardware using ironic.

What's the meaning of pronounced bye-frost?


texts:
All my "learner's dictionaries" - Oxford, Cambridge, and Longman- say that "intelligence" is an uncountable noun which means " the ability to learn, understand, and think in a logical way about something" (and I should say that I have no access to OED).However, I came across "AN intelligence" while reading an article titled "Clever Hans" which was about an intelligent horse:

  Hans the horse was bought in 1900 by Wilhelm von Osten, a retired German schoolmaster, who was convinced that animals had an intelligence equal to that of humans.

My question is, if "intelligence" can be used as a countable noun, does it differ in meaning from "intelligence" as an uncountable noun?


texts: Is "I had the chance read him in his report, not all his report...." correct?

texts:
I have a full sentence:
"I had the chance to read him in his reports, not all of his reports were perfect but his writing skill on a level far from I expected"
Is this same with
"I had the chance to read his reports, not all of his reports were perfect but his writing skill on a level far from I expected"
I mean I know "read him" like understand about sb but I don't know the two sentences have the same meaning.


texts: "I would rather did it myself" or "I would rather do it myself"?

texts:
Which of the following is the correct sentence:

  I would rather do it myself.
  I would rather did it myself.

When I meant to say that I don't know how to do this work otherwise I am well enough to do it myself.


texts: Proper tense in "I've tested the program with this input data and it works"

texts:
Let's consider the conversation:

  This program doesn't work with this input data.
  I've tested the program with this input data and it does work.

Is it right to  use the present perfect here? Or does the simple past sound more natural?

  I tested the program with this input data and it does work.

I suppose both variants are correct, right? But which one is more natural?


texts: How to identify if sentence is passive Voice or Indicative sentence?

texts:
Examples:

  "One car was parked outside of the gate."
  "Your work volume is increased or not"
  "He was arrested"
  "She was raped"
  "After accident he was taken to hospital"
  "He was informed about this"
  “My heart was broken”

All above statements can be in the stative form if we do not mentioned the agent.
But if we use the agent i.e. By Driver, By Boss,  By Police, By  boyfriend, By  friend, By  father, By  husband respectively, then sentence become as passive voice.

My questions are
a) How to quickly make out whether a sentence is in the passive voice or just a simple sentence (Stative)?

B) If i use had been in above sentence does it mean the same?


texts:
I am wondering if it is grammatically correct to say this.

I have heard it a couple of times and was just wondering. I know that the correct way to ask this question is in present perfect, "Have we finished?" but I'm wondering if it is also grammatically correct to say it this way.


texts: What is the meaning of contemporary history in this sentence?

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

  The forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, widely seen as a watershed event in our contemporary history, are expected to redraw the Nation's political landscape with implications for the future of Indian democracy.

First, the writer is saying the elections are forthcoming but what then does he mean by contemporary history?


texts: A single-word noun for a piece of cake which has no toppings on it?

texts:
What is a one-word noun that represents "an empty thing"? I looked at synonyms of "empty" but they seem to be all adjectives. I need a noun.

The intended usage is to describe a piece of cake which has no toppings on it. I could say "empty piece", but I am looking for a single-word noun. The closest words that I found so far are "hole" or "hollow", but they do not exactly match the intended meaning.


texts: Were married or had been married for 14 years before divorcing in 2016?

texts:
Which tense is correct to use?

"they were married for 14 years before divorcing in 2016" or "they had been married for 14 years before divorcing in 2016"

There's a relative event mentioned, i.e. before divorcing. So, to my mind, the only grammatical option is to use the Past Perfect Progressive. But why would anyone use the Past Simple ?

Another similar example:

"I had been explaining this rule to you for half a lesson before I gave you a test"

This is how I was taught to use the Past Perfect Progressive.

Should I rather use the past progressive then?

"I was explaining this rule to you for half a lesson before..."


texts:
What's the verb for helping someone give birth?

For example:

The doctor ____ the woman in the operating room.


texts: meaning of "he had it all made up for him by other people"

texts:
At teatime, "talking to Daddy" began again, complicated this time by the fact that he had an evening paper, and every few minutes he put it down and told Mother something new out of it. I felt this was foul play. Man for man, I was prepared to compete with him any time for Mother’s attention, but when he had it all made up for him by other people it left me no chance. Several times I tried to change the subject without success.
  "You must be quiet while Daddy is reading, Larry," Mother said impatiently.
  It was clear that she either genuinely liked talking to Father better than talking to me, or else that he had some terrible hold on her which made her afraid to admit the truth.

Dose it mean: as his Father was reading newspaper so telling that news writen by other people help him to get his wife attention?

This context is from a story named: My Oedipus Complex by Frank O'Connor.


texts: What does "liquid preparation" mean exactly in this definition of the word "sheep dip"?

texts:
The definition is under the entry "sheep dip" in The Oxford American College Dictionary：

  a liquid preparation for cleansing sheep of parasites or preserving their wool

How to understand "liquid preparation"?

Does it mean "washing", "daubing" or "soaking"?

What's more, does "preparation" indicate that the "sheeep dip" happens before the "cleansing" or "preserving"?


texts:
One [this one is neither Andrew nor Stuart] of them seized the wood-backed board rubber from Miss Harvey’s vacated desk. He threw it. The rubber soared right across the room and crashed into the clock on the back wall, which plummeted to the ground and shattered:
  . . . . . .
  ‘That’s enough,’ said Cubby. ‘If I hear any more noise like that from this class, I’ll put the whole lot of you in detention. Do you understand? All of you.’
  He shut the door on their laughter.
  ‘You heard the deputy headmaster!’ cried Miss Harvey, scurrying to the front of the room. ‘Be quiet! I want quiet! You – Andrew – and you, Stuart – you can clear up that mess! Pick up all those bits of clock!’
  They set up a routine cry of injustice at this, supported shrilly by a couple of the girls.
  . . . . . .
  ‘Mrs Weedon, you’re still smoking, which affects the dose I have to prescribe you. If you’d give up your cigarettes – smokers metabolize Theophylline more quickly, so the cigarettes are not only worsening your emphysema, but actually affecting the ability of the drug to—’
  ‘Don’ you shout at me! I’ve ’ad enough of you! I’ll report you! You’ve gave me the wrong fuckin’ pills! I wanna see someone else! I wanna see Dr Crawford!’
  (The Casual Vacancy, by J. K. Rowling)

(1) They set up a routine cry of injustice at this.
(2) I’ve ’ad enough of you!

Can I understand that the two of-complements's 'injustice' and 'you' are the objects of ‘set up a routine cry’ (in 1) and ‘have had enough’ respecively (in 2)?


texts:
You can do it multiple ways. [Skipped]. Use the approach that you like more.
You can do it multiple ways. [Skipped]. Use the approach you like more.
You can do it multiple ways. [Skipped]. Use whichever approach you like more.

Are all of these sentences grammatical and idiomatic? What is the difference in their meaning? And which one is the most precise?


texts:
Some aides now refuse to communicate by email, given that federal law requires such messages to be archived for historians and investigators. Many have taken to using encrypted apps to get around the investigations Trump has ordered to clamp down on leaks. Others are skittish about even picking up the phone, assuming someone is always listening or monitoring calls. "It's dysfunctional, as far as national security is concerned," says Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican. "Who's in charge? Who's making policy? Who's making decisions? I don't know if anyone outside of the White House that knows."

I'm having difficulty understanding what the article in bold above is trying to say. However, I tried my best to make sense of this and here's the result.

  "It's dysfunctional, as far as national security is concerned,"

  It's an abnormal situation(dysfunctional) regarding national security that some aides are afraid to communicate by electronic devices. or The devices are useless(dysfunctional) since the leakage is prevailing and national security is concerning.

  "Who's in charge? Who's making policy? Who's making decisions?

  He is confused that who's to blame on all this drama(that all the information is leaking) taking place in White House.

  I don't know if anyone outside of the White House that knows.

  He's not sure if there is anyone who has no connection to White House yet knows about it.

For more information, visit the link below

: http://time.com/4672974/donald-trump-white-house-chaos/


texts:
I shall not dwell on that, but pass on to the taxpayers’ revolt. We
people don’t see the effect of all this. You know we used to say we
must have this money to help pay the taxes, this liquor tax of 70
millions a year.
I want the boys particularly to remember this – that
more than all the revenue derived from the whiskey shops must go to
build prisons, must go [to] the hospital, the home for the friendless,
police justices and police officers to take care of these people who
go crazy [get drunk] on purpose and to pay all that, so that it costs
us yearly the difference between 70 and 90 millions of
dollars.
We have lost yearly on that old financial basis twenty
millions a year – twenty millions lost. I want you to think about that
– that is the very thing we do.

This is from a text by Frances Willard, in 1884, about temperance. I have tried to interpret it as the liquor tax not having a useful purpose, but in the end I believe it does not make any sense. She mentions that the revenue should go to all that but what is the difference between 70 and 90 millions? where did 90 come from? Can someone help me interpret this paragraph or reword it so that I can understand it?


texts: Which is dictionary definition of "Schedule" used in this website?

texts:
http://cannabisexpress.co.nz/blog/post/what-does-a-schedule-i-drug-mean

Which is dictionary definition(below link) of "Schedule" used in the website above link?
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/schedule

Edit:

  Drug scheduling is a way of ranking illegal drugs based on their medical value and potential for abuse. Countries use scheduling systems to determine how to enforce laws against certain substances. The scheduling system usually ranks in numbers, and different countries have their own classifications for each drug, albeit mostly similar to each other and the United Nations (UN).

  The UN classifies drugs from Schedule I through IV, using the same concept of medical value and potential for abuse, albeit worded differently.


texts:
Their divorce was a real shock to me. I had met them the month
  before and they seemed very happy.

We can suppose I met them many times the month before to use the past perfect but if we imagine that I met them only one time, should I use the past simple then?

