texts: but I knew before I went that I didn't really want > to have a serious relationship with Joe

texts:
Can we use "know that" in the following way?

Is it kind of a grammar rule to put an independent clause between "verb + that"?

  It was a really terrible vacation. It was my fault. I mean I wanted to go to Thailand, but I knew before I went that I didn't really want to have a serious relationship with Joe. And the vacation just showed me how different we are.


texts: What does "everything is going through me like crap through a tinhorn" mean?

texts:
It's from the 8th episode of the 2nd season of Breaking Bad. Here is the context:

Walt: So, how are you doing?
Hank: You know, lousy. Montezuma's revenge big time. Everything is going through me like crap through a tinhorn. You better not get close.


texts: Please guide me the ambiguity about passive voice

texts:
I have an ambiguity that a given sentence is using the passive voice or not. The sentence is:

  I was annoyed because they were late.

Can you please advise me about my doubt?


texts: How to address a French aristocrat by last name?

texts: For example, the full name of a French mathematician is Guillaume François Antoine, Marquis de l'Hôpital. Should I call him Monsieur de l'Hôpital, Monsieur l'Hôpital, or Monsieur Antoine?


texts: combination of "across" and "from", also question about "bee-lined for"

texts:
Here is the text:

  Shahrbaraz, along with a smaller army, later managed to slip through
  Heraclius' flanks and bee-lined for Chalcedon, the Sasanian base
  across the Bosphorus from Constantinople.

Please help me understand bolded text. If I'm not wrong, "bee-lined for Chalcedon" means "he went directly to Chalcedon".

"to slip through" I think means "to runaway from the inside of enemy's army"

But the hardest part is "the Sasanian base across the Bosphorus from Constantinople". I have no idea about this.

Here is the source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahrbaraz#Siege_of_Constantinople


texts: dominate vs domination, verb vs noun, why is domination a noun?

texts:
To put things into perspective English is the only language I know. The other day I got curious and started doing some research into words. To be honest I had very little idea what a noun or verb was (and still do). I probably learnt it in the past but it never stuck. So make your answer as simplistic as possible please.

So verbs are actions and nouns are a place, person or thing. I thought domination would be a verb because I thought it was an action. It turns out domination is a noun.

How is domination a person, thing or place? How is dominate a verb? How is it an action?

Please provide some examples to clarify.

  The enemy(noun?) army(noun)(subject?) holds(noun or verb?) a dominate(verb) position(noun).
  We(pronoun) are battling(verb) for(co-ordinate) domination(noun?) over(adverb?)(preposition?) the(determiner?)(article?) country(noun).

How is domination a noun? Also what is "are", I think I heard somewhere it was a to-be verb, along with is, am, are.

Also Google says hold can be either a verb or a noun.

  "she was holding a brown leather suitcase"
  "he caught hold of her arm"

Holding is an action so it is a verb. However, why is hold not an action? Google says hold could be a noun because it could be :

1.an act or manner of grasping something; a grip.

So "hold still while I fix the car". Hold would be a noun?

I think my definition of noun as person, place or thing is wrong. Can you provide me with a better definition?


texts:
In the first episode of the TV series The Wonder Years Kevin, talking about his childhood, says:

  There’s no pretty way to put this - I grew up in the suburbs.

I couldn't understand the meaning of the bold expression, because the definitions of pretty I've found in dictionaries, like The Free Dictionary don't seem to fit. I think Kevin was glad to have grown up in the suburbs. In fact, a bit later, he says:

  But, in a way, those really were the wonder years for us there in the
  suburbs. It was kind of a golden age for kids.

Then, in the bold sentence, I guess he meant something as: "I cannot be more honest than saying that", but I'm confused. If someone could help me, I'd be grateful. Thanks in advance!


texts: Can we use "so" in negative sentences to mean "very"?

texts:
I know that in positive sentences we can use "so" for meaning "very".
For example we can say "The new Slipknot album is so nice!", "I practice guitar so much.", "I like them so much.", "I can play that game so well." etc.

So, my question is: Can we use "so" in negative sentences too with the same meaning? I think in the sentences like "Don't be so stupid." and "I never felt so good.", "so" probably always means "this/that" (as great, nice, many, stupid etc as this/that) instead of meaning "very". Thus, "Don't be so stupid." means "Don't be this stupid." instead of "Don't be very stupid." and "I never felt so good." means "I never felt this good." instead of "I never felt very good.". But let's make up some other negative sentences that include "so" along with the contexts where we can say them:

  1) Let's say we were not talking about music, but my friend wanted start a new conversation topic and asked me: "Did you listen to the new Slipknot album?". As an answer to that, can I say "Yes. It is not so nice." for meaning "Yes. It is not very nice."?

  2) Let's say somebody again wanted to start a conversation about music and said "By the way I recently started playing guitar. It is so difficult." As a response to that, can I say "I recently started playing guitar too, but I don't practice so much. I need to get more disciplined."? I used "so" for meaning "very" here too.

  3) Say, somebody said "Do you know Duran Duran?". Can I answer by saying "Yes, but I don't like them so much."? I am trying to mean "very" by using "so" here as well.

  4) Let's say somebody said, "How good are you in the last Call of Duty game?". Can I answer by saying "I can't play that game so well." for meaning "I can't play that game very well."?

Probably, we can do that (we can use "so" for meaning "very") in these four instances I gave and in the instances similar to them. I found results on the internet which show that as well. This scene from a Marvel movie is one of them. Or does "so" mean "as great, nice, many, stupid etc. as this/that" in those four sentences just like it does in the sentences like "Don't be so stupid."? I am not sure. I'm really confused, so I need your help.


texts: What is he saying in this video ( time frame 18-22 sec)?

texts:
I am watching Liam Gallagher and I am trying to translate all he's sayinng but I am not too sure what is he saying in the 18-22second
I think he is saying " Should I tell you what get on my thinkings?" I searched the phrase but could not find any relevant result for the meaning so I guess I am not catching the right word?
video url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIgNHUMzKbA&t=124s


texts:
Who will win the next election?
  Who would win the next election?

Are there any differences between those sentences? They both describe the future, so from what I learned, the difference would be the intensity of the sentences. But I'm not sure there is meaningful politeness gap about them as they are both questions.

Other things bug me also, such as the hypothetical usage of would. Doesn't that word 'Who' replace the role of would? I can't fit in the idea of hypothetical would into question sentences at all. Shouldn't they be both hypothetical regardless of the choice of will/would? Because nobody knows the future. I'm confused.


texts:
I get angry very easily by other people. I'm a very sensitive person.

How do I describe this kind of personality ?

Sensitive, cranky, irritable, touchy, mean. I got these words from the dictionary,so I'm not sure if these are really used in real life.

Are they informal/ formal?

Is there any better choice?


texts:
while reading a medium article I encountered this expression, don't know exactly what it means:

  Seinfeld, a pure stand-up, a comedian’s comedian, is appalled by the question. It’s offensive to his legendary heads-down work ethic. But to the kid, this was a surprise. Isn’t that the kind of question you’re supposed to ask? Isn’t that how you get ahead?


texts:
Enclosed you will find your individual agreement of employment detailing the terms and conditions of your contract.
Rated 5 stars by Time magazine, the hotel overlooks the beautiful Langland Bay.

Why something lifeless can "detail" or "overlook" anything? Is this some kind of "personifying description" ?
Does that mean I could use any present particle(or verbs) which seems appropriate in the "meaning" to describe (or be the actions of) any lifeless things?
For example:
"This pen writes perfectly." or
"Writing perfectly, this pen is suited for everyone."
If this is not allowed, then is there any particular rules for choosing the combination?
Or can only be studied case by case.


texts:
Ships are _____ by giant engines.

Which is the best word to fill in the given blank from below given options ?

A) sailed

B) Dragged

C) Pulled

D) Driven


texts:
I was writing something like: Speaking is an umbrella term itself who encompasses grammar, vocabulary, fluency and accuracy and pronunciation.

Herein lies two problem, 1.can i use who here?
2.does this sentence make sense? i'm not  sure if i used umbrella term properly here

Please help me and do not be so pedantic, thanks in advance.


texts:
Is it grammatically correct and idiomatic to use the word towards with a specific time frame in order to mention an unidentified time as the  following example?

  I woke up towards noon ( it can be some time between 10:30 am and 11
  am) and after doing some chores I went to do some shopping towards the
  evening ( it could any time after 4 pm )


texts:
Scepticism among politicians is not born only of spite. Governments
invest in higher education to boost productivity by increasing human
capital. But even as universities have boomed, productivity growth in
the rich-country economies has fallen. Many politicians suspect that
universities are not teaching the right subjects, and are producing
more graduates than labour markets need. Small wonder that the state
is beginning to pull back. In America government spending on
universities has been flat in recent years; in Australia, even as the
price of humanities degrees doubles, so it will fall for subjects
the government deems good for growth.

If "so" is a conjunction, does that mean this sentence is a grammatically wrong as there is no main clause? And if not, what does "so" mean here?
article link : https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/08/08/covid-19-will-be-painful-for-universities-but-also-bring-change


texts:
This study describes a treatment for/of a diseased kidney of a 15-year-old girl.
Which is correct (for or of). Does the rest also sounds alright or would it be better to rephrase the whole sentence?
This study describes a treatment for/of a 15-year-old girl's diseased kidney?


texts:
Could you possibly explain what is the meaning of the phrase

  Held him in small worth


texts:
I know that the verb following has or have must be in past participle. But why did Google say that the following sentence is correct: "He hasn't texted me in 2 days."

Can someone explain to me why it's correct or incorrect?

  Ex 1: He hasn't run home. or He hasn't ran home.
  Ex 2: He hasn't tell me anything. or he hasn't told me anything.
  Ex 3: She hasn't come home in 2 days. or she hasn't came home in 2 days.

