texts:
In Kate Bush's song Babooshka, we can hear these lines right before the second chorus:

  Uncanny how she
  Reminds him of his little lady
  Capacity to give him all he needs
  Just like his wife before she freezed on him
  Just like his wife when she was beautiful

What does this mean? I know that to "freeze out" is the same as to ignore somebody, but I'm guessing this is not the same thing.


texts:
I found this part of a sentence:

  "bullets riddled the bar top, glasses shattered, bottles exploded."

What is the "top" of a bar?
I guess with 70% assurance that it's a bar counter, isn't it?


texts: When do we say "the bird is standing/landing/sitting"?

texts:
So, Does "the bird is landing on the tree" mean the bird is on its way moving down and standing on the tree?
Because a bird's legs have no knees. So,
Does "the bird is standing on the tree" mean the bird is standing on its legs but its tail does not touch or rest on a ground?
Does "the bird is sitting on the ground" mean the bird is standing on its legs but its tail touches or rests on a ground?


texts: "how could you know" vs "how can you know"

texts:
Consider the following sentences:

How could you know if you have cancer.
How can you know if you have cancer.

Note that the sentences are not interrogative, but both of them are to be the title of an article/news.

What is the difference between the above two sentences (in meaning)?


texts: What is the meaning of "That’s their god, and they whore after it"?

texts:
Could you please explain to me what the meaning of the sentence is?

  That’s their god, and they whore after it.

The full text is here:

God couldn’t abide faithlessness, Dad said. That’s why the most hateful
sinners were those who wouldn’t make up their minds, who used herbs and
medication both, who came to Mother on Wednesday and saw their doctor
on Friday—or, as Dad put it, “Who worship at the altar of God one day and
offer a sacrifice to Satan the next.” These people were like the ancient
Israelites because they’d been given a true religion but hankered after false
idols.
“Doctors and pills,” Dad said, nearly shouting. “That’s their god, and they
whore after it.”

Educated by Tara Westover


texts: "Recently he insured for" vs."He insured recently for"

texts:
Recently he insured for / He insured recently for a mediclaim policy.

As per my understanding the adverb should be placed as near as possible to the verb it modifies, so I think the latter option is more apposite. Please clear my doubt.


texts:
I was wondering which option below works in my example:

They moved away a couple of years ago, but............ with each other.

a. we're still in touch
b. we still keep in touch
c. we still stay in touch
Reading the similar thread in the forum, I still think they are interchangeable in this particular case and they all mean exactly the same to me (at least here.) [Above all, this video acknowledges that they can be freely used interchangeably.]
Additionally, please let me know whether using present perfect tense sounds better to you here for all three choices.
Finally, does using "with each other" sound superfluous to you here?


texts:
As I observed, there are 4 kinds of quotations with a quotation mark(maybe less, maybe more, I'm no professional)

The old saying “If it seems to good to be true, it probably is” applies perfectly in this situation. (this is so well-put that I can't take credit for the saying)
"When a big tree falls, the earth shakes" seems to be an insensitive remark. (I don't agree with what I quoted so don't blame me for it)
According to BBC news, "30 people were killed or injured in the accident". (This is external data and I don't guarantee its accuracy)
Maybe you will be so kind as to share some of your "wisdom" with us? (irony)

Or perhaps 2. and 3. are the same? I know 4. is probably called a scare quote,  but do the other ones have names? If there's no existing name, how should I name them?(for the subtitles of a homework-level essay)


texts:
Which one of the two is correct?

  Doing something may not only be a personal decision, but also a
  business decision

Or

  Doing something may not be only a personal decision, but also a
  business decision


texts: What does "give all those Mudbloods a kick from me" mean in this context?

texts:
Ron's—or rather, Crabbe's—face was contorted with fury. "What's up with you, Crabbe?" snapped Malfoy.

  "Stomach ache," Ron grunted.

  "Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick
  from me," said Malfoy, snickering.

  "You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these
  attacks yet," ... ...

According to Collins dictionary:

  If something gives you a kick, it makes you feel very excited or very happy for a short period of time.

But it doesn't look fit for this context. Maybe the phrase just takes its literal meaning here. Does the phrase have a special meaning? What does it truly mean?

-- From Harry Potter.


texts: When a sentence includes a word like 'today' that indicates present time, can a past form of verb be used?

texts:
Today an excruciating accident has taken place in our vicinity.
Today an excruciating accident took place in our vicinity.

Today indicates the present time. So I prefer has taken, which has been used in first sentence. But a native speaker of English said that he would prefer took place, though he didn't tell me why he would do this.

Now I ask to the members of this site what do they think about this?


texts: My high school life was very interesting. Being active in many clubs and sports kept me really busy. Having to go to weightlifting and track practice everyday did not leave me very much time for friends! I did have one best friend and her name was Meagen. We did everything together in high school. We took Spanish together and English! I was very thankful to have her in my life!


texts: What's correct: "Well done 'on' / 'for' your initiative"?

texts:
When I want to encourage person for his initiative, what is the correct way to say it?

  1) Well done on your initiative!"

or

  2) Well done for your initiative!"

n.b. If you have better option how to phrase it, kindly let me know, thanks.


texts:
Ducks, geese, and swans are different types of waterfowl, but because they are similar in behavior and physical characteristics, so they comprise a single bird family.

I have to find an error in the sentence above.

The answer key says that we have to remove “ so” because  there are too many conjunctions. I don’t quite understand because I think we can still keep “so” in the sentence.

Do you think whether it is correct to remove “so” or it is possible to keep “ so “ in this sentence?


texts: Replacing "under the Sun" with "under the Moon"

texts:
Can "under the Sun" (meaning "in this world") be replaced with "under the Moon", especially when it's about love between to young lovers, or will it be completely obscure in English?

For example,

  "They wanted that that night would last forever, but nothing lasts
  forever under the Sun."


texts:
I was taking the Verb Tense Final Test when I came across a question that I didn't know the difference in the examples it contained.

  Jane left when Tim arrived.
  Bob left when Tim had arrived.
  John had left when Tim arrived.

  Who did not run into Tim?

The answer is John. But I don't know why it cannot be Bob or Jane as well?
Please tell me the difference among them.


texts: What is Difference between Have to and Should?

texts:
I have a question that what is the difference between following statements.

You have to do this.
You should do this.

I am confused.


texts:
Imagine someone is very upset because of way some (very wealthy and influential) people have treated him and has lost his hope totally. He is really depressed now. A close friend who is well aware about the bad manner they have treated his friend, comes to him and wants to sympathize with him.
He says: this is an old rule. Often, more powerful people win the game because they have more influence, more money and higher ranking in public eyes. They usually win the game. But I know you were right.

  This is the way of the world.

Does the sentence above sound natural to you? In our language, this is an emotional saying [direct translation from our language] which is used in similar cases to indicate that the world games not only are not always fair, but also often times the world treats you unfairly.

If it doesn't sound idiomatic, then please let me know how shall I convey this message?


texts:
How to describe a person's effort to keep a conversation up and smooth?
Would adjective "communicable" fit the bill?

For example:

People in Feriah are not as well-communicable as the ones from Dumba. It has been observed by many travellers that having a conversation with Feriahnians is quite a challenge. They would rather answer "yes" or "no" or "I don't know" to your questions and finish the conversation as soon as possible than give you any additional information. People from Dumba, however, are way more communicable. They would always do their best to answer all your questions and even add more to that. Their ability to keep a conversation up and smooth is well-known here.


texts:
In English Movie "Judgg Dredd", Judge Griffin say this words to Chief Justice Fargo

  Chief Justice, the city is in chaos! For social order, we need tighter
  reins. Incarceration hasn't worked as a deterrent.I say we expand
  execution to include lesser crimes!

"we expand execution to include lesser crimes!" doesn't sound perfect English sentence to me.

I think correct sentence may be: "we expand execution to reduce the crimes!"


texts: we use can be in both structures? or can we use are in the second construction?

texts:
Gaps can be dangerous things, but some gaps are beneficial.
or
gaps cab be dangerous  things, but some gaps can be beneficial.


texts: What does "to spite something with something" mean?

texts:
It was no longer enough for us to spite death with a few extra hours
  or days of freedom.

I searched the meaning of to spite as a verb, it means:

  to intentionally annoy, upset, or hurt someone

but apparently it doesn't fit with the sentence. Maybe, it has another meaning.

Could you please explain it to me?

The fuller text:

  Hungry and exhausted, we barely dragged ourselves along, chilled to
  the bone by the wind blowing through our rags. But those first few
  hours of freedom had changed us a great deal. The apathetic, worn-out
  shadows who had made an escape out of sheer hopelessness were now
  gripped by a fierce will to live. It was no longer enough for us to
  spite death with a few extra hours or days of freedom. Now we began to
  believe we had found the road back to life.
   Source (translated from Czech original)

Under A Cruel Star by Heda Margolius Kovaly (Translated by Helen Epstein)


texts: Does "fill me in" have sexual connotation?

texts: If someone asks you to fill them in, meaning to brief or inform them about something, could it in any way be construed as an invitation for sex, as when a girl playfully says so in response to, "I had a wonderful holiday."


texts: I am a native Italian speaker. How can I avoid putting extra vowels on the end of words that end in consonants when speaking English aloud?

texts:
I'm an Italian learner and I'm new here, so tell me if I've posted in the wrong section :)

Recently, I've discovered that many people whose first language is Italian add final vowels to words when speaking English to make pronunciation easier. I had never noticed that before, but when I listened to my spoken English I realised it was true! I have tried to solve the problem, but I have been unsuccessful.

I've sought around the net for weeks, but I've found nothing related to this specific pronunciation issue.

Has anyone already dealt with this problem and can tell me how they did so? Or, does anyone know some tips?  I want to correct my pronunciation because now I always notice when somebody makes this mistake and the feeling that you do it too is so frustrating.

I've already tried to speak the word first and the final consonant separately afterwards. That doesn't work; I add vowels even to isolated consonants.


texts:
I haven´t had any problems with "in or into" as well as "in to" until now.