  Their divorce was a real shock to me. I  met them the month before and
  they seemed very happy.


texts: "She kissed her son goodbye". Is there another better way?

texts: I don't understand the sentence "She kissed her son goodbye". It's not better to say "She kissed her son (in the) goodbye", isn't it?


texts: Fruit vs. Build vs. Ruin vs. Guide - Difference in pronunciation

texts:
The words "fruit", "build", "guide", and "ruin" sound very differently.

In most cases the phonogram "ui" is a long [oo], but not in the words "build", "guide", and "ruin". Why?


texts: How do you know when to use either an indefinite article or definite article for singular count nouns?

texts: According to my GMAT grammar book, it is incorrect to say "A chair is a useful piece of furniture." Instead, it says to use a definite article like so: "The chair is a useful piece of furniture." Why is that?


texts:
peel 1- [uncountable, countable] the thick outer layer of some fruits
and vegetables orange/lemon peel  (North American English also) an
orange/a lemon peel
2- peels North American English(also peelings British and North
American English) [plural] the skin of fruit or vegetables that has
been removed

This is what I think
So if we refer to the whole outer layer of a banana in general then say “a banana peel”, for example, "you need a banana peel to treat your acne"
but if we already removed the skin of that banana, then we say “the peels of the banana”

For example, "the above picture shows 4 peels of a banana".
Is that correct?


texts: Why is it "when" and not "then" in Wilfred Owen's poem? What is the meaning with "when"?

texts:
From The Calls by Owen:

  Stern bells annoy the rooks and doves at ten.
  I watch the verger close the doors, and when
  I hear the organ moan the first amen,
      Sing my religion's---same as pigeons'.

Why isn't it then?

I'm not very sure what the meaning is with when.

"When I hear the organ moan the first amen, [I start to] sing my religion [is the same] as [the religion of the] pigeon"?

If it were then, the meaning would have been more clear: after the verger closes the door, the organ moans the amen that says "my religion is the same as that of the pigeon".


texts: How to express two main strength without repeating words

texts:
I have two models. The first one put much more restriction on the connection between the variables. The second model, however, provides much more flexibility for connecting the variables.

I would like to express my sentence without repeating the words.

Model A requires a specific connection between variables. Model B, however,  offered much more free in connecting the variables, which provides much more flexibility to the multivariate models.

I repeat the word much more, which makes my sentence wordy. Can someone help me to express my sentence in a good way, please?


texts:
can you "mark" a season or date or time ahead for doing something in the future.
For instance, can I say "The season he had marked for his arrival has come
Is this sentence correct?


texts:
As far as I'm concerned,the other day can mean a specific day in recent days.
However,if something happens not just one day in recent days,can I use "the other days"?
For example

  It was raining the other days.
  →means it was raining day for not just one day recently.

Or,under this condition,do we also just use "the other day"?


texts:
I would like to compare two solution and one of the solution is "more complete" (if we were to say it verbally), but technically, I felt wrong because complete is complete, we can say half complete but I don't think we can quantify more complete.

Is there any word that is more suitable for this use? Thanks.


texts:
https://medium.com/@nettlefish/the-science-of-the-pendulum-sun-e7116070d4ce
There are two sentences that I can't understand:

Their world is magically built to be like ours but not. So their sun,
their moon, their seasons would be like ours but not.

If they don't have but not at the end, I can understand. I don't know what is the meaning of but not here. I'm very confused, but not? not what?


texts: To thorough clean/to clean thoroughly/to thoroughly clean?

texts:
It is essential to thorough clean/to clean thoroughly/to thoroughly clean the machine after each use.

Choose the best option to make the sentence perfect.
I am a bit confused here because I believe each one of them makes the sentence proper. I do not think if there is any rule for this. If yes, please let me know.
Suggestions please.
Thank you.


texts:
In my preparation for exam, I found "very occasional" in context of giving full points for answers that are showing no or little errors.

Does "very occasional" mean:  very seldom, almost perfect or no errors ?

I think so, but I want you to confirm my understanding, please.


texts: OVER / THROUGH / FROM / IN sections 1 to 5 I will explain

texts:
Over sections 1 to 5 I will explain this problem.
  Through sections 1 to 5 I will explain this problem.
  From sections 1 to 5 I will explain this problem.
  In sections 1 to 5 I will explain this problem.

I'm not sure which preposition to use in the sentences above. If none of the first four I listed work, I'd appreciate it if you could suggest one that does work.


texts: Is there any difference between "Truth" and "Reality"?

texts:
In the communication, both word Truth and Reality are used. But I can't justify the clear difference in usage between them. So, Are they same/similar? In other words, Can both be used in place of each other?

So, In order to choose right words, I want to know proper usage with exact meaning of both: Truth and Reality.

Note: Question can also be titled as : Proper/Exact usage of words "Reality" & "Truth" (if needed)


texts: Is "We're glad that we're going to spend" equal to "We're looking forward spending"?

texts:
I think, most students would enjoy performing one of Shakespeare's
plays very much. That's why my friend Martin and I formed a drama
group of our own; we're interested in acting. But we had difficulty
choosing a play which we could perform. Last week we succeeded in
picking a play that was suitable for us: John Priestley's "An
Inspector Calls". We're glad that we're going to spend the following weeks on this play.

Can i rewrite the bold quote to that? I'm just a bit unsure whether my solution is correct.

We're looking forward spending the following weeks on this play.

(The Text contains already some rewritten parts.)
EDIT:
To clarify my question a bit:
I knew the thefreedictionary.com Definition

look forward to:
To think of (a future event) with pleasurable, eager anticipation: looking > forward to graduation.

But I'm still a bit unsure, because

whether it should be "look forward" or "looking forward", although the latter one seems "more natural" to me. Additionally, the
Present continuous seemed more suited because the text focuses on the actual moment.

whether it should be "looking forward to spending" as suggested in the comments or "looking forward spending". The first version seems very unnatural to me (although I'm obviously not a native speaker) and the program "ding" from defines the "to" as optional

to look forward (to)

although i can't find that in one of the popular ones or on the website.


texts: "while" has two meanings : 1. during the time that 2. at the same time as

texts:
I learned that "while" means two : 1. during the time that 2. at the same time as

I think they are not interchangeable and actually different meaning.

To mean "at the same time as", I would so much rather use "as".

I would only use "while" to mean "during the time that"

And I think it's more common that "while" means "during the time that".

Do I have to get mixed up every time I see "while", trying to see which meaning it has?

Which one do you guys prefer to say to mean "at the same time as", "while" or "as"?


texts:
Which phrase is correct and why and when?

What is inside.
What inside is.

Edit Here is the context:

  We have got a little black box. We do not know
  (a) what is inside.
  (b) what inside is.

Which one is correct?

I know SVOMPT rule (Subject, Verb, Object, adverbs of Manner, adverbs of Place and adverbs of Time). I think the 1st phrase is correct.


texts:
...am I saying that I translate from Portuguese

or

that I am a translator from Portugal

or

anything else?


texts:
Would you teach me if the following phrase is grammatically and semantically correct? if so, when you would rather use it? in which situation?

What is more, is it a formal or informal phrase? I failed find such a phrase in Google books!

which of whom


texts: What is a name for someone who doesn't want to get their hands dirty, has their nose turned up, or is too good for anyone?

texts: Someone who is too good for someone? Or who doesn't want to get their hands dirty?


texts:
The sky was azure blue, topped by scudding white clouds.”

Is this sentence correct with the use of "topped"?


texts:
Please let me know if could in the following sentences shows a hypothetical situation or possibility.

He couldn’t lift that. It’s too heavy.
He could lift that. It is not too heavy.


texts: Chicago has more people (or population?) than Tucson

texts:
Which one is correct? If they are both correct which one sounds less odd to an Ame/Eng mother tongue speaker?

Chicago has more people than Tucson

or

Chicago has more population than Tucson

FYI in one episode of Little House on the Prairie a school child says "New York has more peo... hmmm population than..." and the teacher gives him the nod.


texts:
What is political tyranny, Plato has Sokrates ask in the Republic, if not the unjust rule of a man who himself is tyrannized by his basest desires?

Is causative used in this sentence? I understand causative for example in this sentence: I'll have him call for the parcel. I will use my authority or influence and make someone do something. But is the same pattern possible in my sentence? Or is it there only expressed the fact that Plato speaks by means of Sokrates in his writings?


texts: Is my sentence correct ? (using "for" or "of a")

texts:
I'm currently correcting some writing of mine. I have a question about this line in particular :

  To you I'm just a statistic, or a top tier choice for a stick

Is "for" adequate ? Or should I write "of a stick" ? Maybe even something else ?
The meaning of this is sex-related. "Statistic" meaning something like "just one more guy on your palmares". "Stick", meaning males' attribute


texts: "put in contact with" versus "bring in contact with"

texts:
I was wondering about the difference between "put us in contact with" and "brought us in contact with." Is it one more formal than the other? This is in the context of a person being introduced to a third person via email.
Thank you!


texts:
Hello is this sentnce correct: I can’t wait until the summer holidays have begun.
if not when can we use present perfect with until
thanks in advance


texts: "respectively" referring to listed items in order

texts:
Is it correct to use "respectively" in this sentence? I want to express that the level of enounced is the "what" and the level of enunciation the "how" of the poem.

  Nünning (2009: 57) describes the level of the enounced and the level
  of enunciation as the “what” and the “how” of the poem, respectively.


texts: Do you pronounce foreigners' names with the foreign pronunciation?

texts: Some names, like "Michael" sound dramatically different depending on whether you pronounce them the German or English way. Which one do you use when talking in English?


texts: Why are these adverbs sentential, and not regular, adverbs?

texts:
Source: Starting a Sentence With "Hopefully", By
Mignon Fogarty, 2007 Sep 21

  ... the traditional use of hopefully... is to mean “in a hopeful manner,” as in

  1. Squiggly looked hopefully at the box of chocolates.

  ... hopefully is an adverb in that sentence. It modifies the verb looked.

  1. = 1.1. Squiggly is looking in a hopeful manner at the chocolates.

