texts:
A bottle which was produced by my company, of water.

Is the word order of this sentence correct? The bottle was produced by my company but I wonder if this sentence can be understood easily when I use "of water" end of the sentence.


texts: Is it natural to say academy/language school "happens"?

texts:
I heard one native American saying,

  "So right now, I'm actually attending language school which happens every single day for hours."

But I'm not used to this kind of expression.
Is it natural to say like this? Do native speakers say language school or something similar like schools or academy etc. happens?

Or do you think I misunderstood what he said?


texts:
I've met this phrase in a manga translation.

The context:
Let's suppose there are two characters - Bill (male) and Jane (female). An accidental kiss happened between them yesterday. Bill didn't consider it as something worth paying attention to, while Jane was the opposite.

On the next day, when Bill asked Jane about some important matter, she was still spacing out because of this kiss, so Bill said:

"Why are you so self-conscious over that for?"

I understand when a sentence ends with a preposition like "This is not the thing I can put up with.", but there I can't think of a verb that has this for.

My point is - I understand that this for gives some additional flavor to this sentence, but I don't understand the grammatical side of things.

Could anybody explain it, please?


texts:
In the following sentence, which one is right in the viewpoint of grammatical structure? Why?

Notice: In the main source, it is "probable".

  It seems probable that there is no single explanation but that there
  are elements of the truth in several of the hypotheses.

  It seems probably that there is no single explanation but that there
  are elements of the truth in several of the hypotheses.


texts:
When we use a structure like, Neither I nor he is going to...; example:

  Richard: Are you ready for dating Joshua, Sarah?

  Sarah: Neither I nor he is going to date each other any more!

  Richard: you won't?

Is it correct to answer a negative statement in this way or I am wrong here?


texts: In what cases can I omit 'as' after 'marked'?

texts:
The context is software, as in:

"fields marked as optional",
"properties marked as private",
etc.

I saw people sometimes don't use 'as' in such phrases. Is there a rule to omit 'as'?


texts: Usage of was/is in cooperation with present/past perfect tense

texts:
I'm a bit confused about something: when using the present perfect/past perfect, am I to use "was" or "is" in the main clause?

That day was the most romantic thing that had ever happened to me.
That day was the most romantic thing that has ever happened to me.
That day is the most romantic thing that has ever happened to me.

Are all three of the above sentences grammatically correct?
And, what's the difference in their meaning?
And, to be clear, I'm not asking for proofreading, I'm just trying to make concepts clear. :)


texts: Can a relativizer be modified by PP phrase

texts:
The level of responsibility which the client carries for the whole development process with time & materials is much higher than with fixed-price or milestone projects.

It can be understood that a gap exists behind the verb carries

  The level of responsibility which the client carries _______ for the whole development process ...

So the relativizer which serves as the object of carries.

And since the PP pharse for the whole development process follows the gap (known as which),

is it right to say that the PP phrase (which acts as an adjective) modifies the relativizer which?


texts: "Is she is looking/looks so bad" and "I still seeing her"

texts:
I have two questions. The first one is: I have heard that I can't use emotional verbs such as "see, hear, love" with -ing, but I want to know how to use it in this sentence:

  Yeah, I still seeing her?

After still, do I use -ing like this?

  I still loving her.

Do I use

  She is looking so bad.

or

  She looks so bad.

The second question is: can I say

  She has to has.

or

  She has to have.


texts: What's the difference between 'of a/an' and 'a/an' in this context?

texts:
What's the difference -- if there's any -- between using 'of a/an' and 'a/an' (examples given below)? Are the following passages grammatically correct, and if so, is it merely a matter of taste which one to use when writing?

1) This is too difficult of a task.
2) This is too difficult a task.


texts: Do "running down the street" and "run down the street" have the same meaning?

texts:
I suddenly found myself running down the street.
  l suddenly found myself who run down the street.

Is running down the street a gerund clause or reduced relative clause?


texts: What does it mean when someone's credit taps?

texts:
Would you tell me what it means when someone's credit taps? Here is the context:

On the morning of November 20, Norfleet again rode for home. He had lost $20,000, true, but if he now raised an additional $25,000, he would recoup all losses and even come out ahead. His credit tapped, he turned to his brother-in-law.


texts:
In a newspaper article I read a sentence:

Women had begun to outnumber men as the namaz began at the shrine.

We usually use:

(Past simple + as + past sample)

(Past perfect + before + past simple)

I had finished speaking to her before I got off the bus.

The light went out as I plugged in the charger.

If I use before instead of as in the newspaper sentence.


texts: What is the meaning of "All i need" in the following sentence?

texts:
I am reading the book, Diary of a Wimpy kid.

What is the meaning of "All i need" in the sentence, "All I need is for some jerk to catch me carrying this book around and get the wrong idea." ?


texts: What's the opposite of wrinkled banknote? Can I say simply "Look at this banknote, it's flat like new"? Or there is a more appropriate word for this context?


texts: Comparing two sentences is the same meaning (Past and Past perfect tense)

texts:
"I felt a little better after I had taken the medicine"  <--by Google search, it has about 2,820 results

VS

  "I felt a little better after I  took the medicine"  <--by Google search, it has only 10 results (but this sentence is from
  Longman grammar book)

Question
1. Two sentences are the same meaning, if not why?
2. Is the first sentence more useful than another one because of google search results, if yes why??


texts: Is it a or an "identity verification concept"?

texts:
In this suggested edit on https://security.stackexchange.com/review/suggested-edits/80054 Security SE

  is a identity verification concept that claims [...]

to

  is an identity verification concept that claims [...]

Is this right?

I thought as it is refering to "concept" and not to "identity", it wouldn't be "an".
Have I been wrong?


texts: What is the exact meaning of "vice versa" here?

texts:
Here is a sentence:

We have shown that the increase in A decreased B, and vice versa.

Here, I want to know which the exact meaning of this sentence is between these:

The increase in A decreased B, and the decrease B increased A.
The increase in A decreased B, and the decrease A increased B.

If the first is correct, how can I make the sentence in the second meaning using "vice versa"?


texts: What's the difference between "make a good teacher" and "become/be a good teacher"?

texts:
I wonder if there is any difference between these sentences:

I'm sure he will make a good teacher.
I'm sure he will be a good teacher.
I'm sure he will become a good teacher.

Also with the past tense:

He made a good teacher.
He became a good teacher.

My understanding is that "make" suggests that you have qualities for that.
But the first three sentences sound the same to me. If the nuance in each sentence is different, could you explain that?


texts: What does these words "an underlying condition" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I am reading this article:
https://www.healthline.com/health/botox-poison#safety

..  of adverse effects associated with cosmetic use were reported to
the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 1989 and 2003.
Thirteen of these cases may have had more to do with an underlying
condition than with the drug itself. ..

What is an "underlying condition" here?
Thanks


texts: Would you please explain the following in details?

texts:
Alex had been trying to get the film made for more than twenty years.

Would anybody explain the sentence readily?


texts: Meaning of 'You're mine' in this situation

texts:
I'm studying english using American comic.

In above situation, this weird man says You're mine now!!!
I don't understand this meaning.
It's similar to Gotcha?


texts: "Would be most welcomed and appreciated" or "most welcome and appreciated"

texts:
Comments are most welcomed and appreciated.
  Comments are most welcome and appreciated.

Which one is more idiomatic? And also, it should be "most" or mostly"?


texts:
Few predicted, when China began to tentatively reform its economy in
  the late 1970s, that a gradual transition process would take
  hold and continue to move forward without some kind of traumatic
  rupture with the past.

What is the meant by "take hold" here?,

take (a) hold (from oxford)

to begin to have complete control over somebody/something; to become very strong

take hold (from the free dictionary)

to become established

I think "to become strong" something has to be there in the begining as per the oxford definition but as per free dictionary, "to establish" means nothing is there in the begining and then something starts.


texts:
If I am an insane person wanting to buy a corner of some building, can I say:

  I want to buy a building's corner?

Or it should necessarily be said like:

  I want to buy a corner of some building?

I mean can we create the possession forms ('s) for non-alive objects?

If it's alive ones, we can:

  I want to by my father's car

etc.


texts: "...many patients are seeking out transplants in other countries" -- what if "seek out" were used?

texts:
I was reading an article on HowStuffWorks and came across this:

  The shortage of donated organs in the United States is so severe that many patients are seeking out transplants in other countries. In some countries, notably China, foreigners can buy the organs they need instead of waiting at home. These organs typically come from executed prisoners who have not volunteered to donate organs.

  This situation is extremely controversial in the organ transplant community. Paying for organs is considered unethical in most Western nations, as is the recovery of organs if the donor has not agreed to donate them. Furthermore, there is strong indication that execution schedules are being modified to meet patient demand.

I often see the progressive tense used in such a way on this site. What is the difference between are seeking out and seek out, and are being modified and are modified?


texts: Can the word 'prior' be a substitute for 'earlier', that is not followed by any clarifications in expressions like 'four years prior' (and then goes a period, the sentence stops)? Like '[he did this]. [he had done that] four years prior'.


texts: "Is Peter's party on a Sunday?" Why is the indefinite article used?

texts:
I saw this sentence in a primary school English textbook:

  Is Peter's party on a Sunday?

I wondered why they put an "a" before Sunday.  The teacher said it was correct but didn't explain.

Could someone please explain?


texts:
I would like to know if I can use the word "setup" with the meaning of "beginning" in these sentences:

  From the setup and until the end of the process you will be seeing changes made to this document.
  The setup of the drama reveals to us a night scene where a young woman sits on grass and looks up into the starry sky.

If not, what word would you recommend that I should use?


texts: Difference between not and don't in the next sentence

texts:
“In the period we not enter, Romanticism, the Account became the
  preeminent formula for literary production.”

In the sentence above, does the ‘not’ make sense? Should I use ‘don’t’ instead?


texts: Is "then" completely natural here to connect the sentences?

texts:
I didn't hear anything for a few months, so I assumed she wasn't interested. Then last week she called me to my surprise and asked if I would go out on another date with her.