Why is it that the past particle of "tell" is "told" and the past participle of "come" is "come"? Shouldn't the past participle of "come" be "came"?


texts:
Don't worry! I will have taken the exam by next month

  Don't worry! The exam will have been taken by next month

If I want to mention the subject so this becomes like "Don't worry! The exam will have been taken by me next month" Is the placement of 'by' right?


texts: You were part coach, part administrator -- no articles?

texts:
Example:

  I would like to say a special thank you to Corbin Collins who kept this project on schedule despite several unexpected delays. You were part coach, part administrator, and part cheerleader; which was just what we needed.

Why are there no articles in front of the nouns?


texts:
Does the sentence mean the same even after I put an as before the word tired as follows?

  Tired as I was, I worked overtime.
  As tired as I was, I worked overtime.

(an adverb clause meaning Although)

Could you help me clarify it?


texts:
I came upon this sentence in a book I was reading ("Why Aren't They Shouting?" by Kevin Rogers):

(...) it is always pored over by banks and their regulators for months after publication.

Why is there no article before "publication"? It seems to me that it should be "the publication".


texts: Hadn't attended English classes , and played football vs. Hadn't attended English classes, hadn't play football

texts:
If i say that:

  She hadn't attended English classes, and played football.

Did she play football or not? Put in a different way, is "hadn't" for the two verbs "attended and played", or just for "attended".

If the verb "hadn't" is just for attended, could we make it for both verbs, to to show such as this:

  she hadn't attended English classes, and hadn't played football.

Look at this example:

  "Trump Jr. claimed Veselntiskaya hadn't provided anything of substance, released the e-mail chain himself, and insisted he never told his father about the offer of the Russian government's help.

The question is, had she "released and insisted" or not?


texts: Is "at the poke of" a metaphor? Or an idiom?

texts:
I felt I had to get a college degree at the poke of Obama's speech about higher education being essential in this globalized economy.

Is this "at the poke of" an acceptable metaphor?

I felt inspired to get a higher education is the message, I guess.

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Is there a term that means that the numbers are well spread out?

texts: For example: 1, 12, 34, 41 are well spread-out, but 1, 2, 3, 4 are not well spread-out. I guess spread-out can work, but I am looking for a single-word or a non-composite adjective to say this.


texts: Could I remove "reference to" from "being informed by reference to"?

texts:
A Cambridge english Vocabulary says

  The vocabulary of English changes over time, with words being added and other words falling into disuse. In order to maintain its currency, the Preliminary and Preliminary for Schools Vocabulary List is updated on an annual basis, with the decision to add or remove words being informed by reference to the Cambridge Learner Corpus and English Profile Wordlists.

I've got the basic idea of this paragraph but I am being confused about this expression "being informed by reference to".

Why would the author express that way? Could I remove "reference to", and express as "informed by the Cambridge Learner Corpus and English Profile Wordlists"?

in another word, what is the difference between following 2 expressions?

expression_1:

informed by the Cambridge Learner Corpus and English Profile Wordlists

expression_2:

informed by reference to the Cambridge Learner Corpus and English Profile Wordlists

is "reference to" enhancing something?


texts:
I was reading this question about the singleton pattern (the singleton pattern is a design pattern, and a design pattern is rather like an "idiom for programmers").

Now, someone said:

  [the Singleton Pattern is] a fully paid up member of the GoF Design Patterns book.

(the GoF book is a well-known book describing various design patterns). What did he mean by that statement?


texts: Which form of verb (2nd or 3rd) is in these two sentences?

texts:
It is the most trusted company
  It is a branded shirt

Do these two sentences use the past or past participle?
Which form of verb is there?

I often come across similar sentences in my life where I also get confused with which form is used.

These are the verbs whose past tense and past participle are both same so it becomes difficult to identify.


texts: Past tense of "Seems like everything I've been doing recently is to follow people around."

texts:
I tried this:

  Seemed like everything I'd been doing recently was to follow people around.

Is that correct?


texts:
I am designing a system and I need to name a field that distiguishes between an instution's parties.

An institution can act on one or many market with multiple entities and brands (e.g. Ryanair / Lauda motion). One entity can operate multiple markets. I need to identify between each combination, e.g.:

Ryanair in UK
Ryanair in IE
Lauda in AT

What word would you use? Is branch appropriate? I worry that the branch is tight with the single entity (aka Tesco). I feel that brand is not good either because it does not work well when I have multiple countries.


texts: What does this mean? Especially the word “ahead”

texts:
I had dates ahead that I disliked to cancel.

If there were no “ahead”, I would assume it means there were dates the speaker wouldn’t like to cancel. With “ahead”, however, I can't clearly understand it.


texts:
I am in the process of writing documentation for a software project. I would like to understand what would be the best tense to use for the description of the code/tools that had been (?) developed by the time I started writing the document.

For example, consider the following sentence:

  This document describes the programming conventions used in the library development, the library directory structure and the supplementary tools that were/have been/had been developed to support and manage the library development. The main part of the library is/were/have been/had been written in C++.

What would be the best tense to use in each case?


texts: So I was about to tell someone that he shouldn't ---------that, because it wasn't something delightful to-----------. What verb should I use in this case?


texts: I have a doubt with the following sentences

texts:
Which one of these two sounds appropriate?

  What should be my reply to that?

Or

  What should my reply be to that?


texts: What's the meaning of "be usually reserved for" in this sentence?

texts:
As a very general proposition, capital crimes are usually reserved for
  murder

quoted from CNN student news

I looked up the phrase 'reserve' in the Merriam Webster dictionary.

  : to make arrangements so that you will be able to use or have
  (something, such as a room, table, or seat) at a later time

  : to keep (something) for a special or future use

  : to choose to do (something) at a later time

The definition I found doesn't correspond or match well in the sentence I quoted.

I guess the sentence's meaning is that generally we think murder as a main or representative type of capital crimes.

Could you help me understand the meaning of the phrase "be reserved for" in this sentence?


texts:
When someone shoots they can hit a target once, twice or three times in a row, and even more times. With one hit we say - single hit, 2 hits - double hit, 3 hits - triple hit. But what are the other ones and do they exist and are they used?

I was thinking of quad hit for 4 but I guess it's wrong.


texts:
"And then the satellite," Molly offered. "Exactly. The satellite. The problem was, the Glemots thought they found another natural discovery. They saw this tech as something handed down..."

QUESTION: Could the found be replaced by had found as in

  "And then the satellite," Molly offered. "Exactly. The satellite. The problem was, the Glemots thought they had found another natural discovery. They saw this tech as someting handed down..."

I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation why the past simple is being used in the first sentence but to me it sounds like they found another natural discovery after the "thinking" part, although they clearly found it before the "thinking" part

I hope this makes some sense to anyone, sorry if not

Thanks for your help


texts: Do these 2 sentences have the same meaning?

texts:
The sentence below shows age restriction for swimming:

  The boys who are 16 years old are allowed to swim.

What if I write this sentence? Does it have the same meaning?

  The boys who are allowed to swim are 16 years old.


texts:
I would like to know what is Baskwat in the movie 'The Upside'.
I think he or she is an artist, but Dell says it wrong.

  Dell: Who knows, man? I may be the next--the next Baskwat.

Somebody please helps me.
I would be really grateful.


texts: Difference between "you were given" and "given to you"

texts:
I've been struggling with the difference between
- "you were given [X]"
and
-  "[X] was given to you"

Is there a difference? If so, what is it? And are there some situations where one construction is better than the other?


texts: Come back from the moon, bringing back the samples

texts:
Does using two 'back's in a row sound awkward to you in this sentence?

We have come back from the moon, bringing back the samples.

If so, how should I improve it?


texts:
My friend asked me the meaning of the sentence below:

May, for this effect was only tested in conditions with a task (see further below).

(excerpt from
a scientific paper, p.28)
I think the meaning is "we can only say 'may' as this effect was only tested in conditions with a task" because preceding sentences use "may".
However, I'm not sure about the interpretation because I have never seen this usage of "may".

EDIT: As @rcook says, I should have provided more context.
The below is the full paragraph which contains the sentence:

Contrary to other reports [12,27], no clear effect of habituation was found in the present study. This may be ascribed to the fact that the majority of MISC ratings were 5 or less, i.e., no nausea felt, although one subject withdrew from the experiment due to nausea. Although strictly speaking, “sickness” may intuitively overvalue the average symptoms observed in this study, I will still use it for reasons of simplicity, also because it is part of the motion sickness syndrome as a whole. Furthermore, in combination with the observation that the MISC ratings were not saturated on average within the 20 minute exposures used here, it might be anticipated that with a stronger stimulus and/or a longer exposure time, the effect of habituation would have become evident. Larger effect sizes may, furthermore, be anticipated when using non-blindfolded subjects. In [13], for example, the least sickness was observed in blindfolded subjects exposed to ship motion in a simulator as compared to viewing both an Earth-fixed and a subject-fixed environment. A larger effect of vibration per se may, lastly, be obtained by omitting a mental distraction task, thus allowing the subjects to “think freely”. May, for this effect was only tested in conditions with a task (see further below).


texts: When do we say "earth" instead of "Earth"?

texts:
I am not sure if all of these can pretty much mean the same thing "earth" and "Earth" and "the earth" and "the Earth".

Because if earth means surface of the planet Earth, then it doesn't really matter what you decide to use and all sentences regardless of using a capitalized E or not will result in the same meaning, or a meaning that's synonymous to the point it virtually makes no difference.

Is there an exception though?

Here's an example:

  I believe the earth is flat, and you reach reach the edge of the earth
  by swimming.


texts:
If you say to someone
"I hope you won't stop checking in on her"
And this person answers
"Of course I will"
Does it mean "Of course I won't stop" ?


texts: or that were used... -- is this grammatically fine?

texts:
Source: Networking Bible by Barrie Sosinsky (2009)

Examples:

  Copper cabling or wires, which include different categories of Ethernet cable (designated by specifications such as CAT5 or CAT6), twisted pair wiring like the ones used in your phone lines or that were used for smaller peer networks such as AppleTalk from Apple, and others.

I asked a native English speaker and he said that the sentence sounded fine to him, but to me it still doesn't feel like or that were sounds grammatically smooth there. What do you think?


texts: Is 'if there's any' grammatical in this sentence?

texts:
Is if there's any grammatical in the sentence below?