  2. Hopefully, I'll get ... chocolate.

  In [2.], hopefully is behaving like a sentence adverb. You see, adverbs modify verbs, but they can also modify other adverbs or, as they do in this case, whole sentences. Hopefully means[:] I'm hopeful I'll get some of that chocolate.

  3. Fortunately, the chocolate was out of reach.

  4. Honestly, I wish I were somewhere else.

  ...fortunately and
  honestly modify the whole sentence in the same way that hopefully did
  in the previous example. Fortunately relates to the entire point that
  the chocolate was out of reach, and honestly describes the subject's
  state of mind and gives the whole sentence a confessional quality.

2.1. In 2, how's hopefully a sentential adverb? It modifies the verb get? Since hope may be smothered,
   2.2. I'll get in a hopeful manner ...     equates to     2.3. I hope that I'll get ...'   ?

3.1. What's wrong with my belief that fortunately modifies the verb was? Adverbs denote 'place'.

4.1. In 4, honestly modifies wish, to describe the manner in which you wish that you were elsewhere?

Footnote: I read this, this and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disjunct_%28linguistics%29.


texts:
If I ask a question in Past Simple using the coordinating conjunction and, does the second verb take -ed or not?

e.g. Did you muster up the courage and propose? or
     Did you muster up the courage and proposed?


texts:
I'll have dinner later after I've finished in the garden.

Is that sentence grammatically correct? I have doubts about "finish in the the garden", the verb requires an object, doesn't it?


texts:
how to use the idiom "put one's foot down" in different tenses

like is this sentence correct

I am puttting my foot down

my question is how to use this idiom is past, future and other tenses

and is this pharse quite strong < means will it effect my relationship with anyone if i decline or reject someone using this phrae> and if yes then when should i use this phrase and with whom should i use it


texts: omitted object after "want" - anything you want

texts:
What object is omitted after "want" below?

  You can do anything you want.

Since "anything" is the antecedent of the relative clause, is "anything" omitted after "want"?


texts:
I want know the difference (particularly on meaning) between be infected by and become infected.

Here is my question sentences.

Children can become infected through daily contact with their pets.
Children can be infected by daily contact with their pets.

I think meaning of both sentences are same.
Is there any difference?
and if there is any difference, I want to know it.


texts: What is the difference: 'being collected' vs 'collected'?

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences?

  Are names an important part of the information being
  collected?

  Are names an important part of the information collected?


texts:
I'd like to know which preposition should be used in the following:

  John is an idol of / to many teenagers.
  John is the idol of / to many teenagers.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Help with Adjective Order and Sentence Combination

texts:
I'm learning about sentence combination and adjective order. I have many problems with them.

For example:

  The computer belongs to the teacher. The teacher teaches Chemistry. He is well-educated. He has got Chinese eyes.

Can I combine those sentences like this? Is it correct?

  The computer belongs to a well-educated Chemistry teacher with Chinese eyes.

I tried to learn from the internet but it is still hard to order adjectives correctly, especially when there are compound adjectives and other adjectives.

I don't know where I should put the compound adjective, before or after the other adjectives.

Do you have any suggestions or any good websites to advise me about ordering adjectives and methods to combine sentences?


texts: Expressing the idea of having a very busy time

texts:
I need another excuse of "I was very busy" as people became tired of hearing it. So, I thought of expressing the idea of having a very restricted/limited time for all the tasks that I have been assigned to do and therefore I couldn't completely finish this specific one. The thing is I can't get my hands on a suitable phrase.

I guess it would be something like:

  I wasn't able to finish it as I got pretty restricted in time.

Is it correct? Can I achieve that meaning better?

It is not necessary to be formal, but I don't want it to be too informal.


texts:
I don't know how to use the expression 'at all' correctly.
Please, which of the following two sentences is correct?

There are people who do not believe in gender equality at all.
There are people who do not believe at all in gender equality.

Thanks in advance for your help.


texts:
Sorry for my bad English.
I'm translating a book about behavior. What does "evangelical" mean in the following context:

  The manager, heavily tattooed and evangelical about juicing, answered Emily’s questions, then made an offer Emily couldn’t refuse.

When I looked up evangelical in Oxford's online dictionary, it means something about religion. So that doesn't seem to fit.


texts: What does "The man behind the muscles" mean?

texts:
Rita Skeeter's smile flickered very slightly, but she hitched it back almost at once; she snapped open her crocodile-skin handbag, pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill, and said, “How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know. Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?”

I don't quite understand "The man behind the muscles". Does it mean: other than his muscles/power, what else does the man have? What does it mean exactly?


texts: Term for invokation of an action from an agreement

texts:
In legal terms, we can have an agreement that specifies price, SLA etc. Then, as the agreement is effective, nothing happens, because the specified conditions declare what's going to be performed once one of the parties makes a request. One can say that the parties agree how to do something when or if a need appears.
I need a word for such an invocation of e.g. stuff hire or purchase, according to the conditions from the agreements.
An example would be hiring consultants. In exchange for exclusivity with hires, they promise to deliver a dude or dudess within X days for Y monetary units. Then, a few months later, I say - let's go, get me a dude or dudess. What is the name of the act of me doing that with the agreement?


texts:
I want to have two different meanings as:

I am grateful to Ali.
I order Ali that he should be thankful to Zohaib.

Which of the following is used in each case:

"Thanx Ali" or "Thanx to Ali".


texts:
I would appreciate it someone could let me know which one of the following choices would work properly in the self-made sentence below:

  Put your foot on the clutch and ......................... and slowly release the clutch and put the car in the first gear.

  a) push on the gas

  b) step on it

For me, they both work properly and the only difference is that the choice "b" is a slang and the first one is not, but I'm not sure if they both sound natural to natives.


texts: " The goal was his to achieve" - What structure is it?

texts:
When Hillary tried to climb Everest, the goal was his to achieve.

I saw this today and it seems a bit strange to me. From what I understand, "to achieve" is a noun and we can put a possessive adjective before it. But is this pattern used often? I don't think I've seen it very much.


texts:
In this research, two types of assessment models have been applied for/to the sample.

Do we apply a model to or for something in research?

Or shall I paraphrase it?

  In this research, two types of models have been used to assess the sample.


texts:
I have a question that says: Report the following sentence-

‘Tomorrow we’re starting a new project,’ the teacher told us. [Direct Speech]

According to the rules:

(tense): present continuous (changes to) past continuous
(pronouns): we (to) they
(time): tomorrow (to) the next day

The sentence should become:

The teacher told us the next day they were starting a new project.

Is it correct to change "we" into "they" in the above example?

Thank you.


texts:
Let's say your father's side has a family history of diabetes. Do you still use the preposition "ON", and is this a correct construction:

Question: What motivates you to exercise daily?

  Answer: Well, because, "ON my father's side, they've got a family history of diabetes.

Is this the correct "fixed phrase" to say that in English?


texts: Looking for some better words other than "by chance"

texts:
I read some news about my friend being robbed on a local newspaper.

The newspaper was published a few weeks ago, but I read it two days ago.

I wanted to send my late regards to her, but I thought she would ask me how I knew it.
I was thinking to write this:

  "I saw you getting robbed on newspaper by chance"

But I don't want to use the phrase, by chance, because I think "by chance" relates to gambling and betting.

Thank you.


texts:
The petition said an “extraordinary circumstance” was prevailing over armed forces personnel fighting in the insurgency-hit areas and the nation’s borders.

The Hindu: 300 Army officers move SC against ‘prosecution’

In this extract "in the borders" is used but "on the borders" is correct.
So I am a bit confused.


texts: What is the difference between ‘up a tree’ and ‘on a tree’?

texts:
I saw the puma up a tree.

I saw the puma on a tree.

So, what is the difference between ‘up a tree’ and ‘on a tree’?


texts: "Part of the team" vs. "a part of the team"

texts:
I see both of these are used:

I'm part of Acme's technical team.

I'm a part of Acme's technical team.

Which one sounds more natural when introducing myself in an email? Is "Part" countable or uncountable in this context?


texts:
the comparative degree of bluff (having a open way of talking) is more bluff, Why?
As a monosyllable, maybe it should be bluffer?


texts: What would be the difference if I use "never once" with perfect aspect sentences?

texts:
Suppose:

I have never treated her like that.

I know I can put more emphasis by saying

I never once treated her like that.

I am thinking of this sentence in perfect aspect. I am wondering what would be the idiomatic usage in the present perfect aspect. I mean, when would someone say this instead of the past simple variant?

  I've never once treated her like that.

Is there any specific case for which we'd better to use the perfect aspect?


texts: Can I say ' My pc having some faults, I returned it to the company.'

texts:
Can I say:

  My pc having had some problems, I returned it to the manufacturer.

Instead of:

  As my pc had some problems, I returned....''

Similarly:

  He not coming, I won't go there.

If they are possible, please give me more examples of this kind.


texts: What’s a word for how parents treat their kids?

texts:
If there were two parents that treat their kids badly, no one would comment,

  The Johnsons' behaviour toward their children is bad.

What can replace the word behaviour? Treatment (as mentioned in the comments, it sounds like they are doctors)? I don't really want to use

  The Johnsons were treating their children badly.

Because it doesn't fit the essay I am writing.

The psychologists discussed the Johnsons' ______ toward their children.

What would be the appropriate word? Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
Do you know babybel cheese that round and covered in red wax casing. Before you get to the wax part, you need to first peel the flimsy vinyl. What is this vinyl part called? Package or packaging?

Let's open the package/packaging.


texts: How many years do you live there vs How many years are you living there

texts:
I have doubts about the correct construction of these sentences, and I would like to know which of them sounds most native.

The context is: My friend told me that he is from Australia, and I know that his grandfather didn't live there, so it's interesting for me to know how long / how many years he lives there.

The options for the question are:

  How many years do you live there?
  How many years are you living there?
  How long are you living there?
  How long do you live there?

