texts:
What, if anything, should financial risk managers of banks and other
  corporate entities be thinking and doing right now? Will such
  businesses suffer in a world of persistent, unbridled inflation?

  As it happens, corporations are, relative to pensioners, fairly immune
  to inflation. The corporate structure itself is a natural hedge. Debt
  liabilities will lose value during inflationary years, and that's good
  for the debt issuers.

  To the extent that a corporate's balance sheet holds a mix of
  financial and non-financial assets, the fall in asset value may match
  or be less than the drop in debt value. Further unlike the pensioners'
  fixed revenue, both the revenue and the expenses of businesses tend to
  "float" with inflation.

  Professional risk managers, therefore, need not dread the onset of
  inflation. The corporate risk challenge is deflation! In deflation,
  the debt liabilities gain value. The assets of a non-financial
  corporate will likely "underperform the debt" in terms of the
  reaction to inflation.

  While banks own predominantly financial assets that nominally
  appreciate during deflation, the corporate loans among such assets
  will fall in credit quality. In addition, the "floating" aspect of
  income statement expenses can be sticky on the deflationary side. For
  example, societies tend not to accept workers' wage reductions as a
  reasonable consequence of deflation.

  Monetary Policy Risk? Deflation!  By J.M. Pimbley [source]

I have no difficulty in understanding the whole article except for the bold sentence.

When I look up underperform in the dictionaries, they all say it's an intransitive verb. But it's being used as a transitive verb here. What makes this usage justifiable here? What is the purpose of the quotation marks?

Then I remember some action verbs can act as both transitive and intransitive. Take break for example, we can say the bottle broke just now and he broke the bottle just now. I would think it's similar here. Does the sentence mean the assets make the debt underperform - or, to put it another way, the value change of the assets outstrips that of the debt? Is my understanding right?


texts: Why is "do" or "does" not used in questions with "which" and "whose"?

texts:
I am struggling with subject questions. I understand the lack of do/does and did. I also know that this type of questions is formed only in third person singular, and we need to ask ourselves who or what the initiator of given action is.

I want to ask why there are no do/does in questions with which and whose?

Example:

  Which button opens the door?
  Whose car broke down?

Is this another type of question? Maybe, Wh- questions?
I see that question "What opens the door?" and "What broke down?" belong to subject questions. So an answer to subject question will always be what (inferring from previous questions the answers will be The green one and Mine/My car?) and who? Can only who and what be used?


texts: Using Gerund when it looks like Present Continuous

texts:
The problem is getting anybody to admit that.

It's Present Simple + Gerund.

  The problem is getting worse.

It's Present Continuous.

Did I make a mistake? Or is it a well-known ambiguity?


texts: Do we omit the personal pronoun when joining two sentences using conjunction "and"?

texts:
Which is the correct way to join the sentences below using conjunction "and"? Do we need to use personal pronoun "she" as per (2) or can it be omitted as per (1)?

  My mother went shopping. My mother bought me a doll.

  My mother went shopping and bought me a doll.

  My mother went shopping and she bought me a doll.


texts:
I'm currently struggling with some words and how to use them in phrases. I have looked up the word 'inhibit' using the on-line Collins Dictionary, which said:

  To inhibit someone from doing something means to prevent them from
  doing it, although they want to do it or should be able to do it.

I think I now understand this word better. Can you tell me if I have used this word correctly in the following sentence:

  Don't surround yourself with people that try to inhibit who you are.


texts:
What should I use, in this certain situation?

  It will be better if they create private charity, so everyone .... able to join.

What do the dots have to be?.

I was going to put, "can be". however, as they haven't created the event yet, it won't be correct right?

Or "could be", but that's neither in the past nor possibility.

What is the correct answer for the dots? Please provide the detailed information, thank you.


texts:
Photosynthesis is the process in which the plants prepare their own food.
Photosynthesis is a process in which plants prepare their own food.

Which is grammatically correct and what is the difference between the two?


texts: Is the usage of tenses correct in this sentence - "two days had passed since she had last eaten or slept"

texts:
Two days had passed since she had last eaten or slept.

Or should it be:

  Two days have passed since she last ate or slept.

Or something else? And why? The combinatorial explosion of past simple, past perfect and present perfect is killing me.


texts:
I sent few pics to someone and she asked me "why so many pics". When I responded with "I always take this many pics", she told me that there is something wrong with the sentence.

As per other forums, "this many" works when talking about specific number. But I don't see any example of the same. If I have specific number, then use of "many" is not even justified.

Is there something I am missing about the use of "this many". If I were to use "this many" in above conversation, what modification will be needed to fix this?

Edit:

More context. I have a rule of sending pictures from one specific place every time. Since I normally take pics while in the cab, they get blurry. So, I take multiple and send the best one across. This time, I sent all the pictures instead. Hence the question on her part. I just want to mention to her that this 3-4 pictures thing is usual. In that case, I am unsure if "this many" is correct. It is just something, no one I know can satisfactorily answer, hence this post.


texts:
TOKYO, June 21 (Reuters) - Japanese government bond prices slipped on Thursday, as a lull in China-U.S. trade conflict soothed nerves and curbed investor demand for safe-haven debt.
  JGBs were pressured as Japanese stocks stretched gains amid the continuing ebb in risk aversion with the Nikkei rising 0.65 percent. Reuters

Hi, what does "stretched gains" mean here?

When I looked for strentch on Longman, it says:

  [intransitive, transitive] if you make an amount of money, food etc stretch or it stretches, you use less of it than you usually would so that you have it for a longer time Longman

Does it mean Japanese stocks are using less gains?


texts: Singular form of the word dice is a die but is it old fashion? Are we still using the word die for addressing a die today?


texts:
I was taught that subordinate conjunctions are used to link a dependent clause to an independent one.

This example was given recently in an English Grammar website and now I am confused:

"It is so cold outside, so I brought you a jacket"

Why is SO (subordinate conj.) being used, when the second clause  "I brought you a jacket" is clearly an independent clause?

Only when the conjunction is added to it, does it become dependent.  Surely then, that is missing the point?

Looking forward to your clarification on this.
Thank you in advance


texts:
Is it correct to use recently in the following indirect speech:

  John: I have seen it recently.

One year later ...

  Ben: John said that he had seen it recently.


texts:
What is the difference between them in terms of meaning?

  Everywhere you go nowadays people seem to be speaking English.

  Everywhere you go nowadays people seem to speak English.


texts:
Which one is correct?

  which can help in protecting childeren from ...

OR

  which can help protecting children from ..


texts: A verb to say "treating several things the same way"

texts:
I look for a verb to say something like "to treat several things the same way"
Suppose following sentences I made with a fake verb "put difference"

I put no difference between my children
I put no difference between you and the other customers
They put no difference between educated and ordinary people


texts: Can anyone tell the meaning of this word "sea late"?

texts:
Here is the original sentence

  He passed by finishing line five kilometres out to sea late on Friday.

What is the meaning of "sea late" in this sentence? I don't get it.


texts: Using "in" for describing people's outfits

texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences?

There was a woman in red earrings.
There was a woman with red earrings.
There was a woman with wearing red earrings.

I understand that "in" can use with clothes like "a man in the grey suit.", but I'm not sure I can use "in" with other things like earrings and necklaces, etc.
What is the difference between the highlighted sentences, and can I use in with items of jewelry such as earrings?


texts:
How should I convey the following concept as a native in a business letter:

Also, it is worth informing you that...

Also, it is worth telling you that...

Also, it is worthy to inform you that...

Also, it is worthy to tell you that...

In case my suggestions do not sound idiomatic / natural for you, I am wide open to hear other suggestions.


texts: to see "accomplished" or to see "being accomplished"?

texts:
The goal, which they are unlikely to live to see ____, is to “cure, prevent or manage all diseases” in the next 80 years or so.