Is then completely natural here to connect the sentences?


texts: "leave a mark in" VS "leave an imprint in"

texts:
Our efforts to tackle the crisis will leave an imprint in the annals of history.
  Our efforts to tackle the crisis will leave a mark in the annals of history.

I thought of two ways to express the what we did in the crisis would go down in histroy. I am wondering whether they are both suitable and exchangable. Is there another way to say this?


texts: Could you reorganize this sentence related to 'not only.. but also'

texts:
Here is a sentence I'd like to transform to make sure I know how to use this kind of pattern more freely.

  This feature of 4D movies makes you feel like you are not just watching movies but also like you are part of it yourself.

Here's one I've reorganized.

  This feature of 4D movies makes you feel like you are part of it yourself not just like you are watching movies.

How would you reorganize the original sentence? And am I right to do this?


texts: Proper use of "Because of" followed by a "verb + ing"

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatical?

  This is because of your computer not being connected to the Internet.

If this is not, what's the proper structure for using verb + ing after of (especially "because of")?


texts: I'm writing to inform vs I'm writing the letter to inform

texts:
I'm writing to inform you about ...
I'm writing the letter to inform you about ...

A friend of mine says that the former option is right when the second one is kind of tautology and unnecessary information.

Is it true? Can I use them interchangeable or one of the option is better than another?


texts: I keep getting connected and disconnected when I'm on the phone

texts:
In a bad phone connection and when it sucks, how would you say that the conversation between you and the second person on the other side keeps getting connected and disconnected?
Is there any verb/idiom which can encapsulate this concept when it comes to phone concersations?


texts:
I would say that "then I ..." is the correct one, however

this guy uses

  "Then I put a dot ..."

only the first time here at 0:17

http://vimeo.com/13384698

the other times e.g. 0:23 or 0:38 he uses the form:

  "I then ..."

Are boths forms acceptable or should I use only "Then I ..." and stop using "I then ..."


texts: "He wore [a] wig: which wig was made of hair" -- Is this 'which' a resumptive pronoun?

texts:
While reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, I noticed this sentence:
(Note: The sentence in the title of this question was shortened due to limited space.)

  He wore an odd little sleek crisp flaxen wig, setting very close to his head: which wig, it is to be presumed, was made of hair, but which looked far more as though it were spun from filaments of silk or glass.

This which wig sounds a bit odd to me and I wonder if it's a resumptive pronoun, but maybe it was because it was written about 150 years ago and English was a little different than it is nowadays. In Present-Day English, I'd expect something like this:

He wore an odd little sleek crisp flaxen wig, ...: this wig, ..., was made of hair, ...
He wore an odd little sleek crisp flaxen wig, ...: which the/this wig, ..., was made of hair, ...

Personally, I don't believe that Dickens would write anything ungrammatical, so I wonder how we should justify or explain this which wig?


texts:
a. Anyone in this office lives on their wits.
Is (a) grammatically correct?
In such cases I use 'everyone', but maybe 'anyone' is more emphatic.
I heard this sentence in the movie: 'Glengarry Glen Ross':
Everyone in this office lives on his wits.
I think Pacino says 'his' in the movie, but the original sentence, which is in a play by the same name, has 'their'
The play is by David Mamet. It is very famous and you've probably heard of it.  Anyway, you can check this link.
https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=%22anyone+in+this+office+lives%22&num=10
The second book you see is actually the play but when you click on the link you see that the page containing that sentence is not in the google sample of the book. That is why I didn't provide a link to the book. But on the link I provided you see the text of the book, and that sentence has been quoted in other books as well.
So that is a sentence in a play by David Mamet called 'Glengarry Glen Ross'. Now, the person who speaks that sentence is very angry, so maybe he doesn't speak correctly. Or maybe he is trying to be extremely emphatic. In any case, that's the sentence.
I just found a clip which contains that sentence on Youtube. The clip contains a lot of foul language and the movie was probably R-rated. Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8y_ZWZGBCc&t=144s
To hear the sentence go to 2:20.


texts: Writing a CV/resume: "from", "since, or "as of" 2010

texts:
If I have been a member of the Committee from 2000, and its president as of 2010, would you write in a CV:

  Employer: XYZ (2000 - present)

  Position: President (from/since/as of 2010) of the Committee


texts: have you ever been picked up at a metro station ? or has someone ever asked you in metro?

texts:
What's the correct English for asking this question or variants of this question?
According to me, i think asking " have you ever been got asked out in a metro" would be grammatically wrong. or not?
confused
Please help.


texts:
in the Woody Allen movie - Annie Hall, after Deane sung, Woody said
So the audience was a tad restless.
Diane “ What do you mean, a tad restless?

restless in this context is constant activity, however I am not sure about tad meaning searching in the web
tad - a small amount - so please advise what is the meaning in this context

that the audience was in a small amount not active ?


texts:
Is there a word for the software critical for and specific to a weapon system?

Weapon system have software that's critical for their functioning, but what do we call it or them? I am thinking of the specific software that a weapon system has and not the operating system or kernel, because it's shared across a variety of weapon system and not specific to a particular weapon system.


texts: What’s the meaning or function of ‘ever’ in the example?

texts:
It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at
  Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls... he would
  never, ever forget tonight. (Harry Potter)

What’s the meaning or function of ‘ever’ in this sentence?


texts: Could there be any difference between using "over" and "to" in the idiom "to cast one's mind back"?

texts:
Examples from Longman:

  1 - Cast your mind back to your first day at school.

  2 - He frowned, casting his mind back over the conversation.


texts: Is it wrong to put exclamation mark (!) after 'Thanks'?

texts:
Is the following approach wrong?

  Thanks! for the LIC receipt. I am good. How are you?

Is it ok to put an exclamation mark after 'Thanks'?


texts: I'd like to know how to use "otherwise" and "other than that"

texts:
These are my sentences.

  This week I've been busy preparing for my test. I study  5hours and do the household chores about two hours every day.  For the rest of the time I just take it easy, watching TV or reading.

I'd like to know if I can change "for the rest of the time" to "otherwise" or "other than that", like "Otherwise I just take it easy." or "Other than that I just take it easy."  I did research myself, but I wasn't sure about it.  Could you explain it, please?


texts:
On digital stores, I have seen both Pack and Bundle to refer as a group of virtual items that are sold together.

I'd like to know which one is better for the given context

Example:

  There is a new bundle offered in the shop!

  There is a new pack offered in the shop!


texts: will or present progressive in this case

texts:
Buy some pizzas for your lunch! We are not  coming back or won't come back home because our friends has just invited us

i think second one is better because it has not been planned, it is a decision taken at the time of speaking  but is  the firsty one  also idiomatic


texts: How to refer to a single person of the general public?

texts: I know "the general public" can be use both with a singular verb (when referred to as a group of a whole) and with a plural verb. But what if I want to refer to a single person, who is a member of the general public. Is there a word for it?


texts:
Is "throw in X at Y" idiomatic? I am wondering if I am using the phrase idiomatically or not. It's difficult for a non-native English speaker to determine if a phrase is idiomatic or not, so I rather ask it here.

For example:

  The writers of the show decided to throw in a bunch of stereotypical
  evil antagonists at the protagonist of the series to make the
  show more interesting.


texts:
EU slaps down Tory leadership rivals over renegotiation remarks as Boris Johnson inches closer to Number 10

What is "rivals over"， "mark"， and "inches closer to Number 10"?


texts: "It was on Thursday" or "It was Thursday"

texts:
I am writing an essay. In the introduction, I wrote

  It was Tuesday.

meaning the day was Tuesday. I am describing the setting of a story. The story didn't start yet.

An alternative

  It was on Thursday.

popped up and I wonder if which one is correct and whether both could be used in the given context. The second sentence seems to have the notion of it as if it has been introduced.


texts: Is it natural to say "prop the paper up against the book"?

texts:
If you put a paper on a not-so-smooth table, it is hard for you to write on it.
In that case, you might want to put the paper on something that is a bit soft and smooth like a book or a a bunch of papers.
Is it natural to say "prop the paper up against the book to write more easily"?


texts: What does "reduce by a factor of 10" mean in terms of percentage in the following context?

texts:
"Pneumatic tampers and stronger formwork, as used nowadays for instance in Australia, can reduce the labor input by the factor of 10." How much percentage does "by a factor of 10" make?
Many thanks for your help.


texts:
I always think that the best must be followed by a singular noun as follows:

  Dogs are the best pet.

However, I found this while reading:

  Dogs are the best pets.

Is this grammatically correct?


texts: Is the usage of "of such capacity" in the mentioned sentence idiomatic?

texts:
We need a view that can explain X. In the next part we suggest a view
  of such capacity.

"a view of such capacity" in the above sentence is intended to mean "a view with the ability to explain X". Is such usage idiomatic?


texts: Idiom: "What are we looking at? Minutes, hours, or days?"

texts:
Can I say:

  What are we looking at? Minutes, hours, or days?

in order to get a rough estimate on how long something will take?

Or is "What are we looking at?" part of some other common construction?


texts: When 'the' not pronounced as 'thee' in front of vowels

texts:
the university
the one

The pronounced as the way it is because university is pronounced as y-, and one w-. Is there any other case it should not be 'thee' even though in front of vowels?

Also I found this article on Wikipedia and would like to hear your opinion.

  In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as /ðə/ (with the voiced dental fricative /ð/ followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as /ðiː/ (homophonous with thee) when followed by a vowel sound or used as an emphatic form.[2] In modern American English, however, there is an increasing tendency to limit the usage of the latter pronunciation to emphatic purposes and use the former even before a vowel.


texts: can't understand why 's is in this sentence

texts: In the sentence "Foreign visitors are only allowed one month's residence", why is 's used? I found this sentence in an old version of the Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary.


texts:
I feel more positive when the sun is shining.
I feel more positive when the sun shines.