  I'll need to look up Huddleston and Pullum's opinion on this issue, if there's any.

The source is the last sentence of an answer on this website.

To me, there is can't be contracted here. But I can't explain why. Is it because the verb to be needs to stand on its own here? Is there some rule that says this?

What if the writer added a few words like in this sentence:

  I'll need to look up Huddleston and Pullum's opinion on this issue, if there's any to be found.

Does that make it grammatical? If so, why? Does using a second to be have anything to do with it?


texts:
Say there is a very long article, I took it, then cut/shrink/excerpt it to a much shorter version.

What the proper way to express the meaning/action of  cut/shrink/excerpt, but in a respectful way?


texts: getting correct meaning by analyzing a sentence

texts:
I have following paragraph and trying to understand what it clearly mention.

  This paper shows several extensions and discusses the topology
  approach, while recognizing that reconstruction of height jumps is a
  challenge (A, 2010; B, 2007) and describing problems related to
  intersection lines and jump edges between two segments.

first sentence is clear to me. I have problem with while part. It contains that also. So, I am confused. I want to know this and describing.. is related to that or while.

If I simplify my question,

Does the stricture of second part is

  while recognizing (X) and describing (Y) or..
  while recognizing that
  (P and describing Q).

UPDATE:
If I like to modify 1, Would it be possible to use one recognition as while recognizing (X) and (Y). I think yes, But Y is too long, Does this misguide the reader?

Can anyone help me to get the idea of this. thanks


texts: Why not "nuclear weapon program," but "nuclear weapons program"?

texts: We normally encounter the expression, "North Korea's nuclear weapons program." But why not "~ nuclear weapon program"? Is that governed by a grammar rule?


texts: "I'm not surprised at him/his having difficulties with the exam"

texts:
I'm not surprised at him/his having difficulties with the exam

Is it him or his? Why is it so? What is the grammar rule here? What would be some other examples where this rule is used?


texts: Some clarifications are needed about the grammar of Elliptical Structure

texts:
As far as I know, one application of elliptical structure is the omission from a clause one or more elements which has been repeated in previous clauses. However, I do not know whether there exists some specific general rule stating how and when to apply this structure.

Let me be more specific:

  Is it correct to say that one can always omit any word which has been repeated before?
  Is this structure optional (I have read somewhere that sometimes it is obligatory, for example with cases of comparative deletion (for example, the sentence “More students were in the class today than were there yesterday”), but I also have read somewhere that the omitted words can be added without producing an ungrammatical structure)?

I want to emphasize that I want to know the answer to my question for formal English used in academic writing.

Updated

After pondering the useful comments, I conclude that one should not consider any omission of words as ellipsis. In fact, ellipsis is the omission of elements which are understood in the context of the remaining elements and recoverable from the linguistic context. So examples such as “seeing more examples and gaining more experience” and “making more effort and reading more grammar textbooks” cannot be considered as elliptical structures since the second more is not recoverable from the linguistic context (We would have two sentences with different meaning before and after the omission of the second more).

So I think the first question should be rephrased as follows.

  1’. Which repeated elements of a sentence can be omitted in order to get an elliptical structure?


texts:
Here is a sentence I'd like to reorganize to fully understand it

  We can now travel to far-off places that we couldn't have dreamed of visiting hundreds of years ago.

I'd like to reorganize this sentence to full conditional sentence to make sure I fully understand this sentence. There are two things that I've come up with.

  A. We could not dream of visiting there if we were living hundreds of years ago.

It implies that we can dream of visiting because we are not living hundreds of years ago.

  B. We couldn't have dreamed of visiting there  if we were living hundreds of years ago.

I'd like to know if it implies that we could (were able to) dream of visiting because we are not living hundreds of years ago. The reason I think this way is because this sentence is the same logic as A sentence.

This is all I can think of to reorganize the original sentence. But, I'm not sure. So could you help me transform the original sentence to full conditional one?


texts:
I saw a Cambridge grammar article  discussing whether to use 'colour pencils' or 'coloured pencils'. This piqued my interest quite a bit. However, the article only talked about how camparatively popular these terms are, it never said which one is grammatically correct.
So below are two examples I thought of:

What colour/coloured car is your favorite?
Which colour/coloured apple would you like, red or green?

In both examples, I am tempted to use 'coloured', since it would be a participle turned adjective. What's interesting is that 'colour' actually seemed to be the more popular of the two whether it's proper usage or not.
So which one should I use in either example sentences? Could it be that native speakers prefer using 'colour' because it rolls off the tongue easier?

Thanks a bunch in advance.


texts: Is "to treat" a proper synonym for "to handle (an event)" or "to process (some information)" or "to perform (some work)"

texts:
As a French programmer, it always bothers me when I see my colleagues name functions like treatSomeEvent() or treatReport(), when I would prefer handleSomeEvent() or processReport().

To my understanding, "to treat" is more synonym with "to discuss" or "to ponder". Also, I have never found this expression in native-English litterature.

On the other hand, online resources just indicate that "to treat" means:

  to deal with or think about (something) especially in a particular way

... and therefore the use of this verb might be correct.

In French, the verb "traiter", while rather vague, is acceptable in both cases. Does "to treat some event" (so as to take a decision) or "to treat some information" (so as to record it) or "to treat an order" (so as to fulfill the mission) sound natural to a native English speaker?


texts:
I'd like to make a sentence describing this image.

So, I left my car key on the car door. OR I left my car key in the car door. OR I left my car key put in the car door.

Which one is correct? Or is there a better way to say it?


texts: Can the verb "insist" be followed by "in"?

texts:
“The third book on the second pile, my dear. Page twenty-three, I believe.
  You will find a very good picture of a raven. Let me show you how it differs
  from a rook. The robin will be on page seventy-two, though this time of year
  the breast will be more sorrel than orange. Now for the Hylocichla guttata
  pritchardi. The Latin is quite simple. Hylo in a word means wood, and this
  little thrush is to be found near trees. Gutta refers to drops, or in this case the
  spots on the bird’s chest. I’m afraid pritchardi is the result of my own vanity.
  When a new bird is found, it is often named after the person who discovers it,
  but the Royal Bird Society has refused to accept my bird as a new subspecies,
  and so they will not give it my name. They insist that I am mistaken in saying
  that it does not have the white eye ring, but I do not make mistakes where
  birds are concerned.”

Dose the preposition "in" refer to "insist" or refer to "mistaken"?

I myself think "in" refer to "mistaken" and we can also  write it like this: I told them the the bird  does not have the white eye ring but they said I am wrong.

am I right??

I have never seen the verb "insist" followed by "in".

Could you please make the sentence more clear to me if I am wrong?

Source: Listening for Lions by
Gloria Whelan


texts: "These are people" vs "These are the people"

texts:
Should I use "the" in the following sentence or not? Are they both grammatical? If yes, what difference does it create?

Here's the example:

  These are (the) people who were present there when the accident happened.

To me it seems that If I don't use "the" it means there were other people who were present at the time of the accident besides them. They are not the only ones who were present there. I am not sure. Please explain.

I have found many examples on the internet where in contexts like this I have seen sometimes the is used sometimes not.


texts:
Here it goes:

  Too much of anything can kill you, water included.  How is this plasma in the blood and decreases the amount of sodium (salt).

It doesn't seem to be a question. I am puzzled. Is there some kind of typo in the sentence. If not, explain the last sentence and the grammar to me please.


texts:
Is it okay to start a sentence with "There is" especially when concluding a paragraph? Example:

  There is a resemblance between the Flashlight song and my parents because they specifically serve as the light and warmth of every home.


texts:
Is "public image" a common phrase to refer to something like public "ego"? says

  That's how someone think themselves are. For example, Tom thinks he is a good husband, so his ego is a good husband; Harrison thinks he is a successful businessman, his ego is a successful businessman.

That's what I understand from Cambridge Dictionary

However, @Katy claims this without any explanation or suggestion.

  This is not the way 'ego' is used in colloquial English.

What the correct/common usage of "ego"?


texts:
I take tea.
  I drink tea.

What's the difference between these two sentences?


texts:
Why is this sentence used "not to"? Is this some other meaning?

What will be the difference if replaced by another and what will it mean?

  Tell him not to(Don't/to not) wait for me


texts: I felt that there was not a second "to be" lost of this contact

texts:
Normally, when you come up against a rare wild animal in Africa, you
grab your binoculars or your camera at once.
It is a simple reflex action. This gorilla was thirty yards away and
divided from us by tangled undergrowth and might not perhaps have made
a very good photograph, but we could certainly have seen him more
clearly through glasses.
Yet none of us moved. In my own case (and I suspect in the case of my
friend as well) I felt that there was not a second to be lost of this
contact, not even the few instants required to put the binoculars to
my eyes.

What does the line in bold mean? The sentence contains "to be", so I wonder, was there a second that had been lost of the contact or not?


texts: The variable "approaches" or "goes away from" 0?

texts:
I have some candidates for the former case(x -> 0):

The variable approaches zero.
The variable approximates to zero.
The variable are closing zero.
The variable becomes more and more equal to zero.

I don't know which of those above are native expressions and if I can say:

The variable goes away from zero.

to convey the opposite meaning?


texts: have high/great hopes of/for somebody - which preposition should be used?

texts:
Which preposition should I use with have high/great hopes.... "for" or "of"? In many dictionaries more appropriate version is with "for" I guess, when we refer to somebody. But I've found  "of" in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 4th Edition. In newer versions there is no such an example. It's only with "for". I specifically refer to this example. Is it correct? Can I use "of" with somebody?
http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/hope_2

  have high/great hopes of
  We have great hopes of her - she's very
  talented.


texts: My friend cannot... Or My friend will not able

texts:
Is it correct to say.
My friend told me that He  will not be able to visit us next month.
Or I have to say.
My friend told me  that He cannot visit us next month.


texts: "His mathematics are weak" - grammatically correct?

texts:
We were studying Nouns today and certain words related to different subjects came which seem to be plural but are actually singular like Mathematics, Ethics, Physics etc and so, we must a singular verb with them..

But then came one sentence,

  His mathematics are weak.