Which one is better for to fit the sentence, accomplished or being accomplished?
I think either one is correct, "accomplished” is like the shortened one of "being accomplished."
The answer given, however, is "accomplished," I don't understand why.


texts:
An individual who has not reached puberty is called prepubescent. Can we call them a "minor"? Or can we call them 'non-adult'? Note that, we are not referring to their legal right, but only physical strength for sexuality is meant in the context. Such as:

  i. A prepubescent can't make a child.

  ii. A minor can't make a child.

  iii. A non-adult can't make a child.

Problem with the last two is that a person who is under the age of 18 can still make a child though.


texts:
What's the right word for describing a short quote from an opera libretto?

  "I quoted this fragment from "The Magic Flute" opera just now
  because..."?

or

  "I quoted this passage from "The Magic Flute" opera just now
  because..."?

or

  "I quoted this portion from "The Magic Flute" opera just now
  because..."?

or

  "I quoted this stretch from "The Magic Flute" opera just now
  because..."?

or what?


texts:
I am walking on the mud, down and dirty!

What does "down" mean?


texts: Is there any difference to say on the phone " this is John" or " It's John"

texts:
Suppose I phoned my friend's house or a firm where people dont know me .

Is there any difference to say on the phone "Hi, this is John " or "Hi, It's John"  in terms of politeness or formality?

or is there any other alternative ways (more polite) to introduce ourselves on the phone especially for business calls?

thanks


texts:
I just want to ask my friend to send me his phone number once again.

  Two weeks ago I reset my smartphone. Thus, I lost some important numbers [as yours -or- your]. Therefore, it would be great if you wrote me by whatsapp to get your number again.


texts:
Which one is right, respectively? and why?

Interns received an orientation to acquaint them/themselves with the facilities.

Birds use the stars to guide them/themselves.

Birds need the stars to guide them/themselves.

I use newspapers to keep me/myself posted.

I want newspapers to keep me/myself posted.

I eat this food to make me/myself healthy.

I want this food to make me/myself healthy.


texts: The meaning of "bear away the empty cup on the knee"

texts:
'The King turned to the tables, and held him out his own cup of wine.
  The old man drank, and beckoned behind him, and, before all the
  Normans, my Hugh bore away the empty cup, Saxon-fashion, upon
  the knee.

This is from "The Tree of Justice" in Rewards and Fairies by Kipling.

http://www.telelib.com/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/prose/RewardsFaries/treejustice.html

I do not understand the meaning of below.

bear away the empty cup on the knee
Because the old man  and Hugh are both standing.

I am so glad if somebody kindly teach me.


texts: Which one is more appropriate, "only loves baseball" or "loves only baseball"?

texts:
I asked a question just now.

I am not sure if this sentence is grammatical and idiomatic.

  the guy only loves baseball in the scope of available options.

Is this case, which one is more appropriate, "only loves baseball" or "loves only baseball"?


texts: Any rule of thumb in technical writing - conceptual cases

texts:
In technical writing, if someone writes as his first sentence in a "conceptual introduction"...

  One can reconstruct a 3D wireframe model by fixing vertices where relevant edges meet.
  It can be reconstructed a 3D wireframe model by fixing vertices where relevant edges meet.
  A 3D wireframe model can be reconstructed by fixing vertices where relevant edges meet.

What would be most suitable (1, 2 , 3 or something else), or acceptable to the scientific community?

Is there any rule to be followed, especially in a situation like a conceptual introduction?


texts:
What are the differences between these sentences?

  It was a true mistake.

  It was such a true mistake


texts:
Source:  http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/responding-to-irom-sharmila/article8970888.ece

What is meant by the bold portion in this context

Reading the intent behind Ms. Sharmila’s decision to pick up the threads of a personal life is akin to a Rorschach test.


texts: Question in Past tense vs. Question in Passive

texts:
I was reading about Passive in the book "Essential Grammar in use" by Raymond Murphy,

In page no.52 , I found an example that confused me,

  'Was anybody injured in the accident?'
  'Yes, two people were taken to the hospital.'

The question can also be like the below example with Past tense, right?

  'Did anybody get injured in the accident?'

Is there any difference in meaning between the above two examples?

Which one is more common?

Please clarify. Thanks in advance.


texts: Meaning of the word "reflect" in this context

texts:
Does the sentence

  "The quote reflects a Catholic view of heaven."

mean the same, as the sentence

  "The view expressed in the quote is what Catholic Church teaches about
  heaven"?


texts: The meaning of "asked of" in this sentence

texts:
“What is it about these people who are drawn to the top of the pyramid?” Mr Kinnear asked of the Macbeths in a break between rehearsals.

The sentence is from an article. What does "asked of the Macbeths" mean in the passage? Does it mean that Kinnear actually referred to the Macbeths when he was talking about "these people"?


texts:
I have to correct the sentence: I haven't seen Peter since he begins seeing his new girlfriend.
The correct answer is: I haven't seen Peter since he began seeing his new girlfriend.
I thought I could use the present perfect in the since clause because is a fact that initiates in the past and continues in the present.

  Could I use "I haven't seen Peter since he has begun seeing his new girlfriend" ?


texts: What's the difference between "word for word" and "word by word"?

texts:
I have read a sentence :

  I memorize a sentence word for word.

I wonder: what's the difference between "word by word" and "word for word" ? Why use "for"? What's the meaning of "for" here?


texts: What is the meaning of "hold himself" and "in reverse" in this text?

texts:
He knew when to attack and when to remain upon the defensive, when to press on the enemy and when to hold himself in reserve and let the enemy follow his own devices.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts: What does "No need to email yet in between" mean exactly?

texts:
Having a conversation with a native speaker by sms service, I am having difficulty to understand what it means exactly when someone says "no need to email yet in between" in the following context (me, as the actor A and the native, as the actor B):

  A: Please just use this sms service for our important issues, and send email for our general communication.

  B: Let's use this sms service for our important issues. No need to email yet in between.

Does that mean that I am expected to send just emails instead of sms service?


texts:
Example with a context:

  Here's a possibility. Desires, at the very least, seem to be, at least in typical cases, very closely tied to a series of emotions. You get excited when you're playing chess at the prospect of capturing my queen and crushing me. You get worried when your pieces are threatened. Of course, more generally, you get excited, your heart goes pitter-pat, when your girlfriend or boyfriend says they love you. Your stomach sinks, you have that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, when you get a bad grade on a test.

What does this word mean? Sorry but I couldn't find any definitions online, so I'm asking here.


texts: What is the word for sound of continuous water falling from pipes

texts:
What is the word for sound of continuous water falling. For example, Water falling on floor, through pipes may be due to overflow.

Slosh, burble, gurgle, gargle, splash and sploosh etc are few words I have searched in online dictionary, but I am unable to figure out exact word.


texts:
Anyone who has successfully improved intonation in a non-native environment?

I consider myself as an expert of English grammar as well as when it comes expressing myself in speaking. At least that is what most of the native speakers I have been lucky to have a chat on Skype say. The area of improvement I am constantly suggested is 'intonation'. I do realize that my voice does not go up and down like it should. It's rather plain and dull. I figured it's partly due to the fact that I get nervous and start speaking faster. When I speak slower the intonation is relatively good but still not good enough.

Now I have my IELTS academic exam next month and I want to work on this aspect of my speaking. I am no the way to come somewhere near a native level. I just want to improve enough to not sound so bland as I do now.

The only possible way to improve intonation I have come across are YouTube videos where you repeat what is being said in the video. Has anyone tried that?

If you have any other suggestion to improve intonation, please share.


texts: along with / together with / put together

texts:
The new Christmas card [along with / together with] the letter has to be sent out.

When I was writing a short message to my little sister, I came up with a few questions:

If I use "has", does this imply that the new Christmas card and the letter will be put into the same envelope?
If I use "have", does this imply that the new Christmas card and the letter will be sent out separately?
Are along with and together with interchangeable?
What if I rewrite the above sentence this way?