So in conclusion, I have two questions: The first one is about the correct tense (present simple vs present progressive) and the second one is about construction ("How long" vs "How many years")


texts: Isn't the word "experience" wrongly used in this context?

texts:
Friend: Have you ever flirted with a female cop?

  Me: Nope.

  Friend: I have done that experience.

I think experience is the wrong word here. What else should he have said?


texts:
An excerpt from a video course dedicated to developing good communication skills:

  Second. You can go meta on the flattery. In other words, you can acknowledge that what you're about to say might make the person uncomfortable or seem like manipulative flattery but it's not. So, you can say something like "I hope my saying this won't feel like an out-of-place compliment, but...". And then you go on to do the flattery.

What does go meta mean?


texts: Using both past and present tenses in one sentence

texts:
I was wondering if this sentence is grammatically correct:

  "Yesterday Ann told me that Nick has a football match today"

Is it ok to put it like this? When is it possible to use both past and present tenses in one sentence?


texts: What does "move up that timetable" mean?

texts:
I'm reading a newspaper and found this paragraph.

Under the Paris climate deal reached in 2015, China pledged that its emissions would peak around 2030. Mr. Xi promised on Tuesday to move up that timetable, though he did not provide specifics. The bigger surprise, analysts said, was Mr. Xi’s pledge to reach “carbon neutrality” — meaning China’s net carbon emissions will reach zero — by 2060.

What does move up that timetable mean here? The original expected emission will peak around at 2030. Does move up that timetable means Xi expects the emission will peak around at sometime before 2030 (like 2029) or after 2030 (like 2031)?


texts: Proper Word for 'Writing' Technical Proposal

texts: I am writing my resume and confuse in 'Writing' technical proposal sentence. What is the proper word of it for technical proposal? Is it writing, creating, developing, or other?


texts: How to use the phrase "draw a (clear) line between" for more than two things?

texts:
When we need to express differentiating two things we can say "draw a (clear) line between A and B", but can we extend two things to three or more things? Can we say something like "draw two lines among three things" or "draw several lines among these things(A, B, C, D, E, F, and G)"?

Or any more appropriate sayings? Thanks in advance.


texts: Grammar of 'why would I do that' ? Is it grammatical?

texts:
I've often heard people saying this. And even I say it when someone accuses me of doing something that I didn't do.

I'd say:

  Why would I do that?

But what's the grammar behind it?

Is it future from the past tense or something or what?


texts: What are some phrases or words to describe a person who enjoys family life and values family over other things?

texts:
What is a phrase or word to describe a person who enjoys family life and values family over other things?
The only phrase I can think of is 'family person/people', which I think is not proper or even right. Please offer me some?


texts: Is there a semantic difference between "fold the arms" and "cross the arms"?

texts:
Is there any semantic difference between those two sentences? I've seen both used in works of fiction recently, but I'm not sure if there's some difference.

  She folded her arms.

  She crossed her arms.


texts: Can I use "wash" when I am talking of something that has been washed?

texts:
I was looking for a word to use for clothes I recently washed, the equivalent of Italian bucato.

Google Translate gives me three words:

Laundry
Washing
Wash

Looking at the OALD, it seems that laundry would be the correct word. The dictionary says that laundry is a synonym of washing, but when I look for washing, it says that washing is used to mean "clothes, sheets, etc. that are waiting to be washed, being washed or have just been washed" only in British English. (BrE is shown between parentheses before that definition.)
For wash, the meaning the dictionary gives and that is closer to what I want to say is "(especially BrE) an act of cleaning somebody/something using water and usually soap."

Can I use wash when talking of something that I recently washed?


texts:
Is "turned into X for a Y duration" grammatically and semantically correct? It doesn't sound like something that sounds semantically correct, because the process of turning into something is instantaneous. It's implied that he reverts back after Y duration. However, it's semantically incorrect and imprecise, because the process of reverting back is not explicitly said.

For example:

  He turned into a monster for an entire week.


texts: "I cannot draw this picture" in passive voice — use "can" or "could"?

texts:
I am confused by these alternatives:

  This picture cannot be drawn by me
  This picture could not be drawn by me


texts:
The word "Virtua" is in the name of a lot of video games, for example:

Virtua Tennis
Virtua Fighter
Virtua Racing

I couldn't find a definition online.


texts: Which sentence is correct:  Do you have any recollection of the time period that passed while this was going on?  Or, Do you have any recollection of the time period that past while this was going on?


texts:
I was reading an essay written by one of my colleagues. He used following sentence in his essay:

  The matter which needs food for thought is who should take responsibility for the young ones.

I think the phrase "food for thought" can only be preceded by words such as provide or give. For example,

  The matter which provides food for thought is who should take responsibility for the young ones.

However, in the above sentence, he meant that the matter which should be delved further is "who actually among the parents should take responsibility for the young ones.", so here " provides food for thought" can't be used.

His entire para was as follows:

  Nature has blessed females with extraordinary qualities, which help them in taking care of their child. However, in the modern era where both of the parents are finding it difficult to juggle the two responsibilities: office work and providing care to the child, the matter which needs food for thought is who should take responsibility for the young ones.

If the idiom "food for thought" is not suitable in this context, please suggest which idiom can be used in its place.


texts: Is there any difference between very & much?

texts:
Please tell which one is correct.
I am much interested. Or I am very Interested.
Please explain scientifically.


texts: in vs over vs during the last five weeks

texts:
I have a lot of trouble figuring out how "in", "over" and "during" are different when it comes to verb tenses. I am going to make up three similar sentences below.

(1) In the last five weeks, I looked for the best deal on computers. Yesterday, I bought one at a very low price.

(2) Over the last five weeks, I looked for the best deal on computers. Yesterday, I bought one at a very low price.

(3) During the last five weeks, I looked for the best deal on computers. Yesterday, I bought one at a very low price.

I've heard from some native English speakers that you have to use the present perfect tense when you use "in" or "over" the last five weeks. That leaves me with the only choice of "during" that works with the simple past. Is (3) the only correct one as far as the verb tense is concerned? Please answer my question. Thank you.


texts: "Bring them back to society" vs "bring them back in to society"

texts:
What's the difference between the two?

On Google Books "Bring them back to society" has 638 hits. And "bring them aback in to society" only has 1.


texts: What does this sentence in SEVEN ENGLISH CITIES mean?

texts:
From SEVEN ENGLISH CITIES By W. D. Howells:

I have tried to give some notion of the fond behavior of the arriving Americans in the hotels; no art can give the impression of their exceeding multitude. Expresses, panting with as much impatience as the disciplined English expresses ever suffer themselves to show, await them in the stations, which are effectively parts of the great hotels, and whir away to London with them as soon as they can drive up from the steamer; but many remain to rest, to get the sea out of their heads and legs, and to prepare their spirits for adjustment to the novel conditions. These the successive trains carry into the heart of the land everywhere, these and their baggage, to which they continue attached by their very heart-strings, invisibly stretching from their first-class corridor compartments to the different luggage-vans.

I can't understand the structure, hence the exact meaning, of the bolded clauses:

Is "These the successive trains carry into the heart of the land everywhere" parsed as "These(meaning Americans) (that the successive trains carry into the heart of the land everywhere)"? But if so, where are other components of the sentence such as verb after "these"?

Is "to which they continue attached by their very heart-strings" structured as "which they continue to be(which is omitted originally) attached by their very heart-strings"? Who is "they" here exactly? What is "which" refering to here?


texts: What can be inferred about the application?

texts:
I read the following in a TOEIC book:

  Ben Hayes: Hi, all. Just checking up on everyone. Want to make sure
  we’re on track for July’s launch date.

  Manuela Ruiz: Hi, Ben. I’ve just spoken with the marketing team and
  they recommend we focus on our new product’s cost savings. It’s 10
  cents cheaper than similar products made by our nearest
  competitor—Compart Plastics.

  Ben Hayes: Sounds good, Manuela. I’d add that Caplock lasts longer
  than our previous product. And we can offer bigger discounts for
  orders of 10,000 units or more.

  Manuela Ruiz: Points taken, Ben. I’ll pass on your comments and send
  you a draft or our advertising copy. Oh, and I’ve also signed up
  Parkerco for a couple of big trade fairs in China.

  Adam Wong: We’re approved for export licenses to Asia and Australia,
  but our application with the European Union is still being reviewed by
  the lawyers in Brussels. They want to make sure we pass the
  environmental standards.

  Ben Hayes: Thanks, Manuela! Adam, I’ve invited Nicole to join us.
  She’s the company lawyer.

  Nicole Keaton: Adam, Ben explained your problem to me and I don’t
  think we need to worry. I’ll get in touch with my counterpart in
  Brussels and sort things out.

  Adam Wong: That’s wonderful news. Honestly, I’m not sure why there’s
  an issue now considering it isn’t the first time we’ve sold products
  in Europe.

  Nicole Keaton: There’ve been some regulatory changes recently. I’ll
  take care of it.

  Ben Hayes: That should do it, then. Thanks again, everyone. Appreciate
  the effort.” ((Test 6, Hacker’s TOEIC Real Test 1000 RC))

Question 154. What can be inferred about the company's application with the European Union?

(A) It has yet to be submitted.
(B) It is expected to receive approval.
(C) It will need to be revised.
(D) It does not meet Europe's standards.

I think A is the best answer, but this TOEIC book says B is the best choice considering what Ms. Keaton says – “I don’t think we need to worry. I’ll get in touch with my counterpart in Brussels and sort things out”.

What do you think? Do you agree with the book?


texts: Choosing a name for one of a website's sub-menus

texts:
I need to enter information of the company profile for three partner companies in a website which belongs to all of these three companies at the same time. What should I name the menu title?
Does the name below sound grammatically correct to you:

  Company profile for / of:

  Alpha Company
  Bravo Company
  Charlie Company

I doubt which preposition from among the bold ones above is used here normally?
I'm wide open to receive your suggestions.


texts: Are "car prices" and "the price of a car" synonymous?

texts: Obviously, "the price of a car" can also mean the price of a car in general, so I am wondering if "car prices" and "the price of a car" are basically synonymous.


texts: When it does not fit at the end of a line, can I hyphenate 'limitations' as 'limitation-s'?

texts:
Is it correct to hyphen limitations as 'limitation-s' ?