Which of the above sentences is correct? If both, Are there any differences in the meaning of?


texts:
What is correct:

  My name has five letters

or

  My name have five letters

I do not know which one is correct.


texts: My mother tongue, Korean, has a beautiful word meaning ‘gradually unnoticed’ – 시나브로. Is there any English word for the meaning, not as same as with the meaning but including the beautiful sound or rhythm?


texts: Is it ok to pronounce "might" as "my" when speaking fast in informal conversations?

texts:
I just realized whenever I pronounce the word "might" in the middle of a sentence in fast speech it sounds like "my" (e.g., I my do it), whereas I only really pronounce it as "mite" when it is at the end of a sentence or if I am being overly conscious about my pronunciation.
Does this happen to native speakers? Is it something that would be too obvious and grab your attention when hearing it? Does it make me sound like an idiot or something?


texts: what is the meaning of "what other safety" means?

texts:
Cops got alerted by disturbance from the Vampire house,
so they checking the house. Vampires disguise as humans
when cops checking their house.

  Vampire#1: Let's kill them.

  Vampire#2: Well, let's just see what other safety. Stay here and then
  maybe we'll.

I think "them" referred to cops.


texts:
The wheater was hot.

We back to car after shopping.

I started the car and asked my son stand under the roof.

"Wait the car cool down first."

Does it sound natural?


texts: When "-ing" form of verbs is not used to indicate ongoing action?

texts:
On our next break, we head into the kitchen to find Beth standing over the sink, washing lettuce. Come to think of it, it's nice having her always right here where we left her. She points to a buffet of biscuits, brownies and some kind of amazing
  coconut squares, only two of which are left, thanks to the Blue team, which cut the line and who we think is made up of a bunch of buffaloes anyway.

In above sentences two ing-form of verbs has been used. They are standing and washing. I think, they are not indicating ongoing actions. Sometimes ing-form of verbs is used in progressive tense, and sometimes it isn't used to indicate ongoing action. I cannot understand when it indicates ongoing actions and when it doesn't.

I would appreciate it if anybody discuss this matter elaborately.


texts:
I'd like to ask if I can say :

  A positive statement is defined to be a statement of fact. If we gather data on the number of people in the labor force who are unemployed and calculate the unemployment rate as 8.6%, then the statement, "The unemployment rate is 8.6%" is a positive statement because it is a simple statement of fact.

instead of

  A positive statement is defined to be a statement of fact. If we
  gather data on the number of people in the labor force who are
  unemployed and calculate the unemployment rate to be 8.6%, then the
  statement, "The unemployment rate is 8.6%" is a positive statement
  because it is a simple statement of fact.


texts: What's a word like "smart-arse" but for someone who DOESN'T actually know better?

texts:
I'm not totally sure about that, but it feels to me calling someone a "smart-arse" is like saying they are annoying but are actually right.
Is there any similar word without the subtle positive vibe that I can use to address someone who is annoying and also wrong?


texts: People are selfish rather than selfless or people are selfish rather than 'being' selfless

texts:
People are selfish rather than selfless.

or

  People are selfish rather than 'being' selfless.

How can I make this sentence right? It seems to be human nature to prefer easy jobs to difficult ones, which is probably why a lot of people are selfish rather than selfless. Or should I say "rather than being selfless"?


texts: What sense of 'yet' has been used in this sentence?

texts:
At the end of Neville's interview, Harry had the impression that Slughorn was reserving judgement on Neville, yet to see whether he had any of his parents' flair.

  Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

I'm not quite sure what sense of 'yet' has been used here. It doesn't sound like a 'but'. Any thoughts?


texts: What does "reaction would seize him" mean?

texts:
Nothing could exceed his energy when the working fit was upon him; but now and again a "reaction would seize him", and for days on end he would lie upon the sofa in the sitting-room, hardly uttering a word or moving a muscle from morning to night.

A Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle

I have no idea what this sentence could possibly mean. However, I made some guess. My best attempt to guess the meaning was that it may mean there was a emotional disorder that is making him unable to do anything.


texts:
I have come across a sentence with the word that I cannot quite understand in a video. Here is the sentence:

  So what is exactly media literacy? We are going to talk more about this in our first episode next week, but here in the preview I will at least tease that definition.

I have looked up all the meanings of tease in a bunch of dictionaries but none fit. However, it feels it means to explain the definition. Tell me please If am right.


texts: What does "march in virtual lockstep" mean here?

texts:
I know what lockstep means but I'm confused with the phrase in bold. Does it mean both of them have increased or decreased, or what else because the next sentence doesn't say so?

"Since the early 1990s median U.S. household income and overall consumer inflation have marched in virtual lock step. Health care and education cost have grown faster, but prices for clothes, furnishings and food have generally increased less or no more than household incomes - benefiting the poor who suffered the most during bouts of high inflation."

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-Fed-inflation-analysis-idUSKBN19630N


texts:
In the sentence bellow, is whichever correctly used?

Whichever way you look at it, it'll still sound outrageous

What I want to say in this sentence is:

It doesn't matter which way you look at it, it'll still sound outrageous


texts: What's the appropriate sentence using "close", meaning "out of business"?

texts: Yesterday I went to the drugstore where I haven't been for a long time, but it was closed, I mean, it was out of business.  In this case, which sentence should I use?  I'm saying to someone at that moment, 1) It's closed. 2) It's been closed. 3)It closed. 4)It closed down.  I'd like to put the meaning that this is permanent.


texts: What does "big as ostriches, twice as ornery" mean?

texts:
Here are passages from the movie "Leave Her to Heaven", 1945.

  Ellen, we've got plenty of wild turkey this year.
  Wonderful.
  Big as ostriches, twice as ornery.

I wonder what "twice as [ornery]" means.


texts: I have seen the term "Job-Embedded" in proffessional development papers, but I didnt find any well description of its meaning, what does it mean?


texts: Are both these sentences grammatically correct and do they mean the same thing?

texts:
He always knows how to treat the people he could benefit from well

or

  He always knows how to treat well the people he could benefit from.

Are both these sentences grammatically correct? If not, why?


texts: Meaning of slogan "Men's style decision, too"

texts: I can't get my head around the slogan "men's style decision, too". It's for the fashion e-commerce company Zalando. I've twisted and turned the sentence, tried stressing different words but can't make any sense of it. I think it reads and sounds "ugly". What does it mean? Is it even correct English?


texts:
Where's the charger? It's not plugged in in the usual place.

  Where's the charger? It's not plugged in the usual place.

I'm a native English speaker, but I've realised I'm not sure which of the above sentences are correct. Should you swap the "in" part of the phrasal verb "plug in" for the preposition in, or is it correct to have two "ins"?

And yes, I know there are less awkward ways of phrasing this, but I'm curious as to what the prescriptive rule is.


texts: What is the difference between "even better", "much better", and "a lot better" in comparison statements?

texts:
In comparison statements, you can use "even" or "much" (or "a lot") to emphasize the degree of the adjective or adverb.

However, is there any difference between "even", "much", an "a lot"?

For example:

  I can swim faster than he.

  I can swim even faster than he.

  I can swim a lot faster than he.

  I can swim much faster than he.

What is the difference?


texts:
1.She believed to have been killed in somewhere in frontline

-->>: For me it should be written in like "She is believed 'who' have been killed in somewhere in frontline"
2. After the peace treaty everyone has paid but only he paying nothing

-->: For me article it should be written in like "After the peace treaty everyone has paid but he 'has paid' nothing"

The question is inside no1 paragraph 'To' used replacing 'Who' and no2 'paying' used replacing 'has paid'?


texts: The usage of "while", Is my sentence correct?

texts:
"The TV program ended while I did not know entirely."

This sentence looks grammatically correct but doesn't sound right to me. Can anybody help me with the usage of "while"? When and when not to use "while". Or what conjunction best suits the sentence. Thank you.

Actually, that is my Japanese friend's sentence. I asked her about it and what she meant was she was doing something else so she did not know about the TV program entirely because when she decided to watch the TV program again, it already ended.

Can you help me rephrase the sentence using another conjunction? Thank you.


texts: Can I say "What are you doing today?" when I want to say "Hi!" to a person?


texts:
Q a) Which sentence is correct in the below examples?
Q b) If both sentences are correct then what are the meanings?
Context:
I realised that our Payroll Processing Team has missed to pay salary of Jan 15 to one of our employee. I want to Email them that we need to pay him his salary.

We are to pay him salary for the month of January 2015 as we have missed to pay him.
We have to pay him salary for the month of January 2015 as we have missed to pay him.


texts:
What is the difference between "I am finished" and "I have finished"?

For example, when finishing a task, should I say "I have finished" or "I am finished". Is there a difference in meaning?


texts: meaning of 'up' when it combines with 'end'

texts:
1 He might end up in prison.
  2 She'll almost certainly end up back on the game.
  3 That's how you end up with arms like Jennifer Aniston, doing that.
  4 Dr Jawanda wouldn't give the Hubbards' son antibiotics and he ended up hospitalized for his asthma.
  (The Casual Vacancy, by J. K. Rowling)

What does ‘up’ mean in the above examples? Sometimes I get the impression that it has the meaning of approaching/arriving to the following state: in 1, He might end, arriving to the state of in prison. And sometimes I get the impression that it has the meaning of completely: in I, He might end, completely, in prison. What does ‘up’ mean when it combines with ‘end’?


texts: What is the word used to say about the person talk with pride about their place?

texts:
Its very common with the people whoever moved from their hometown to new place use to mention and compare everything in the new place with the hometown and will say that their hometown was great/good.

and if two or more from same town unite in new place then the talk about the their hometown will slightly overdose to the third person.

what is the word or phrase to be used to express the situation and people who talk about the greatness of their hometown often in their talk?


texts:
I was reading him a story.

I wanted him to read out the sentence after I read.

  "Read it out"

  "Read out."

Can pronoun ommit after "read"?


texts:
When I want to indicate that some researchers are looking for a way to speed up the execution time of a class of computer programs, should I say:

  A fast execution is the subject of research...

or:

  Fast execution is the subject of research...

?