Anyone who can clear whether this sentence is correct or not? And if it is then what possibly is the reason?


texts:
What is the part of speech of 'much' in
'That's too much of a hassle'?
While this sounds so simple and basic, the answer could not seem to converge on one.
The answer may be
(a) a noun, although a noun cannot take 'too,' an adverb, or
(b) an adjective, although syntactically adjectives normally would not take an of-phrase except for some instances.
What do you think it is?


texts:
Consider:

This is the only useful book available here.
I am the only child of my parents.
No other one can be found on the island. The hermit is the sole inhabitant there.
This widow lived all by herself. Her sole companion was her maid servant.
The two women were the sole survivors from the air crash.
Phil is the sole heir to all that property.

Are these two words interchangeable in the examples above?


texts: What is the difference between " limit on" and "limit of"?

texts:
I would like to know which of "on" and "of" is correct for the sentence below.

  The speed limit on/of this road is 50km/h.


texts: How to say when an application is taking the half of your screen on a computer

texts:
When using a computer I know when the application is taking the entire screen we call it "full screen" or "your application is in full screen mode".

And so how is it called when a application is taking half of the screen (in order to display 2 applications for instance one on the left and one on the right).

Thanks in advance:


texts: What can be used instead of do in "do damage to sb/sth"?

texts:
Water penetration does irreparable damages to the building. Efflorescence and swelling of walls, lamination of colors, dirt absorption and contamination, formation of moulds and fungi, reduced concrete resistance, and ironware corrosion are among superficial and structural damages done to the building.

I am looking for an alternative for do in do damage for the above paragraph, as I feel it doesn't look much natural but nothing more appropriate hits my mind. I thought of impose but I am not sure. Oxford also uses do. I didn't find any specific example over the Internet on how to mean "make sb/sth suffer through a damage". Please note I don't want to use the verb "damage", but the noun.


texts: Does it make sense to say something is as _ as something else is _ if the 2 adjectives are opposites?

texts:
Does it make sense or not to use this form…

  A is as X as B is Y

…if X and Y are antonyms? For example "He is as tall as she is short" to say that he is very tall?


texts: situations in which we say 'sort out with'

texts:
I've come across the article in which the collocation 'sort out with' is used.

The source: http://newyorkcorkreport.com/blog/2014/10/17/the-spirits-of-volunteerism/

  Is this an issue that should be left to the vineyards and wineries to sort out with the labor boards, or is this something that individual supporters of those wineries should be taking up with their legislators?

In this regard, I have a question about this phrase, i.e. in which situations we can say 'to sort out with'. As far as I understand, if we have a dispute with someone over some issues, we want to sort these issues out with this person or, say, a regulating body. When we cause somebody any difficulties, we endeavor to sort these difficulties out with these people. Does it sound idiomatic when I use the words difficulties, issues, problems together with 'sort out'.

Can we use the preposition 'with' in relation to an inanimate noun?

  I have to sort this problem out with the fraud involving my credit card.


texts: "started to get", "started getting" or "started to getting" - which is correct?

texts:
From that point things started to get complicated.
From that point things started getting complicated.
From that point things started to getting complicated.

Which of these sentences would be correct, if I want to imply that something happened and things are not in order anymore? All three seem correct to me. But I feel like one of them should be the most correct.


texts: What is the difference between fastened and stabilized?

texts: To be more specific, fixed exchange rate, here, fixed which means fastened. But how am I suppose to explain the difference between fixed or fastened and stabilized?


texts:
Is money a countable noun?

We had a little/few money left, so we decided to have a meal in a cheap restaurant so that it costs us a few rupees.

Here rupees is the currency of India.

I wonder few rupees make sense. But why we can't use few money here?


texts: The definite article before “English commentary”

texts:
Consider these examples:

I would prefer reading the manual in the English language. (Definite article before ‘English language’)
I would prefer watching the match in English commentary. (No definite article before ‘English commentary’)

Why is that we are using the definite article in the sentence 1, but not in the sentence 2? Will the sentence still mean the same if we say the English commentary here?


texts: Persistent flaws _______ robust economic performance

texts:
You have to choose two options, and the two have to be synonymous.

  The nation's robust economic performance could be ______ by the
  persistent flaws in its economic institutions and structure that are
  the result of half-finished and misguided government policies.

  A. neutralized
  B. concealed
  C. undermined
  D. impaired
  E. obscured
  F. outstripped

The correct answer is CD, but I think BE makes more sense: persistent flaws may hide/conceal/obscure this nation's great potential in economic performance.


texts: the difference between taunt and ridicule

texts: which one of these words is used as everyday English as well as means to despise someone and make fun of him for example because of his shape or Social status and so on


texts: What does the 'spirit' mean in this sentence?

texts:
I came across this sentence and I guess the 'spirit' here means ghosts.
Am I guessing it right?

  You will be in the company of the spirit of soccer itself.

I don't have a full context(sorry for that) but tried to remember it after reading your answers and comments.
Here's the situation; two boys were practicing soccer in a historic soccer field and one complained that the practice was not going well. Then the other said that a lot of famous soccer players(some are dead) played games in this field, so even though these boys were doing poorly at the moment, they might be in the company of the spirit of soccer itself. So I thought of 'ghosts' because of famous but 'dead' soccer players and 'historic' soccer place mentioned in their conversation. Does it make sense?


texts: Change into indirect voice – use “was” or “would be"

texts:
I have this sentence:

  Mother said, "Gaurav, you will be eligible for voting when you are 18."

How do I change it into indirect voice? Which of the following is better?

  Mother told Gaurav he would be eligible for voting when he was 18.

Or:

  Mother told Gaurav that he would be eligible for voting when he would be 18.

You see I'm mainly confused with the use of "was" in this case. Also I would be pleased if someone explains if the use of "when" can be done as a question word when the sentence is not interrogative, for deciding if "that" has to be used in it or not.


texts:
Why here is used "they" instead of "it" or "there" for example? What does "they" mean here?

"Can we go to Polseath as usual?"
"I'm afraid not," said his mother. "They are quite full up this year."


texts:
His portrait of Shah Jahan was published in/with his essay.

Are both prepositions correct?


texts:
Is the following sentence wrong?

  He had lost a ring in the sand and I help him search for it but it was like a look for a needle in a haystack.

To me it sounds very awkward, though "look" means "the act of trying to find someone or something."

I think "it was like looking for a needle in a haystack" would be correct.


texts: "which we call the X" vs. "which we call it the X"

texts:
Which of the following sound correct:

  We create a new model which we call the "X" model

Vs.

  We create a new model which we call it the "X" model


texts:
Refer below image from the book "Essential Grammar in use" by Raymond Murphy,

The image shows that we do not use those verbs in the present continuous as "I am -ing", but I have seen some sentences like this "I'm depending on you"

Please clarify, Thanks in advance


texts: Faulty parallelism in phrases [because of + noun // because + gerund]

texts:
Chickens are becoming popular backyard pets, in part because of the eggs, but also because raising them is fun.

I wonder if the example sentence above exhibits faulty parallelism, as in the first part of the phrase "in part X but also Y," we have X= "because of + noun," while in the second part we have Y="because+gerund."


texts: What is the difference between cleaning and cleansing?

texts: I wonder what the difference is between cleaning and cleansing solutions. Can anyone help?


texts: Does "in either of two ways" mean there are no other ways possible?

texts:
Given:

  You can do it in either of two ways.

Does that mean that you have but two choices?

Edit: It's from a technical article which concerning how to export a function in dll. Here's the original sentence:

  You can export functions in either of two ways—a .def file or the __declspec(dllexport) keyword. To help you decide which way is better for your DLL, consider these questions...


texts: "Do you like the color red" vs "Do you like the red color"?

texts:
When your favorite color is red, do you say,

  I like the color red.

or

  I like the red color.

Is there any difference of meaning between the two ways of saying about your favorite color?


texts:
I am trying to construct such a sentence, and I am stuck whether it's possible to use Present Perfect here or not. I have two options:

  There were times when people thought that physics had been already done.

Is it correct to use past perfect here?

Also, is it possible to use the following construction?

  There have been times when people have thought that physics had been already done

I know that Perfect is used when something has been done in unspecified time before now. But construction

  There have been times

seems to be a little bit familiar to me. It is correct to use this here? And if yes, should I write then

  people have thought

or

  people thought

Thank you in advance.


texts: Can I make a phrasal verb into these forms?

texts:
Clean something up with the machine

cleaned-up car
car-cleaning-up machine
cleaning-car-up machine
cleaned-with-the-machine car

Four are all possible?


texts:
Can I say

  I have 2 days open next week

to mean that I have 2-day free time next week?


texts: The “of” in the “a high level of civilization”

texts:
Here is a sentence from "New Concept English" Lesson 3:

  "The city must have been prosperous, for it enjoyed a high level of civilization."

I am wondering what's the function of "of" here? Is it correct to say:

  "a high-level civilization"

or even

  "a high level civilization"?

It should be the "civilization" what the city enjoyed, but the "of" here makes me feel that the city enjoyed the "level".


texts: "He is none but fit for the job" - does this sentence convey the same meaning as the following sentences?

texts:
I'm learning sentence transformation. Though my main confusion with the meaning of the 3rd sentence, could anybody please check the following 3 sentences and let me know whether they convey the same meaning or not.
1. He is the only person fit for the job.
2. No other person but he is fit for the job.
3. He is none but fit for the job.


texts: What's the verb for keeping something warm with one's body?

texts:
You know I am looking for a verb that roughly means "keep something warm with one's body". It's not a general-use word, because it mostly applies to certain animals. Let me give you an example:

  The hen ___ the eggs to keep them warm.