  The new Christmas card and the letter have to be put together into same envelope before sending them out.


texts: When and why I have to omit copulas (linking verbs) from a sentence sometimes?

texts:
When I read the definition of the "verb" in Oxford dictionary, that's what I found:

  Verb: a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence, such as hear,
  become, happen.

The way that intuitively I would write the same thing was:

  a word that is used to describe an action, state, or occurrence,
  and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence, such as
  hear, become, happen.

Then my question is when and why we can or we should omit such copula (linking verb) from a sentence? (As a English learner who 'follows the book' and put always the linking verbs in such cases I don't have yet the privilege to economy verbs and say what necessary to say only without to be wordy, that's why I'm looking for a rule or something like that to make me closer to the native English speakers)


texts:
Which one is correct in English language? For example:

  Oh no, they are never gonna stop!

or

  Oh no, they never gonna stop!


texts: Is "There will be no" valid in meaning of "There will not be"?

texts:
Yesterday I got a message that

  "There will be no introduction lecture"

Now, I'm not sure if it's a mistake or it's another grammatical way to say

  "There will not be a lecture".

If they are both valid, is there a difference between them? (such as register, etc.)


texts:
Which one of the following two sentences is correct?

  They have had a real good time.

  They have had a really good time.

I think both of them are correct because real can also be used as adjective to emphasize something.


texts: What exactly is connoted with "bumper-sticker wisdom"?

texts: Does "bumper-sticker wisdom" always have a negative connotation in the sense of "truisms/platitudes/bromides that are short enough to fit on a bumper sticker"? If not, what is usually connoted with this expression? Í'm still not sure about it after having consulted a couple of websites.


texts:
In the following sentence, the verbs 'explain and complete' are used and there is no noun after 'as'. How can this be explained in terms of grammar rules? Thanks.

The simple subject, with such words as explain or complete its meaning, forms the complete subject.

Kittredge , Farley and; Kittredge , Farley and. An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises (Kindle Location 760). Kindle Edition.


texts: What is the difference between spare time and leisure time and free time?

texts:
For example,
After the kid goes to the school, she has more "free time" or "leisure time" or "spare time".
Are these words all correct in this sentence? If so, what is difference and which one is most common in colloquial English?


texts:
How to form tag questions with may/might?

  Polar bears may / might die of starvation, may / might not they?

or

  Polar bears may / might die of starvation, may / might they not?


texts:
He just want to rough me and eat food.

I searched online dictionaries for rough as a verb but there is not any meaning fits with that sentence well.
So could you please tell me what the meaning is here?
The fuller text is here:

Me and Morufu, we don’t talk much. He is always so busy with his
farming and taxi-driving work from early morning till night.
Sometimes, he will call me to his room, make me to stand in his front
with my hand in my back, and ask me question as if he a doctor. He
will ask me if I am having pregnants yet or if my monthly visitor have
come because he want me to quick and carry pregnants and born a boy,
but most times, he just want to rough me and eat food. I keep to
drinking the drink Khadija make for me, from a dark bottle full of
bitter leafs and ginger. When it is my turn with Morufu, I will take a
quick cap of it, go to his room, and watch him swallow his own
Fire-Cracker, before I am making myself a dead body so that he can
rough me. I am hoping that maybe after six months or something like
that, he will see that no pregnant is ever coming, and he can send me
go back to my papa. Maybe.

The girl with louding voice by Abi Dare.


texts:
Fill in the blanks:

  In prediction markets, no individual opinions are excluded. Everyone can give an opinion. Also, since the group's decision is arrived at
  ________ , no one is forced to change their opinion.

  statistics ||| 2. statistic ||| 3.statistically ||| 4. statistical ||| 5.statistician

(Question from Inside Reading 4)

The answer of the book is "3. statistically". But I think it sounds odd. My instructor somehow justified the answer but he also said that maybe something is missing here. If it is the correct answer, I want to know why and if it is not, then what is the correct answer? (I think maybe "1. statistics" is the correct answer)


texts:
I came across these two sentences in a paper and I felt wrong:

  One reason is vast literature that now exists in Cognitive Grammar and in cognitive linguistics more generally; thanks to limited accessibility, and its being situated in the Western linguistic tradition, this poses special problems for Chinese scholars.

My version goes like:

  One reason is that vast literature  now exists in Cognitive Grammar and in cognitive linguistics in general; due to limited accessibility, and its being situated in the Western linguistic tradition, this poses special problems for Chinese scholars.

So there should be three mistakes, right? Honestly, I'm not sure if "more generally" should be changed into "in general."

The second part of the revised version still sounds strange, so I rewrit it again:

  One reason is that vast literature  now exists in Cognitive Grammar and in cognitive linguistics in general; due to limited accessibility, and its being situated in the Western linguistic tradition, Congitive Grammar poses special problems for Chinese scholars.

Do the sentences sound OK now?


texts:
Example:

  The procedure (well actually two procedures) listing is on the next two pages. I expect that since you've gotten this far, you'll be able to follow the perambulations if you read carefully. Still, I'd better prepare you with a few explanatory notes first.

What exactly does that word mean? I tried to look it up online in dictionaries, but I don't think I was able to find any clear definitions for it. There was only the verb form listed in them which mostly had something to do with walking.


texts: "relax" or "relaxing"? -- I hope you are having some rest and relaxing at the end of the year

texts:
I am sending someone a message, and I started with this:

  Good day. I hope you are having some rest and relaxing at the end of the year.

is it correct to use the -ing in the relaxing word?


texts: Is "schwa" sound voiced or unvoiced sound?

texts: I wonder schwa sound [ə] such as but, cut, sub in weak form etc. is voiced or unvoiced sound. Thank you!


texts: I WISH that I could get some clarification in the use of "wish"

texts:
I would like to use "wish" to say the following... and then I realize I am not entirely sure how to use wish grammatically

"Do you wish the system to shutdown?"

"Do you wish for the system to shutdown?"

EDIT:

I am NOT asking for the distintion of meaning between wish and want. In fact I will edit out the want part (it was just to help possible replies).
I am asking for the correct usage of wish.


texts: How can I translate Italian "farla"/"farlo"?

texts:
In Italian, I could write a sentence like the following.

  Porto l'auto da mio cugino per farla riparare.

It means I am taking my car to my cousin's, where somebody will fix it. It doesn't explicitly says the person who would fix it (e.g. it could be my cousin, or any person my cousin called and asked to go to his house), but it's clear that I would not be involved in fixing it. My only involvement will be, roughly, limited to taking my car to my cousin's. (I could be asked, for example, to switch on/off the engine while somebody else checks it.)

I tried to translate in English similar sentences containing farla/farlo, but Google Translate uses the infinitive of the verb (e.g. to fix it), or the passive (e.g. to be fixed).

Is there a way I could translate that sentence without losing its meaning, and without using a too much long sentence (i.e. I am taking my car to my cousin's where somebody will fix it)?


texts:
I want snacking.

Is this correct to say?

You want to eat something or have some snack is the intended meaning.


texts: Is there a word for enlarging a building?

texts: Let's say that you have an old Cathedral and you want to build a spire on top of the cathedral and thus expanding it. I don't think renovating is the word, because it doesn't carry the meaning that it's going to be expanded through construction. It only implies that some parts of it will be repaired or remodeled.


texts:
I don't remember which spelling I was told, but always use install. I recently discovered the expression a new instalment and my dictionary indicates the spelling installment in the US, which led me to check whether instal also exists. Surprisingly to me install and instal are listed equivalent and without reference to a specific country.