I know how to differentiate the three, but I can´t explain the following examples:

"You can put the milk in/into the fridge!"

"Do not let your skin come in/into contact with the acid!"

This is said to have the same meaning, therefore, one can use both. But why is it the same in meaning, really?

You can´t say "Come into" when asking someone to enter a room, can you?


texts: What is the right way to say 'you are welcome X hell' ?

texts:
What is the right way to say:

  You are welcome to hell

or

  You are welcome in hell

?

p.s I argued with a friend about that.


texts:
Recently, I just have read an article about Jeremy England, a physicist who has his own lab in MIT, who has derived a mathematical formula that he believes explains the living things.

I think it grammatically correct. But does this sentence sound good with two whos? I'm not sure because besides the repeated who, the first who supports for a physicist, which in its turn supports for England, and the second who supports directly to England. I suspect that this sentence can be shorten somehow.


texts:
The relationship is so unresolved that it isn’t even incestuous.
This is an excerpt from the film review (Mother: Joon-ho Bong). Because I know the movie whose plot is based on the strong relationship between the mother and the son I have tendency to understand the above sentence in this way: The relationship is so strong that can indictae incest. But the word-for-word translation says the oposite which does not make me sense. Can you please tell me the precise meaning of the above sentence?
EDIT:
Here is a longer excerpt from the film review:

Won barges through the film, conveying the confusion of a stunted child desperate to break free, only not before dinnertime. In several overhead shots, Bong shows the pair in bed together, Do-joon’s hand clamped around his mother’s breast as if he’s a nursing baby, their raft-like mattress a sanctuary. The relationship is so unresolved that it isn’t even incestuous. Rather, it’s a murky fusion of parent and peer reminiscent of Roy and Lilly Dillon in The Grifters.


texts:
Someone wrote this comment to an answer

  +1 for teaching-a-one-to-fish and suchlike.

I googled the phrase and stumbled upon the saying, ''give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime''.
But couldn't find any website mentioning that it's a phrase.


texts: Are there any differences between "we must hurry" and "we must be hurried" or do they have the same meaning

texts:
When I continued to watch the quotes of Castelvania, I found that the use of the verb, hurry made me very confused:

  Stella: And Miss Charlotte, thank you so much for setting us
          free.

  Charlotte: Sure thing. The curse may be lifted, but you should
             still take it easy.

  Loretta: But...

  Stella: We already know. Anyway, we must hurry. We must defeat
          Brauner. The piece he's making now is meant to destroy the
          world!

Can you explain why it is "we must hurry", but not "we must be hurried".
As far as I know, there was something that made them hurry,
so it would be more easy for me to understand if they wrote "Anyway, we must be hurried" in the quote.   Or I am wrong about their difference?

Thank you.

I am so happy that I have learnt how to use the Quote function here.  This was my first time.


texts: Using tenses correctly to describe some correct/incorrect events in the past

texts:
Here are two examples:

  I thought we had an exam.

  I didn't know (that) you liked her.

The second example was taken from here. According to the discussions, it doesn't imply anything about the current status of the verb, like. The person might keep liking her or not.
The first example describes the following situation:
he was assuming that he was going to take an exam, but there was no exam.

Isn't there a contradiction? In the first example, past tense implies that the event doesn't exist but in the second one we cannot tell anything about the current status of 'like'?

I asked this because, I want to understand how I can say something like following:

2 days ago, I was thinking that the answer was 15 (I was wrong at that time but I did not know I was wrong). Then I did a bit research and now I believe the answer is 13. Can someone tell me which tenses I should use in order to express what I really meant.


texts: How to ask about visiting hours (hospital)?

texts:
Can I use these patterns:

What ... visiting hours ... X hospital?
What time ... visiting hours ... X hospital?

I don't know what to put in the gaps:
What preposition should be before "X hospital"?
Does article "the" have to be before "visiting hours" or not?
Is it "is" or "are" that has to be in the first gap?


texts: Many English exams have fill-in-the-blanks questions. These blanks need to be filled with the forms of the verb "to be". What is meant by the "to be" verb form. Does it mean only the word - "to be". How come is/are/was/were comes into the picture when you say "to be". Does something more come to mind when we say "to be" form?


texts: What's the difference between Present Perfect and Simple Past?

texts:
I have a question about English grammar.
At 1 minute 5 seconds of this video below, Batman says "This city just showed you".
Is it okay to replace it with "This city has shown you", "This city has just shown you." and "This city just has shown you"?

I would be happy if you could answer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzx9OpDH8HY&t=64s


texts:
People learn language through exposure to a rich perceptual context.
  Language is grounded by mapping words, phrases, and sentences to
  meaning representations referring to the world.

Does "ground" mean "give (something abstract) a firm theoretical or practical basis"? Thanks!


texts:
My friend is reading a text on hydrology for its school subject methodology, but we cannot understand what bend migration and bends as dynamic mean in this context?

  Focus on bank erosion has in turn demanded greater emphasis on bends
  as dynamic, migrating forms, and a wide range of modes of bend
  migration has been identified.

Actually, I do not understand this sentence.


texts: Noun + number and determiner (page 5, line 2, ...)

texts:
When a noun is followed by a number (a numbered noun) do we need an article before it?
e.g. page 5 vs the page 5.
What is the grammatical term for such groups?
I read about other types of numerical structures here https://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/determin/numerals.htm but this case was not covered.


texts: What are these types of images called? illustration with notation?

texts:
Is this type of images (img_1) called sketch map with notation?

while this type of images (img_2)  called physical map without notation?

while this type of images (img_3)  called physical map with notation?


texts:
If I am trying to explain I saw a future need, which of the following sentences are correct? I provided my interpretation of each sentence as well.

I saw we would need more products for March. -- I saw earlier that more products are needed in March but I no longer see that.

I saw we would need more products in March -- March was when I reviewed inventory and saw that we would need more products but timing of delivery is unspecified.

I saw we could use more products in March. -- March was when I reviewed inventory and saw that we could use more products but timing of delivery is unspecified.

I saw we will need more products for March. -- IS this grammatically correct as "saw" is in past tense and "will" is in present tense?

My understanding is that it's best to keep word tenses consistent.


texts: "By" to mean "in result of" or "After" - by + gerund

texts:
I have made the following sentence

  By selecting (or clicking on) an element, a dialogue opens in which one can ...

I used "By" just on my intuition, but I am not sure if it means as I expect. It should mean "after (or as a result of ) selecting or clicking on an element, a dialogue opens ....


texts:
I wanted to write the sentence below:

"Do you use file sharing services?"

Should I write "file-sharing" instead of "file sharing"? Does it matter? I want to use "file sharing" as an adjective.

The only reference I found comes from Macmillan Dictionary. Do they use "-" between words because it's a noun? How would they write "file sharing" as an adjective?


texts:
Here's a hypothetical scenario:

  When you become a soldier, you will fight in wars.

Does this imply that the person in question will become a soldier; must I use "if you become"?


texts: Possessive + non-ing noun phrase (Your joining the forum)

texts:
From a grammar book, I got this example of gerund transformation:

  Adam joined the forum.

Transformed into a gerund phrase:

  Adam's joining the forum

What if there is a noun before joining like these?

  I'm happy about Adam's time joining the forum.

  Thank you for your time joining the forum.

Are the last 2 sentences correct?


texts:
Let's suppose a test engineer describes their work responsibilities in a resume. Which phrase would be correct?

Writing tests
Test writing

UPDATE: The responsibility I meant is creating, implementing a special kind of software - one that performs automatic testing of something.


texts:
Are the phrases I used in the sentences below used in English?  Are they natural  and common  in colloquial language?..

Like someone falls behind someone, can these sentences be used:

  I'm behind everyone my age.

  I'm behind my class.

And similarly can "ahead of someone " be used to mean that someone  is "better thank someone ".

  I'm ahead of a lot of kids my age.

  I'm ahead of everyone in my class.

So these sound natural and is it common and used ?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "swing the bat" or "swing the bat often"?

texts:
From an article titled 5 Things Super Lucky People Do:

  The [successful] competitors are simply swinging the bat more often.

What is the meaning of the phrase swing the bat more often?


texts:
Donna became quickly irritated.

I'm confused about the position of "irritated". Is that considered as a direct object as it answered the verb "became"?

I read it is a complement, why? Which type?


texts: How is 'in the middle of the night' different from 'midnight'?

texts:
Is 'in the middle of the night' different from 'midnight' in the sense that:

the former refers to unspecific late time in the night,

and the latter refers to definite time; midnight = 12am?

Am I right? Are there any other differences?

Thanks in advance.


texts: "by ruled by another" or "be ruled by another"

texts:
I was wondering if you could help me with this short passage:

Three years after the revolution of 2011 swept away the military strongman, Hosni Mubarak, Egypt could soon by ruled by another.

Three years after the revolution of 2011 swept away the military strongman, Hosni Mubarak, Egypt could soon be ruled by another.

(be ruled  vs  by ruled )
Number 1 is written on BBC but I think it should not be "by ruled". I think it should be "be ruled". Is there any grammatical or lexical point I am not aware of?


texts: What does "settle" in "when the wind settles" mean?

texts:
Context:

  Shetland is a windswept, barren archipelago a hundred or so miles northeast of mainland Scotland’s northernmost tip. I fell in love with Shetland when I was 16. I had gone there to photograph otters and I’ve been visiting it regularly ever since. It’s very windy a lot of the time and if it’s not raining it’s usually cloudy. However, when the wind settles and the sun comes out, few places on Earth can beat it for beauty. I took this photograph of my friend Henry on just one of those days. Henry had offered to take me out on his boat around the back of the island of Vaila to do a spot of fishing. It was flat calm out at sea and that gave us the chance to go through this arch.

What is the correct meaning of "settle" in this sentence?


texts:
I want know the current status of invoicing:

  Have the machine got invoiced by factory?

Is this grammatically correct?


texts:
If you've got family, you've got drama.

Well, I think this is a fact, at least from the speaker's point of view, so I would say:

  If you get family, you get drama.