I don't think it's a verb you can use for human beings, and I don't think there's a verb that applies for human beings, but I would be curious to know if there's a general-use word.


texts:
How would you suggest a sentence to someone?
Student: I wrote this sentence: XYZ. Is my sentence natural?
a) Teacher: It's OK but this would be the normal way of expressing it: ABC.
b) Teacher: It's OK but this will be the normal way of expressing it: ABC.
c) Teacher: It's OK but this  is the normal way of expressing it: ABC.
Are they all correct?


texts: What does "everything but a fire" mean in this context?

texts:
From the movie Behind the Candelabra:

  Scott: And I have two sisters and a brother, and then four half-brothers and sisters from two different fathers. Most of them live with their fathers. The rest of us, like me and Wayne, we were sent to state-run homes and then Mom would come get us and we'd live with her for a while, then... she'd have her troubles again and they'd have to put her away. So we'd get split up
  and sent to foster homes. But I was really lucky. I ended up with Rose and Joe. You know, a really nice family, on a ranch. You know, with animals.

  Liberace: Sure, because it was a ranch! What a story! You got everything but a fire in the orphanage.

Like a fire in the fireplace?


texts: beat it (the title of the famous Michael Jackson song) -- does that mean "to run away"?

texts: Does beat it in the title mean run away as fast as you can because you don't want to get into trouble?


texts: How can you get your mood when you are tripping?

texts:
There is the song by XXXTENTACION 'Moonlight' and I can't understand why he asks him to get his mood right, if he is under drug influence. And even more I don't understand why he asks him 'why he is tripping', as I see it means 'freak out, acting crazy or funny.', maybe that's the reason why he is tripping. So please tell me if he is under drugs or just have a bad mood.

  Nigga, why you trippin'? Get your mood right, uh

Can you describe that tripping nigga, I can't imagine how he looks...


texts: "I have no clue" vs. "I haven't a clue" vs. "I am clueless"

texts:
Is there a difference between the phrase

  I have no clue...

and

  I haven't a clue...

as well as

  I am clueless...

For instance if someone said:

  What is wrong with this?

Which of these could be used to answer?


texts:
I am writing:

  A pattern is a set of terms, which captures a term and its surrounding terms to provide context.

Which I found that the word term appear too many times, is there any elegant way to reduce the redundancy and simplify the sentence?


texts: Is it convenient or are you convenient? - How to use the word 'convenient'?

texts:
I looked upon some dictionaries for the adjective convenient and studied some examples. However, I did not get it. Whilst most of the example sentences use this adjective for a non-living thing, I wonder whether or not this adjective can be used to modify a person.

Which one should I say?

  Is it convenient for you to help me?
  Are you convenient to help me?
  Is it convenient to help me?

Thanks.


texts: What image lies behind the expression "Take a bow"?

texts:
I heard this expression in the Rihanna's eponymic song.

I understand the general meaning, but where does it come from? What is the image behind?


texts: Regarding a particular definition of "commission"

texts:
Does this definition (3rd entry) of the word "commission" :

  The thing to be done as agent for another.

simply mean:

  The thing to be done in place of another thing .

?


texts: Use of the word "through": she kept staring at me through all the classes

texts:
Consider the scenario where my friend had a fight with a girl. That girl then kept staring at me as if I had caused that fight. We (that girl and I) had all of our classes together.

  She kept staring at me through all the classes.
  (That's because we had all our classes together.)

Is the use of "through" natural?

("She kept staring at me all the time.")


texts:
"Push me higher, daddy." my son told me.

He wanted me to push stronger so he can get higher.

What is the approriate word to use. Higher? High? Harder?


texts:
A successful BBC TV programme is not only watched by millions in
  Britain, but is seen by millions more all over the world as well.

Can I delete the second is?

And the sentence became that

  A successful BBC TV programme is not only watched by millions in
  Britain, but seen by millions more all over the world as well.


texts: Plural form of the words which end in 'o'

texts: Words ending in -o form plural by adding '-s'. In some resources I have read some of these words needs '-es' to make plural (e.g. echo, buffalo). However it seems both form of all such words (-s or -es) are recorded in dictionaries. So is it correct to form plural form of all o-ending word by only adding '-s'?


texts: Can we use "copies" to describe 2 things have slight differences?

texts:
In computer, we can copy one file as its copy. We can say them (2 copies of the file).

  To keep 2 copies of the file would be waste space.

Then, if one file has slight differences with the other one, but one of them is no longer useful.

Can I say

  To keep 2 copies of the file would be waste space.

?


texts: What's the meaning of "what it means for {something} to be {something}"?

texts:
There is this context:

  "We are not only talking about change. Rather, we are discussing what it means for an object to be that object. What does it mean for a certain institution to be that institution? When we say that a certain object changes, we mean that it had a certain property beforehand and after the change it does not."

  (The Outer Limits of Reason: What Science, Mathematics, and Logic Cannot Tell Us)

I don't get this part:

  "Rather, we are discussing what it means for an object to be that object. What does it mean for a certain institution to be that institution?"

I should note that this is a philosophical book and is talking about personal identity.


texts: When you're going to save on about your electricity usage

texts:
I'm going to say something like : "Try and save on about your electricity usage".
I guess I can rephrase it using the verb "economize", but I have no idea how shall I do that! I've made a sentence and wrote it down below. Please have a look on it and let me know if it sounds natural. If not, then please tell me what shall I say using the verb "economize" to indicate the same message:

  We must economize on electricity usage.

For me, it sounds absolutely natural, but when I google it, I hit only 7 results.


texts:
Does" jinxed" here imply that her plans were ruined altogether or that everything fell apart during the holiday?

The strike has jinxed my plans to go to Hawaii for the holidays.


texts:
1:
direct speech: He said to the judge," I did not commit this crime.
Indirect speech(book answer): He told the judge that he had not committed the crime.
Here book changes this into the.
In many instances i found that This was changed into That.for example this week into that week.
2:
Direct speech: He said," I shall do this tomorrow."
Indirect speech(book answer): He said that he should do it the next day.
In #2 book changes this into it.
In three different sentences This was changed into the, that and it.
So i am confused when  to change this into the, that and it.


texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between "to save/hold/keep a place/spot"? Are they equally usual in US and UK?

Can all of them be used with either the prepositional complement "for somebody" or an indirect object (somebody)? The constructions "hold somebody a place/spot" and "keep somebody a place/spot" sound odd to me, but I would like to hear from English native speakers.

Example:

Save a place for me. Save me a place.
Save a spot for me. Save me a spot.
Hold a place for me. Hold me a place.
Hold a spot for me. Hold me a spot.
Keep a place for me. Keep me a place.
Keep a spot for me. Keep me a spot.


texts:
How the following variations fragments?

The comet has recently changed direction towards Jupiter, this development leading scientists to wonder about the composition of the object.
The comet has recently changed direction towards Jupiter, this leading scientists to wonder on the composition of the object.


texts: Should I write "If..., I would" or "If..., I will"?

texts:
If there's a situation where I can speak either English or Arabic, I would choose English.

I know that I can break this sentence down to smaller and simpler sentences like "In some situations, I have the choice to speak English or Arabic. And I prefer speaking English" but I would like to use this long sentence that contains the conditional IF and the word either.

I think the rules are: "If(present), (future, will)" or "If (past), (would)". Now, I used present tense and then I feel it's better to use (would) instead of (will) but I don't know why?


texts:
Is "in layman's terms" a slang idiom? If it is, what would be the best way of saying it in an academic work.

E.g.

I want to explain these terms in a layman terms.


texts:
I have come across such a gapped sentence in a placement test for pre-intermediate-intermediate students to the course book, Choices by Adrian Tennant (2012):

  A new school ... in our city.

A student is supposed to choose one of the following four options:

  1) has built

  2) has been built

  3) is built

  4) built

According to the answer key the correct answer is #2 (has been built).

My question is, since there is no context whatsoever, if answer #3 is also possible? If yes, what is the difference in shades of meaning between these two?


texts: Does the noun "parley" always imply "negotiation between opposing groups"?

texts:
I read a daily newspaper issued by "The Hindu". It includes a special segment called "Parley" in which there is any discussion about various notable topics.

Now as you might know the word "parley" means negotiation of terms between opposing groups. So I wanted to ask, does "parley" has to "happen between opposing groups" or it could refer to any sort of discussion?


texts:
Which one is correct?

  Have a PhD, Hold a PhD or Be a PhD?

Like if I want to talk about someone which one shall I use?

  My wife is a PhD.

Or

  My wife has a PhD.

or

  My wife holds a PhD.


texts: Does "A Steep Learning Curve" mean learn fast or learn in a hard way?

texts:
How do I understand the phrase a steep learning curve?

I feel confused about it. Does it mean someone learns something fast or something is difficult for someone to learn?


texts: How can I differentiate the words a big chocolate-chipped pie ㅡ a pie that has big chocolate chips ㅡ and a big chocolate-chipped pie ㅡ a big pie that has chocolate chips.


texts: What does come down mean in this sentence?

texts:
I was reading a short story and I found this phrasal verb so difficult to understand even with using Monolingual dictionary.
“Why don’t you come down to the pony farm with me tomorrow?“


texts: I need some formal ways of saying, "some people were responsible for the failure"

texts:
Context:

  There were once 15 workers in our shop.Some weeks ago, the boss of our shop received an important order from the customer, Paul (nickname).We were told that Paul wanted to hold an important ceremonial dinner for 50 people in three days.(Each night there would be 50 people, and the dinner would be held in three evenings in a row)
  Then the 15 workers were divided into three groups (each group consisted of 1 Chef and 4 assistants).Each group was asked to make 50 main dishes and 50 desserts
  But some problem happened on the third day. Group C could not finish the dishes and desserts on time and ruined the dinner.
  Our boss was very unhappy, and the five workers in group C were fired.

Given that situation, is it a formal way to use responsible for in this sentence:

  Five people were responsible for the failure of the dinner, and so dismissed from their posts.

If not, is it better to replace responsible for with accountable for?


texts: "wouldn't have done" vs "couldn't have done" + if not vs unless

texts:
I have run across a MCQ for which I chose the wrong answer. It's from a Chinese Entrance Exam grammar problem set. Here is the question:

  I couldn't have got to the meeting on time ______ an earlier train.
  A. if I had not caught
  B. unless I had caught
  C. if I didn't catch
  D. unless I caught

The correct answer given in the key section is B, but I think A makes sense as well. I know that A would be 100% correct if the independent clause were I wouldn't have got instead of I couldn't have got, but I think in this case maybe couldn't have done can have the same meaning?