Is making execution 'a fast one' enough to treat the word execution as a particular instance of execution that requires an article (I assume normally the word execution doesn't need an article in front of it)?


texts:
i have been baffled.

  Hey, i have seen a girl who looks like you.

Can we use the sentence which is below instead of the first sentence

  Hey, i have seen a girl looking like you.
  Thanks


texts: Are there any situations that I can say "I suggested to ...?"

texts:
From my understanding, suggest should be in form of "I suggest someone do something." Today I read an article about Regular Expression Algorithms and the author wrote:

  I suggested to Rob that we needed to find the smallest regular
  expression

I was wondering if it's a correct usage. If it is correct, why?


texts: Is "it’s like men’s shirts" an idiomatic expression?

texts:
I came across the expression on a JapanToday webpage.

Why it's hard to make vaccines and boost supplies
"We think, well, OK, it’s like men’s shirts, right, I’ll just have
another place to make it,” said Dr Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital
of Philadelphia, a vaccine adviser to the U.S. government. “It’s just
not that easy.”

I simply take it as something like "we have a lot of choices; if any particular one thing doesn't meet our demand, then let's just try another one", and I believe I would probably be in the right direction, but my question is if it is a colloquial expression you often use or not. I wonder why "men's shirts". Could it be anything like one's shoes, ties, coat etc.?


texts:
This is one of the most entertaining movies that has/have appeared this year.

Can't figure out with certainty whether the subject is singular or plural. Seems like has is the obvious answer but presence of that is making me falter.


texts:
The first sentence is this: That was how it was with her. What does that mean "That was how it was..."?
The second sentence is this: What did I even do?. What does that mean "I even do..."?

I read these sentences in a book and I didn't quite understand it. Looks like the first one's saying something went on.


texts: What do you call those people paid to fill up a slow restaurant?

texts: I got stuck with a phrase or a word to describe people who are specifically paid to go into a store or restaurants during slow hours to make the business look busy, so that real customers would come in, thinking it's a busy place, and food must be good.


texts: "Grateful" and "thankful" are used interchangeably, but are there any differences? It seems that "grateful" is more common.


texts: Could you help me with this passage on Houston?

texts:
In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs—Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen—from New York, purchased 6,642 acres (26.88 km2) of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city.The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the popular general at the Battle of San Jacinto, who was elected President of Texas in September 1836.Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor. In the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County (now Harris County) and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas. In 1840, the community established a chamber of commerce ** in part** to promote shipping and waterborne business at the newly created port on Buffalo Bayou.

I wonder what a real estate entrepreneur does In his job.
I am also wondering if anybody could tell me what the expression ** being a county seat of somewhere** means.
What do the phrase ** a chamber of commerece** and in part mean?


texts: Why does she use shadow instead of silhouette?

texts:
"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go."
  They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept
  across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the
  Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the
  fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows.
   (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Why is there ‘shadow’ instead of silhouette or contour?


texts: Can the phrases "as is/as it is/as it stands" be used in past tense constructions?

texts:
Using a phrase that normally denotes the present state, while writing in past tense can be quite confusing. Here's an example:

  He had enough problems as was(?) / as it is* / as it stood.

And how about past perfect?:

  He had had enough problems as had been(?) / as it is* / as it had stood.

Can those phrases be used in past tense, and which form do they take? Thanks.


texts: Is there an expression along the lines of "jumping up to the ceiling" which could be used to describe a situation when someone is so happy he's jumping very high?


texts: "Who named X, that?" or "Who named X, X"?

texts:
Are both:

  Who named Ely, that?

and

  Who named Ely, Ely?

correct?

When trying ask who gave Ely that appellation.


texts: Why can the adjective “afraid” be used this way (before a noun clause) in this sentence?

texts:
A King, whose only son was fond of martial exercises, had a dream in which he was warned that his son would be killed by a lion. Afraid the dream should prove true, he built for his son a pleasant palace and decorated its walls for his amusement with all kinds of life-sized animals, among which was the picture of a lion.
Source: Aesop's Fables

"Afraid" is an adjective in all the dictionaries. And in Oxford, it is clearly indicated "not before noun". Then why can it be used this way in the above sentence?


texts: Should "get back to the old times" be taken literally or figuratively?

texts: When we say "get back to the old times" it sounds like we mean go back in time with a time machine, but often it seems to be used figuratively? Is it one or the other, or something else (neither figurative or literal)? And when can we use it? I feel it means "be how we used to be", but I am not 100% sure, because it's not really an idiom, but an expression that's often used in casual speak.


texts:
Which one is correct?

  What would happen if they stop paying you?
  What would happen if they stopped paying you?

In what context we can use this? after an event happened or before that.


texts:
I have searched in the net with no avail. I need to know the meaning of

  extra-factual

as well as a synonym for it.


texts: Usage of the definite article in "(The) residents in this town want to keep the town clean"

texts:
Can anyone please tell me if I can omit the in the following sentence? I want to know if it is essential in the following sentence, and why yes, or why not?

  (The) residents in this town are very genial and they want to keep the town clean.


texts: What does this phrase mean " follows specific width requirements"?

texts:
A bicycle lane is a designated traffic lane for bicyclists, marked by a solid white line, typically breaking into a dotted line ending before it reaches the corner. Different from a simple white line showing the edge of the road, a bicycle lane follows specific width requirements and is clearly marked as a bike lane.

What does it mean " follows specific width requirements" ? Could you simplify it, please?

And what is the corner in this context?


texts:
The meaning of doctrine is set of beliefs

So, I think, anyone would hardly use the word 'doctrines'

for e.g: I could never 100% agree with the Catholic doctrine.


texts: Does the question "who are you taller than in your family" sound natural?

texts:
Does the question who are you taller than in your family sound natural? For example:

Your dad is the tallest in your family. Who are you taller than in your family?

What I am trying to ask who in your family is shorter than you.


texts: sitting "by" the computer Vs. sitting "next to" the computer?

texts:
The guy who's sitting here in the picture, he is sitting by the computer or sitting next to the computer?

I need this preposition, because sometimes people call me and ask me "what are you doing" and I want to say that I'm sitting or dealing with the computer, but I would like to know what a native English speaker would say in such case.


texts: Why the subject is eliminated after "if"?- "I will be able to provide meaningful contributions if accepted."

texts:
First of all, I want to ask whether the below sentence is correct.

If so, in the next, why the subject is eliminated after "if"?

And finally, is this elimination formal or informal?

  I will be able to provide meaningful contributions if accepted.


texts:
What interjection is common in English that is used along or right before a phrase, in which the speaker is stating some regrettable lack on the part of his interlocutor, which according to the speaker's view either could have been avoided or still can be avoided.

  (interjection) Brandon! You never seem to take Jack's words seriously,
  but, for your info, many have already benefited a lot from his advice.
  He rarely says anything empty.

  (interjection)! I did tell you to go to a law school, but you wouldn't listen you chose
  arts. Now look in what a pitiful financial state you are! Compared to
  other peers from your group with whom you were on par in all possible regards, you've nosedove!


texts:
Should I use "to" or "for" in this sentence and does "comfort" sound natural?
"She always asks you to call in advance if you want to visit her and says that her comfort is more important to/for her. She hates it when people come to her place without a warning."


texts: "started as designer and supplier of " VS "started as the designer and supplier of "

texts:
About the overview of a company, I see:

  Over fifty years ago, we started as designer and supplier of aircraft and missile components.

Would it more gramatically correct if we say:

  Over fifty years ago, we started as the designer and supplier of aircraft and missile components.


texts: Which should I choose - "Sales report {at/on/for} April"?

texts:
Monthly Sales Report at April 2017
Monthly Sales Report on April 2017
Monthly Sales Report for April 2017

Which is suitable? I want to use it in a sentence like "Please refer to the attached 2 document for Monthly Sales at April 2017."


texts:
1). No one can fool me.
2). No one could fool me.

What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?


texts: How can I approach meaning of these in bold?

texts:
Source

  All that the proud, rooted people of Gurgaon-Gurugram now need to develop is a ’Gram Culture – apart from visiting malls and believing that microbreweries are really art galleries, minus the art. But then, cutting-edge brand-hurrahing irony that is indigenous will have to be dredged up from somewhere outside Madmen and Mad magazines.

The first one I think is a metaphor.What it intends to say I don't know.Also, a single apostrophe before Gram appears to be a typo.


texts:
In 1999, I was living in Cuba.

  In 1999, I lived in Cuba.

Do both sentences seem grammatically correct?

My teacher had told that the first sentence, which is with past continuous, is incorrect. I don't know whether or not the first sentence is correct. It indeed seems natural, doesn't it?


texts: How do we use the word 'opposite' in the context of movies -opposite sex or deeds?

texts:
What I know is we use opposite word for the actor or actress. I mean the main hero or heroine of the film.

Let's talk about The Matrix. Here, Keanu Reeves is in the lead role. Carrie-Anne Moss is opposite to him.

I understand that opposite does not literally mean an opponent or fighting Neo. That said, she is with Neo and will be helping him not fighting.

But then, now I want to use the word opposite in a literal sense. I want to say that Hugo Weaving as an Agent Smith is cast opposite to Keanu i.e. Neo. Here, he'll utterly opposing Neo and will fight with him.

So, the question is when we use opposite for the star casting, is it only for the opposite sex or opposite in deeds (in the movie, of course!)?

Is there any scope of using 'against'?


texts:
Ever since I can remember, I've used 'to me' and 'for me' interchangeably.

Examples:

  To me, writing about the future is too troublesome.

  Writing about the future is too troublesome for me.

Note: 'for me' sounds better when put at the end of the sentence. Re-arranging the phrase like that does not alter its meaning and purpose.

Now, does this make a difference? I'd once read somewhere that 'to me' is "right" and it's wrong the other way. I've seen many writers use 'for me', myself included.

Is it...

a myth like many well-known grammatical rules are

or

a fact which many people are not aware of?


texts: meaning of "didn't appear too thrilled to get the car."

texts:
1) I have learned about "too ~ to" construction.