It's like if water boils, it evaporates.

So why is the present perfect tense used? and what does it add to the meaning?


texts: The meaning of “The clientele were as curious as they were sparse in number.”

texts:
It’s from a book by Elvis Costello, “Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink”, written with first person perspective.

The main character, Elvis Costello, as a boy visits his father’s studio for the first time, where he sees his dad sing with the Joe Loss Orchestra but overwhelmed by its unfamiliar and mossy atmosphere.

Then it goes, “The clientele were as curious as they were sparse in number. When I pointed out that two old ladies were dancing together, they were identified as ‘spinsters’. There was a mother teaching her young daughter dance steps, sometimes lifting her onto her own feet to give the girl the sense of the right rhythm.”

Does “The clientele were as curious as they were sparse in number.” mean that there were funny people and also there were not too many of them? Or is it that the people were interesting and their sparseness was likewise interesting？Or am I completely wrong?


texts:
This is the sentence I came across, it's from a game.

  While Dwarven cannon were being loaded, others armed themselves with Elven steel and mail.

To my understanding, themselves is a plural word, so steel and mail should also be in plural form, why they use singular instead???

EDIT: I looked up the word steel as the meaning of sword and it said the word is countable.

Here is the link.


texts:
Fire trucks put out fire.
Fire trucks put out fires.

Which form would be more natural, fire or fires?


texts:
According to practical English usage no article is used with "nature" when it has a general  meaning.In my point of view all the times that we use the word "nature" about the physical environment around us ,it some how conveys a general meaning.for example if we are explaining about a specific country that its name has already been mentioned is it ok to say:

  come and See the nature,the mountains and the ocean

Or should we say:

  see nature,the mountains and the ocean

I would appreciate it if some one explains when the meaning of nature is considered to be general and when it's not.

Can nature conveys a meaning that it's not general when it is used as a synonym for the world around us?!


texts: Struggling to convey the intended meaning of my sentence. "Threat fueled by" vs "Threat of unrest fueled by"

texts:
First, I need to say that the main sentence comes after a sentence like as this: Authorities were afraid of a post-war social upheaval. Writing this to stress that I already said "post-war".

Here is the main sentence:

  The threat of post-war industrial unrest fueled by acute unemployment and insecurity, in Struthers’ (1983) words, “dragged a reluctant [federal] government into a wider responsibility for the unemployed.”

I am trying to convey this:

  [The threat of] [post-war industrial unrest fueled by acute unemployment and insecurity...]

There was a possibility of industrial unrest. If such unrest did happen, it would surely be fueled by unemployment and insecurity.

However, my sentence sounds like this:

  [The threat of post-war industrial unrest] [fueled by acute unemployment and insecurity...]

Sounds like the threat was fueled by unemployment and insecurity which would mean that unemployment existed even before the war came to an end. That is not the case (although some insecurity was there). There was no unemployment while the war was going on. Authorities were apprehensive that when the war ends there will be unemployment and there will be increased insecurity. And that those things will fuel if an unrest were to breakout.

Any ideas how I can convey the right meaning? And do I need "post-war" at all?


texts: Is there informal word and not only informal one for quitting drinking alcohol like recovering from alcohol addiction?


texts: What is the meaning & tense/verb phrase of: 'I had been away for almost five years'

texts: I have been studying tenses/verb phrases but am completely lost when there is no action to speak of and cannot find what this would go under. Is it more than just past tense? Also, what would you describe to be the meaning; anything other than describing what was happening up until this point, could you say more than just setting the scene?


texts:
I think this sentence is grammatically wrong, but there's one thing...

If I say "I read the book last year" I think that I was reading it but I had not finished reading (in the last year).
But If I say "I had read the book last year" I think that I was reading it and I had finished reading.
So there are two actions in the past - finished and unfinished. How to express them correctly in this simple case?


texts: future tense (which sentence is correct?)

texts:
If the examinations are coming, I want to tell my mother that I will work hard before the examinations. Which sentence is correct?

A) I will work hard in next two weeks.

B) I will be working hard in next two weeks.

C) I will have been working hard in next two weeks.


texts:
I don't really know about the meaning of "like few others" in the first sentence:

  AMP is an organisation like few others. We enjoy a culture that recognises individuality yet encourages collaboration, giving real meaning to our work and making a difference to our people and our customers.

And there's the second sentence I saw online:

  This was some beautiful morning and what a job they’ve done, like few others have been able to do.

Comparing these two sentences, I don't know if the use of this phrase are the same. Please teach me if you know anything about it.


texts: Please help me to distinguish a noun+noun, a adjective+noun and a gerund+noun?

texts:
I am always confused when using a noun and a gerund as an adjective

For example, do we say swim clothing or swimming clothing, electric generator or electricity generator?


texts: What is humorous about calling people "mortals"?

texts:
The following definition of mortal is from Oxford Dictionaries Online:

  [humorous] a person contrasted with others regarded as being of higher status or ability

It gives this sentence as an example:

  an ambassador had to live in a style which was not expected of lesser mortals

Where is the humorous point of it? I can't see it.


texts: Should the company slogan "Welcome to possible" be "Welcome to possibilities"?

texts:
I read a slogan- "Welcome to possible". Now my questions are:

Here, 'possible' is noun or adjective?
The usage here is same as in "Everything is possible."?
Which phrase is more correct- "Welcome to possible" or "Welcome to possibilities"?
Finally, is it a correct phrase?

Thank You.


texts: How to differentiate between a transitive and intransitive verb?

texts:
My teacher told me that some verbs are transitive and they requires an object after them.

She gave me a long list of transitive and intransitive verbs to learn. Can anyone give me the logic why a particular verb is classified as transitive or intransitive so that without remembering these words i can tell by a particular sentence that a verb is transitive or intransitive.

For example, here is a sentence which my teacher told me is wrong as emphasize is a transitive verb:

  The programme emphasizes with mentoring people to take risks and act in a more entrepreneurial way.

This correct sentence is :

  The programme emphasizes  mentoring people to take risks and act in a more entrepreneurial way.


texts:
Is John own an apartment or a house?

What I thought is to replace ''is'' with ''does''. However, I've been told that we should use gerund instead of it.

  Does John own an apartment or a house?

  Is John owning an apartment or a house?


texts: Things you have (eat or drink) while drinking alcohol

texts:
Is there a word to describe things you eat or drink while consuming alcohol? We usually eat something like chips, cucumbers, olives etc while drinking especially with strong types of drinks like vodka (mostly because it makes it easier to drink) or when we'd like to take a while drinking and probably getting drunk at the end.

Intending to have a wild drunk night, a couple of pals get together with a bottle of strong alcoholic drink in the woods. Joe takes out glasses and the bottle and says,

  OK Jack. What you waiting for? Go get the [word]. Come on! What is it?... Oh, You didn't forget to get the [word]. All you had to do was to drop by a supermarket and get some [word].

Or someone pour you some liquor. You drink a bit and say,

  Wow it's a bit strong! Have you got some [word]? Anything will do.


texts:
Here I have two sentences:

It was my first trip_____Hawaii.
I was late____school.

I'm sure the first sentence has preposition to.
I think the second sentence also has the preposition to, but it is wrong. Instead of to, for is the correct one. Why can't I to use to instead of for? Both sentences refer to place only. Am i right?


texts: is "effective" the correct adjective in this context?

texts:
This is my sentence:

  A study  shows that item-item approach is less affective to shilling attack than User-User approach.

To understand that sentence, you'd need to know what shilling attack is. It is where people provide high ratings for their products, and lower ratings for the other products (usually competitors’ products).

I am trying to say that user-user approach is better than item-item to deal with shilling attack


texts: Please help me with Direct and Indirect speech

texts:
If I want to say about the future to someone,

"I will tell him that If he doesn't give me allowance, I'll find a part time job."

If I want to say about the past to someone,

"I told him that If he didn't give me allowance, I would find a part time job."

In the second sentence, I just used backshifting in the part(after 'if') because the main clause is past tense.
Is the second example the same as:

I told him "If you don't give me allowance, I will find a part time job."

Am I right?


texts:
Does "we speculate that sick inmates from dormitories were identified early and housed in cells" mean "we guess (what already happened was)that sick inmates from dormitories were identified early and housed in cells"?

The finding that dormitory housing was the strongest risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection is consistent with an earlier study involving multiple prison and jail systems and suggests that social distancing is more challenging in such settings than in cells that house one or two inmates.4 Dormitory housing may also have been protective with respect to hospitalization, and we speculate that sick inmates from dormitories were identified early and housed in cells before testing and subsequent hospitalization.

Source: New England Journal of Medicine


texts: can I omit the "d,b,g" sounds in a sentence?

texts:
The six stop consonants are t, d, p, b, k, and g. When these meet in between two words.

http://rachelsenglish.com/linking-consonant-consonant/

I wonder can I omit the "d,b,g" sound when it is followed by these consonant " t, d, p, b, k, and g".

for example:Dad kicks my ass.
Can I say it like "dæ'kiks my ass" with "d" sounds omitted .

further more.
Can I omit "d,b,g" sound when it is followed by other consonant.
for example:Dad loves my mom.

Can I say it like "dæ'lʌvs"  with "d" sound omitted.


texts:
What does "late Sep. through Oct." mean?

I have encountered this sentence here.

I know through means from the beginning to the end of .... However, an example of this source, that is She works Monday through Thursday (= from Monday to Thursday), implies that it can mean until as well. So, does "late Sep. through Oct." mean until the end of Oct. or until the end of Sep?
I guess the first interpretation is more acceptable.


texts: What does "you are forgiven to do something" mean here?

texts:
Does it mean "Everyone doesn't feel uncomfortable when Apple raises the price of its iPhones"? And why does the author say "Apple is forgiven....."?