According to this site it is wrong as it is hyphenated as: 'lim-i-ta-tions'.

It is also wrong according to hunspell, which says that the correct forms are 'lim-i-ta-tions' (en-us dict) or 'lim-it-a-tions' (en-gb dict).

But I just found the (limitation-s) form in a text and I was wondering if there is a rule which allows this form or not.


texts:
It is hardly possible for people to live for so many years as slaves
  in everyday contact with fascists and fascism without becoming
  somewhat twisted, without contracting a trace of that dry rot
  unwittingly and unwillingly.

I know the meaning of the words invidually include the meaning of dry rot.  I think the meaning of contract is  "to catch or become ill with a disease" but I'm not sure.

Could you please explain it to me?

The fuller text is:

  The years of imprisonment had yet another paradoxical effect. Although
  we continually hoped for freedom, our concept of freedom had changed.
  Shut up behind barbed wire, robbed of all rights including the right
  to live, we had stopped regarding freedom as something natural and
  self-evident. Gradually, the idea of freedom as birthright became
  blurred. By the end of their time in the camps, many prisoners came to
  accept the view that freedom is something that has to be earned and
  fought for, a privilege that is awarded, like a medal. It is hardly
  possible for people to live for so many years as slaves in everyday
  contact with fascists and fascism without becoming somewhat twisted,
  without contracting a trace of that dry rot unwittingly and
  unwillingly. Usually, the reasoning went something like this: if, for
  the purpose of building a new society, it is necessary to give up my
  freedom for a time, to subsume something I cherish to a cause in which
  I strongly believe, that is a sacrifice I am willing to make. In any
  case, we are a lost generation. We all might have died uselessly in
  the camps. Since we did survive, we want to dedicate what is left of
  our lives to the future. This streak of martyrdom was stronger than
  was generally understood. People felt chosen by destiny to sacrifice
  themselves, a feeling that was reinforced by a strong sense of guilt
  that characterized many who had survived the camps. Why was I alive
  and not my father, my mother, my friend? I owed them something. They
  had died in place of me. For their sake I had to build a world in
  which this could never happen again. This was where the misconception
  lay: in the idea that Communism was the one system under which it
  could never happen again. Of course we knew about the Communism of the
  thirties in the Soviet Union, but that was an era of cruelty that had
  ended long ago, the kind of crisis out of which all great change is
  born. Who, today, would condemn democracy for the Terror of the
  Jacobins after the French Revolution?

Under a Cruel Star, A Life in Prague 1941-1968 by  Heda Margolius Kovály

Translated  by  Helen Epstein.


texts:
I'm a non-English native speaker going to take an Academic IELTS exam in few months. At the moment, I'm toying with the problem of memorising the English words, so that when I want to write/state sentences in English, I can recall them for use well. They're nearly more than 1000 new words and phrases.

What methods do you friends bestow upon me, please?


texts:
I watched TV and a man said “Just great!” when his car stopped running and wasn’t working.

I thought the word “great” must be positive thing, but it seemed it was negative thing in this case.

So could you explain me what “Just great!” mean?

Thank you!


texts:
I don't understand what rule should we apply for the phrase.

On the one hand, there are many general truths, so we need to use a article.

  The fact that you're reading this is a general truth.

I googled the phrase and find out that almost all people use the phrase without an article.

  Can there be empirical evidence for general truth?

And, as far as I've understood, we should use the when we're talking about same general truth in two or more sentences.

Please, clarify when I should use an article with the phrase and which one for what situation.


texts: said something -- no article requred in front of the expression?

texts:
Source: Microsoft Access VBA Programming for the Absolute Beginner

  The most common of table relationships is the one-to-many relationship, which is created by adding the primary key (one or more fields) from one table into a second table that will hold many occurrences of said primary key.

I asked a friend of mine who's a native English speaker whether everything was okay with the grammar in this sentence and he said that the sentence sounded absolutely fine to him as it was written. He explained that said something is a common phrase with no article. But I then looked it up in my dictionary and showed him the following example that I found there: acting in pursuance of the said agreement. To which he replied that because you already have the primary key mentioned before, you don't need to use the article again. Do you think this is correct logic? Would you please give me some more examples with that structure?


texts: Reducing sentences with which/who in the middle

texts:
The following two exercises from the TOEFL longman seems to be tricky. Which one is correct and which one is incorrect.

  ______ The food placing on the picnic table attracted a large number of flies

  ______ Dissatisfied with the service at the restaurant, the meal really was not enjoyable.

It is stated in the book that if there is no be-verb, it is possible to reduce the sentence with _ing. Also, it is possible to move the reduced sentence to the beginning of the sentence and drop the which/who/.... Please see below.


texts:
Does ''I left university'' mean ''I dropped out'' in this sentence? '

'When I left university I made a decision to take up a profession in which I could be creative.''

The example is from the book English Collocations in Use by Michael McCarthy.


texts: Meaning of "I have found the key" in context

texts:
"I have found the key"

Can it mean in a context that

  "I lost my key. I have found the key in an unspecified time in the past (it
  isn't interesting) but now I actually  don't know where it is, maybe I
  lost sometime ago or somewhere else?


texts:
I've constructed a few sentences:

1."I noticed the people I worked with."
2."I noticed the people I was working with."
3."I noticed the people I had been working with."
4."I noticed the people I have been working with."

I've got two purposes to use them:
In the first case, I want to indicate that I do not work with them anymore.
In the second one, however, I still do.
What is the difference between those sentences?
Which ones (if correct) give either of the two cases?


texts:
What is the difference between the following two sentences

  I think of Chatterton, the marvelous boy.

  I think of Chatterton as the marvelous boy.

I think the second one is correct but not sure about the first one


texts:
In a conversation of two people, one says to the other,
I just got a box of cubans. Maybe I bring 'em by your office around 5:00
In the latter sentence, the present tense, bring, is used.
It seems possible to use I would bring or I could bring.
what kind of meaning is implied when using the present tense?


texts: "In real life" vs "In a real life" vs "In the real life"

texts:
Should I use an article in such phrases, and if I should - which one? Examples:

In [?] real life you shouldn't do that.
In [?] real life things aren't so simple.
In [?] real life it's almost useless.


texts: Is "close" in this sentence an adjective or an adverb?

texts:
The sentence is the following.

  "We came close to landing the deal, but the contractor turned us down at the last minute."

I would like to know whether "close" in that sentence is an adjective or an adverb.
If you give some explanation about why, that would be so much appreciated.

Thank you.


texts: Is there any difference in meaning and usage between "with each day" and "day by day"?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is there any difference in meaning and usage between with each day and day by day? For example:

It's getting harder at work with each day, but I think I'll pull through.
It's getting harder at work day by day, but I think I'll pull through.


texts: I'm easy to please / I'm easy to be pleased

texts:
We have a phrase:

  I'm easy to please.

This means:

  I can be pleased easily.

Shouldn't the phrase be:

  I'm easy to be pleased.

Just like:

  The game is easy to be played.?

Thank you.


texts: Is "I am done doing my homework" grammatical?

texts:
This sounds odd to me and I don't understand what "doing my homework" is in this sentence. I don't understand how the phrase "I am done" ( I assume "done is an adjective here, passive voice doesn't make sense to me) can be followed by this ing phrase. Sentences like "I finished doing my homework." are easily understood and the gerund could be replaced with a noun ("I finished my homework.")  This is a different kind of construction of course. But instead of "to be done doing" I would say "I have done my work" or if I want to keep the "doing" maybe "I am done with doing my homework." Otherwise I find it unintelligible.
Also similar constructions use prepositions too for example "I am tired of being alone" "I am fed up with being single" this one does not.


texts:
It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single
  man can bend it to his will. It is a sort of wooden gun to the people
  themselves. But it is not the less necessary for this; for the people
  must have some complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to
  satisfy that idea of government which they have. Governments show thus
  how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose on themselves, for
  their own advantage. It is excellent, we must all allow. Yet this
  government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the
  alacrity with which it got out of its way.

Can I reorder it as "Yet this government never furthered any enterprise [of itself], but [furthered the enterprise] by the alacrity, with [the alacrity] it got out of its way"?
What does "alacrity" mean here? and "by the alacrity"?


texts: How to modify gerunds when they are objects?

texts:
A question about gerunds really confuses me:

Is it true when gerunds are objects, we can't make them work as nouns?

For example, we can't say:

  "I really enjoy free swimming!"

or

  "My teeth are worth deep cleaning?"

But I have seen some titles like "The skillful defusing of bombs is XXXX" or "The dog hates the singing of its owner"  Are there any mistakes?


texts: Questions about the tense for the dependent clause when the independent clause has the present perfect tense

texts:
I have described how to get the answer with an assumption.
After the description, I want to use the following sentence, but I don't know which is correct.

Note that all derivations have been made on the assumption that it is selected as the source node.

vs

Note that all derivations have been made on the assumption that it has been selected as the source node.

vs

Note that all derivations have been made on the assumption that it was selected as the source node.

I think one of these three must be correct.
Which one is correct?


texts: off vs from: "He fall off/from his bike and broke his leg"

texts: What is the difference between fall off his bike and fall from his bike and which one of them is the best choice? to use in this sentence?


texts:
Is that sentence right and sound correct at all (about "both")?

I think "time" is an adjective. This is true?

  'At, in, on' and ''to' are used as both time(s) prepositions and place prepositions in English.


texts:
Why isn't the phrase "He couldn't see the forest for the trees" not an incorrect use of English?
I am getting stuck here but why is the phrase not "Can't see the forest from the trees" - as in distinguishing the big picture (forest) from the details (trees).
I don't understand the usage of "Forest for the trees" as the idiom states. Seems in error.


texts: In 1940 ”where” the industrial use showed a significant increase in value

texts:
I am writing an essay in which I am reporting the data provided on this line graph
And I came to the point where I need to describe the changes in the industrial use.