  "He is too young to travel alone"

This sentence means that he cannot travel alone.

2) Then, what's the meaning of this sentence?

  He didn't appear too thrilled to get the car.

Did he get the car? or not?
or Though he got the car, he wasn't very excited?

3) If the "too ~ to" of the second sentence is different from that of the first sentence, why is it? Why does the rule not apply to the second one?


texts: I want to ask grammar about "many resulting"

texts:
But the Mount St. Helens cataclysm was only one in a long time of spectacular volcanic eruptions that have occurred over the past hundreds years, many resulting in far more damage and loss of life.

I have understood what the sentence means, but I feel that need to add noun between "many" and "resulting".


texts:
Would you like an ice cream? Well, you can have one if you want (it). I'm sure Mommy won't mind (it/that).
Is this perfectly natural without including "it" or "that" in the two last sentences?


texts:
I'm wondering how common, in English, it is to use a noun as an adverb. For example, they were Christmas shopping; they were break dancing. In those cases, 'Christmas' and 'break' are actually nouns defined in dictionaries.

I haven't encountered much like the cases above so far. Is it common in English? Are there more examples? Are there rules or something that can identify what kind of nouns that can be used as an adverb?


texts: weigh vs. weighs in 'Together the chain and necklace weigh(s) 5 grams.'

texts:
Does anyone know which of these 2 sentences uses weigh vs. weighs correctly.

Together the chain and necklace weigh 5 grams.
Together the chain and necklace weighs 5 grams.

In sentence 1. (in my brain) the chain and necklace can be replaced by Together they weigh.

In sentence 2. (in my brain) the chain and necklace can be replaced by Together it weighs.

I'm not sure which sentence 1. or 2. is grammatically correct.

Thanks in advance for any insights.


texts: "include a talk of" vs "include talk of"

texts:
I have a part of a sentence "... that was expected to include talk of modernizing ..." from a CNN article.

I thought an article "a" should be included, so I googled with keywords "include a talk of" and "include talk of" to find that both searches return a bunch of results: meaning that both of them are used frequently.

Then, is the meaning, with or without an article, the same? I'm curious if it is customary that people just don't use articles without modifying the meaning of a sentence in English?


texts: What is the correct form of possessive case for the noun 'mice'?

texts:
Mice is plural form of mouse. It is an animate noun. I wonder what possessive does it have in the plural? Should we write:
1)

  mice's behavior

2)

  mice' behavior

or how?


texts: Would you draw a comparison between will and should in terms of expressing a command?

texts: Can we use 'should' for a second person order?


texts:
The goods will be shipped 3 days from receipt of a firm order.

1) Will replacing 'from' with 'after' still convey the same meaning?

2) I suspect there is a definite article missing in front of 'receipt'; is using 'the' required, optional or unnecessary?


texts: business family or business class family

texts:
I know that there is no adjective form for business, if I wanted to say that I live in a family whose traditional job is business. which of the following sentence would be correct?

1- I was born and have been living all my life in a business family.

2- I was born and have been living all my life in a business class family.


texts: Is "due to" usage correct in the given sentence?

texts:
Unfortunately, your booking is rejected due to you had another
  appointment on the same day.

Is the above usage of due to correct grammar-wise? I have a feeling it makes more sense to say something like

  Unfortunately, your booking is rejected due to the fact that you had another
  appointment on the same day.

or

  Unfortunately, your booking is rejected simply because you had another
  appointment on the same day.

Please help me understand why the original sentence is/is not correct. Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the best way to deal with he/she cases?

texts:
Compared to English, Portuguese (my natural language) has a easy way to deal with he/she situations because that language has feminine and masculine words.
For example: in English you call boats and cars as "she" because it is tradition but in Portuguese the elements are masculine by definition.
I have to describe an expression used in Portugal to a foreigner. That expression is used to describe something hard to believe said by someone.
So I say:

This is something hard to believe said by someone. Example: a parasite saying he/she will get a job.

This is strange to me because I began the phrase talking but a parasite (one person) but I am using he/she (two persons) at the end of the phrase.
How to write such things in English? They?

This is something hard to believe said by someone. Example: a parasite saying they will get a job.


texts: Conflicting feedback on my paraphrase: "on the grounds that X should be shared with Y" = "so that X [would/could] be shared with Y"

texts:
This is not a question about the meaning of "could" and "would". This is a question about which word fits the context.

I  got conflicting remarks on my paraphrase of a few sentences. I am not sure which is more valid.

Here is the original text (Note that the issue is about a bill that was introduced in 1971):

  Regionally extended benefits were introduced on the grounds that the additional costs related to the presence of structural unemployment in some regions should be shared with other regions and taken on by the government ...

This is my paraphrase (I used "could"):

  ... regionally extended benefits, which were introduced so that the additional costs of structural unemployment in some regions could be subsidized by government contributions and EI revenue from other regions.

Reader A's feedback (emphasis mine):

  I think it is a reasonable paraphrase. However, the wording of the original is rather circumspect. It expresses the reason for introducing the benefits more as a hope or aspiration than as an expectation, and it does not say what the actual effect was. Your use of "could" might be too assertive, and "might" might be better.

Reader B's feedback:

  Looked at another way, 'could' could be seen as too tentative! 'Could' could imply that this was possible but might not happen (or that a choice was available). The original sentence tells us that the argument in favour of regionally extended benefits was that the additional cost in one region should (for ethical or practical reasons, or both) be shared with other regions and undertaken by the government'; regionally extended benefits were introduced for this reason; it is an inevitable assumption that the purpose of legislation based on a given argument is to make compulsory the action proposed by that argument . To reflect this,use "would":

    ... which were introduced so that the additional costs of structural unemployment in some regions would be subsidized by government contributions and EI revenue from other regions.

  This is not a generalization about the possibility of replacing reason clauses with purpose clauses, and which verb (could,should,might etc.) is appropriate, which in other contexts may involve no ambiguity; but here the context does make a difference; legislation may be permissive ('You may do this') or imperative (You must do this'), and the conventional use in purpose clauses of 'could' or 'might' can, as here, be ambiguous.

I wholeheartedly agree with Reader B's feedback, except on the use of "would". It just doesn't sound right to me. So, I guess my question is, which makes more sense based on my context?


texts:
I was climbing ladder suddenly, I heard was shouted loudly then my foot
  slipped and I fell down so broke my leg.

Is that sentence completely true? Are we able to use passive clause there? If not, would you make it with passive!


texts: "Could you tell me where she works?" vs "Could you tell me where she worked?"

texts:
I was wondering which is correct:

  "Could you tell me where she worked?"

or,

  "Could you tell me where she works?"

I am asking a question in the sense that I'd like to know where she is working now (currently).

I've thought that if a sentence begins with "Could", then we could end it with a verb in past tense form as well. But when I recently asked someone this question, they replied: "Worked or works?"


texts: whether 'thanks for doing something' can only be used for stuff in the past

texts: 'thanks for coming', 'thanks for listening' etc are usually used at the end of the meetings. Can they ever be used at the beginning rather than the end?


texts:
one of my friends send me a French novel in English and recommend it to me to be translated, but people in charge in my country may not allow me to do it because of censorship. I want to send him an email and say two things, first I'm ok to do it, but they may not allow me to publish it, second tell him that if the writer is ok that I work on the English version of his novel, not the original version which is in French. So I want you to see if this phrase ok: "they don't have certain guidelines, So I can do it, and we hope to be published."
Dear Peter
I read the book, and it was weirdly wonderful. Thank you for sending this beautiful piece of work. First of all, the Ministry of Culture may not allow us to publish the book in Iran. Because the book has mentioned a few facts about the Iran issue, but they don't have certain guidelines, So I can do it, and we hope to be published. I'm very excited about it.
Second I don't know if Jean would be ok if I translate from the English version.


texts: Who have MADE their way to get here and now WORK as

texts:
Let's say you are a well-versed Filipino engineer who has been employed in Great Britain, and is now an employee there. Then, a racist has questioned your credentials, and you say:

  We're no amateurs, all foreign engineers who have made their own way to get here, and who now work as engineers for different employers are experienced and highly competent.

Are both of my relative clause grammatical?

P.S:”made their way” as they have passed several exams including ENGLISH TEST!(hehe)


texts:
From the Collins Dictionary's definition of take

  If a person, vehicle, or path takes someone somewhere, they transport or lead them there.

or

  If a person, vehicle, or path takes someone to somewhere, they transport or lead them there.


texts: If he left this morning he will be here tonight?

texts:
Sometimes it is very difficult for non-native speakers to understand 'if conditionals'.
The type 1 conditional is used to refer to the present or future where the situation is real (If + simple present simple future).

But what if the situation is past and you don't know whether it happend or not happened? For example, he said he would come today, but a big storm have come today, because of storm the phones do not working, so I don't know he left this morning or not, so in this situation what is correct?

a. If he left this morning he would be here tonight.
(This is conditional 2, but conditional 2 is not real, so I think this is not good.)

b. If he left this morning he will be here tonight.
(I think this is a little better, but what conditional type is this? Is this right in grammar?)

If these sentence are all wrong what is your suggestion (more natural expression)? What conditional type will it be?


texts: Meaning of "What I really want to do is direct."

texts:
Can you please help me with sentence "What I really want to do is direct."?
I saw it written on a shirt - so without context. What is the meaning of it, how could it be said in other words?


texts: What does it mean" a stigma attached to?" and how to use it?

texts:
I read this phrase in an article:

  "there is a stigma attached to being a female business owner."

What does "a stigma attached to" mean here? And how to use it?


texts:
At once, the spider's leg bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side.

I don't understand the phrase "bent in upon". I can't picture what it would be like when the spider's leg bent in upon its body. What's the correct way to understand it?

Quoted from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


texts:
I would like to make sure about the meaning and difference about two important sentences:

Permission to have a business trip is approved by the department head.
Permission to have  a business trip must be approved by the department head.

I have talked with some colleagues  and they said they are the same. I was so confused. As I understand the first one means that the approval has been already given by the department head, while the second one means that we must have the approval from the department head. Am I correct? or not?