  A corollary is that the more innovative the new features are, the more a price increase can be justified. Add the name “Apple” to that, and you are forgiven to push the price envelope even further. Introducing the iPhone X along with two versions of the iPhone 8 seems a clever strategy. First, by skipping the “9th” generation and directly going to the “10th” generation, Apple sends a strong signal that the new device is a radical and discontinuous innovation over the prior generation iPhones. Second, by using the Roman numeral “X,” not the usual Arabic “10,” the company underscores the discontinuity. Third, the distinct design that removed the iconic iPhone’s home button backs up the “story” about the new device.

Source: http://fortune.com/2017/09/14/apple-iphone-x-price/


texts: You can go outside + simple present vs. present perfect

texts:
Is there any difference in these sentences?

You can go outside when you complete your work.
You can go outside when you have completed your work.

Are they both interchangeable? If not then what is the difference between them?


texts:
I've somehow learned English tenses using timelines. Something like this one:

But I'm having trouble understanding 'would'. Is there a diagram, a picture or a good explanation to simplify this. How does a teacher teach kids about this?


texts:
I need to order lumber of 5 meter in length to a factory. Would it be correct to say :

  Lumber must be produced in a length of 5 meter.


texts: slang or metaphor : I saw a lion kiss a deer

texts:
I love the song "Lost Stars" from the movie "Begin Again"
and there are these sentences in the second part (paragraph):

  Who are we? Just a speck of dust within the galaxy?
  Woe is me. if we're not careful turns into reality
  Don't you dare let our best memories bring you sorrow
  Yesterday I saw a lion kiss a deer
  Turn the page maybe we'll find a brand new ending
  Where we're dancing in our tears

What is the meaning of the expression "I saw a lion kiss a deer"? Is this a metaphor or slang?


texts:
I'd like to know if this question is correct or not:

  What exactly that you don't like about my clothes?

I know I can also ask:

  What is it that you don't like about my clothes, exactly?

But I'd like to remove this dummy "it" and I'd like to use "exactly" right after "what". How can I do this?


texts: Do we have an everyday word to express the state of our mouth before crying, for example, "he twisted his mouth as if he almost cried"?

texts:
When a child is about to cry or he almost cries, his mouth is twisted.
Do we have an everyday common word to express the state of our mouth before crying, for example, "he twisted his mouth as if he almost cried"?


texts: 'what are you talking about?' and 'About what are you talking?'

texts:
Why is the question 'About what are you talking?' incorrect? and

Is The question "To whom are you talking" correct?

I know the question 'what are you talking about?' is the correct question.but why can't we move the preposition 'about' before what(like 'To whom are you talking')


texts: Should I use 'true' or 'real' in "This is a {true/real} story..."?

texts:
This is a true/real story about a dog that has been adopted as a puppy.

What is preferred to use in this sentence? I think I could use both, but I'm not so sure :(


texts:
In my text book I saw the following conversation:

A: I saw Brian a few days ago.
B: Oh, did you? What's he doing these days?
A: He's at university
B: What's he studying?
A: Psychology
B: Is he enjoying it?
A:Yes, he says it's a very good course.

Why is says used instead of said?


texts:
What is the correct way to use is / are in sentences where you talk about either several persons / objects, or a single person / object? If you're expecting company and you know it will either be one girl or several boys, you might want to ask a question such as:

Are the boys or the girl coming?
Is the girl or the boys coming?

The latter one seems strange, but I can't tell if it grammatically incorrect. Do I have to say something like: "Is the girl or are the boys coming?".

Can I use both forms? Should I use is or are if I put the single object first in the sentence?


texts: "This computer is for you to attend lectures" instead of "*This computer is to attend lectures."

texts:
I learned that you use "for -ing" and not a 'to' infinitive when you want to say the purpose of a tool,  but I am not so sure about it.
People told me I should say:

This computer is for you to attend lectures. (1a)

or

This computer is for attending lectures. (1b)

but not

This computer is to attend lectures. (1c)

However, can't a 'to' infinitive alone be used as an adjective to indicate the purpose? For example, can't I say:

You have a computer to attend class. (2a)

instead of

You have a computer for you to attend class. (2b)

If I can, what do you think makes such a difference between the 1s and 2s?


texts:
I just found the phrase

  driving while black (DWB).

I know what this means. But I cant connect the meanings of the words with the phrase meaning.
As I know, driving is meaning that driving. And while means that ~ing. And black means people.

How to connect the real meaning from DWB?


texts:
Put it back wherever you found it. [fused relative]
  (CGEL,p.764)

The book says the sentence means “Put it back in the place where you found it.” But this seems to be insufficient to deliver the meaning, I suspect. And this is what I think to alter the account: Put it back in the place, wherever it is, that [or where] you found it.
Am I misreading?


texts:
A few students are going to the buses they'll be riding home. So a girl takes the long route to get to the bus. So one of the children wants to say "Why aren't you coming this way?"

Does this sound fine:

  Why aren't you coming from here?

Does this sound fine? (I mean it was simply meant to ask "Why are you going that way, when you should be going this way?"; "Why aren't you coming this way?")


texts: "Percentage of time that.." vs "Percentage of time.."

texts:
Which one of the following is grammatically correct?

Percentage of time that the system will be available to the users

OR

Percentage of time, the system will be available to the users


texts: How to approach to get the better understanding in such a long sentences?

texts:
I need some help over here. First of all, I will give the whole paragraph to provide the context then ask the question about where I am stuck.

Paragraph:

  When representing preferences over ordinary consumption good, we will want to express the fundamental view that "wants" are essentially unlimited. In a very weak sense, we can express this by saying that there will always exist some adjustment in the composition of the consumer's consumption plan that he can imagine making to give himself a consumption plan he prefers.

I have two questions:

does the consumer imagine making a composition?
if the first question yes, then does he make a composition in order to give himself the consumption plan he would prefer? if no can you please break the second sentence of the paragraph to me.


texts: What does 'You are hopelessly quick.' mean?

texts:
I sent to my client a quick update about a project and in response he sent me back an email with the following sentence:

  "You are hopelessly quick. You need some rest my friend. Will check
  it tomorrow."

So what does this suggest, is it in a negative or positive manner?


texts:
There weren't a lot of opportunities
  for retired car thieves on the gimp.

(from the movie Gone in 60 Seconds)

I'm at a loss as to what it means. The word 'gimp' has many interesting meanings but none of them seem to fit the context. So, I figured, that must be some sort of an idiom. Alas, I couldn't find it either (even in the Urban Dictionary). What does it mean?


texts:
I have come across two GRE questions and the answer choices are in the form of a noun phrase. However, some carry an article while others do not. I do not understand the rules behind it. Here are the 2 questions.

  1) According to the passage, improvement in brain function among early large mammals resulted from which of the following?

  A. Interplay of predator and prey.

  B. Persistence of free-floating awareness in animals of the grasslands.

  C. Gradual dominance of warm-blooded mammals over cold-blooded reptiles.

As you can see, no choice above has an article. Is it right to say " the interplay of predator and prey" or "the gradual dominance of ...". These noun phrases seem pretty specific to me. So, why is there no article?

Now compared the above to this one:

  2) According to the passage, as the process of arousal in an organism continues, all of the following may occur EXCEPT

  A. the production of adrenaline

  B. the production of norepinephrine

  C. a heightening of sensitivity with respect to stimuli.

  D. an increase in selectivity with respect to stimuli.

  E. an expansion of the range of states mediated by the brain stem

As you can see, on the contrary, the choices in question B have an article. I just don't understand why there are articles in Question 2 choices and no articles in Question 1 choices.


texts: Is "against" used correctly in this context?

texts:
She has the right to know why her husband died; the company should give her that information.

  Does she have such right against the the company?

  Does such right hold against the company?

  Yes, in such cases, the employees' family has the right, against the employers, to be informed of the cause of death.

So, the right is to something, and against someone or some organization. Is that correct?


texts:
What is the difference between these two?

  They will be punished.

  They will get punished.


texts: Understanding the meaning of "are you hustling me?"

texts:
In the X-files, FBI agent Mulder approaches a group of downtrodden people living on the street. He loudly asks if anybody knows a recently murdered person. People ignore him, except one man. The man says he knows who the victim was and wants to show Mulder some helpful information that may help him figure out what happened. The man asks for money, and when given money by the agent, shows him a sketch of a strange creature. Mulder feels he's being fooled, and says:

  Are you hustling me?

I've looked up hustle and the main meaning is similar to push. Dictionaries give swindle as a synonym, which seems to fit the context here. I'm trying to fully grasp the question so I can use it in other situations. My interpretation of hustle here is:

  Are you trying to quickly get rid of me (push me away) by giving me short or false information?

If this interpretation is correct, then can I ask the same question to, say, my teacher who gives me a very short, incomplete answer to make me go away because he is busy?


texts: Gerund or infinitive? "Thank you for letting me know" or "Thank you to let me know"

texts:
I'm finishing a letter to a friend by asking the tracking number of a parcel he sent to me. Can I finish my letter with

  Thank you for letting me know the tracking number

OR

  Thank you to let me know the tracking number


texts:
It is impossible for me to finish this work.
It is impossible to me to finish this work.

Are both sentences correct?  (Or in the real world are both sentences spoken or written?)
Or is the only first sentence correct?
I'm sorry for asking a very basic question, I googled "subject of infinitives" but couldn't get answers.
In my country, in school tests, probably only first sentence is correct.


texts: What's a good word for "estimating the correctness"?

texts:
Let's say you are given a set of numbers, called the state, and you are supposed to use external information to estimate if they are correct.

I am looking for a word that means "to estimate the quality/correctness of something".
I don't want to use "evaluate" because, in the context of numbers, it typically has another meaning, and "judge" seems too informal to me. "Verify" and "validate" would fit, but imply to much confidence in the result.

I want to say something like "I have ??? the state; it is correct" or "...; there might be a problem with X".

So far, my search turned up "assess" and "assay", but I don't know which would be better in this context.


texts: You do not need to follow this or most other MVC conventions, but we recommend that you do — not least because it will help you make sense of the examples in this book.


texts: "In what forms of training do you participate in/to"

texts:
In what forms of training do you participate [in/to]?