For example, I think I have heard of the expression 'I couldn't have done it without you', which I suppose has the same meaning as 'I wouldn't have been able to do it without you', meaning it would have been not possible for me to do it had it not been for you. In this case couldn't have done refers to something that had happened. By the same logic, I think A should also be right.


texts: Can what-clauses modify directly their previous noun phrases?

texts:
(1) “You know what I think that sounded like?”
  (2) I made it my mission to figure out what it was that had evoked such primal feelings in my wife and me that morning.
  (3) And perhaps that’s because of what they represent.
  (4) They could not rule out the idea that what I heard was a mountain lion.
  (All are from ‘Monsters in the Woods’, NYT)

In (1)~(3), what’s are fronted for adding complements to transitive verb, phrasal verb, preposition. But there is ‘that’ before ‘what,’ in (4). This noun phrase,‘the idea,’ may be in apposition with the ‘what-clause. Can ‘that’ be omitted in here?
In other cases, can what-clause be a modifier that modifies its previous noun phrase, just on which heels, e.g. without ‘that’ etc.?


texts:
I created the following sentences:

  Measure the speed of the uncoiled spring returning to its original
  length.
  Measure the speed at which the uncoiled spring returns(is returning) to
  its original length.

I would like to know which is correct or sounds more natural. I usually make sentences such as the second one because I think it is easier for non-natives to understand.


texts: What is the meaning of "less than delighted"?

texts:
This study evaluated the efficacy of a novel group intervention intended to increase
  the SWB of early adolescents who are less than delighted with their lives.

Is it a typo in the text putting than before delighted or is a special combination?


texts:
A sentence:

  Any journalist who takes money should be ashamed and shamed.

What is the difference between ashamed  and shamed?

Does the sentence

  Any journalist who takes money should be ashamed and shamed.

contain  more info than the sentence

  Any journalist who takes money should be ashamed.

or

  Any journalist who takes money should shamed.


texts:
As with most things, what happens in the US winds its way over to the UK. Including, it turns out, racist tropes. In my day job as a writer on a national newspaper, I sat next to someone who would often crack the same joke when I stood up to go for lunch. “What you getting?” he’d grin. “Fried chicken?”
It infuriated me, but I could never articulate why. My colleague’s was a specific type of racism, a sort perpetuated by liberals so believing in their supposed lack of prejudice they think they can make racist jokes ironically. It wasn’t the first time someone used a racist slur against me that went over my head, like the time someone called me a golliwog and I laughed along with them, too young to understand the inference. But with fried chicken it runs deeper.

Sorry for the vague title, but I wasn't quite sure how to articulate it.
Here, I'm confused about the structure of the part marked in italics, especially the function of "so". Does "so" here mean "thus"? Is it "a sort of (racism) (which was) perpetuated by liberals, / thus believing in their lack of prejudice they think they can..." (I guess not. this doesn't make sense grammatically.)
How should I understand the structure and meaning of this sentence? How can I chunk this sentence into parts?
Thanks in advance!


texts: What does "watch the world walk with you" mean in the sentence "Or stroll up the Cowley Road and watch the world walk with you"

texts:
Below is a reading passage in my English exercise book:

  Oxford is most definitely prettier. It is located in the central
  England. It has a population of about 90,000, of which a large number
  work in or for the university. This is obviously what the city is
  famous for but in terms of getting to know the country, what is really
  of interest is the British Leyland car factory at Cowley. This is
  huge, employing about 20,000 people, yet, because of the university,
  it is usually forgotten. Spend a day looking round the works, seeing
  how they make the cars. Fascinating. Or stroll up the Cowley Road and
  watch the world walk with you.

I don't really understand the meaning of the phrase "watch the world walk with you". How can the world walk with somebody?

Could you kindly explain the meaning of this expression?


texts:
In a technical environment what's the correct term to use if I wanted to ask people to check what's wrong with a code I "transcribed" from an old notation to the current standards?

I thought these words ('transcribed', 'updated', 'changed') were okay but they don't seem to be the right ones to use.


texts:
I know I could switch be of into have in many cases as likely as not. Such as...

  This year's cabbages are of fine quality.

  This year's cabbages have fine quality.

But still I can't figure out what synonym would fit for be to.

  The President is to visit the wall.

  You're to be back as soon as possible.

  If we are to catch him, we have to leave now.

  No one is to be seen in the street.

  He was to be like that from birth.

Any help please? From what I guess roughly, are they some formal kind of be going to?


texts: How to understand the word "free" in this sentence: "a geyser of death blasting mole bodies free of the planet"?

texts:
From A mole of moles, I meet this sentence:

  Plumes of hot meat and bubbles of trapped gases like methane—along with the air from the lungs of the deceased moles—periodically rise through the mole crust and erupt volcanically from the surface, a geyser of death blasting mole bodies free of the planet.

How to understand the emboldened bit? In either ways to break down it, the word free seems to be out-of-place:

a geyser of [(death blasting mole bodies free) of the planet]
[a geyser of death] blasting [mole bodies free of the planet]

It looks like the word free belongs to the phrase mole bodies free, but again, what does it mean? It cannot be an suffix like smoke-free or body-free because it doesn't make any sense to me, plus that in the phrase the word bodies is in plural form.

How should I understand this sentence?


texts: What's the difference between LAY and LIE?

texts:
This has been confusing for me.

Some say:

  "I'm laying on/in my bed."

Others say:

  "I'm lying on/in my bed."

Which is correct?
Do the sentences have any difference?

I'm not sure which preposition to use either.
Can ON and IN be used with these verbs?


texts: Is it correct to say "Data are transferred"

texts:
I am a bit confused. When multiple data (plural) transfer takes place, which would be the correct expression:
a. "data are transferred"
b. "data is transferred"

Or both expressions are correct?

Thanks and best regards


texts: Is there a word "Pisser" in English gambling?

texts:
I have happened to see a Japanese anime, which is about a natural born gambler, (with English subtitles)

And they (The honcho group and other "workers") are gambling dices.

From 22:51 ～　The honcho explains the general rule of the dice throwing gambling.

From 24:27　～　The honcho explains about the "pisser" which is if the thrower's dices are pushed out of the cup, it is called "pisser".

Although there are several references to "bust" used here and there (in the English subtitles) "pisser" is categorized as something special.

My first question is,

Is there any "pisser" related word associated with gambling in English? (As far as my research led me, I have not been able to find a one that directly connects with gambling.)

And the second question is,

Is there anything in the English gambling world that resembles like that in the movie?


texts:
Let's say you were asked what are your plans in the future. And you say:

  It has always been my dream to move to another country, particularly to the UK.

Or

  It has always been my dream to move to another country, particularly in the UK.

Can I use them interchangeably? Any reference if not?


texts: Which part of speech is "left" in this sentence?

texts:
I've always thought (perhaps, erroneously) that if there is some ambiguity in determining whether the given word is an adjective or a past participle, you need to look at whether the "source" of action is mentioned in the sentence. If the source is not mentioned, then it is an adjective. For example:

  The disappointed boy was sitting on a bench.

Here, we don't know the source of the boy's disappointment, in other words, we don't know who performed the action of letting the boy down, Therefore, disappointed is an adjective.

But when the source is mentioned, then it is a past participle. For example:

  The boy was greatly disappointed by his mom.

Here, we know the "source" - the boy's mom - therefore, disappointed is a past participle here.

However, this method doesn't seem to work in the following sentence:

  One car drove away 10 minutes ago. Two more cars drove away 5 minutes
  ago. So now there are only 5 cars left in the parking lot.

Firstly, I thought that, since the source is not mentioned, it was either an adjective or an adverb, but the Wiktionary page doesn't reserve this meaning for the adjective "left" or for the adverb "left". It reserves that meaning only for the past participle "left", which is one of the forms of the verb "leave". So, most likely the word "left" in this sentence is a past participle.

However, the "source of leaving" is not mentioned in the sentence and it is not even implied, which means that the method that I've been using was wrong. But then I am really at loss in how to differentiate between adjectives and past participles.


texts:
Is the word "A few" a plural or a singular?
 "A few does" or "a few do"?

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=a+few+does+%2C+a+few+do&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Ca%20few%20does%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Ca%20few%20do%3B%2Cc0

//sorry I am working in a phone. I can't paste a link.


texts: What's the saying that those who scream loud aren't the most dangerous ones?

texts:
There is a Polish saying

  Im pies mniej szczeka, tym bardziej gryzie.

Literally translated:

  The less dogs barks, the more it bites

which means that not those people are the most dangerous, that scream load, but those, who remain silence (or, you shouldn't be afraid of someone who is just screaming).

What is the English equivalent of that saying?


texts:
What is the difference between 'come' and 'go' when they use figuratively?
For example -

  1) Prices come down. Prices go down.

  2) Prices come up. Prices go up.

I don't ask about direction what is literally. I mean transition generally.
Ok. Explain my example about prices.


texts: Can "prefer" be used as a dynamic (non-stative) verb?

texts:
My friend had a homework exercise about stative verbs in their English class and asked me to help with it. The task was to mark sentences that were correct. There was one difficult sentence there:

  I am preferring fish to meat.

In the other column, there was the same sentence in Present Simple:

  I prefer fish to meat.

To me, it looks like the sentences are both correct. The latter means "I always/usually prefer fish to meat", the former means "Right now I am choosing fish, not meat, while I could usually prefer meat to fish.".

So, can I use "prefer" as a dynamic verb, meaning something along the lines of "choose", not "like"?


texts:
While asking about measurment ,the way of asking confuses me . Because you have to make a very complicated sentence to ask and it is realy hard to traslate it to english word by word .

  To what temperature below zero is this electronic device resistant ?

  At what depth can human stay alive?

Are these sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Why are there two verbs in this sentence? (A raid ... starting late on Wednesday yielded as much as 20 tonnes...)

texts:
I want to know why they have used two verbs in this sentence
I think that the usage of a conjunction is missing.

  A night-long raid at an ice factory in Rajabazar starting late on Wednesday yielded as much as 20 tonnes of carcass meat, packed and ready to be sold.