So I wrote:

  In 1900, the domestic use stood at 100 km3 and this value was steady over the next 40 years until 1940 where the industrial use showed a significant rise to hit the 1,000 km3 point in 2000.

Is the usage of the conductive pronoun where correct in the context?


texts:
Context: Someone lost his register and now he wants to put a notice on the notice board. Which version of the sentence is correct? If I use "I lost" instead of "I have lost" would it be fine?

I have lost my register on which my name and address have been written.

I have lost my register on which my name and address were written.

I have lost my register on which my name and address are written.


texts:
I looked up the definition of "walk-in" as a noun in Merriam-Webster dictionary,
walk-in (noun)

a walk-in refrigerator or cold storage room
an easy election victory
a person who walks in without an appointment

and wonder how to spell the plural form of "walk-in" (definition 3), walks-in or walk-ins? I know a word of a similar morphological structure and its plural form is "passers-by."


texts: Does a native understand "Go ahead leaf by leaf as in the book" as a Croatian speaker would?

texts:
Does a native understand this

Go ahead leaf by leaf as in the book.

the same way a Croatian speaker would?
I translated Croatian in my head into English. In the Croatian it is said that a book has "leaves". In English it is said the book has "pages". By "Go ahead leaf by leaf as in the book" I wanted to say "Go ahead page by page as in the book". Will a native speaker understand my sentence as “Go ahead page by page as in the book”?


texts:
My boss told me on Wednesday, "Please don't come to work til Monday."

So when does this means I have to go back to work? On Monday or Tuesday?


texts: Is this a common expression, "the person addressed"?

texts:
This question is derived from this post, where someone says

  By "the person addressed" I meant the person to whom the question is addressed, the person who must answer the question.

One of the meanings on the Oxford dict is

  Speak to (a person or an assembly)

the corresponding example sentence is

  ‘The person obviously wasn't addressing him, but speaking to someone else.’

Does "address" in "address a question to someone" have the same meaning of "Speak to (a person or an assembly)"?

Is this a common expression, “the person addressed”?


texts: Can I alternate between “you” and “us” when writing wishes in a greeting card?

texts:
I’d like to write something like this: “May the charms of Christmas gladden YOUR heart and lighten YOUR burdens. May the spirit inspire US to bring healing and hopes to the world.”
I wonder if it’s natural to use “your” in the first part and “us” in the second part.


texts: "Without a rest stop" vs. "Without stopping a rest" vs. "Without (pronoun) stop for a rest"

texts:
At the time it was felt that engines and passengers could not survive the journey without a rest stop.

At the time it was felt that engines and passengers could not survive the journey without stopping a rest.

At the time it was felt that engines and passengers could not survive the journey without they stop for a rest.

1 is a random sentence I found on Internet, presumably on an British site; 2 and 3 are varied forms of 1.
Supposing 1 is good English, are 2 and 3 okay, too? If so, are there differences in meaning?


texts: Do imperative sentences have intransitive verbs?

texts:
Please guide me if the verbs in these sentences are transitive or intransitive:

  Please do me a favor.
  Close the door!
  Write this note.
  I enjoy walking in the park.

I think these all are transitive. But someone told me that imparative sentences have intransitive verbs.


texts:
Imagine a friend in a company who was considered a very reliable guy and after a while others notice that there is a big problem with the guy and he was a sly. All of the friends want him to get out of their company and the guy finds no other way other than leaving the group.
Imagine once, all the guys have gathered together and are talking about the past events. There are some newcomers and this is why there is a more tendency to talk about the past sweet happenings.
Abruptly, one of the group old members begins to talk about that guy who was kicked out of the group. The old member wants to say that: "in spite of that the guy was in the group for a long time, all of us thought that he was a very loyal and reliable person up to the last minute, but when the story... happened, we got that he is a bad individual because he acted like an enemy not friend."

My question: does the self-made sentence below make sense to you to convey this message?

  He turned out as an enemy.

Meaning that: "he was an enemy, but we didn't know it"

Added: I need to know it my mentioned sentence sounds natural in English and if yes, does it carry the message in my question or not?


texts: A word to explain thinking only in the short term

texts:
I recently went through a phase where I was super interested in something and made a pretty big purchase for that hobby. A month later my interest completely died and the money was wasted. I'm looking for a word (or a few) to describe thinking only in the short term, not acknowledging that interests will change in the future.

I want to say, "that decision I made was so ____ I thought what I was interested in then then would be what I liked forever"


texts:
What is the correct way:

  what will be our options after tomorrow?

or

  what will our options be after tomorrow?


texts: When contract "used to" as "usta", is it pronounced /ə/ or /a/?

texts:
In everyday english, people like contracting words, for example,  "used to" would be contracted as "usta".

When people pronounce a single "usta", it sounds like /juːstah/; when people pronounce a sentence, "usta" sounds like /juːstə/;

Did I hear correctly? Is there some rules for this?


texts:
The building was destroyed by a fire.

The building was destroyed by fire.

I have almost always used “fire” as an uncountable noun.
What’s the difference between the two sentences? Which example is a native English speaker more likely to use to describe this?


texts: Can "Just so xxx" be taken as a set expression?

texts:
I heard couple of uses of just so in spoken English. For examples:

  Fine, but just so we're clear,

  just so you know,

My understanding is that it can be interpreted as it's just like that, so .... Is my interpretation correct? Is it sort of a set expression?


texts: The indefinite article with a repeated noun

texts:
Could you help me please with a sentence:

  When you called me I was reading a book. You know, I was reading a/the book because I had nothing to do.

Is it grammatical within this context to say "a book" in the second sentence instead of "the book" like a way of saying what I was reading - a book, rather than which book?

In other words, can the second part mean that "At the moment you called me I was reading a book because..."

and not "Always when I had nothing to do I was reading a book" ?

Thanks.


texts:
In an old video I found a sentence:

  Despite the tremendous amount of work put into individual pieces, they are only ever made once.

Is it the same as: they are only made once?

What is the significance of ever in this sentence?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is it correct to eliminate "Who are" in the below sentence?

texts:
Could you tell me grammatical point to do so by a few examples? When can we do it and when we cannot?

  People who are unhappy with their environment could simply pack up and leave.


texts: What's the meaning of the phrase "Are you a man or a mouse?"

texts:
Today, my teacher gave me an assignment to write down a conversation using the phrase:

  Are you a man or a mouse?

I don't know what that phrase means, can you please help me with this?


texts: Does "set the table" also imply "to put food on the table before serving a meal"?

texts:
Does "set the table" also imply "to put food on the table before serving a meal" or just "to put plates, forks, spoons, knives, etc without food on the table"?
I did some research and it seems like "not including food"
But then “if you don’t put food on the table”, then how do you eat?
Do we have to say “set the table and then set food on the table for dinner”?
In Asia, people in a family share food, they don’t divide food into portions.


texts: Gender specific words for female socialite and male socialite?

texts:
Is there a single word for a female socialite?
Is there a single word for a male socialite?

Thanks.


texts: What is the difference between "state of the art" and "state-of-the-art"?

texts:
Sometimes I see sentences with "state of the art" and others with "state-of-the-art".
What is the difference if it has a hyphen?


texts:
You should come over to/for dinner tonight.

By "come over" the speaker means at his house.

In AmE, Is one of them more natural in this context? Is one of them more informal than the other?


texts: "Train to my hometown" vs. "train for my hometown"

texts:
Which is more correct?

I am leaving early as I have to catch train to my hometown.
I am leaving early as I have to catch train for my hometown.

Any other suggestion to improve is appreciated.


texts:
Someone wrote:

  In this book Cooper proves with documents that the US and Europe had a big role in the overthrow of the Shah and the rise of this new regime.

As I searched by Google, I found no result for "prove with document".

What is the phrase in English?


texts: Dating a diploma: "executed at" vs "done at" vs "given at" vs "signed at"

texts:
I am translating a typical French diploma into English. The translation will be certified, so I am trying to use the proper terms.

The diploma ends with a date:

which indicates when the diploma was made.

What is the best option amongst the following:

Done at Paris, this 11th day of October, 2011
Executed at Paris, this 11th day of October, 2011
Given at Paris, this 11th day of October, 2011
Signed at Paris, this 11th day of October, 2011

?

What I have seen so far:

Given:

Given in:

Given on:

Given at:


texts:
I've read this sentence in some novel.

  He stayed standing in the doorway, not bending down eager and wet toothed like some grown- ups did with kids.

I don't know 'wet toothed' mean.

Could you let me know it?


texts: "Should have done" vs. "would have done"

texts:
Collins COBUILD English Grammar

  5.134 You use should with have to say that you expect something to
  have happened already.

    Dear Mom, you should have heard by now that I’m O.K. ( I would add a little more context here: "Mom, I saw the doctor talking to you. You would have heard by now that I am OK." Otherwise, there are two explanations for this example, which could bring deviation from what I'm asking here. )

  You also use should with have to say that something was
  expected to happen, although it has not in fact happened.

    Muskie should have won by a huge margin.

By default, you use would with have to talk about actions and events that were imaginary or hypothetical in the past.

The hypothetical usage of "would" is pervasive, though the inferential usage is much less common.

I think should is almost interchangable with would in the second example.

I was wondering if I could use would in place of should in the first example without considerable change in meaning.

A single yes or no would suffice.


texts: A subsidiary company which works for a parent company, but it has its own independent commercial affairs

texts:
What do AmE native speakers call a subsidiary / sister company which works together with parent company when each one of these companies has its own directing manager and, aside from the fact that they work independently for themselves, the subsidiary company cooperates with the parent one (something like a financial / commercial department of the parent company)?
The only terms which come to my mind are

Cooperating company

Collaborating company

Associated company

PS. I do not want to convey the message of being a subsidiary company. Actually I need to imply only a connotation of cooperation.
I don;t know why, but somehow I am sure that no one of the above suggestion work in this purpose. What are your suggestions?


texts: Which is right? After school vs after the school?

texts:
I wonder which sentence is the right one.