I'm curious about the use of each spelling in British and American English.
By the way, my Firefox spelling dictionary redlines the single l version as I write this question.


texts: Adjective phrase for a list of something

texts:
I wrote:

  After selecting a filter designed for a specific website (e.g. Wikipedia), click on 'Sample article' on the top corner of the filter list to load a sample page for testing the filter.

by "filter list" I mean this part, which is a list of filters:

Now, what is called? "Filter List" or "Filters List" or ...?


texts: Can "quite" modify adjectives and adverbs in the comparative degree?

texts:
They laughed, they cried, but it was not quite better than ''Cats.'' They were there, after all, to buy Memories. (The New York Times)
“Oh my God! Wembley Stadium. Yeah, my God. So it’s going to be quite bigger.” It certainly is. The other difference from the time Domingo, Pavarotti and Carreras entertained the multitudes during the Euro 96 football tournament is that this time Domingo won’t be singing a note. (The Telegraph)
I want to take this opportunity to thank Steve Waugh, because to all us youngsters - and I am quite younger than him - he has been an inspiration. (BBC Sport)

My grammar book, written by an Italian teacher, says that "Quite is not used directly before comparatives", but I found several occurences of this usage.
Question is, can we use "quite" directly before comparatives?


texts:
In Isaac Asimov's The Last Question, I came across the following sentence:

  He stirred his drink slowly with a glass rod, watching the cubes of ice slur clumsily about.

I do understand the meaning of "about" here (meaning roughly "here and there"), but I can't find a meaning of "to slur" that fits in this context.

Does it mean to move? To melt? The meaning that I think fits the most is "To soil; to sully; to contaminate; to disgrace." (because the drink is an alcoholic drink, so ice melting could be diluting the drink) but I'm not convinced.


texts: How to specify a particular instant or moment with a noun?

texts:
With only a noun, I wish to refer to the M minute S second of something, such as a video.
For example, here, I used 'mark' but question its correctness. What are apter noun(al) synonyms? Is 'juncture' ?
I ask only for the noun, NOT for a rewrite without the noun.


texts: Why does "it was warranted" use past tense?

texts:
Why does “it was warranted” use past tense?

  I called Ross right before I called my mom, but I don’t tell her that. I slipped up once, telling her I called Ross first for something and her feelings were hurt. I can’t handle guilt trips—I have enough. So I just lie instead, and tell her I’m calling Ross next. I feel like if I ever have to stand before some supreme being who gets to decide if I get into heaven and he brings up this lie—it was warranted. I’d like to think the ultimate judge in this case would understand.


texts: When should I use capital letters after a colon?

texts:
Example:

  "Your head of department called," she said. That was what I liked
  about my mom: S/she never bothered with greetings. Straight to the
  point. "You've been absent for two weeks. What's wrong? Are you sick?"

I'm unsure whether to use She or she.


texts:
Different situations have always called for different types of attention: compare driving to reading a book, both of which require
  very specific types of attention. The modern default  calls
  for fast attention switching. (src)

Could you introduce to me some synonyms for the "default" here? Does it mean something like The modern life calls for fast attention switching?

Is there any rule in English about using the same verb in two consequent sentences? Here are "called for" and "calls for". Is it ok? What synonyms might replace the verb "call for" here?


texts:
He paused; then went on: I don't know that the commanding officer delved so deep as that into his feelings. But he did suffer from them—a sort of disenchanted sadness. It is possible, even, that he suspected himself of folly. Man is various. But he had no time for much introspection, because from the southwest a wall of fog had advanced upon his ship. Great convolutions of vapours flew over, swirling about masts and funnel, which looked as if they were beginning to melt. Then they vanished.

This is a paragraph excerpted from a short story by Joseph Conrad: Tha Tale.
At first glimpse, I thought it is a plain "so adjective as" comparison sentence. I, however, got lost where "that" popped up.

1) I cannot understand why there is "that" right after "as", and what its grammatical function is.

2) I wonder what this sentence means. Does this mean that the narrator(I) doesn't know that the commanding officer delved so deep into something as the commanding officer delved deep into his feelings?


texts: What is the difference between "be prepare to do something" and "be prepare do be doing something"?

texts:
What is the difference between be prepare to do and be prepare do be doing? For example:

I wasn't prepared to live in such horrible conitions. There isn't even a bathroom.
I wasn't prepared to be living in such horrible conitions. There isn't even a bathroom.


texts:
I'm wondering if 'This is the bus for which i waited ' is correct.

If  "for" should be located only after the verb, 'waited', can u plz explain why?

In my understanding, only phrasal verb should be put together and "wait for"is not a phrasal verb but preposition,meaning it can be positioned before which.

Is there any book i can get some reference?


texts: Is the verb 'stand' a state verb or an action verb?

texts:
The flowerpot had stood there for two years.

  The flowerpot had been standing there for two years.

Would you please tell me the differences between them? Actually I was wondering if the second sentence is correct or not.


texts: I can't understand the meaning of the phrase in a book

texts:
So I am very interested what this means: "Resin streaks outline his light switch, and...", because to me it really seems like a bunch of random words.
As I don't understand this piece, I can't say whether the whole sentence will be helpful to figure out what the author is talking about or not, but, just in case, here it is: "Resin streaks outline his light switch, and his bedsheet is pockmarked with black circles".


texts:
Here is a quote from the list of episodes of one Japanese anime:

  After Kazuto explains that he is unable to say what he thinks of
  Suguha until Asuna is rescued, Leafa agrees to help him in the Grand
  Quest this time around, convincing Recon to join them as well.

I am not sure I understand the meaning of this time around here.

Is it like "about this time"? If yes, then it doesn't make sense to me because in the story Leafa agreed to help Kazuto right this time, not "at some time around this time". That was about some dangerous adventure Leafa agreed to embark on with Kazuto, which was not going to be short or easy. That was not a mere appointment that Leafa agreed to show up for "around" some appointed time.

Could it mean "this time again"? That would make more sense to me as in the story Leafa had already helped Kazuto a few times before. However, I don't find the "again" meaning in the definitions of around given in Webster.

The meaning there that is closest to "again" is "again and again" like in "He always jokes around when he needs to be serious", in other words, it's about repetitive actions; but that's again not what is happening in the story: Leafa is not agreeing to be helping him "again and again". In fact, this is the last time she provides help for Kazumo in this story.

So, could it be some other meaning?


texts: Is the where clause restrictive or nonrestrictive in this sentence?

texts:
I'm trying to understand if I should insert a comma before the where clause in this sentence. Could you please help?

  Simon could hear laughter from the garage where a loud drinking game was being played by his brothers.

Can I treat the where clause as nonrestrictive here, since the main clause seems to be "Simon could hear laughter from the garage," along with extra information after "where"? Or is the where clause restrictive because it is supplying important information linked to the laughter in the main clause?


texts: What does "confusing often rudimentary" mean in this context? It seems grammatically wrong.

texts:
Direct observation of contemporary societies at the threshold of
  widespread literacy has not assisted our understanding of how such
  literacy altered ancient Greek society, in particular its political
  culture. The discovery of what Goody has called the “enabling effects”
  of literacy in contemporary societies tends to seduce the observer
  into confusing often rudimentary knowledge of how to read with popular
  access to important books and documents: this confusion is then
  projected onto ancient societies. “In ancient Greece,” Goody writes,
  “alphabetic reading and writing was important for the development of
  political democracy.”

Can someone explain the bold part? The part "confusing often rudimentary knowledge" sounds grammatically wrong for me, and because of the part I cannot get the meaning of the whole sentence.


texts:
"Did you ever" what? "Did you ever fancy"?

Richard Dawkins tweeted just now:

So-called idiots savants, calculating prodigies etc elicit a “just fancy that”, “well, did you ever?” amazement. But isn’t their existence telling us something important? When we compare brains with computers, we forget that some brains can near-instantly deliver cube roots.


texts: Adjectives to describe large or small diameter?

texts: I am looking for adjectives to describe the size of tube shape objects such as a rope, stick, bat, or carrot.  I want to describe if the diameter is large or small.   Do people just say big and small? Or is there any specific and common way to describe large and small diameter? Thank you!


texts: is the last day included in when we talk about booking a place from one day to another?

texts:
We have reserved a room from 1 April to 1 June 2020.