Can this be possible?

  A night long raid at an ice factory in Rajabazar starting late on Wednesday WHICH yielded...


texts: What does " appears casual" means in this paragraph?

texts:
I have a paragraph:

  You have to clearly show your true intentions at some point when talking to a woman you want to make it obvious that you are interested in her on a romantic or sexual level. The most confident and therefore best way to make your interest clear is to actually tell women that you are attracted to and interested in them [...]
  It is brilliant for a man to be so confident that he appears casual, but that does not mean it is a good idea for him to strike up a casual conversation and hide his intentions. Anyone can strike up a casual conversation about nothing of importance, and males can often do so with confidence, but as soon as they want to flirt, their confidence vanishes

I don't know what does "appears casual" mean in this paragraph? Does it mean "dress casually"?


texts: Is there any parallelism issue in "I am travelling to India and shall be on leave for 2 weeks"?

texts:
I am travelling to India and shall be on leave for 2 weeks.

Like is the sentence correct?

travelling to -- is present continuous

shall be -- is future


texts:
In the sentence:

  I used to hurt people.

to hurt is an infinitive. I read somewhere that infinitives are not verbs. So can used to be a verb? If not, should we treat used to as one entity which describes the past and take hurt as a verb?


texts: Why is 'Protocols' followed by 'works' and not 'work' in 'The exact scheme used by Internet Protocols works as follows'?

texts:
The exact scheme used by Internet Protocols works as follows.

Protocols is plural, so shouldn't it be followed by work?


texts:
We couldn't have finished the work ahead of time without your help.

Does the sentence make sense to you? Can "couldn't have done" be used in subjunctive mood?


texts: does "concentration" refers to being "luminous"?

texts:
does "never" applies both for "think" and "is so intensely consciouss"?

It was this etheric body which Davis saw emerging from its poor
outworn envelope of protoplasm, which finally lay empty upon the bed
like the shrivelled chrysalis when the moth is free. The process began by
an extreme concentration in the brain, which became more and more
luminous as the extremities became darker. It is probable that man
never thinks so clearly, or is so intensely conscious, as he becomes after
all means of indicating his thoughts have left him. Then the new body
begins to emerge, the head disengaging itself first. Soon it has
completely freed itself, standing at right-angles to the corpse, with its
feet near the head, and with some luminous vital band between which
corresponds to the umbilical cord.


texts: What are different ways of using a phrasal verb “put over” in giving different meaning?

texts:
When I look up in a dictionary,The verb “put over” has three different meaning. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put%20over

Delay or postpone
Communicate effectively
to achieve or carry through by deceit or trickery.

I’m more concerned with the the first meaning it gives and uses preposition. I even found some where it doesn’t use preposition. Examples:

Alex put the discussion over until tomorrow. (tomorrow is followed by until)

I put it over Sunday. (Sunday is not followed by preposition)

Here, in such cases what are other possible prepositions that can be used.
Similarly, with the second meaning it gives,

Abraham put his idea over to the reader. (“to” has been used)

And with the third meaning it gives,

Dealership put the price over him. (has the deceit or trickery been achieved?)

Would you please give me an appropriate structures in each cases followed by appropriate preposition?


texts: Is 'sit nicely' considered idiomatic as an order to a toddler?

texts: Parents usually used to order about the position of their child if he doesn't sit properly, in order to teach him politness and respect. In my native language we say something that may be translated to "Sit nicely, please". What's about the natural equivalent in English?


texts:
The announcer on the radio suddenly broke in/into the middle of a piece of music and informed the audience that there was a storm coming.

After looking up in the dictionary, I think 'in' is correct here, but the key suggests 'into'. Which preposition is correct?


texts: What are "flip cards, the star, the lift, the train and fast forward" in following sentence?

texts: I have a sentence which is about the tools that motivate and inspire people. "The tools include Flip Cards, The star, The train, lmage Diary and Fast Forward to name but a few." I don't understand the meaning of words (are mentioned in title) in this sentence and I also don't understand the general concept of sentence


texts: Use of 'ever' in a question along with modal could

texts:
—You create the world of the dream. We bring the subject into that
  dream and they fill it with their subconscious.

  — How could I ever acquire enough details to make them think that it's
  reality

I can't get the point of that usage of ever. Is that used to emphasize unclearness of how to make someone think that it's reality?


texts: “A/the degree of [a] doctor” vs. “a doctor's degree”

texts:
After four years in America, he got __________.

A. a degree of doctor

B. a doctor's degree

C. the degree of a doctor

D. a doctor degree

The correct answer is B but I want to know why not C or A?

(Merriam Webster's Unabridged) Doctorate  etymology: doctor: the degree, title, or rank of a doctor.

I have checked in dictionary that doctor cannot be used as an uncountable noun.


texts:
What's the difference between the sentences below in meaning :

Jack may be coming to see us tomorrow.

Jack may come to see us tomorrow.


texts:
What does "work" mean in football (soccer)?

GOAL! Everton pull one back! The home side keep pushing forward and work the ball over to Bolasie, who shoots from 20 yards out and manages to find the back of the net via the inside of the near post. Will that prove to be the start of an almighty comeback?


texts:
Penalty for drivers is determined on the basis of the maximum speed
  during driving.

Could you advise me on whether the above is grammatically correct.

I think this example is not good, but I would just like to know whether "during" can modify the noun "maximum speed" in front of it or some verb such as "appearing" is required in front of it.


texts:
I have no idea how to express myself correctly in this case. What is the right way to say that:

  "I prefer to not do that"

or

  "I prefer not to do that"

or

  something else?


texts: What does "the British and EU establishment" mean in this context?

texts:
Does it mean:
a. the British people and the EU organization responsible for Brexit?
b. the British government and the EU organization responsible for Brexit?
c. the British-EU organization responsible for Brexit?
d. something else?

"Investors expect a deal to be struck — but nearly all of those in the British and EU establishment thought that Brexit wouldn't happen at all."
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-will-cause-the-next-financial-crisis-2017-9/#the-rise-of-populism-8


texts: Is it correct to say, "this chair is made to sit on, not to lay on" and "this chair is for sitting on, not lying on"?

texts:
Which of the followings are correct:

-This chair is made to sit on, not lie on.
-This chair is made to be sat on, not lain on.
-This chair is for sitting on, not lying on.
-This chair is for being sat on, not lain on.

I found both "Chairs are made to be sat on." and "Chairs are made to sit on." on Google.


texts:
I can't hear "to" sound in these sentences:

  It turns out that she is going to Daytona .....
  Waking up next to people you don't even know.....

Why is it?
If you want to check it out it's from Friends season 6 episode 19, minute 15:00 in DVD version


texts: 40 percent of X's Y: Is the percentage about X or Y?

texts:
Some 40 percent of people's "first memory" happened at an age when it wasn't possible to create memories.

Source

Context shows the percentage is about the people. The word memory, being singular, also indicates the percentage is about the people. Without context, would you be able to infer which is meant if we changed the sentence to:

  Some 40 percent of people's first memories ...

And what about this one:

  20 percent of the countries' money came from tourism.

Is there any rule for the structure "n % of X's Y"?


texts:
What is the difference between hypernyms and hyponyms?
Is defend hypernym to endorse?
Similarly what about permit,allow and consent?

I'm confused in both of these things,Is there anyone who clear to me what is actually difference between these two?


texts: adjective to describe a video device with a lot of functionality

texts:
What's the right adjective to describe a video device like a camcorder or VCR that has a lot of functionality?

For example,

  Wow! this camcorder/VCR is quite ________________ !


texts: Use of "that": They called and told me (that?) I will need to take a helicopter

texts:
In the following sentence, is it better to use or omit the word 'that'?

They called and told me (that?) I will need to take a helicopter.

After reading Can we say "He is a friend of mine I love" instead of "He is a friend of mine who/that I love"?, I see that it is technically required in very formal writing, but not required for general conversation.
What about in common business writing, or on StackExchange, such in the previous sentence?


texts: What do we call public schools with entry exam?

texts: I was looking for an equivalent for a type of school that we have in our country (they usually have entry exams) and I faced this phrase "public exemplary schools". Do we have such schools by this name generally? Is it common?


texts:
When I want to ask
"Which country is playing against ~random country name~ at/or/in today's game?"

, which one is the right preposition to use, at or in ?

Also, does simply saying 'is playing' (without 'against' after that)mean the same thimg?


texts: Is this grammatically correct "was and continues to be doing something"?

texts:
I'm confused by the construction "the team was and continues to be doing something".

I'd simply say "the team has been doing something". But the sentence is meant to point out the persistence of doing an action.

Should the original construction be corrected to say "the team was and continues doing something"?


texts:
The dictionary definition of hypocrite is :  a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
I need some clarification on how to use it.
Example - one person is saying words like -

he is always there for you
he will help you in times of need

And when the time comes he disappears. Or things like that a person says at a verbal level which appear very appealing, but doesn't convert to action level
Could we say that the above behavior is hypocritical?
Will that be a correct word to use ?
Another scenario
A person praises a spiritual guru a lot and give advice to others on the same. But when it comes to his own family he has a different behaviour.
Can this behaviour be called hypocritical?


texts: "olympic champions" vs. "champions of the olympics"

texts:
Ngram Viewer shows "olympic champions" is common while other possibilities are zero.

Note: "other possibilities" refers to champions of the olympics,champions in the olympics,champions for the olympics


texts: There is nothing here worth {for} dying for

texts: I found this phrase in a signThere is nothing here worth dying for and I don't understand why the for is at the end of the phrase and not after worth. I tried to search in English and I found it's perfectly normal finish a sentence with a preposition, but it didn't explain anything more.


texts: All I want/ask is that everybody is/be kind

texts:
I would like to ask as to the difference between the sentences below in terms of formality; AmE or BrE; and meaning, if any. As far as I know the sentences are in subjunctive form and both are correct.

  All I want/ask is that everyone is kind.

  All I want/ask is that everyday be kind.