  What are you going to do after school?

vs

  What are you going to do after the school?

To me, I feel like "after the school" is the right one, but I might saw "after school" on the TV before.


texts: Which is correct - "policies of..." or policies in"?

texts:
If each country in Africa has its own national health policy, and many of these national policies from country to country share a common specification or stipulation, which of the following is correct:

  "Health policies in many African countries stipulate..."

or

  "The health policies of many African countries stipulate..."

Based on my reading of various references, I presume number 2 is an example of distributive plural - but does this also apply to 1 if the preposition 'in' used  rather than 'of'?

Any advice would be much appreciated!


texts: Is there a justification for past simple

texts:
McGuinn  had a better idea: recording an electric version version of Pete Seeger's ,"turn!turn!turn!" immortal folk prayer. "Turn!turn!turn!", which Seeger adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes. Back in his New York session days, Mc Guinn had arranged the song in a chamber-folk for Judy Collins.

I am wondering why it is not had adapted because when Mc Guinn wanted to record this song,it had already been fully adapted  by Pete Seeger, it would have been different if it had been written "Turn, turn, turn adapted by, adapted would be a past participle.

So why past simple I don't understand, may be the  reason  is that the meaning is clear enough

the Byrds boxset included a book where I found this


texts: Would you call a wall at the end of a corridor a 'back wall'?

texts:
Nearing the end of the corridor, he saw a door at the back wall?

Would you call the wall at the end of a corridor a 'back wall'?


texts: Could you please refer me to a comprehensive article about usage of 'when' statements?

texts:
I'm surprised by how it is hard to find something on the web, that would comprehensively describe every case of using 'when' statements. For instance, I've found that I can use statements like this:

when (present simple), (present simple)
when (past simple), (past simple)

I understand that I can say something like this:
I meet you when you arrive at the station.
But I'm also aware of continuous statements with 'when', but haven't found anything on it. For example:
When I'm doing homework, I always feel tired - is it correct? Or should I say "I'm always feeling tired" instead?
P. S.
I'd be the most grateful, if you provided me how 'when' statements are called. Cause I know that 'if' statements are called 'conditional'.


texts: Can I use "with" and "ranking" together here?

texts:
I wrote the following sentence. And I am not sure is that correct in grammar to use “with” and “ranking” together here?

"With a high GPA of xx/100 and ranking No.xx among xxx students, I am confident that I have xxx."


texts:
While I was reading Wikipedia article(Felony murder rule),I came across a phrase  'to qualify as an underlying offense for a felony murder'.I tried to get the essence of the phrase from the context of article, where I consider this phrase as sort of "for an underlying offence to be qualified as felony of murder",but I'm not sure about my consideration.

The Paragraph

    In most jurisdictions, to qualify as an underlying offense for a felony murder charge, the underlying offense must present a foreseeable danger to life, and the link between the offense and the death must not be too remote.

My Question

what is the actual meaning of phrase?

2.Is phrase"to qualify as an underlying offense for a felony murder equivalent to "for an underlying offence to be qualified as felony of murder"?


texts: She walked, used to walk, had been walking

texts:
What are the difference between these when it comes to the past habits:

  She walked to school everyday for a month

To

  She used to walk to school everyday before for a month

And

  she had been walking to school before for a month.

Do they all mean the same?


texts:
Are group nouns like team or police singular or plural?

  The team (is/are ) preparing for the next game.
  Police (is/are ) looking for the suspects.


texts: Can we negate 'heaven forbid' in a conditional sentence like this: "If heaven didn't forbid it, I'd sleep with her"?

texts:
If heaven didn't forbid it, I'd sleep with her.

Based on what I read, heaven forbid is more common. But can you use its negative form?


texts: What is the grammar mistake in the following sentence?

texts:
We were hot because we'd run.

I am trying to solve this mistake, but it sounds right.
This mistake is grammatical.


texts: How do I convert this to past tense? "I will keep you update it on every step."

texts:
I want to know how could I say or write this sentence in past:

  I will keep you update it on every step


texts:
I learned that in English we can only use a with single verb, and we cannot use it with are. Also, I learned that when we define the word for the first time we need to use a. I am really confused about using a and the in my sentences.

For example,

1- There are a wide range of car types.

2- There are wide range of car types.

When can I use a and when can't I? Any help please?


texts: Is "I will get understood" a valid way to say that someone is going to be able to understand you?

texts:
I'm encountering that is commonly said "make myself understood" and I thought that the way that I'm saying it is wrong. But I'm not certainly sure if it is wrong or just have a different meaning.

This situation is not from a specific subject in English classes or something like that, but from a self-learning process that I've made through the time.

Is it wrong to say "get understood"? and Why?


texts: What do you call the act of mapping a 2d space into a 3d space and vice versa? Is there a word for this? I am trying to think of a word, but I don't know any word that refers to this.


texts: Countable/uncountable “judgement” vs. “evidence”

texts:
These procedures may be based on ∅ objective, scientific evidence or on
  a more subjective, aesthetic judgment.

Here, “judgment” is countable, but “evidence” is not. For native speakers this might be intuitive, but for me it just doesn’t make sense. Why should evidence and judgment be treated differently?


texts: If I had not gone to the party, I won't meet my friend who came there

texts:
I know the above sentence is not grammatically correct.I feel the sentence should be like:

  If I had not gone to the party, I would not have met my friend who came there.
  If I did not go to the party, I would not meet my friend who came there.

In the first case, I used past perfect "had" and in the second clause "would not have". I think this will be an imaginary situation which does not fit in this context because the person has actually attended the party.


texts: Using "accounts" in reference to failed attempts

texts:
Is it idiomatic in English to use the noun "accounts" in reference to some failed attempts?
For example,

Henry is a very quiet and passive student that even looks sleepy while
in my class. Throughout this year I've been trying to get him involved
in discussions, games and role-plays and I have virtually failed on
all those accounts.
Jenny realized she was running late. She grew increasingly nervous and
did her best to get to the point of her destination on time. She tried
going by bus, taking a taxi and even riding her half-broken bike, but
she failed on all those accounts.


texts:
I would like some help with my english. I wish to write in correct english the following:

Say I am building a machine that delivers something, and it delivers it in sealed packages. Sometimes the packages have something printed on it. And sometimes it does not.

How can I name these packages? or the process?
For the one without printing I would say "printless package" but I don't know for the other case. And I am even thinking that that does not sound correct.


texts: Please help me use the correct term to indicate: "Please [sign with a shorthand version of your signature] all these pages and then sign in full on the last page."


texts: Do I need a comma before "and" in the following sentence?

texts:
Fortunately, reason kicked in(,) and I stopped doing it.

I read somewhere that you should always add a comma if the sentence after the "and" is a complete sentence. This seems to be the case in my example.

However, I also see the no-comma version on Google Books:

  [...] but reason kicked in and I turned the thought down.

  [...] The voice of reason kicked in and I was forced to face
  the truth and to undertake some real, heartfelt, sincere, and honest
  examinations.

Maybe both versions are correct?


texts:
You puked a lot last night.
You vomited a lot last night.

Which verb is more suitable for stating that a baby vomited milk?


texts:
I often watch horror films, read horror stories and play horror games like Diablo. I have noticed that sometimes very identical places are often called differently in English and it's very hard to tell on from the other. I'm come to notice that in horror-fiction the places where the dead are are most often called a "tomb" (a large stone structure or underground room where someone, especially an important person, is buried) and it's mostly underground but the entrance is on the ground. However, someone calls those "a crypt" (a room under the floor of a church where bodies are buried), "a vault" (a room under a church or a small building in a cemetery where dead bodies are buried) or a "burial chamber" (A chamber, often below ground level, used to bury the remains of the dead).

I also bumped upon "charnel" (a building or chamber in which bodies or bones are deposited — called also charnel house) and "sepulchre" (a stone structure where someone is buried) which I don't quite clearly understand In comparison with the other three words.

My question is: How common is each word over the others and should there be a strict difference between there meanings or do writers and producers have the right to veil there dictionary meanings for some reason?


texts: Grammar of "I stood there, watching the kids play basketball"

texts:
I stood there, watching the kids playing basketball.

What kind of grammar is this, and is it grammatically correct to use the verb "watching" after I use "stood"?


texts: Had had (Is it a past perfect or past simple)

texts:
Look at the sentence that is in Italic. I wonder if had had there is the past-perfect or is it the Past Simple followed by 'had to'? I'm confused.

  Helen stepped outside her front door to see what the weather was like.
  It was sunny and warm. That was nice, because for the past two weeks
  it had been cold and rainy. It had been so cold that she had had to
  turn her heater on. She was lucky, because her heater worked and she
  could pay her heating bills.


texts: What does " will be made or broken" mean in this context?

texts:
I'm trying to translate a new smart phone review. But I don't know what does "will be made or broken by its pricing" mean in the following context?

  The Samsung Galaxy J1 is a decent entry-level device that, just like
  all of its peers, will be made or broken by its pricing. However if
  you want to get it, you might want to look around for the quad-core
  variant of it (given that rumors materialize and it actually does come
  out) as it should provide a speed boost over the dual-core one. It is
  available in either Black and Blue as well as White as in the case of
  uor unit.

Review source


texts:
If there is one joke that I don't understand I might say:

The joke went over my head.

but what if I don't understand a series of jokes in the context of a movie, for example, someone suggested to me?
In this case should I say:

Jokes went over my head one after another.

or:

Jokes were going over my head one after another?