Should I end that sentence with "in" or "to"? If I add "in" at the end, should I cut the "in" at the beginning?


texts: Under xx years of age vs. less than xx-year-old

texts:
In written English, which way is a better or correct way to say? Or any difference?

Participants are less than 40-year-old.
Participants are under 40 years of age.
Participants are younger than 40-year-old.


texts: Which is more correctly "should" or "can't"

texts:
Why are you late? You must have taken a taxi.

I know that the mistake is "must", but I'm confused whether to put "should" or "can't".
Which one is more correctly?

  Why are you late? You should have taken a taxi.

  Why are you late? You can't have taken a taxi.


texts:
My native language is russian, and I'm trying to translate RU>EN some techical text.
I've found one thing: a lot of "of".

Let's look: "Определение цветов данного набора паллитр" > "Determination of colors of this set of palettes".

Am I doing something wrong, or this is language's specific thing?


texts:
“Just get past them, I think,” said Charlie. “We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, Extinguishing Spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why…but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look.”

I couldn't find any reference about "nesting mothers" anywhere. What does it mean?


texts: Why didn't they use the passive form in the following sentence?

texts:
I was studying the past continuous in "Grammar in Use, Cambridge University Press" and I saw a sentence that is strange for me:

I was doing something: I was in the middle of doing something at a certain time. The action or situation had already started before this time, but had not finished.

Why didn't they say "The action or situation had already been started before this time, but had not been finished"?


texts:
In technical writing, when writing  general things that what others have done for e.g. in the introduction section

for example, if i want to write;

  The knowledge based object recognition nowadays has gained increased
  interest in point processing tasks.

can we write as above? But I feel, it is not meaningful as the verb should be has been gained as the doer is the writer or reader..

or should we obey passive form like;

  The knowledge based object recognition nowadays is gained increased
  interest in point processing tasks.


texts:
I happened to have encounter a root of an idiom which leads to the game "Four Square".

Now the according to the explanation by the Wiki,

  A player is eliminated when a ball is bounced in a player's quadrant and the player is unable to touch the ball into another player's quadrant.

Does this sentence mean, if another 3 player bounce back the ball to "your area" (or "your zone"),and if you are unable to touch the ball and bounce back(meaning like strike back), is the player eliminated? (meaning, "off the court"?)

Since we in our country don't have a game like this, I appreciate your confirmation or denial.


texts: What should be the reply to "Where are you put up?" or "Where do you put up?". Do they both have same meaning?

texts:
Someone recently asked me "Where are you put up?".
I assumed that she was asking me about my place of residence.
Is this the correct way to ask someone where they are staying. Are there any other ways in which we can ask someone about their place?
PS: I am not a native speaker.


texts: Is it correct and natural to say "a country is closed" meaning it's difficult to get into it?

texts:
Is it correct and natural to say a country is closed meaning it's difficult to get into it? For example:

  North Korea is one of the most closed countries in the world.

If not, what would a native English speaker say instead?


texts: What is the difference beetwen two sentences?

texts: 1-) The powhatans began to see this as a threat and refused them food  2-)The powhatans began to see this as a threat and refused their food


texts: "in the noble gases" vs. "in noble gases" -- would it be okay to omit the definite article?

texts:
From ChemGuide:

  Molecules are made of fixed numbers of atoms joined together by covalent bonds, and can range from the very small (even down to single atoms, as in the noble gases) to the very large (as in polymers, proteins or even DNA).

Would it be okay to omit the definite article here:

  Molecules are made of fixed numbers of atoms joined together by covalent bonds, and can range from the very small (even down to single atoms, as in noble gases) to the very large (as in polymers, proteins or even DNA).

After all, the author refers to noble gases generically; he then refers to proteins and polymers generically. Or is it better to use the because the noble gases is a well-defined, well-known, small group of elements?


texts: "The writing is on the wall for the wall itself." Does the word-play work?

texts: I know the idiom "the (hand)writing on the wall", so I make the sentence. However, I'm not sure.


texts: What do you think “they” refers to here?

texts:
This is from part of a text in an English learners’ textbook published in Japan.

  I am Shusei Yamada, a photojournalist. I drove around the world with an eco-friendly car named “Vasco-5.” The car runs on vegetable oil. It carries a machine which makes biodiesel fuel. That machine can make used vegetable oil into biodiesel fuel.
   There were two purposes of this adventure. One purpose was to examine how far I could go with only waste oil. The other purpose was to communicate with people around the world about biodiesel fuel.
   Before beginning my journey, I was worried about one thing. I was not sure that Vasco-5 could use all kinds of vegetable oils in the world. But some people say the only way to learn is “by doing.” So, I started my journey in Tokyo on December 5th, 2007.
   My first city was Vancouver, Canada. I asked for waste oil in many places. At first, my requests were often refused. That was because people did not know about biodiesel fuel. I was very disappointed. However, after people heard about my project, they started bringing me waste oil.
   A month later, I left for the US. Many people helped me on mu journey. Some people sent e-mails to their friends about my project. They were waiting for me with waste oil.

What does “They” in bold in the extract refer to? Some people or their friends? Both seem to be correct.
If the word refers to Some people, it means they sent e-mails and waited for the man with waste oil for him.
On the other hand, if it refers to their friends, it means they were waiting for him with waste oil because they received e-mails from their friends (i.e. “Some people” in the extract).

Which do you think is more correct?


texts:
From describing personality:

  Bubbly, outgoing with a great sense of humor. I’m willing to help
  anyone in need and when I’m in, I’m all in

when I'm in, I'm all in. What does it mean?


texts: "There was no student" or "There were no students"? Which is correct?

texts:
According to this website, "You must put an article in front of a singular count noun.".

So my question is "There was no student" is a wrong sentence, isn't it?

& "There were no students" is the correct one, right? "No students" means not any students or not all students.

Since "student" is countable singular noun, so we have to say "no students" not "no student"


texts:
In the following sentence

The rise of Mr. Modi with Mr. Shah alongside, and their combined role in the party’s outstanding electoral performances in recent years, have inspired commentaries that put them on a pedestal.

Why are with and alongside used together when they both mean the same thing. Isn't it redundant?


texts: What is a specific term for people who think that they're always right?

texts: What do you call people who think they're always right?


texts: Where is the correct place to place adverbs in sentences?

texts:
I am always confused about where to put adverbs in sentences. For example, consider the questions below:

  Why did they target us specifically?
  Why did they target specifically us?
  Why did they specifically target us?

I believe all these sentences mean the same. Am I correct? I am always confused about where to put adverbs such as always and specifically, etc. Is there a particular grammar rule for this?

Funny, you see, I can even form the above sentence in different ways.

  I always confuse where to put this kind of adverb
  Always I confuse where to put this kind of adverb


texts: What does "I am still getting used to the idea of having to get married." mean?

texts:
I asked my friend if she was ready to get married. She replied,

  I am still getting used to the idea of having to get married.

What does this mean? What does 'having to get married here' mean? Does it mean she is getting used to the idea of getting married? Or does it mean she is getting used to the idea that she has to get married? Is there a difference between the two sentences?


texts: Meaning of "forced down" in "Road we are being forced down"

texts:
In an article about genetically modified food I found this sentence:

  Yet for others, the GM route is a reckless road we are being forced down by big business, which...

So I looked up forced down but it only had two meanings both of which I guess are not proper.

to make yourself  eat or drink something, although you do not want it
to make a plane land by threatening to attack it

We often say "go down the road" or "go down the street" so is this that kind of thing? But I think in that way, the article should say "being forced to go down".

How do you describe this expression?


texts: Why the past tense? And how can I understand these 'would's and 'could's?

texts:
How could a humble tortoise beat the legendary Greek hero Achilles in a race? The Greek philosopher Zeno liked a challenge and came up with this paradox. First, the tortoise is given a slight head start. Anyone fancying a flutter would still rush to put their money on Achilles. But Zeno pointed out that, to overtake him, Achilles would first have to cover the distance to the point where the tortoise began. In that time the tortoise would have moved – so Achilles would have to cover that distance, giving the tortoise time to amble forwards a bit more. Logically this would carry on forever. However small the gap between them, the tortoise would still be able to move forwards while Achilles was catching up. Meaning that Achilles could never overtake.
  Source: 60-Second Adventures in Thought (Open University). (YouTube video)

My question: I don't understand the tense of the bold verbs. When telling a story, we normally use present tense, but why the author use almost all the past forms?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "hang out with someone" and "hang around with someone"?

texts:
Could you tell if there is any difference in meaning between hang out with someone and hang around with someone? For example:

Mike is always hanging out with that guy.
Mike is always hanging around with that guy.


texts:
Sony Pictures had suffered an unprecedented hacking attack at the hands of a group calling itself the Guardians of Peace.Last week, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said its analysis pointed the finger at North Korea. However, many cybersecurity experts have come forward to dispute this assertion

What does it mean "they have come forward" ?
"To dispute an assertion" is very hard to understand. Is it saying that these experts are for FBI statement or against it? Could you simplify "dispute" & "assertion"  , not the definition but equivalents.

Thank you in advance.


texts: Where would I place "at least" in the following sentence?

texts:
I have a question, where should I place my "at least" in the following sentence, lemme first show what's the meaning of my sentence:

Maybe I won't get the gold medal, but I surely still gonna get the silver medal.

So I would like to make the above sentence shorter, but I am not sure where to place "at least" here, here are my 3 ways to place "at least", but I don't know which is proper.

I still at least will get a silver medal.

Or:

I still will get the silver medal at least.

Or:

I at least still will get the silver medal.

I am a bit confused, and I am not sure exactly where would be the most optimal place to write "at least".
I hope everyone can understand my question, I hope it's clear enough.


texts:
In Schindler's List (1993), in front of Nazi officials, a Jewess approaches and haltingly wishes Oskar,
bringing along an even younger girl carrying a homemade cake:

Jewess: On behalf of the workers, sir, I wish for you a happy
birthday.
Young Girl: Happy birthday
Oskar: Well, the staff, please. Thank you very much for the lovely
cake.