Does that mean that one should check out on the 1st or the 2nd of June 2020?


texts: Indirect Object using BeVerbs and Possessives

texts:
Please Tell me which one among each question is correct. Thank you

A. Who do you think is the best actor in Hollywood?

B. Who do you think the best actor is in Hollywood?

Also,

A. Which phone do you think is yours?

B. Which phone do you think yours is?


texts:
Fine folk was setting on the white stone doorsteps of their
  houses, and a girl threw me a handful of laylock sprays, and when I
  said "Merci" without thinking, she said she loved the French. They all
  was the fashion in the city.

This is from "Rewards and Fairies" "Brother Square-Toe" by Kipling.
http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/digi300.pdf
http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/rg_squaretoes1.htm

What does "setting" mean in this context?

  I would be glad if someone kindly explained it to me.


texts: Is it correct to use multiple tenses within a paragraph in a story?

texts:
I was wondering what tense I should use for writing a story. What I use is a Present and past tense mixture. But I am not sure whether they are right or wrong. If I write something general, I use present tense.

  The temple is situated on the river bank.

But if I describe some action, or a situation when the action occurs, I use past tense.

  The temple is situated on the river bank. In the evening many people gather in the temple.The river runs dry most of the year. By the time I reached the river bank the sun had already set. I came far, and the journey was very troublesome. There are cut marks all over my face, and hands.

(Note that this is NOT a proofreading request.)

I am not sure how to determine the tense. Is there a general rule to follow in situations like this? I would prefer an answer that's applicable beyond just this specific short paragraph.


texts: past simple or present in this case: "It would be nice to see you before I leave (left)."

texts:
I am going on holidays in two days for two weeks, but before going I would like to see my friend: shall I say

It would be nice to see you before I leave.
It would be nice to see you before I left.

I think the second one is better, as it is not a real situation but a wish.


texts: Use of Simple Tense for future action without will & Shall

texts:
I Hope She forgives me.

Above sentence gives idea about future action of her without using Will, Shall etc. We can use Simple Present tense to describe future scheduled, planed action..

Considering above Rule can I construct Following Sentences?

  a) I send you that file.  (Gives Idea about my future planed action)

  b) Tomorrow I first go to the Temple and then to the Office. ( Future Plans)

Appreciate If I can have some more examples.


texts: can I say "is this align with your design"?

texts: I am communicating with a web page designer. A feature does not behaves as same as the design description. So I wanna ask him if he did this on purpose or this is a mistake. So can I ask him "is this feature align with your design?"


texts: I was watching random videos on Youtube and one of them  took my attention. I heard a girl saying 'cash me outside'. In fact this video got really popular on Youtube, but I'm not able to make out what she was actually saying there.


texts: What kind of presents are or is in passive sentences?

texts:
I have read the use and a couple of examples of "kind of + plural noun", but I'm still confused what to use, "is" or "are" in the follows:

What kind of presents ____ normally given at birthdays in your homeland?

So, the "___" should be "is" or "are"?


texts:
I heard the following phrase:

  ...get jacked on scag/skag and then get to work.

Source: Saturday Night Live

What do "get jacked" and "scag/skag" mean in this sentence?


texts: What is to be considered as "dose" in money matters? (about zodical sign Pisces)

texts:
The extract in italics given below:

These qualities make them, however, much misunderstood, and they are often considered dose in money matters when in reality they are not.


texts: I would like to know if "hob" can be considered as a prefix, and if yes,  does it have some meaning, at least vague? I am thinking in particular about words hobgoblin, hobnail, hobnob...


texts:
(1st speaker) Can we meet at 7 o'clock tomorrow evening?
    (2nd speaker) Not in the evening.

How does 2nd speaker continue?

I'll be having dinner then.
I am having dinner then.
I have dinner then.


texts: What do you call debris and other things that prevent you from moving through something?

texts:
I thought the word was drudges, but it means menial work.

I walked through the ___ in the swamp.
The ___ slowed down my movement as I walked through the swamp.

It sounds like drudges, but doesn't mean the same thing. Can't find the word.


texts: I heard some people say that. I want to know if "I love playing festivals" is correct or needs "at"... Thank you!


texts:
What is the difference between in the meaning of  these two sentences:

  I will remember to post the letter.
  I will remember posting the letter.

How can we know where to use gerund or infinitive?
Are there any specific verbs that can be used particularly for gerund and infinitive separately?


texts:
Let's consider two phrases below:

What makes an effective manager
What is project management

They both have the same grammar structure: what + verb + noun.
The first phrase can either be a question

What makes an effective manager?

or a noun phrase

What makes an effective manager is planning skills.

The second phrase can be a question too

What is project management?

But how do I make it be a noun phrase, similar to the first phrase's noun phrase?
Applying the same pattern gives

What is project management is the application of methods, skills and knowledge to achieve project's objectives.

but I suppose that this sentence is grammatically incorrect.


texts:
Why does "to make oneself understood" mean "to communicate effectively"?

How can I understand this sentence?

  He could make himself understood in sign language with only a few of his closest friends and relatives.


texts:
From "To Fix China, Look to Korea":

  Earlier this week, markets made clear how little they think of China's attempts to revamp the giant, state-owned companies that dominate its economy. After the government approved the merger of two massive shipping groups, two of their listed subsidiaries swiftly shed more than $850 million in value on Monday.

I'd like to know exactly what "shed" means in this context. Does it mean that those subsidiaries got rid of their assets amounting to more than $850 million?


texts: Examining some elliptical structures - Part III

texts:
After reading the comments and answer for this post, I have realized that the best (and/or maybe the only) way to master elliptical structure is seeing and examining more examples in this subject.

As we know, we can combine two independent sentences with the conjunction and; they can be negative, for example:

  Peter did not write David, and David did not write Peter.

(Although the construction of the example is cumbersome, it is grammatically correct.)

So, getting an elliptical structure, I expected the following typical example to be correct:

  Peter did not write David, and David did not write John.

(Please note that the elided words are indicated with subscripts.)

But, I have read somewhere that such typical examples are not acceptable; in fact,

if the first clause is negative, the second conjunct has to be introduced by nor rather than and.

So the correct form must be

  Peter did not write David, nor David did not write Peter.

Can any one explain to me whether the mentioned rule is globally acceptable in formal writing or not?


texts: Is " just as good of a" a sufficiently legitimate expression to be used in academical writing?

texts: Say, "sin(x) is  just as good of a smooth function as exp(x)"


texts:
Are there any difference between phrases below which were written with “of” and without “of”? Is the first one written with “of “ correct and does it have same meaning?

  1)The UK-based website of online food ordering Eat-Much has picked up a third round of funding totaling $64 million, its biggest yet, to further build out its online food ordering service.

  2)The UK-based online food ordering website Eat-Much has picked up a third round of funding totaling $64 million, its biggest yet, to further build out its online food ordering service.


texts: What is different in any day, someday, one day?

texts:
I'm wondering about the differences between in any day, someday, one day
Are they perfectly synonymous? OR they have some differences?


texts:
It always confuses me what expression I should use to ask someone about how to do something.

For example, when I don't know how to pronounce someone's name, I'd ask, "How do you pronounce your name", while I'm the one who'll say their name.

Then about asking how to use a tool or something, I get confused if it's "How do I use this function" or "How can I use this function" or "How do you use this function" or "How can you use this function", which I think the third and the fourth one are not appropriate.

Also, it always bothers me if "How can you-" would denote other meanings than asking, like "How can you do this to me", which isn't really a question but more like an accusation.

So,

  1) What expression should I use to ask someone of doing something?
  2) Does "How can you [verb]" actually work as asking a question?


texts:
what is the exact meaning of "doctrine of correspondences" in this context?