Any help, please?


texts: Should I use "went over" or "went over it" in the following sentence?

texts:
Sometimes I find myself having a hard time deciding whether I should add "it" at the end of a sentence or not.

Here's an example:

  She scanned the room for a moment, her eyes finally settling on the bookshelf.
  She stood up, and went over (it). Then, as if she were searching for a secret passage,
  she examined each of the books.

Should I use "went over" or "went over it" in this case? (Or are both expressions right?)


texts: Does the but in this sentence make it a simple sentence or a complex sentence?

texts: I was given the sentence "I am but a man" and I was wondering if this sentence is a complex sentence or a simple sentence.


texts: What do you call the pages at the end of a book(children books) that you can "break down"

texts:
Im a spanish speaker I do not know how to properly call this kind of "pages".
 The pages and the end of a children books that are meant to play or have figures for children to cut.
In spanish we call them "hojas desglosables"


texts:
When you have something like:

The cat or dog are/is called...

Is it "are" or "is" I am unsure as it could be either which makes it plural right?
What about these cases:

The cats or dog ____ called...
The cat or dogs ____ called...
The cats or dogs ____ called...

And then the same for if it's "and" instead of "or".


texts: What is meaning of the phrase "Great works so far?"

texts:
My client said me

  Great works so far.

What does it mean? Is he appreciating me or hating my job?


texts:
"Have you ever been to the US?"
Why in this question is "to" instead of "in".
What is the difference between that prepositions?


texts: What is the difference among these sentences: "haven't been" vs "aren't" vs "weren't" vs "hadn't"

texts:
What is the difference among these sentences?

  We noticed you haven't been using your job alert lately...

  We noticed you aren't using your job alert lately...

  We noticed you weren't using your job alert lately...

  We noticed you hadn't been using your job alert lately...


texts:
The voluntary work that we have done to clean our locality received critical acclaim.
Is it a correct sentence? I am a non native English speaker so I have a confusion of using critical acclaim.


texts: when can we use simple past instead of present perfect?

texts:
here are some examples from a grammar book :

  you can use the present perfect for new information:

  "I've decided to quit my job." "Really? Why?"
  We've sold our car. Now we take the bus every day.
  They're having a party next week, but they haven't invited me.
  I'm looking for Amy. Have you seen her?

  you can also use the past in these examples:

  I decided to quit my job

why just example 1 can be written in past form? and actually, by this fact it should not!

  Present Perfect. This tense describes something that happened in the past, but that is related to something in the present.

in general when we can use simple past instead of present perfect or vice versa?


texts:
Can I use "much" to modify and emphasize "too many" or would I have to resort to different adverbs such as "way" or "far"?

  He bought much too many/way too many/far too many apples.

"Much too many" certainly sounds bad to me but that doesn't necessarily mean that its wrong and it might just be that there are better options.


texts: Conditional sentences to understanding practice

texts:
It's said that 2nd conditional are used to talk about unreal and impossible things but i think it is possible things.
Here are some examples of 2nd conditionals :

1.if people complained ,things would change.
(Does it mean I'm wishing people to complain in future to get the things changed ? )

2.if i didn't have headache, i would go to the party.

(Does it mean I'm wishing me to be healthy or i have headache now ?)

Things getting chanded and going to the party is possible if the required conditions are fullfilled. But why it's said to be impossible?

I'm confused in their meanings could you please make me clear ?


texts: "I need more" - is "more" a noun or an adverb?

texts:
There's More to Life Than This
  I Need More.

What do you think about the word "more" in these two sentences ?  1 look like noun and 2  adverb to me.


texts: "me doing something" or "my doing something"?

texts:
Tell me please which one of the following sentences is correct.

  I cannot explain me having hired him.

  I cannot explain my having hired him.


texts: Do native speakers still use "ought to"?

texts:
Do native speakers still use "ought to" in daily conversation?

I haven't seen "ought to" used on any social or news ... websites.  I only read about it in English grammar books.

Ngram:

Trends:

UPDATE:

Is "ought to" still used by native speaker of American English?
Is "ought to" still used by native speaker of British English?


texts: English word meaning the time point at which a decision has been made

texts: Is there an English word to describe the points in time when decisions have been made  (especially those with far-reaching consequences)? A bit like tipping point. But choice point or decision point sound weird to me...


texts: Non countable nouns with indefinite articles

texts:
The word "Weather" is considered a non-countable noun, and there is a grammar rule that tells you not to use indefinite articles in front of non-countable nouns, but instead quantifiers such as "some" or "a lot". However, is it grammatically correct to put an indefinite article if there is an adjecive behind the non-countable noun?
Example: We had an awful weather.
Is that grammatically correct or should you say "We had awful weather"


texts:
Second  to  KL  in  size  are  the  historic  trading  cities  of  Melaka  and  Penang,  with  buildings dating  back  hundreds  of  years.

If I wan to say the age of buildings in Melaka and Penang,

  1.Buildings in Melaka and Penang are hundreds of years old.

  2.Buildings in Melaka and Penang are hundred years old.

I want to know whether "hundreds of years" and "hundred years" are the same in meaning.


texts: What is the short answer for "Nobody has to know"?

texts:
This is from "The Lion King":

Nala: And your mother, what will she think?
Simba: She doesn't have to know. Nobody has to know.
Nala: Of course they do!

Why doesn't she reply: "Of course they have!" ?


texts: What does "side by side" mean in "...painting side by side."?

texts:
I've met a sentence that I couldn't clearly understand.
The sentence is:

  Gogh is staying with him, painting side by side.

I know the expression 'side by side' has two meanings.
One is 'next to' and the other is 'together'.
Could you tell me which meaning does it have in the sentence above?
I guess it's the second one. Please help me out with this.


texts: and to think i invented that all by myself

texts:
‘Every single car that comes through my hands gets the treatment,’ the father said. ‘They all have their mileage cut to under ten thou before they're offered for sale. And to think I invented that all by myself,’ he added proudly. ‘It's made me a mint.’

It comes from the novel Matilda by Roald Dahl.
I can't understand the sentence And to think I invented that all by myself.
What does it mean?


texts: "I must go to school" or "I have to go to school" Are they interchangeable or not?

texts:
According to the website, Perfect English Grammar the modal verbs of obligation

  have to / don't have to:  strong obligation (possibly from outside)

  Children have to go to school. (maybe the law forces children to go to school)
      (sometimes 'have got to')

  must / mustn't:   strong obligation (possibly based on the speaker's opinion)

  I must study today. (I force myself to study)

In natural native speaking, do you care about that difference?

However, if we want to use must in the past, then we have to use "had to". E.g., ‘I had to study yesterday’.

So, are "I must go to school" and "I have to go to school" interchangeable or non interchangeable?**


texts: What does "of late he had fallen on evil days" mean in this sentence?

texts:
A sentence from George Orwell's Animal Farm:

  In past years Mr. Jones, although a hard master, had been a capable farmer, but of late he had fallen on evil days.

You can find the entire chapter at this link.

What does of in "of late" mean, and how is it used here?
What does "had fallen on evil days" mean? Is it an idiom?
What does the whole sentence mean?

I noticed "had been a capable farmer" and "had fallen" are using the same tense, but I guess by using "but of late", there should be some differences between the two timings.


texts: Should the word determines in this sentence be singular? And does the entire sentence make sense syntactically?

texts:
This negative attitude reflects your thoughts which determines your success or failure.

I'm an amateur editor, I'm looking to improve myself drastically. This is one sentence in a copy that I was editing that has persistently stuck with me for quite some time now. For one thing, I tagged the determines as a pluralization error and changed it to "determine" did I make the right call here? Are there other issues in this particular sentence that I should have taken note of?

Can anyone point out the parts of the sentence in this instance as well? For reference.


texts:
Is there any subtle difference in meaning between them? For example in the two following sentences:

The computer is an aid to keeping costs down.
The computer is an aid to keep costs down.

I think the former is preferred, but the latter is also possible.


texts: How to differentiate between words with the similar letters?

texts:
I am not a native , so it is hard for me to find out the difference between the words with similar letters.

e.g.

substitute : use or add in place of.
substantiate : provide evidence to support or prove the truth of.
substantial : of considerable importance, size, or worth.
substance : a particular kind of matter with uniform properties.

what I really see is "word start with subs and include Ts and As".

Is there a better way to learn this kind of words ?


texts:
Every now and then I find some articles' titles built up like this:
"Trump to meet with game industry over gun violence next week"

Well, I don't know how to find more information about this. I understood what the title says but I haven't managed to get the rule to build a sentence in this way. Can you explain me further?


texts: Why does she have to call her roommate at work?

texts:
Here is the context, a girl comes to Washington D.C. from a small town, a kind neighbor welcomes her and tells her to call her roommate Masha.

  Remember to call Masha at work.

I am aware that "at work" means Masha is doing her job at her workplace.

I cannot understand why the new come have to call her roommate at work. Could someone please explain a bit?

The context comes from VOA Learning English.


texts: Apostrophes in Time expressions with articles

texts:
Reading a book called "English for Academic Research" from A. Wallwork, he mentiones this:

  The genitive is used when a time period is used adjectivally.
  2. The genitive is not used when time periods are preceded by a / the. Note that the first noun in the noun + noun construction is in the
  singular form. This is because the first noun functions as an
  adjective to describe the second noun.

An example the author uses:

  He took three weeks’ vacation. He is on a 3-week vacation.

But when I look around, I can see things like:

a week's pay, an hour’s work..
I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.

Isn't this also using time adjectivally? And it works with indefinite articles, or is it wrong?

So I am confused, could I say:

  He spent a week's pay. //is this used adjectivally? Should I omit the 'a' then?

  He spent a two weeks' pay. //here the 'a' sounds weird together with 'two'. But can I omit the article if the "pay" is countable?


texts:
Reference: The Copyeditors Handbook, SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT, rule-9, page 343

According to the rule, following would be correct;

  One-third of the six members were women.