What does "Well, the staff, please" mean?


texts: Verification of tenses of sentences including "would have been"

texts:
As far as I know, "would have been" is used in examples of conditionals, but I am having difficulty in deciding the tense of the statements.

That would have been a terrible mistake.

Here have been represents present perfect tense(I think) and according to the meaning of statement it feels like the person is speaking in past tense.

He would have been a fantastic teacher but he could never establish discipline in the class.

Please help me know what would be the main verb, tense of the sentences and the meaning of the statements. Is the person speaking in past tense or present tense? I feel very confused. (It might seem trivial though)


texts: How to intuit error: 'The letter is not from whom it claims to be.'?

texts:
Foreword: p 198, Plain Words, 2014, by Ernest Gowers, revised by Rebecca Gowers, introduced me to the covert danger of 'Cannibalism by prepositions'. Then a Google search directed me to
this Wordreference.com post
about which I ask now.

✘ 1. The letter is not from whom it claims to be.
✓ 2. The letter is not from whom it claims to be from.
✓ 3. The letter is not from the person from whom it claims to be.

Initially, I couldn't accept that 1 was wrong. I had to work through this step-by-step proof, before I accepted that 1 was wrong, and only 2 and 3 are right. Now, I can prove that 1 is wrong; so I ask NOT about the aforesaid proof.
Instead, my problem is this: Even after seeing and working through the aforesaid proof, 1 STILL looks right to me, when it shouldn't! In other words, could someone please explain how to understand (or intuit) that 1 is wrong, WITHOUT referring to the aforesaid proof?


texts: "Already" in the middle or in the end of the sentence?

texts:
I've been thinking about it for a long time and I'm wondering where should I put already in the sentence?

For example:

  Hey are your arms already trembling?
  Hey are your arms trebling already?

I heard that already at the end of the sentence gives a greater emphasis, but what do you think about this example? Did I make any mistakes in it?


texts:
The definition taken from a Wikipedia article:

  In computer science, the time complexity of an algorithm quantifies the amount of time taken by an algorithm to run as a function of the length of the string representing the input.

Could please somebody clarify article usage in this sentence? For example,

Why not "the computer science"?
Why "the time complexity"? Without "time", would it still be "the complexity"?
Why "the amount of time"? Why not "the amount of the time"?
Why "the length of the string"?

Article usage has always been painful for me.


texts:
Should I use the definite article before "news" in the second and third sentences? Isn't it wrong to use 'from" instead of "on" in the first sentence?

You can read news reports on a Telegram news channel. 2. All news are about contemporary art. 3.I think that's good, because almost all news lately is about the coronavirus.

Can I also use "all of the news" in 2 and 3?
This is one passage but I devided it into several sentences.


texts:
Though not on his coins, the Kharosthi script is used in Rajuvula's
  Mathura Lion Capital Inscription, which bears an unmistakable stamp
  of official association. (Singh, Abhay Kumar. 2008. Reassessing the
  Contribution of the Seistani Shakas in India, Nāme-ye Pažuhešgāh,
  Journal of the Research Institute: I.C.H.T.O, No. 22 & 23,
  Spring-Summer: Special International Issue, The Iranian Research
  Institute for Cultural Heritage and Tourism. p47)

Could someone please explain me the bold sentence in simple words?


texts:
She wore a crimson robe lined with white fur.

What does lined mean? Does it mean for example that the cuffs are made of fur and the rest is made of red cotton? Could you provide an image that describes something like this? Lined means form a line, but what kind of line? Is the sentence above just very generic and not specific enough?


texts:
To express meanings “The car of Tom” and “One of the cars of Tom”, which articles do I put before “Tom’s car”?

And in general, if an article appears before <somebody>’s <something>, which word does it belong to? Is it <somebody> or <something>?


texts: What does it mean "completely accountless clearing"?

texts:
Source: http://szabo.best.vwh.net/bearer_contracts.html

Cite:

  With ideal two-way anonymous communications between use-once keys, and
  completely accountless clearing, unlinkability via blind signatures
  becomes redundant. This ideal case has yet to be even closely
  approached with implemented technology, and necessarily involves long
  communications delays which are often intolerable. Real imperfect
  communications mixes and less expensive blinded tokens complement each
  other.

completely accountless clearing

I can't understand what does it mean "acountless clearing" is it just mean "without account", what does it mean "clearing" at the end?


texts: Why third person rules do not work for 'him run'?

texts:
I watched him play the match.

  I saw him run away towards the forest.

Why not 'runs' and 'plays' is used for that 'him'?


texts:
Is there a smarter way to say

  You can do <...>, but you can't do <...>.

? Sounds very dumb to me. I think it's better to avoid such self-repeating.


texts:
I would like to ask why in this youtube video at 2:30 time mark a girl says "If this were full, that would have been really badass". Instead of "If this had been full, that would have been really badass" (everything in the past) or "If this had been full, that would be really badass" (condition in past result in present)?

From what she said it sounds to me like she says that the cup should be full now (present) and that it "would have been badass" in the past which doesn't make sense to me. I would be fine with either both parts of the sentence in past or condition in past and the result in present but I'm confused with the wording which was used.
That's at least how I was taught it.

Thank you.

EDIT:
To make sure it's understood what puzzles me:

Sentence: If this were full, that would have been really badass.

Means to me: But it is not currently full and that is why it wasn't badass before.

(this is what it means according to any grammar book, website I went through since ages ago, for example but googling gives tons of other cases).
But if that mug was full right know then it couldn't had been spilled before because if it had been spilled (before) then right after the mug could never be full (logic).


texts: I read much comment or sentences using '!' sign, its mean angry or something different? in my country (Indonesia) its use if someone angry, impolite, or instruct something.


texts: Difference between 'illusion' and 'delusion'

texts:
What is the difference between 'illusion' and 'delusion'?
Both of them could mean 'false ideas'. I cannot differentiate them.

illusion

a false or wrong belief or idea

Many people still have the illusion that full employment is possible.
I had no illusions about the task that lay ahead.
delusion

an idea or belief that is not true

It is my conviction, or my delusion, no matter which, that crime
brings its own fatality with it.
He had long known that the delusion was partly due to a trap laid for
him by Dunstan, who saw in his brother's degrading marriage the means
of gratifying at once his jealous hate and his cupidity.


texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of "range quantity production" in the following sentence:

"But it was not until the invention of the water frame by Richard
Arkwright, a barber, in 1769, that range quantity production of both warp
and woof (latitudinal fibres) became possible."

You will find more reference here.


texts:
Check this sentence from Ed.gov (US Department of Education)

  Technology ushers in fundamental structural changes that can be integral to achieving significant improvements in productivity.

Cannot it be better as...

  Technology ushers in fundamental structural changes that can be integral to achieve significant improvements in productivity.

The preposition to takes gerund (-ing) here. Any rule?


texts: I am certain (that?) I can help (to?) improve your company

texts:
in a school book which has an example application letter it says the following:

  I am certain I can help improve your accounting functions while increasing your company's bottom-line profitability.

If I were to write this sentence, I would probably write this:

  I am certain that I can help to improve your accounting functions while increasing your company's bottom-line profitability.

(note I added 'that' after certain and 'to' after help)

Thank you.


texts: If I say "Well you have yourself a good bank Holiday" and they reply "Yeah" and don't turn round. Are they rude?

texts:
If I say "Well you have yourself a good bank Holiday" and they reply "Yeah" and don't turn round. Are they being rude?

A co-worker had their back to me. I said this as a way to say Bye. They responded "Yeah"


texts: Idiom to be used in a situation where someone doesn't want to work, but still does, because one can't survive without earning money

texts: In India, when someone doesn't feel like working but still has to, one jokingly uses a Hindi phrase which translates to - "I have to do it for the evil-doer stomach" which implies one can't survive without earning livelihood and to earn that, one has to do work. I'm sure there is an English equivalent of this phrase. Does anyone have any idea?


texts: 'on what amounts to' causes difficulties. What the sense of meaning whole sentence here?

texts:
What the sense of meaning whole sentence here?

  We cannot condone government involvement on what amounts to a
  privately owned venture.


texts:
I am currently read this article, and could someone help me in what sense the verb "dope" is used here?

  "This suggests that there's been a massive increase in domestic use of coal and minerals. This is such a crucial export commodity and now that very little of it is being sold abroad, as compared to normal years, domestic industry is probably getting financially doped by cheap energy at the moment given how much of production is still going on," he said.

So would it mean North Korea is administered drugs (cheap energy) like a drug addict?

FYI the definition of the Merriam Unabridged. (Googling didn't help).

  1
  a :  to smear or lubricate with dope

  b :  to apply dope to (as the fabric of an airplane or balloon)

  2
  a :  to introduce an adulterant into (a food) or an additive into (a fluid)

  b :  to treat or impregnate with a foreign substance to impart a desired appearance or property :  doctor

  3
  a :  to give a stupefying or exhilarating drug to :  drug

  b :  to put a stupefying drug into

  c :  to administer a drug to (a horse) to increase or decrease speed in a race

  d :  to induce inaction, apathy, or submissiveness in by a mental diet designed to produce such qualities or attitudes

  4
  slang :  to work out from one's interpretation of available information a forecast about the outcome of (a competition) or the performance or placing of (competitors)

Thank you for your support.


texts: I spilled some powder detergent on the floor

texts:
I know that "spill" will sound natural with "liquid detergent". But will it sound natural with "powder detergent"?

  I spilled some detergent on the floor. (It is a "powder detergent", not a liquid one)

Is the use of "spill" natural here?


texts: famous is to infamous as impressive is to what?

texts: I'm looking for the word that would describe something that's impressive but in a negative way. At first I was thinking "ridiculous" but it doesn't necessarily invite ridicule.


texts:
I thought it was hard at school.
If my response on such phrase is:

I also did.

or

Me too.

Does it mean the same and it doesn't contain any difference? Which response is more popular in this context?


texts: Question about ambiguty in meaning of "corruption" and " have been shaken" in the context

texts:
Cengiz Aktar agrees that Turkey has changed since the military became directly involved in politics. But he says the country remains at risk for corruption.