That very remarkable woman, Mrs. Hardinge Britten, has recorded in
her "Modern American Spiritualism" how she came in close contact
with the Shaker community, and was shown by them the records, taken
at the time, of their spiritual visitation. In them it was stated that the
new era was to be inaugurated by an extraordinary discovery of material
as well as of spiritual wealth. This is a most remarkable prophecy, as it
is a matter of history that the goldfields of California were discovered
within a very short time of the psychic outburst. A Swedenborg with his
doctrine of correspondences might perhaps contend that the one was
complementary to the other.


texts:
Uncle Al and August scour Billboard and at each stop make telephone calls and send telegrams in an effort to recruit a new one, but all known fat ladies appear either to be happy in their current situation or else leery of Uncle Al's reputation. After two weeks and ten jumps, Uncle Al is so desperate he approaches a woman of generous proportions in the audience. Unfortunately, she turns out to be Mrs. Police Superintendent, and Uncle Al ends up with a shiny purple eye instead of a fat lady, along with summary instructions to leave town.
      We have two hours. The performers immediately sequester themselves in their train cars. The roustabouts, once roused, run around like headless chickens. Uncle Al is breathless and purple, waving his cane and whacking people if they're not moving fast enough for his liking. Tents drop so quickly that men get trapped inside, and then men who are dropping other tents must come and retrieve them before they suffocate in a vast expanse of canvas, or-worse, in Uncle Al's estimation-use their pocketknives to cut a breathing hole.
      After all the stock is loaded I retire to the ring stock car. I don't like the look of the townsmen hovering around the edge of the lot. Many are armed, and a bad feeling ferments in the pit of my stomach. I haven't seen Walter yet, and I pace back and forth in front of the open door, scanning the lot. The black men have long since hidden themselves aboard the Flying Squadron, and I'm not at all convinced that the mob won't content themselves with a redheaded dwarf instead.  (Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants)

I don’t understand what black men means in the context. For there was no comment at all about black working men before. So I’m supposing if they might be the blamed guys, yet Al alone has approached the woman for recruiting a fat lady performer. What does black men mean?


texts: Difference between "be of great importance" or "have great importance"

texts:
What is the difference in meaning between that two phrases?
Example:

  A change request is a document containing a call for an adjustment of a system; it is of great importance in the change management process. wiki

Example 2:

  Exclusive: IAEA chief: Nuclear summit has great importance cctv


texts: "He thinks it is/were/would be a smart thing to do"

texts:
He thinks it is a smart thing to do.
  He thinks it were a smart thing to do.
  He thinks it would be a smart thing to do.

Are all of them possible? And again which is the preferred choice when talking about something he considers a smart thing to do?


texts: meaning of "desiring object" and "calculating object of desire"

texts:
I can't  understand  the meaning of ‘desiring object’ and 'calculating object of desire', does 'desiring' and 'calculating' function as a adjective? Here is the paragraph:

  The compulsion of abstract desire under capitalism transforms the individual from a desiring object into a calculating object of desire. Consumers do not simply nourish wants for the commodity, they routinely construct the facade of embodiment in order to be desired by the abstracted mass.

  cited from Celebrity (Chris Rojek)


texts:
Fletcher says to Ray about Michael Pearson:

  Fletcher: He was powerful and ruthless, cunning and quick, charismatic
  and smart, but...he had to do some naughty things to get where he got,
  to establish his position, to show he wasn't just teeth, tits and tan.

What does it mean, "teeth, tits and tan"?

I find this line in The Gentlemen 2019


texts:
When writing addresses of commercial buildings, do people in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand like to write Level 3 (L3), while the United States and Canada like to write 3rd Floor or (Fl 3), if an company occupies the whole floor?
I see an English floor directory in Japan. It uses 2F to express the 2nd floor, does is correct, compared to Fl 2? And I think floor directory in English speaking counties would often use the floor number only and neglect the word “floor” or “level”. Besides, How about the basement? B2F, mentioned in the picture, is rare in English speaking countries. But I wonder how to pronounce  -2, B2, LG2, “the second basement” or “Basement two” or “Lower Ground two” or anything else depends on countries? Also, how do you pronounce P2, “Parking Level 2” or “the second parking floor” or anything else?


texts: Use of past perfect with present perfect in "Mother Tongue"

texts:
I came across this sentence written by Amy Tan in Mother Tongue:

  You had agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn't arrived.

It seems at least unnecessary, if not ungrammatical, to use past perfect here in conjunction with present perfect. Simple past seems like the more natural choice:

  You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn't arrived yet.

Was this a mistake (perhaps deliberate, as she is recounting a story from her childhood when she may have not yet mastered English) on Tan's part, or does this pairing of past perfect with present perfect pass muster?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "load on a factor"?

texts:
I have come across it in this article

  Among these remaining 42 motives for kissing, 23 loaded on a factor the researchers labeled goal attainment/insecurity — motives related to “attaining resources, using kissing as a means, boosting one’s self-esteem, and mate-guarding.”


texts: What's the meaning of 'the eventual repair of ecosystems' in this context?

texts:
Vertical farms would need to be efficient, cheap to construct and safe to operate. If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

Source: Mini-ielts.com: Crop-growing skyscrapers


texts:
Could someone please elaborate for me what "gore" means, 'cause I find it a little hard to understand? Does it just mean blood caused from violence?
Also, what does it mean when combined with "blood" as in "blood and gore"?
Would "blood and gore" be natural to use in this sentence if what the detectives see are two people who have been stabbed to death?

The two detectives stepped into the apartment and saw the blood and gore.


texts: What is the meaning and structure of this sentence which has commma?

texts:
In the sentence below:

  The North Bridge and South Bridge together form the computer’s chipset**,** secondary only to the processor in determining the performance and capabilities of a PC.

The first part does make sense.

  The North Bridge and South Bridge together form the computer’s chipset

But after the "comma",

  secondary only to the processor in determining the performance and capabilities of a PC

What is this structure? What is the verb for this? What does "secondary to" mean?

Thank you in advance.


texts: "What is funny in people being injured?" vs "What is funny in peoples' being injured?"

texts:
Consider this as a question you asked from someone who thinks prank videos (stupid ones) are funny, especially those that show people getting hit severely or fall.

Which one of the following fits to the context?

  What is funny in people being injured?
  What is funny in people's being injured?

I guess both are grammatical and valid, but they convey different things.

First sentences asks about funny things about the injured people while I want to disparage their interest in such videos.

Considering the context, I think the second one should be used because that possessive apostrophe makes it clear what we are deprecating- laughing at the kind of hardship that people are facing in the video.

So, do you agree with me on this? Can I use the second sentence? Would you please tell me your opinions?


texts: Do "succession" and "successor" have the same meaning?

texts:
As a noun, both succession and successor mean "people who inherit something."

Do they have the same meaning? Is one used for people?


texts:
What does this expression mean?

  "smell about"

Does it mean to take a smell of the surroundings, as if one smelled the inside of a room?

  "Smell about the (inside of the) room"

Could I use this to say that a bear's muzzle smelled about the inside of a house where it broke in?

Could I say that the bear's muzzle smelled something as in transitive form?


texts: Past tense: learned/learnt, dreamed/dreamt?

texts:
In my very first question, Carlo made an edit stating that learnt is a rare past tense of learn. I am accustomed to using learnt for past tense and learned as an adjective (as in He is a learned scholar.) I checked into a couple of dictionaries and they say both are valid past tenses. Do I stand a risk of not being understood if I use learnt?

In a similar vein, should dreamed be used as a past tense for dream instead of dreamt? I can't think of other such conflicts, but I guess there must be more.


texts: Create a verb from of the word "surgeon/surgery"

texts: Is it possible to create a verb from the word "surgery" or "surgeon", which will has the same meaning as "to operate"?


texts: Is the sentence "she says...." always illogical?

texts:
Ok, It is hard to identify the boundary between "present" & "past".