  Two-fifths of my wages go to taxes.

  Three-fourths of the town was destroyed by the typhoon.

Does the rule always hold, or are there any exceptions to the rule?


texts: I want to ... travel to France ? take a trip to France ? spend a week in France?

texts:
What expression do you use to express your hope and desire to go to a foreign country and spend some time there for pleasure ?

What comes to my mind and sounds natural is not one expression.

  Yeah, I want to go to France.
  Maybe spend a few weeks.
  Just walk around and eat the local food.

Many EFL textbooks here ( South Korea) and students (native Korean speakers) use this expression often.

  I want to travel to France.

What expression would you use in combination with I want to ?

Can these be used to mean that you want to go to a foreign country and spend some time for pleasure ?

  I want to take a trip to France.
  I want to go on a trip to France.
  I want to travel to France.

From what I could understand from the definitions on Wiktionary and Oxford Online English dictionary, travel has more to do with the action of an object moving through an area. While trip has more to do with going to some place for pleasure.

What would be the most natural way of expressing the idea of going to a foreign country and spending some time there for pleasure ?


texts:
I read that many style guides say that any number (ordinal or cardinal) of twenty or below should be written as a word. However,we often  see the number used for centuries.
It's now the 21st century.
I like the furniture of the 19th century.
He was a monk in the 13th century.
I don't quite understand this explanation. Does it mean that numbers from one to ten, from ten to twenty including twenty are written in words?


texts: Difference between the "have been" and "was"

texts:
An example, I want to say that I was at the zoo. How should I say that?
"I was at the zoo" or "I have been at the zoo"


texts: Do we say “Seek help” or “seek for help”?

texts:
Do we add for when we say seek?
Which of these is correct?

To seek something

Or...

To seek for something


texts:
They are padding the street.
People are padding the street.

I came across this word recently. I'm not sure whether I understood the usage of it. The dictionary says  it means "to travel on foot; walk." If that's the case, can I use this word in all the places I where I used the word "walk" or "walking". Does the word fit in my above sample sentences?

Why can't just use the word 'walk' instead? How does the word pad differs from walk? What difference it makes?


texts: Does the following piece of writing sound natural?

texts: Please have a look at our products. We promise it won't take much time.


texts:
1.The more mistakes the doctor makes, the more the patient suffers.

  2.The more the doctor makes mistakes, the more the patient suffers.

Are these two sentences different in meaning?
Do I always need to follow "noun" after "more"?


texts: "ON the west of New York?" Is this preposition correct?

texts:
I read an exercise of prepositions. Here is one sentence:

  Los Angeles is ____the west of New York.

You may choose one preposition from the following:

from, on, to, in and of

Is it correct to put the preposition ON into the sentence?

  Los Angeles is  ON the west of New York.


texts: Slighly cutting your body when your skin gets red (not bleeding yet) or when you bleed very slightly

texts:
How do you mention these types of wounds?
Based on my mother language and dictionaries' definitions, the only word which can work here is: "scratch". So I need to know if the following sentences are natural to you:

  Come on; get up! That's just a small scratch.

Or in a predicative sentence:

  When I was playing football, fell down and got some scratches on my leg.

Do those bold parts sound idiomatic in English?!
Please consider the following images.


texts:
After this question("Has been" vs "was") I have some difficulties to understand the following sentence:

  The USA and the UK have been at war twice since 1776.

Is this sentence considered grammatically correct or not?
As far as understand we should use "were" instead of "have been".


texts: Doubts on the usage of the pronoun *which*

texts:
I have a few questions about the use of the pronoun which.
In the sentence:

A statistical model is a family of probability distributions of a random variable which is smoothly parametrized by a finite number of real parameters.

Is the pronoun which referring to the noun "statistical model" or the noun "variable"?

How could I rewrite the sentence above to make the pronoun which refer to the noun "statistical model"?


texts: Can we use commas within a phrase to combine many ideas into one?

texts:
I want to say "with increasing the height, an increasing deviation can be seen."

Can I use the phrase from lower part to upper within commas as follows?

  Similar to above case, an increasing difference, from lower part to upper, with few large deviations can be seen from the second comparison.

Is there anything wrong with that sentence?


texts: Is the subject complement a noun or an adjective here?

texts:
It's well-known that a subject complement can be a noun or an adjective. It's not hard to make out what part of speech the subject complement belongs to— For example, in He is a pilot and She is beautiful, it's easy to say that the subject complement is a noun and an adjective, respectively.
But is this always the case? What about the sentence—
Outside is a hawker.
The subject of the sentence is hawker and it's apparent that outside couldn't be a description of the hawker, and so it can't be a noun. The possibility of its being an adjective is also ruled out because it doesn't "modify" hawker in any way.
Could it be that the sentence is actually an abbreviated version of On the outside is a hawker?
This seems to make sense because here the NP the outside could be serving as the object of the preposition on.
Is that right? Or am I confusing things here?


texts:
"I'm making Chicken Pilaf tonight," the baker's wife chimes in. "I hope you like it."

  "Wonderful, wonderful," the Count says, with a smile, as he pushes her aside into some laundry. Then, opening a closet door by mistake, he walks in. "Christ, where's the goddamn front door?"

  "Ach," laughs the baker's wife, "such a funny man, the Count."

  "I knew you'd like that," Dracula says, forcing a chuckle, "now get out of my way." At last he opens the front door but time has run out on him.

  "Oh, look, mama," says the baker, "the eclipse must be over. The sun is coming out again."

  "Right," says Dracula, slamming the front door. "I've decided to stay. Pull down the window shades quickly— quickly! Let's move it!"

  "What window shades?" asks the baker.

It is not clear to me that "it" refer to sun or curtains?

But I think "it" refer to Sun and this phrase mean: to not allow the rays of Sun to come home
Am I right?


texts:
In the Czech language we can say "překousnout" to express literally "to cut sth in half using teeth" just with one word. This is used e.g. in the context of sewing when scissors are not at hand and we need to bite the cotton thread to short and cut it. We can do the same with a piece of adhesive tape.

Is there an elegant translation of this verb in English and would you give me an example of the usage in a sentence?

The only translation I have found is "to bite sth in two" on a doubtful online dictionary on the czech domain.


texts: "... that(,) for that purpose, we need ..." Is comma (,) required?

texts:
In my email to a university official, I used the following construction,

  In the file that you attached, it is said that, for our case, we need another document.

I understand that this sentence could've been worded better, but let's consider it as an example.

What I'm concerned about is the comma after "that".
As I understand, it is grammatically correct to surround "for our case" with commas, but if you read this sentence aloud, it might be reasonable to make a pause only after and not before "for our case".

Therefore I'd like to ask you, what about commas around "for our case"? Should they always be used in formal writing?


texts: Does "noun + that/which" always need definite article?

texts:
My view does not apply to the relationships that are insincere.

  That theory does  not consider the relationships in which people are
  insincere.

Is "the" necessary in the above sentences?


texts: The issue with construction : make + noun

texts:
Is there any avalaible list of nouns related with "make" where "make" doesn't mean "make" in the sentence.

e.g. I have made the plane .  /  I managed to catch the plane.


texts:
I would like to use " to succumb to something" in three different but similar context with the word time and I would like ask in which situations I should use the article the.

Examples :

  She was one of the most beautiful women in the world 50 years ago but
  has succumbed to (the) time like everybody else.

  My grandpa finally has succumbed to (the) time .He has stopped using
  his rotary dial phone and bought a brand new cell phone.

  The school, which was built about 300 years ago, has succumbed to (the)
  time, most of part of it has collapsed with the last earthquake which
  cause tremendous effect around the city.


texts:
I came across this sentence in an "actual speaking", and had seen similar examples in English context too many times. Nevertheless, my question is about whether the author had to use "those" instead of "that" since "keyboard shortcuts" is plural and "that" is referring to it.

Excited as I was to possess such an item, I found myself experiencing
certain discomfort to familiarize myself with the Mac system.The
keyboard shortcuts are completely different from that of
Windows.


texts: What is the meaning of noun "stable" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence in a chapter named "Poets and Pancakes" which was:

  The make- up department of the Gemini Studios was in the upstairs of a building that was believed to have been Robert Clive's stables.

According to Merriam Webster dictionaries "stable" means - a group of people (such as athletes, writers, or performers) under one management. But that would then mean that "Robert Clive's stables" means his group of people.... But that doesn't seem to fit here because building is being talked about here.


texts: Why the indefinite article: "In a well known article, Einstein, Rosen, and Podolsky have ..."?

texts:
Here is an citation from a scientific article:

  In a well known article, Einstein, Rosen, and Podolsky have given an example of a hypothetical experiment capable of testing [...].

Which article should be used before well-known: a or the?

The article that the authors are refering to is well known to everyone familiar with the subject, it's fair to say that to every reader of the paper. The article is referenced to, if that matters.

As far as I know, we use the definite article to refer to people or objects that are unique. This paper is as unique as it can be. Is it correct to use the indefinite article in this case?

Doesn't the cited sentence mean that there are many well-known papers on the subject and the authors refer to just one of them?


texts: Substitute "which" instead of "where" in subordinate clause?

texts:
The glossary of the C99 Draft Standard contains this entry:

  3.17.3 unspecified value:
  valid value of the relevant type where this International Standard imposes no requirements on which value is chosen in any instance

I noticed that a valid value of the relevant type is not a place but it's used with where. Is it possible to use which instead of where?

And would the sentence work if where is changed to which?

  3.17.3 unspecified value:
  valid value of the relevant type which this International Standard imposes no requirements on which value is chosen in any instance


texts: What should I use to show my anger not using curse and bad language to refer to someone in American English?

texts:
Lets suppose you (Martin) park your car somewhere and leave it there. When you come back, out of the blue, you see a big scratch on your car’s surface. You have your friend with you who you stand on ceremony with him and cannot let off your steam by using bad language and swear words, but you would like to express your sentiments. I need to know what Americans use to describe the person who has scratched the car in the following scenario; (the only choice which comes to my mind is "so-and-so", but I doubt if I can use it in the following scenario in this way or not:

  Friend: Wow, look Martin! Someone has scratched your car
  Martin: Oh, no! Which so-and-so has done it?


texts: How common is it to use the word 'bitch' for a female dog?

texts:
Today I was exposed to the fact that the female form of dog is bitch (just like bull (m) and cow (f)).