"The police and justice have been shaken and destabilized. Therefore we don’t know who will ensure the public order, with that many criminals there in the streets of the country.”

........... ..... http://m.learningenglish.voanews.com/a/turkey-prisoners-india-elections/1879212.html

...............

I have my doubts if the word "corruption" here has to do with "a change" (according to longman second meaning ) or it is about dishonest behaviour.   And also " have been shaken" . Does it mean become shocked?

Second meaning of corruption.
http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/corruption


texts: Do you use "like walking" or "like to walk"?

texts:
OK, my German friend asked me this the other day and I couldn't give her an answer! Native English speaker for 27 years and it's still hard for me, ha-ha.

  Do you like to walk?
  Do you like walking?

What is correct?
Are they both correct?

Obviously we can substitute 'walk' for many other verbs, so is there a rule here or something?


texts:
"Anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction."

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/02/news/economy/trump-obama-economy/index.html?iid=SF_LN


texts: Are the following sentences grammtically correct

texts:
Hello I don't know if the following sentences are grammatically correct

It's weird how we aren't on the same time.
It's weird that we aren't on the same team.
I like how you can fly
I like that you can fly


texts: "Walking makes him feel good." - Why don't we use "makes him feels good"?

texts:
I'm confused on why the following is correct.

  Walking makes him feel good.

Since "him" is the third person (he/she/it). Shouldn't it be:

  Walking makes him feels good.

This sounds wrong, but how can I explain?  Does the verb agreement not play when it is regarding the object of the subject?


texts: "In section 2 of the text" or "in the section 2 of the text"? Articles with numbers

texts:
Which is correct usage of "the" while mentioning about sections?

  You can find smth in section 2 of the text.

or

  You can find smth in the section 2.

Should we rather use as follows?

  you can find smth in the comments section.

or

  you can find smth in comments section.


texts: which prep. should I use when I use the word "experience"?

texts:
I am writing a personal statement for university application. And I want to demonstrate that some experience let me be interested in this subject. These experiences are about work, internship and other social activities. So, I want to know which sentence is correct?

  my experience in internship, work and social activities relating to business allowed me to became interested in business analytics.
  my experience of internship, work and social activities relating to business allowed me to became interested in business analytics.
  my experience with internship, work and social activities relating to business allowed me to became interested in business analytics.


texts: tip the hat -- what exactly does that mean? (context: helicopters)

texts:
From the action movie San Andreas (2015) starring Dwayne Johnson as the main character.

A rescue team in a helo with a bunch of reporters on board making a documentary about the dangers of rescue operations are flying to save a girl who is hanging on a cliff in her car and is about to go down. But the problem is that the location is very difficult to get at because the car is stuck in a narrow ravine. So, they need to tilt their helicopter and somehow squeeze it into this narrow ravine so that they can get closer to her and take her up. Here's what they say:

  — Man, I don't see a way in.
  — We're gonna tip the hat.
  — Tip the hat?
  — Yeah. You might wanna hold on to something. Here we go.

I presume this is a slang term that only search and rescue professionals use. Tip obviously means to tilt, but what is hat supposed to mean?

The stills from the movie:


texts:
I was reading a text on archaeology came across with:

  Often these objects lie buried in the ground, so our image of the archaeologist is of a scientist who is always digging.

I think buried in the ground is a adjectival phrase. But I guess the author tries to make point of objects that lied beneath the earth. Could I have your comments ?
Thanks.


texts: How to express when a child takes too many mouthfuls at once?

texts:
People should not take too many mouthfuls at once and should chew thoroughly each of the mouthfuls one at a time.

It may be harmful to your guts if you don't do that.

My child don't often do that.

What is the idiomatic way to express it?

Do you say "please chew this mouthful thoroughly before taking another one"?


texts:
I came across the word homey in the movie Coach Carter. That's how it was:

  Lyle, why don't you shut up your mouth before I close it for good?
  You didn't do shit either the whole game.
  What, homey? [...]


texts: The use of the present perfect before the word "until"

texts:
I have recently heard a native English speaker use the present perfect before the word until. For example:

  What the guy does with his body is something out of this world. I have never seen anything like that. Until a few days later when I saw a guy who did somothing even more impressive.

Isn't it ungrammatical. Would it be more natural to use the past perfect there? For example:

  What the guy does with his body is something out of this world. I had never seen anything like that. Until a few days later when I saw a guy who did somothing even more impressive.

If it is not more natural to use the present perfect, then could you explain why?


texts: How to say "something can replace something else" in a more precise way

texts:
I want to say that, for example, by eating apples, you could also eat bananas, but you do not have to eat bananas.

Probably I can say: "eating apples can replace eating bananas", but I think there are a more precise way to express it.

Is it "go without"? (Eating apples goes without eating bananas), or something else?

(For people who knows Arabic, I search for the meaning of يُغني عن)


texts:
Which one is right & why?

  I manage agriculture and fabrication business.
  I manage agriculture and fabrication businesses.

Also, is an article needed before agriculture and fabrication?


texts: The difference in the meaning of the two mentioned sentences?

texts:
That is an actually sufficient account.
  That is actually a sufficient account.

What is the difference in the meaning of 1 and 2?

Are both 1 and 2 correct gramatically?

If both mean the same, which one is more idiomatic?


texts: ‘Fifty pence’, ‘fifty pence piece’ or ‘fifty pence pieces’?

texts: May you tell me what is the difference among them? I see these three words in one paper and I feel these words are the same meaning.


texts: What do you call a balcony above another balcony in a stadium? As you can see, there's 2 balconies, or balcony section separated by a LCD panels and I was wondering if these balconies were even called balconies. If they're not called balconies, what are they called and what do you call the upper-most balcony?


texts: What's the meaning of "latching his case"?

texts:
“I’m not sure that I can accept all your theories.”
  Pescatelli smiled, as though he’d lured Augustinto a trap.
  “That’s why I need Kirk to shoot the ghosts,” he said, “I need to shore up the points in the  book.  I gave him a list of every ghost I knew of in town.”
  Idiot, August thought, Pescatelli was an idiot.  But he nodded, content to let Pescatelli  think he won a valuable hill in their war of wills.
  “As you say,” he said, latching his case.

What's the meaning of this "latching his case". I don't think that's an idiom because I can't find it anywhere on the Internet.

Thanks!


texts: when I meet a friend who is a foreigner and come to my country. I ask him: "who have u come with?"

texts:
when I meet a friend who is a foreigner and come to my country.
I wanna ask him "who have u come with?"
does this sound natural?


texts: is it correct to ask "Is the class still on at 3?" . is there a better way to as this question?

texts:
I have my singing class at 3
and need to confirm with my instructor. Is this the right way to ask the question?


texts: "Does that mean to kill" or "does that mean killing", Which one is the proper one, and why?

texts:
Should I say:

  What is the English translation of 'ermorden', does it mean "to kill"?

  What is the English translation of 'ermorden', does it mean "killing"?

I don't know which one to use, although "Does it mean to kill?" seems the right one, I feel like I'm missing something. May you guys tell me which one is grammatically correct and why?


texts: Should I say "education for women" or "education of women"?

texts:
Given the following pie charts:

  The pie charts above show the highest level of education of women in Someland in 1945 and in 2005.

I have been told that the following sentence should be corrected as follows:

Original sentence

  The two pie charts compare the highest level of education of women in
  Someland between 1945 and 2005 as percentage of the entire female
  population

Corrected sentence

  The two pie charts compare the highest level of education for women in
  Someland between 1945 and 2005 as percentage of the entire female
  population

Why is the original sentence wrong?


texts: How do we pronounce the 's' in 'has the' regarding American Accent?


texts:
Are both of these sentences correctly ordered?

  The Dutch are better at speaking English than the Danish.

  The Dutch are better than the Danish at speaking English.

Does the order matter here?


texts: Abbreviate Exercise(s), Example(s), Lemma(s)

texts:
In mathematical texts, we sometimes shorten "Definition" to "Def." and "Definitions" to "Defs." when used with numbers, e.g.:

  According to Defs. 1, 2, and 4, ...

We sometimes use similar abbreviations for Figure (Fig., Figs.), Theorem (Thm., Thms.), Problem (Prob., Probs.), Proposition (Prop., Props.), and Corollary (Cor., Cors.).  I believe them to be correct.  If you disagree,  I'd be eager to hear your arguments. (Assume for simplicity that there are no restrictions from the publisher or no publisher at all.)

I'm still fighting with

Exercise, Exercises
Example, Examples, and
Lemma, Lemmas.

How to abbreviate these six words correctly? (Established abbreviations which may or may not be correct from the viewpoint of the English language are treated in a different question.)

P.S. Please don't ask why we wish to to abbreviate. Just take it for granted. Also assume that the publisher (if present) has no restrictions on this.


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

texts:
However it was, no one from the Poyser family went to church that afternoon except Hetty and the boys. Source

Is this "however" similar to "whyever"?

"How" can mean "why" as in "how is that?", so I thought this applied in this case too.


texts: the specific usage of the word "predicate"

texts: As the Oxford Dictionary puts it, one of the meaning of "predicate" is to asser something about someone or something, but It gives an example I cannot get. Here goes: "Aggression is predicated of those who act aggressivly". I suppose this means that people who act aggressivly embody agression itself, tell me please if I am right or wrong


texts: "How far is it from here? VS "How far is it from here to there?"

texts:
Imagine you are talking about the distance between two states like NYC and Texas. You are in NYC and don't know what is the precise distance and your friend who you're talking to is aware. You want to ask them. You would probably ask:

  How far is it from here to there?

I guess the bold part is redundant and whereas you are indicating Texas by the pronoun "it", the part "to there" can be omitted without any change in meaning.
But My question is that if I guess right and then if saying the sentence in the way it is (without removing "to there" would be considered a mistake or not?


texts: the difference between 'may have been', ‘may have’, and ‘may’?

texts:
1) the increase of pollution may have been linked to industrialization

  2) the increase of pollution may have linked to industrialization

  3) the increase of pollution may link to industrialization

It seems to me that the first sentence is wrong, but it is from my supervisor.
The second sentence emphasizes the influence of industrialization has existed a while,
The third sentence simply states the hypothesis without indicating duration.


texts:
Please help me to understand when and how to use is and are with a verb?