You say a sentence & a few seconds later that sentence was in the past.

You say "I like music" to me at this moment. Then, a few seconds later, in order to report the saying, should I say:

She says she likes music.

or

She said she liked music.

I think all sentences "She says ..." don't make sense because at the time you say it that sentence was in the past.

But, in textbook, they do have example "She says she likes music.".

so, Is the sentence "she says...." always illogical because at the time you say it the time was past and it was in the past?


texts: Why is the past perfect continuous connected to the present?

texts:
Please take a look at the following quotation:

  "... the cat had been missing for three days now..."

I have not as yet been made aware that the past perfect continuous can be connected to the present through a time expression, that is, for three days now. On the contrary, I've always thought that it categorically finishes before another past event.

If I were to express those thoughts, I would certainly have used the present perfect continuous:

  the cat has been missing for three days now.

Please let me know why did the author use the past perfect continuous, and by the by, what is its use implication, what do you think of the cat's status:  found or still missing?


texts: verb according to which subject in case of 'or' 'either-or' and 'together with'

texts:
Has Ram or his friends come to school?

I am confused about the rule

When two subjects are joined by 'neither...nor', 'either-or','or' etc the verb follows the nearest subject (Ram) or the second subject(his friends). Which one is correct according to the grammar?

How it is different when subjects are joined by 'along with','with', 'together with'?( In these cases verb follows the first subject)


texts: "You haven't written any thing right" or "You didn't write..."?

texts: If someone wrote something wrong and I want to tell him that all of what he wrote is wrong can I say: "You haven't even written any thing right" or should I use the past simple?


texts:
The average age is higher than it has been in recorded history.

Can you tell me why "than it has been" doesn't have a complement in the sentence above?


texts: 'It has rained for two hours.' Is it raining now? or It stoped raining now?

texts:
In our country we don't have present perfect form, so it is difficult for us to understand 'present perfect' exactly.

ex)  It has rained for two hours.

In this sentence Is it raining now? or It stopped raining now?


texts:
Just refresh the link, and when the judgement day arrives. Bang!
Just refresh the link, until the judgement day arrives. Bang!

Which is correct here, and when or until?


texts:
I don't understand this sentence.

  "You haven't spilled your coffee again! I can't take you anywhere!"

I guess that not spilling the coffee is a good thing, but the expression " I can't take you anywhere!" seems to me as blaming the other person for not spilling the coffee!


texts: Comma after an adverb that starts a sentence

texts:
When should a comma be placed after the adverb that starts the sentence?

When should there be a comma when adverbs like well, seemingly, apparently, supposedly, definitely, surely, obviously, conclusively, possibly, indeed, actually, naturally and others start a sentence?

Seemingly, she's gone to live with another man.
Apparently it's going to rain today.
Supposedly, she never spoke to him again.
Well, the tickets are supposedly in the mail.
Surely you don't expect me to believe that?
Obviously the school cannot function without teachers.
Indeed, it could be the worst environmental disaster in Europe this century.
Actually, Gavin, it was Tuesday of last week, not Wednesday.
Naturally we want to see as few job losses in the industry as possible.

As you can see some adverbs are followed by a comma while others are not.


texts:
Why in following news they use "she'd" and not "she will" to talking about the future ?

  And crucially, it's not clear how far she'd actually go in criticising Vladimir Putin himself, a close family friend since her childhood.


texts:
1.

  A. It comes and goes, just like tide.

  B. It comes and goes, just like the tide.

2.

  A. It is small, just like sand.

  B. It is small, just like the sand.

3.

  A. It is pretty, just like coral.

  B. It is pretty, just like the coral.

Which forms are correct for each sentences, which are comments you would make unconsciously without any references?


texts: Is it natural and correct to say "rest from someone" meaning not spend time with the person for a while?

texts:
Could you tell me if it's natural and correct to say "rest from someone" meaning not spend time with the person for a while? For example:

Oh, I need to rest from my wife. She's been nagging me about my work recently.

If it's not, then what would you say to mean that you need to stop spending time with some person maybe because you are tired of them?


texts:
The two words "point out" and "mention" are so close that I can call them synonymous words; but I see some slight nuances when it comes to use each one. I have read so many examples and dictionaries and found out that you 'point something out' if you think it is important that the other person should know this. For example, if you see a mistake in a report, you should point this out to someone. This means that you draw someone's attention to it. It's like pointing your finger at something to draw attention to it. However, I wonder which examples below (made up or taken from OEDs,) which are all correct with "mention", can work with "point out" either or they would sound unnatural to you?

  He mentioned that he was having problems, but he did't explain.
  He casually mentioned that he was quitting his job.
  That's her right to know about the company's decision. She myst make a decision about her future soon as possible. Although, it's hard to tell her, but I'll mention it to her when I see her tomorrow.
  My wife mentioned seeing you the other day on the street.

As you see, in all cases above, someone is trying to inform something apparently important to someone else. So, this is logical that "point out" should work here without any change in meaning. I would really appreciate it if you help me find out about these cases and the nuance between these two.


texts:
From the preface of my thesis:
I am also grateful to [the institute] for allowing me to conduct my thesis there and for showing me how the latest advancements in technology can be used in humanitarian settings which is a direction I wish to pursue further.
To native speakers, does this sound ok (especially the bold part)? Originally, I wrote
"a direction I wish to pursue my further career in"
then I thought that sounds odd and I changed it to
"a direction I wish to pursue in my further career"
Now I think what is in the text is the best option. But I still have doubts because "further" can be used as a verb instead of "pursue" so I'm not sure if both should be included. And, since it is the preface, I'd like to make sure it sounds natural.


texts:
I have the text:

  I took a deep breath. "Trying to keep us from praying at school is dumb, but I honestly think Mr. Bookman was just scared and did something on impulse. He's new, and I think once he knows the truth about what you can and can't do, he'll follow it".
  I sensed a lot of people disagreed, but when I faced Pastor Andy he was smiling.

Can you explain to me why the author was using

1) "I sensed a lot of people disagreed".

Why was not:

2) "I sensed that a lot of people were disagreed".

Can you tell me the differenece between 1) and 2)?


texts:
Do native speakers put stress on "are, is, am, was, were" when you want to emphasize them?

As in

  He WAS the man who stole my necklace!

Then, for what reason, do you emphasize "WAS"?
Is it just because to emphasize "the past time"?

If my example isn't appropriate, could you answer my question with some better examples?


texts:
So I was wondering if native speakers use ‘flood in’ for water not for people or crowds. For example,

  I can't open my mouth while inhaling in the pool, the water just floods in

Like that. I looked up this phrasal verb on dictionaries and they say Flood In can be used for crowds to emphasize the number of them. If the sentence above sounds odd, what are the other verbs there for me to use in that context?


texts: Which is a better alternative for "limitations" in this context: "lacked resources" or "lacked the capability"?

texts:
This is from a book review by Michell (1920):

  "[...] provinces tried to meet the need [of tackling unemployment] by [...], but the limitations of
  purely provincial and unrelated bureaus became early so apparent, that [federal intervention was warranted...]"

Note: "Limitations" here refer to the bureaus/offices being ill organized, poorly coordinated, ill informed, and short of manpower and finance. The book talks about these problems explicitly.

I am wondering which noun below fits my paraphrasing:

  The provincial offices lacked resources to deal with such conditions of unemployment.

I feel that Resources does not capture the idea of ill organized and poorly coordinated. However, improving organization and coordination needs resources. So it can be said that because the offices lacked resources, they were poorly organized and coordinated, and hence did not have the means to deal with the problem.

  The provincial offices lacked the capability to deal with such conditions of unemployment.