But I have never heard someone who called his female dog  a bitch. So I suspect that in fact it is not in use, Isn't it?


texts:
“Poor Janine,” Holly said, and Veronica caught a mocking look that
  passed between her  and James. It implied she didn’t really have any
  sympathy for Janine at all.   “She was really upset,” Veronica said,
  putting enough ice into her voice to warn Holly  off the topic.  But
  James and Holly’s covert exchange made her angry.  Good, she thought,
  they can have each other.

Hi! What does the character mean by "They can have each other"? She's going out with James but she doesn't really like him so she's not jealous.
Thanks!


texts: Differences between past perfect and past perfect continuous

texts:
In the book "Advanced Grammar in Use", it states:

  The past perfect continuous is mainly used in written texts and is less common in speech.

What is the reason for that and how do people use the past perfect continuous and past perfect properly?


texts:
What is the difference, if any, between the meaning of "a view on" and "a view of"?

Example:

  a new view of environmentalism

vs.

  A new view on Environmentalism

Both can be found with more or less frequency on the web, and the same on Google Ngram


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase 'Information Junky'

texts: I found this phrase in my computer book and now I want to know the meaning of the phrase 'Information Junky'. Please tell me. Thanks in advance.


texts: Difference between "India Pale Ale" and "Indian Pale Ale"

texts: Is there a difference in the meanings of "India Pale Ale" and "Indian Pale Ale"? I mean, without considering that "Indian Pale Ale" is an incorrect term for a sort of beer, would a native speaker have different conceptions/ideas for these two phrases?


texts:
Is there any obvious difference between little and small?

A couple of examples:

  Big car vs. small (or little) car
  You have to pay just a small (or little) amount for such a wonderful item

Can I use those words interchangeably or are there any rules allowing only one of the words?


texts: "The test could have ended", "The test is all over" do these 2 sentences mean the same?

texts:
Consider these 2 sentences

  The test could have ended.

  The test is all over.

Do they mean the same?


texts: Using "infinitive" or "gerund" in subordinate clause

texts:
For example

  The main idea is to use some features to judge each node whether it is a text node or not.

vs.

  The main idea is using some features to judge each node whether it is a text node or not.

Is there difference among them? are they both grammatical?


texts: is used to live vs is used to living here

texts:
He is used to live here.

vs

He is used to living here.

and

He is used to drive a Mercedes.

vs

He is used to driving a Mercedes.

What is the difference between sentence 1 and 2, and 3 and 4? When should one use the verb in the infinitive and when to use the verb with '-ing'?

Some examples from Google:

He is used to live by himself.

He is used to live in a family.

He is used to drive fast.

He is used to drive complex projects.

I am wondering why '-ing' is not used in the examples above. Are they grammatical mistakes?


texts:
What does 'reality base' mean? Can it be replaced by just 'reality'?

  The more meaning we can construct from transactions with the
  environment, the broader our reality base.

Article - 'Meaning and visual metaphor' by Hermine Feinstein


texts:
A post uses "person-times" in this way

  Assume there are a group of people (let's say 2030 people) need to be checked if they are suffering some kind of disease. A hospital run a test for each of them 100 times, 203,000 person-times in total.

I googled it a bit. It seems that this expression is literally translated from Chinese, as per a post.

However, the example of disease testing is not different to the example in that post.

  The class have done the task 60 times: some have done it once, others twice.


texts:
Someone is hurt by a betrayal.

I hate to see you hurting.

I hate to see you being hurt.

Is #2 correct and equally used?
I don't see the logic of #1. It sounds like the person is hurting (himself).


texts:
Does the following sound natural in English?

Our organization is well disciplined.
Our decision-making is prudent.
The overall atmosphere of our company is creative, innovative and forward-looking.
I have done a good job after all.


texts: Does "at all costs" work in this sentence?

texts:
I'll get a job this year at all(any) costs.

From the dictionary definition of "at all costs" (regardless of the price to be paid or the effort needed), it seems right but I wasn't sure if this fits here.

What I want to say is "I'll find a job this year, no matter how hard it's gonna be. (or no matter what it takes.)"

Or do I need another expression?


texts: Could I use Past Perfect twice in a sentence?

texts:
I really appreciate all the people in this site. Anyway I've learnt Past Perfect tense today. But one question's come up in my head, which is that "can I use past perfect tense twice in a sentence?".

I am still awkward with those so please excuse my example.

  Last night I was thinking about my new year's resolution I had set to finish the painting for my mother I had had started to draw last summer.

Is this grammatically alright? Thanks.


texts:
There are two boys [] in the park. I was given a question to fill in the blanks. I assume the answer is playing.

But in what context should I be using present tense of the verb vs present participle?

Ans 1: play
Ans 2: playing


texts: “Where is that club with which Mr. Melville was laying about him so?” what's "was laying with that club about him so"?

texts:
“Where is that club with which Mr. Melville was laying about him so?”

what does this mean? I think it is typo, so it should be 'lying'.


texts: What role does a suffix plays in the meaning of an adjective?

texts:
I have seen the variants of different adjectives with different suffices being used in a sentence. Some of them are as:

Source

  The opera was seen by a small and highly select audience.
  He joined his select team of young Intelligence operatives.
  I am highly selective about my food.

Some other examples I have come across are:

  The modulation frequency is kept high.
  The modulating frequency is kept high.

  My pursuing year is 4th year.
  My persuasion year is 4th year.

I find these gerund adjectives and their variants with ion suffix very confusing.


texts: Meaning of "release" in "A complete release of X by each entrant"

texts:
I am reading the Facebook Promotions guidelines and I don't understand the meaning of "release" in this sentence:

  Promotions on Facebook must include the following:
  - A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.

It is not about a software release, right?

Does it mean that each entrant has to say "I understand that Facebook is not responsible for this"?


texts:
I met my father in August. He lived in a different prefecture, so it had been  a while.

I wrote this sentence but my English teacher said that I had to use “lives” instead of “lived”. I think “lived” is correct. Please tell me your opinions.


texts:
In the following sentence, is "decent amount of money" a sensible and correct collocation?

I have always dreamed of earning a decent amount of money to live my livelihood.

Is it wordy to say "decent amount of money"? I mean, Is it better to just say "decent money" instead of "decent amount of money"?

decent amount of money
decent money

Could you please give me an alternative if none of these phrases are good?


texts:
I have just seen an article in FT with the title

  Iran’s Mahan airline defies sanctions in shadowy aircraft deal

It seems to me that an article is missing in this sentence. Namely, it should be "in a shadowy deal". Is this correct? If yes, why the article is missing here?


texts: 2nd conditional with mixed/non mixed tenses

texts:
If I ever turned you in to the cops, it'd be because you've done something wrong, and not because I hate you.

  If I ever turned you in to the cops, it'd be because you had done something wrong, and not because I hate you.

  If I ever turned you in to the cops, it'd be because you would have done something wrong, and not because I hate you.

Do all the above sentences mean the same?
Are there any differences in their meaning?
Does the first and second one mean the same?


texts:
Executive presence further eludes professionals of color because
  they’re not likely to get feedback on their “presentation of self.”

I searched the online dictionaries and found the definitions below for the verb elude:

to avoid someone or something
If something eludes you, you do not succeed in achieving it

However I cann't understand meaning of the sentence.

So could you please explain it to me?

The fuller text is here:

  Executive presence further eludes professionals of color because
  they’re not likely to get feedback on their “presentation of self.”
  Qualitative fi ndings affi rm that their superiors, most of whom are
  white, hesitate to call attention to gravitas shortfalls or
  communication blunders for fear of coming across as racially
  insensitive or discriminatory. While sponsors might close this gap by
  specifi cally addressing EP issues with their high potentials, CTI’s
  2012 research shows that professionals of color are much less likely
  to have a sponsor than Caucasians (8% versus 13%).4 When they do get
  feedback, they’re unclear about how to act on it, particularly if they
  were born outside the United States. This is a serious problem for
  corporations that need local expertise to expand their infl uence in
  global markets.

https://hbr.org/2014/01/cracking-the-code-that-stalls-multicultural-professionals


texts: Adjective to describe that a date is now in the past

texts:
I'm trying to formulate to a website user that he can't modify a date anymore because this date is now in the past.

So for I'm at "You can't modify a campaign start date after it's exceeded" (campaign here means advertising campaign, if that's of importance), but I have a gut feel that "exceeded" is incorrect, and that the sentence is overall weak.

Is there a better adjective ? Should I fully reformulate ?


texts: Should I use Present or Past perfect for describing a case in a figure?

texts:
I have this sentence

  Figure 2 shows a screenshot of a dialogue for creating an anchor. In this dialogue, the anchor ( has been / is / was ?) specified by a text pattern.

I don't want to say how something is performed, but to say what you see there.

Present tense implies to me that I am saying the anchor is always specified by a a text pattern, while I mean in the case you see in the figure as you see the anchor is (or has been) specified with a text pattern. (in Persian we use Past perfect for such cases)

Does the present tense convey my meaning? Then how I could use this tense to say a fact or instruction.

Then how do you differentiate the second sentence below:

As you see the summer is hot (the summer of 1995 in the picture was hot)
As you see the summer is hot (summer is always hot)

In general, when we describe an image or a figure which both the speaker and listener are aware of it, which tense should be used?


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

texts:
The setence below is quoted from the defination of "shakeout" in Oxford dictionary:

  an upheaval or reorganization of a business, market, or organization due to competition and typically involving streamlining and layoffs.

I decode "streamlining" as kind of "retrenching", trying to make the business or organization smaller in size.

I think the word also infers something like "being more efficient", because a steamlining vehicle goes faster...

Is that so?