  Your letter is not yet come/came.
  Tree is fallen on him.
  Train is arrived.
  current is Gone
  He is died due to cancer.

Also, if I use has instead of is does it change the meaning?


texts:
The second term is shadowed by the first term.

I tend to mean that the first term is much bigger than the second term. Of course we can use the word 'dominated' here. But this word has been used many times in my paper, so I would like to rephrase it somehow.

Is 'shadowed' a good or appropriate choice?

It is a scientific paper about quantum mechanics.


texts: "I am calling to know" VS "I am calling to ask"

texts:
I was going to open a conversation with my doctor over the phone with

  I am calling to know whether my blood test result is ready.

Before doing so, I've read this topic (on forum.wordreference.com). Now, I am wondering what the difference between these two

  I am calling to know whether my blood test result is ready.

  I'm calling to ask whether my blood test result is ready.

and why the former is completely unnatural and I have to replace it with "ask", but the next might work in a certain context

  I'd like to know whether my blood test result is ready.

What is wrong with "know" and why shouldn't I use it to give a reason why I'm calling?

You are welcome to correct the part "my blood test result is ready" if it sounds weird and unnatural to you.


texts:
I have seen many times the structure 'photograph + object + -ing,' but I rarely saw 'photograph + object + infinitive.'

Do native English speakers say or write that way?


texts: Wondeing what the difference would be if we change place of " people" & " republic" in following sentence

texts:
The "Donetsk People's Republic" refuses to recognise the Kiev authorities. ( The actuall text taken from BBC , this is the caption of this picture:
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/74319000/jpg/_74319873_donetskgroupap.jpg )

"The Donetsk Republic" people refuses to recognise the Kiev authorities.

when I look at the picture with actuall caption, I cannot figure out whether it is talking about people in the picture or a group in governing ...


texts: In a negative-intergative sentence, whether NOT before subject or after subject?

texts:
I'm a boy.
I'm happy.
I'm eating rice.
I eat rice.
I have eaten rice.
I'm here.
I'm in Canada.

What would be negative questions for all above? I'm confused sometimes "NOT" sits before subject like Isn't she a girl?, and sometimes after subject like Am I not here? Is there any restriction about NOT (before or after subject), and is there changes in meanings?


texts: Verb form in secondary clause when main clause uses an auxiliary

texts:
Microwave heating can offer rapid and homogeneous heating and thus avoids
  unwanted temperature gradients.

I'm confused about whether to use a singular or plural verb in the secondary clause of a sentence where the main clause has an auxiliary verb (in this case, can).

Further, how would the meaning of the sentence change if avoids was replaced with avoid?


texts:
Can I say "How so sure?" to question the validity of a claim.
For example:

  A) They will lose.

  B) How so sure?

Is it grammatical? If yes then is it common and natural?


texts:
"She is at the point of her death."

Here, 'at the point of her death' is said to be an adverbial phrase by the textbook which modifies the finite verb 'is'. But I thought it is an adjective phrase modifying the subject 'she'. If I am wrong, where and how?


texts: Why "getting THE nails into fence" but "hammering _ nails"?

texts:
Why there is no "the" in the second case? For me both of this cases look identical.

  His father gave him a bag full of nails. (...) On the first day he hammered in 37 nails, but getting the(1) nails into the fence was not
  easy. As the days went by, he was hammering in less nails, and within weeks he
  was able to refrain from getting angry
  and from hammering the(2) nails.


texts:
Good morning!

How can I refer to the conferral of rights on citizens? As the grant or the granting of rights?


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "pack in" in context

texts:
It is from this article.

  Get ready to pack in the protein, healthy fats, and fiber.

Does it mean to include?


texts:
My desire to become an excellent accountant makes me enthusiastic, motivated, focused, and an excellent fit for this job.

Is it right to put a comma before "and" ?


texts: What is the general understanding of "graduation"?

texts:
Collins Dictionary defines the word "graduation" as below.

Graduation is the successful completion of a course of study at a
university, college, or school, for which you receive a degree or
diploma.

If someone has finished his/her "certificate program" at school, do you still say "He/She is graduated from (school name)?


texts: "it depends how" or "it depends on how"?

texts:
Is it needed to use the preposition on in the following sentence?

  The amount of cardio people do generally depends (on) how many calories they eat.


texts:
Is there an idiom that means "merely"? I remember there's this idiom used in movies for dramatic effect, but I forgot what it was for some reason. It was something like "If the littlest thing happened to her", but more general so that it could be replaced with merely. It was used to threaten violence.

For example:

  If you merely touch her while I am gone, you will be a dead man.


texts: subject-verb agreement when 'amount' is used

texts:
Even a small amount of gases have / has a large effect.

This sentence is an exerpt from a reading passage, which is talking about CO2 in global warming. It says CO2 accounts for only 0.038% in the atmosphere, and then the example sentence 'Even a small amount of gases have / has a large effect.' appears.

Which is the most appropriate answer?

If gases is the subject, and it is plural, the correct answer would be 'have'.
If the subject is a small amount, then the answer would be 'has'.

What do we see as the subject here? Can both be the subject?


texts: what is the difference between "She is getting crazy" and "She is going crazy"?

texts:
What is the difference between "get" and "go" when expressing states?
For example, "She is getting crazy" vs "She is going crazy".
and "I'm getting online to check my Facebook" vs "I'm going online to check my Facebook"?
According to my research, it seems that "get" can be used for both positive and negative feelings, for example, "she is getting upset" and "she is getting excited".
And "go" is normally used for negative feelings, for example, "She went insane"
However, "go online" doesn't carry native meanings.
Also, "get" is often used in continuous tenses and "go" might not be used in continuous tenses, but I am not sure.
Finally, I think we can only remember phrases by phrases, there is no way to make sense of them.


texts:
Which of these is used correctly?

It were them.
It was them.
It was they.
It were they.

I actually think the "it" is an expletive indicator so noun is whether them or they and since both are plural, the correct one should be 1 or 4. Is that right?


texts:
I wrote,

  In these systems, in a supervised manner, the user specifies the desired items on one or more example pages and the system automatically generates the extraction rules (the wrapper), and applies it to other web pages with a similar structure.

Should I or can I write it as:

  In these systems, in a supervised manner, the user specifies the desired items on one or more example pages and the system automatically generates the extraction rules, the wrapper, and applies it to other web pages with a similar structure.

In these sentence the wrapper is a name for the same extraction rules (or the name for the output program).. also note I used it to refer to the wrapper, if I want to refer to extraction rules I must use "them", I don't know which should I refer grammatically or if using "it" is ok?!

Update: Also that's not the first definition of wrapper so that I can use "called wrapper", it is just an emphasis

By the way is it fluent to say (repeating in)

  In these systems, in a supervised manner ...


texts:
Irrespective of A, B is always true.
Independent of A, B is always true.

Are these words complete synonyms in this context? Or is there any reason to use one over the other?


texts: Will "Individual ECG findings" be understood as "ECG findings presented on a per-individual basis"?

texts:
There's a table in a document I'm translating: it provides ECG data on patients receiving a drug. The columns are: code of patient (his unique ID), age of patient, date of ECG test, results of ECG test. There are several ECG test results per patient (taken over a year).

If I translate the name of the table word-by-word from Russian as "Individual ECG findings", would this be understood as "ECG findings per individual patient", or would this be understood as "standalone ECG findings"?

I mean, would the adjective "individual" be understood by the reader as "related to this or that particular individual" or rather as "findings considered separately (individually) from other findings"?

From the Cambridge Dictionary:

Maybe I'm "over-thinking" this issue, and the sentence could easily be understood both ways, depending on the context?


texts:
Is it standard English to use the adjective "eligible" for non-human entities?
Dictionaries seems to suggest that "eligible" should only be used with human nouns.


texts: Possible ambiguity in "In addition to the 3 main reasons, there is a 4th reason that has not been widely cited"

texts:
I am wondering if my sentence is ambiguous.

  In addition to the three main arguments, there is a fourth argument that, although important, has not been widely cited.

The "three main arguments" are extensively discussed by experts in the field. But the fourth argument that I am making is poorly cited (meaning that only a few people have mentioned this in passing).

Does my sentence in any way imply or sound like this:

  in addition to the three main not-widely-cited arguments, there is a fourth one ?

The reason I am having this feeling is because of "In addition to" — I feel this is perhaps making it sound like the three main arguments are also not widely cited.

Well, I think my reader would know what I mean because I have given lots of citations on the first three (and only one for the fourth). But I still wonder if my sentence is technically ambiguous or incorrect. On its own, is the sentence flawed?


texts:
The monk seated himself on the beggars’ bench by the door, and
would have naught but cold porridge and water for his supper.

From "Kristin Lavransdatter" by Sigrid Undset.

Does this insinuate some part of end seats of a long bench placed at the entrance of  a house in medieval age?


texts: How do native speakers say 'the light bulb has stopped working'

texts:
Lets say, I want to tell my roommate that one of the lightbulbs has stopped working, I usually say

  The light bulb is gone or broken down.

I did some search related to these expression and it seems that they are not very common and will sound odd to the natives.


texts: Which tense the conditional 1,2 exactly indicate?

texts:
As I far as I know the conditional 1 and 2 indicate only probability.

For example,

  If I see him tomorrow, I will tell him. Indicates high probability to
  see him.

  or If I saw him tomorrow, I would tell him. Indicates less
  probability.

But what is the tense here exactly?

  Can I say If I see him now, I will tell him
  or If i see him now, I would tell him?

My question is based on this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-Np7dmvw0U&t=282s


texts:
so soon they were all seated at Beorn's table, and half had not seen such a gathering for many a year.

Why  is many a year used? Should not many years be used?
What is the difference between many a year and many years?