I am also wondering if there is a difference in connotation beteeen the two sentences.
(to me, for some reason, the second one seems to have a humorous connotation but I am not sure if that is the case.)


texts: What does **New money, suit and tie** mean in context within these lyrics?

texts:
From Taylor Swift's Blank Space

Nice to meet you
Where you been?
I could show you incredible things
Magic, madness, heaven, sin
Saw you there and I thought oh my god
Look at that face, you look like my next mistake
Love's a game, wanna play
New money, suit and tie
I can read you like a magazine
Ain't it funny rumors fly
And I know you heard about me

It seems that the highlighted part is irrelevant to the rest ov lyrics. I have just read somewhere that it implies that she does not want money from the boy. How can we get to this meaning ? I am confused. Thank you in advance.


texts: Sirs and madams. Is this usage correct while chatting

texts:
While chatting on a WhatsApp group  or any other social media group some people address the group members as Sirs and Madams.

For example:

  Sirs and Madams, I'm grateful to you for your wishes

Is the usage correct?

Please update me: What is the suitable expression in such a situation?


texts:
Could someone please clarify the exact meaning of claims to announce in the paragraph below.

  A Greek philosopher of the late 6th century BCE, Heraclitus criticizes
  his predecessors and contemporaries for their failure to see the unity
  in experience. He claims to announce an everlasting Word (Logos)
  according to which all things are one, in some sense.

Does it mean he claims that he is the one who has invented this word?


texts: The best alternative to rewrite a sentence

texts:
Perhaps the most serious concern about the transgenic crop plants currently in use is that they encourage farmers to move farther away from sustainable agricultural farming practices, meaning ones that allow natural resources to continually regenerate over the long run.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?

Transgenic crop plants may be used in place of other, more sustainable
agricultural practices, and this is perhaps their biggest disadvantage.
Perhaps the most serious concern about the transgenic crop plants
currently in use is the possibility that they may not be sustainable over
the long run

I think the first option is better. And the second option is inherently flawed because it says "transgenic crop plants are not sustainable"; however the original sentence is saying "natural resources to continually regenerate".
But the answer is the second one.


texts: What is the name of the thing (awning) that we find over a car's windows?

texts:
Request to the OP - Kindly confirm the image. This'll help you getting a correct answer.

What is the plastic part over a car window called? Something like an awning.

I do not know what to call it.

No Google results. so please help me.


texts: "it is *the* exception" means one and only exception?

texts:
– You can't cast aspersions on someone just because they're wearing a cape. Superman wore a cape!
– OK, Superman is the exception.

Does the here convey the meaning that it is the only exception, and there are no other exceptions?


texts:
I was reading a thesis and saw this sentence,

  Recover (Spain) takes post-industrial cotton waste and shreds the
  fibre to upcycle it into yarn. By colour sorting the waste materials,
  they have carrier fibre to strengthen the yarns, such as recycled
  plastic bottles (Source: Circular Speeds: A Review of Fast and Slow
  Sustainable Design Approaches for Fashion and Textile Applications)

I tried to find the meaning of carrier fibre, and from an interview with the Spanish company I saw the same phrase as well:

  NOMADIX: WHAT ARE RECOVER TEXTILES MADE FROM?

  Isaac Nichelson: Recover yarns are made from mechanically recycled
  cotton derived from pattern cutting waste and pre/post consumer
  garments. Recover Upcycled Cotton fiber is blended with RPET fiber
  made from post consumer recycled plastic bottles as a carrier fiber to
  make the softest, finest recycled cotton yarns know to man… also
  considered the lowest impact yarns available today. (Source: AN
  INTERVIEW WITH THE CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER OF RECOVER TEXTILES)

But I couldn't find any website that explains what carrier fibre is. Can anyone help?


texts:
I think it is a pretty simple question. I am not sure which sentence sounds better:

Please send me the last two file's pages.

Please send me the file's last two pages

Would a sentence without using the possessive be preferable in this case?

The last two pages of the file.

PS: I think everyone can understand what I want to say but if that is not the case, please let me know and I will try to add more details.


texts: What does this sentence mean? Is it a run-on?

texts:
From the Big Short movie:

  But some of the fresh fish doesn't sell. I don't know why. Maybe it just came out halibut has the intelligence of a dolphin.

I can't discern the subject of the sentence. It seems a run-on.


texts: Have been/ was... difference in meaning?

texts:
I've been studying all morning.

I've been studying all morning long.

I was studying all morning.

How are the first, and the third different in meaning?
What's the difference between the first, and the second?


texts: what sort of phrase is "as much money as Mick but not as much as Neil"?

texts:
Greg makes as much money as Mick but not as much as Neil.

is it prepositional phrase, noun phrase ,noun clause,gerund phrase,adverb clause ... ?

i.e. noun phrase, verb phrase, adverb phrase, adjective phrase, appositive phrase, infinite phrase, participle phrase and gerund phrase.

why?


texts: Saying something rude about someone to someone else while they're present

texts:
I need a colloquial expression (not a term) that can be used when someone indirectly says something annoying to provoke someone standing next to them.

For example, me and Hannah fought angrily and stopped talking. The next day we met in a gathering. I was standing with someone else and Hannah was next to me, then I say something rude or malicious about Hannah to that person so that I provoke her, knowing that she is standing next to me.


texts:
I wonder which tense should be use in this case:

a) When Columbus arrived in America he thought he is in India.
b) When Columbus arrived in America he thought he was in India

I guess both are fine, or am I wrong?


texts: How does the following infinitive modify the sentence?

texts:
what's the difference between the following? Is the first sentence correct? If yes in which situation both of these should be used? please help me.
1) He seemed weak.
2) He seemed to be weak.


texts: How should I parse "popular accept friends" in this “when” clause?

texts:
In the sentence below,

  The danger comes when teens eager to appear popular accept friends
  that they don’t really know and post too much information thinking
  that only their friends will see their page.

What is the structure in the "when" clause?

  when teens eager to appear popular accept friends that they don’t really know

I mean, how can I treat the words of "popular accept friends"?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Beating one's head against the wall / a brick wall

texts:
Dictionaries say that the idiom "beating one's head against the wall" means:

  To attempt continuously and fruitlessly to accomplish some task or achieve some goal that is or seems ultimately hopeless.

As you see here in the definition, the expression includes the connotation of a useless action.

There is an Example in the Freedictionary as below:

  Some people are never going to agree with you on this, so it's no use beating your head against a wall trying to convince everyone.

I think the segment **"in no use" is redundant here, while the idiom encompasses the meaning.

P.S. Although to me, this expressions means: to try so much to do something and it doesnt have the connotation of "a useless action".

I wonder if you could explain that to me.
Thank you.


texts: Can you ask if an action has been completed after "Are you done"?

texts: For example, is it right to ask, "Are you done using the pen?" or "Are you done chopping onions?" ?


texts: How does "a month ago" and "the past month" in the below article differ?

texts:
"A month ago...More than 750,000 coronavirus cases were tallied
worldwide in a single day... But the past month... New cases have
declined to half their peak globally..."
(New York Times online
Feb.23.2021)

"A month ago" should be January 23, but I wonder if "the past month" in this sentence means January (a dictionary indicates that "past" means "just ended"). How should I understand?


texts:
I am looking at the differences:

"He went with friends to a concert."
"He went out with friends to a concert."

How are they different?


texts: in which cases "as" followed by article?

texts:
for instance, is it correct to write : "to approve his appointment as chairman of the board and as CEO of the company"?
Or should it be writenn that way:"to approve his appointment as a chairman of the board and as a CEO of the company"?


texts:
She choked out in a final breath.

I am wondering if this sentence is grammatical. I think it is, but I am not sure. I am not sure if this sentence makes any sense, but to me it implies that someone choked mid-way during a breath that happened to be her last.


texts: Present perfect + since this year/this summer?

texts:
I've never thought it's grammatically incorrect to use "have been (verb)ing since this year", but my Grammarly extension keeps claiming that I have to remove 'since' in that kind of sentence structure.
Why can't I use 'since' in this situation when I can replace 'this year' to any temporal terms such as '2020' or 'last Tuesday'? I suspected that it's just an artifact of Grammarly, but I actually couldn't find any example on the Internet that uses 'have been (verb)ing since this year'.


texts:
From Cambridge Dictionary

  a journey to a place, where you stay for a short time, and then come back again

  go on/make/take a trip

I completely understand the meaning of it.

An ELL post uses "trip" this way

  I'm going to have a trip to Sweden.

Ngram Viewer also shows that use.

Do "have a trip" and "go on a trip" mean the same thing? Are "have a trip" and "go on a trip" interchangeable in any cases?

  Last month, I went on a lovely trip to New York City.

  Last month, I had a lovely trip to New York City.


texts:
It is a popular misconception that nuclear fusion power is free of radioactivity; in fact, the deuterium-tritium reaction that nuclear scientists are currently exploring with such zeal produce both alpha particles and neutrons.

Studying GRE, I just faced this phrase.

Just based on the above sentence, do you think the writer intends to make those scientists seem to be pretty much preoccupied with their own research, without taking account of other things like its practicality or negative impacts, whatever, by using "with zeal"? or the opposite?


texts: What does "we have a clear interest" and "rely on our legitimate interest" mean?

texts:
We have a legitimate interest to use your information in this way to
  make sure that we are able to help you find the right destination and
  start to plan the best safari holiday for you. Where we rely on our
  legitimate interests, we’ll always ensure that your rights are
  protected.

  It is in our legitimate interests as a business to use your data in
  this way, for example, we have a clear interest in ensuring that
  our website works properly.
  (https://www.katsam-adventures.com/privacy-policy/)

What does the bold part mean? Does "we rely on our legitimate interest" mean "we conduct for our legitimate interest"?
Does "we have a clear interest" mean "we are clearly interested in..."?


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

texts:
Just found my mom scouring Stackexchange.Was SO confused. so I double checked,only to find that she was on "Hinduism" Stackexchange.

The above is a tweet by a netizen. The dictionary meanings for scouring are
1.to remove dirt, grease.
2.to clear or dig out (a channel, drain, etc.) as by the force of water, by removing debris, etc.,

But I didn't quite understand the context of the meaning used in the tweet. Can anyone explain?

For those who are interested, are welcome to join Hinduism.stackexchange.com