Besides that, although I wrote my sentences using the word "want", I could not find any results written in this way in Google search. I mean there is no record on Google as a sentence

  All I want is that everybody is *

Why is it wrong?


texts: If onlys and buts were candys and nuts, then everyday would be Erntedankfest

texts:
What is the meaning of the following sentence said by Dwight Schrute on a television show called the office?

  if onlys and buts were candys and nuts, then everyday would be
  Erntedankfest.

All I know is that the word erntedankfest means "harvest festival" in English and I think "if onlys and buts" is used in another old saying referring to Christmas time. However I don't know  the origin either. Could you explain the original one and the one said by Dwight character.


texts: Is "when" a conjunction in "I'll believe it when I see it."

texts:
I'm asking this question because if I remove the word "when" I get two sentences that can stand on their own 1. I'll believe it. 2. I see it.
I suppose in such cases "when" functions as a conjunction. I'm not exactly sure, though. Any suggestion is appreciated.


texts:
Which one is correct or are both correct? Please explain if there's any explanation.

  Let's kiss
  Let's do kiss


texts: Why do we say “the English language” but not “the English cuisine?”

texts:
According to textbooks, nouns accompanied by particularizing attributes take the definite article.

Then why do we say “the English language” but not “the English cuisine?”
Likewise, we say “at the altitude of 100 kilometers, which is the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space…” but not “at the room temperature, which is 25 degrees Celsius.”

Am I misunderstanding the concept of particularizing attributes?


texts: Use of the subjunctive versus conditional mood

texts:
From my English classes I remember the rule that when you are expressing a condition with words like if, you must use the subjunctive mood in the subordinate clause, and the conditional in the main clause.

For example:

  If I had more free time, I would go to the gym more often.

  If I were you, I wouldn't pay too much attention to them.

The only exception to this rule (as far as I know) are polite requests like:

  It would be nice if you would help me in the kitchen.

On the other hand, I recently found the following sentence in a book written by an American author:

  If I would make a point of going to sit down with a historian, or
  a mathematician in order to broaden my mind, I'd be neglecting
  my job in a way.

In this case, both clauses are in the conditional but, according to the rules I have learnt in school, I would rather have written:

  If I made a point of going to sit down with a historian ...

So I am a bit confused as to when one should use the subjunctive versus the conditional. Why does the author of the book write "If I would make a point of..."? Is there a difference in meaning or are "made" and "would make" interchangeable here?

(What confuses me even more is that I live in Germany where I often hear people using the conditional instead of the subjunctive when speaking in English, possibly because German has only the subjunctive / Konjunktiv mood: so it is difficult for me to tell if what I hear is a mistake or a proper use of the English conditional.)


texts: Do I use 'of' or 'by' in connection with artist's work?

texts:
I often write about works of art and am unsure if I'm doing it correctly. What I am trying to express is that if you go to this exhibition you will see artworks by certain artists. Is this correct:

The exhibition features works by VALIE EXPORT, Frieda Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe.

or

The exhibition features works of VALIE EXPORT, Frieda Kahlo and
Georgia O'Keeffe. (?)

Does it change anything if I put a "the" in?

The exhibition features the works of VALIE EXPORT, Frieda Kahlo and
Georgia O'Keeffe.

Does it change if I use "work" instead of "works" or is it the same?

Are both correct or just one? And if so, why?

Really thankful for answers!


texts:
What should I pay additional attention to (while/when) working on the project?

Please, explain what is most suitable word in the situation and why.


texts:
We can make, determeine, inform, confirm, etc... a judgement.
Can we 'decide a judgement?'
I wonder if native speakers say 'decide a judgement'.


texts:
Which is correct?

  Can you imagine the weight that has lifted off of her shoulders?

or

  Can you imagine the weight that is lifted off of her shoulders?


texts: Overly long questions and how to deal with them

texts:
I'm wondering whether there is a good method of dealing with expanded questions that start with the auxiliary verb "to be"? Or perhaps there's something wrong with my questions?

  1) Wait, so is the guy who's currently hiding behind the table, all clad in white and green, with an ugly scar going through half of his face, your father?

  2) Were people whose entire wealth consisted of a small cottage, two cows and a couple of hens, considered rich in the 10th century?

  3) Have you, as a child of rich parents, always spoiled and taken care of, ever been sad?


texts:
Let's suppose in a meeting, a couple of co-workes are discussiong about an issue and are going to find out a solution to it! One of them brings up a solution. The other person who's playing the leading role at the meeting raises sole objections to that solution and says:

  Can you think of any other way?

Would it indicate the same message naturally and idiomatically to say:

  Can you come up with any othe way?
  Does any other way crosse your mind?


texts:
Writing to the woman who would become his third wife, Hermann Hesse complained: “Life for me now holds almost no pleasures any more, in fact I am living in Hell.” The event that had reduced Hesse to this state of near-despair was that his wife-to-be Ninon Dolbin had moved some of his books without his permission. For him this was an intolerable disruption of the orderly existence he believed essential to a writer who had detached himself from the world. His independence required that he hold all of humankind, and even his closest companion, at a rigorously policed distance. Accordingly, although the two of them lived under the same roof, he communicated with Ninon mainly in writing. As his latest biographer, Gunnar Decker, relates: .........

When it says “ required that he hold of all humankind” can you paraphrase it so that I would be able to translate it to a different language please? Can I say “ it required that he monitor every person” ?


texts: "electricity was suddenly turned off" or "electricity suddenly turned off"

texts:
Randall has been writing his paper when the electricity suddenly turned off

The difference between "was turned off" and "turned off"
Can I use present perfect progressive has been if "the electricity was turned off"?


texts: What does the highlighted part means from the paragraph given down below?

texts: Finally, at a grander level, are ‘free’ social networking sites user-owned, or are they spaces through which the forces of big capital are further extending into our everyday lives?


texts:
What is the difference between the following two sentences

  I would die before I lied

  I would die before I lie

Is the first one in subjunctive mood?


texts:
In the following sentence, which article, a or the, is suitable before diameter, tensile strength, and modulus, respectively? What is the reason for that?

  For example, multi-walled nanotubes with a diameter of 200 nanometers have a tensile strength of 7 GPa and a modulus of 0.6 TPa.


texts: Each and every one of XYZ + singular / plural Verb

texts:
I came across these two sentences :

  Each and every one of the participants is expected to contribute generously to the cause.

  Yet Each and everyone of the weird and wanky items have one thing in common they are all  aboslutely 100% true.

The first sentence uses a singular helping verb while the second one uses a plural helping verb.  Isn't the second sentence grammatically wrong ? Each and everyone  is followed by singular helping verb, correct ?


texts: 'I called you yesterday' or 'I was calling you yesterday'?

texts:
Which one of these sentences are more accurate in this specific context and what the differences between both of them are?

  A: I was calling you yesterday about the flat you are offering

  B: I called you yesterday about the flat you are offering..

I  went with B option when writing a message.. but not completely sure about it
Many thanks


texts: In the phrase.."at the request of" .. why do we use 'at'? I understand it refers to someone specific making a request...but I would like to know why we use "at".


texts: Which title is more correct, "My father and I" or "My father and me"?

texts: If someone is going to write something about the things between his father and himself, which title is more correct, "My father and I" or "My father and me"?


texts: Assigned to a job I know nothing about it - is there an idiom for that idea?

texts: I'd like to know an idiom that let me express the idea of being assigned to a job/task you have no clue at all. My first language is Spanish, and we have a cool idiom for this situation (rough translation: I was sent straight to war!), but  I don't know if there is a similar one in English...


texts: Is it correct to say "I untwisted the rope that was made by twisting thinner strings together"?

texts:
A rope was made by twisting thinner strings together. You used your fingers to make strings of the rope untwisted from each other.
It seems like we have this structure in the dictionary "twist something (into something)".
Would you say "I twisted thin strings into a rope then I disentwined the rope" or "I twisted thin strings into a rope then I untwisted the rope" in everyday conversation?


texts: Does "a few times" put emphasis on how few times something is or does it just tell a number?

texts:
"I've called you a few times, but you haven't picked up or called back."

Does "a few times" put emphasis on how few times something is or is it similar to "a couple of times" which just tells a number?


texts: Why there is an indefinite article "We have a Hulk"

texts:
Loki: I have an army.

  Tony Stark: We have a Hulk.

(The Avengers quote on IMDB)

I just can't get why Stark uses an indefinite article with a real person in a phrase "We have a Hulk", is this just Stark's sarcasm or something else.


texts:
I get healthy by losing weight by walking 30 minutes every day.

Is it correct to use "by doing" in a row as in the sentence above I created?


texts:
When I said "is in a shambles", a native speaker of American English corrected me, saying it should be "is in shambles." And it makes sense, because in my case you have a (represents singularity), and shambles, which is plural. Sounds strange—"a shambles." But nevertheless it is also correct.

The question is how do you come up with such strange structures? Where do they stem of? How will you justify singularity and plurality 'in one'?


texts: "Will" or "going to" or both, which one is correct (or more natural) in these specific phrases?

texts:
Are the following phrases correct?
If both "will" and "going to" could be used, which one is more natural?

It's raining. Don't go out. You'll get wet / You are going to get wet

To me both sound fine, but shouldn't "going to" be the more natural one?! Because it's 'something that is going to happen'

The future situation is uncertain. What do you think it will happen? / What do you think it is going to happen?

Here "will" sounds better, but I think I heard also the phrases: "I tell you what it is going to happen" or "Oh my God, what's going to happen to our jobs now?"

3.A. Joe: Oh, I've just realised I haven't got any money. Ann: Well don't worry I'll lend you some.

But let's say Ann says:

3.B. hmmm... (she thinks for a while, then she decides to lend him some money) ok listen Jim, I'm going to lend you some money for tonight.

Is this one correct too?

We are going to leave at about 9 o'clock then. / We'll leave at about 9 o'clock then.

I'm clueless about which one is the right one.


texts:
Could you tell me if need to use the before years in the context below?

Over years of working with people Kate has learned how to establish a rapport with people.
Over the years of working with people Kate has learned how to establish a rapport with people.

I've seen years used with both the and without in similar contexts. Are both natural and with no difference in meaning?