Capability according to Cambridge is the ability to do something. I feel that this is more appropriate: organization, coordination, and resources such as money, data and manpower, can all affect the ability to do something; in this case, affected the ability to deal with unemployment.


texts: What does appointed mean in this sentence?

texts:
Tiwari, Rai appointed BJP’s Delhi and Bihar unit presidents
  From: "Tiwari, Rai appointed BJP’s Delhi and Bihar unit presidents" - The Hindu

Here what I didn't understand is Tiwari,Rai appointed someone or Tiwari,Rai were appointed by someone. I am very confused in reading. Can anyone explains it clearly.


texts:
The car hit the dumpster with enough impact to set off/deploy the airbag.
Which of "set off" and "deploy" sounds more explosive? Is there anything else I could use instead to make it sound more explosive - as it is when an airbag goes off?


texts: Can "lot" stand without the article 'a' to mean "so much"?

texts:
Thank you for [...]. It means lot!

  Thank you for [...]. It means a lot!

Can the first sentence be used instead of the second one when wanting to give the word a different value than the one in its original version (as in the case with few/a few)?

I'm aware that it can mean the meaning of the word "lot" in its structure with no-article.

Ngrams shows a less usage of it is few compared to it is a few, and it presents kind of similar plot for it is lot and it is a lot, so does that mean it exists without the preceding article?


texts: The meaning of "have left" in the context

texts:
What is the meaning of "have left" in this passage :

"A baby robot designed to 'invoke an emotional connection' has been unveiled in Japan, where plummeting birth rates have left many couples without children."

Is it used to describe causal relationship?

Thank you.


texts:
I am curious to know what this sentence mean. One thing I may get right, I think, Ida is short for "I'd have".

  If Ida Been Here, Ida Been There

Album by Craobh Rua, native of Belfast, or so I think.

Note: I did not listen to, but I am curious about the title.


texts:
There is one state that is in the South, but not of it.

I have met this sentence in a book explaining about prepositions.

Despite the explaining, I cannot catch up how the meaning is different between In the South and Of the South.

In my supposition, the state in the context does not belong to the South completely, because the state is not of it.


texts: "it is often considered that" vs. "it's considered by many that"

texts:
This is an example from an IELTS test.

  It is often considered that change is more beneficial to people than trying to avoid it and have everything remain the same. Do you think the advantages of change outweigh the disadvantages.

"It is often considered that" and "it's considered by many that" are commonly used phrases, especially in writing test. Do they always mean the same thing?

In other words, they are interchangeable in IELTS test, right?


texts: What’s the right ordering for the pronouns "he, you and I"?

texts:
He, you and I will go for a movie tomorrow.

How to rearrange the pronouns in the best possible manner?


texts: What type of adjective is little? Descriptive or quantitative?

texts:
Consider the following sentence.

We should pay little attention to little things in life.

What type of adjective is little in this sentence? I am confused if it is descriptive or quantitative.
What about the second little in the same sentence? Is it a descriptive adjective?


texts: What's the meaning of "have" in this context, "Some day Hermione's having, eh?"

texts:
". . . my dear, it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane."

  . . .

  "Fine!" . . . "I give up! I'm leaving!" And to the whole class's amazement, Hermione strode over to the trapdoor, kicked it open, and climbed down the ladder out of sight.

  . . .

  "Oooo, Professor Trelawney, I've just remembered! You saw her leaving, didn't you? 'Around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever!' You said it ages ago, Professor!"

  Professor Trelawney gave her a dewy smile. "Yes, my dear, I did indeed know that Miss Granger would be leaving us. One hopes, however, that one might have mistaken the Signs. . . The Inner Eye can be a burden, you know . . ."

  . . .

  "Some day Hermione's having, eh?" Ron muttered to Harry, looking awed.

  Harry potter and the prisoner of Azkaban

What does the sentence marked in bold, especially "have" mean?


texts: How "the sleep" changes a phrase? Where it is appropriate to use the definite article?

texts:
There is a computer game called "Silence of the sleep" and I wonder, why "the sleep"? How would you understand it without the article (and do you understand it now?)

In addition
I was searching in the dictionary and found that when the sleep refers to a period of sleeping, it is used as a singular countable noun:

  I had a little sleep in the afternoon.
   She was woken from a deep
  sleep by a ring at the door.

But I simply cannot tell the difference between the mass noun sleep:

  I didn’t get much sleep last night.
   Her eyes were red through lack
  of sleep.


texts: Reported versions of the sentences like "If I wanted to go, I would go"

texts:
I am having trouble in terms of the reported versions of the sentences which include the word "if". Can you please tell me what the reported versions of these "direct speech" kind of sentences below are?

  1) He said/thought(etc.), "If I wanted to go, I would go"

  2) He said/thought(etc.), "I would go if I wanted to go"

  3) He said/thought(etc.), "If I had wanted to go, I would have gone"

  4) He said/thought(etc.), "I would have gone if I had wanted to go"

  5) He said/thought(etc.), "If somebody touches me without asking, I feel so angry"

  6) He said/thought(etc.), "I feel so angry if somebody touches me without asking"

By "reported version", I mean the sentences like "He said (that) he feels so angry if somebody touches him without asking". For example when I report the the quote in the 6th sentence, I am not sure if I should say "He said (that) he feels so angry if somebody touches him without asking" or "He said (that) he felt so angry if somebody touched him without asking" or if I can say either of them (in the sentences which don't include the word "if", we can report it either way). I would like you to help me.


texts: What does cast followed by prepositional phrase mean?

texts:
"Truly, friend; and methinks it must gladden your heart, after your
  troubles and sojourn in the wilderness," said the townsman, "to find
  yourself at length in a land where iniquity is searched out and
  punished in the sight of rulers and people, as here in our godly New
  England. Yonder woman, Sir, you must know, was the wife of a certain
  learned man, English by birth, but who had long ago dwelt in
  Amsterdam, whence, some good time agone, he was minded to cross over
  and cast in his lot with us of the Massachusetts. (Nathaniel
  Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter)

The highlighted part doesn’t make any sense to me. Would you parse the sentence?


texts:
I'm working a document, which is supposed to be a formal specification for software requirements, which seems to use word "disconfirm" to mean cancelling already given confirmation.
For example, there is a description of an activity which starts, and user needs to confirm the desire to start of the activity by pressing the confirm button. This is followed by text saying that the user shall not be able to disconfirm activity, where the meaning is, that once the confirm button is pressed, there is no going back. The activity starts and cannot be aborted.
My initial understanding of the word disconfirm was that it means to confirm in a negative sense, that is to say, that a the truth value of a statement is confirmed to be false. From what I managed to see, online dictionaries seem to agree with that idea, but it could also be, that I'm focused on seeing results which I'd like to see.
In the end, the document is supposed to be quickly, easily and unambiguously understood by speakers of American dialects of English, which leads me to the question from title: Is disconfirm commonly understood to mean cancelling of an already given confirmation in American English?


texts: Does "the care of A" mean that "someone looks after A" or "A looks after someone"?

texts:
They shared the care of the children.

This is a straightforward sentence telling us that "they looked after the children".

  The study showed a deep fear among the elderly of being abandoned to
  the care of strangers.

Why does this sentence mean that "Strangers look after the elderly",not "the elderly looks after strangers"?


texts:
I would like to address a mail to two persons not in a strictly professional manner, something like 'Hi Ann/Jack' is this the correct way of mentioning?

Also is use of a slash considered professional?


texts: Does "I shouldn't have let you do it." "shouldn't have + past participle" or "shouldn't + present perfect"

texts:
In the movie "Frame", 1947, Glen Ford, in one dialog there is:
"I shouldn't have let you do it."
Does "I shouldn't have let you do it." grammatically means:
A) shouldn't have + past participle or
B) shouldn't + present perfect?
I ask it because always after modal verbs go infinitive of verb without "to".
Does the verb "have" in that sentence infinitive without "to" of verbs "have", or it is "have" of present perfect "have let".


texts: Why use the past perfect tense (perfect aspect) instead of the simple past tense (simple aspect)?

texts:
Usage example in a BBC News story:

  What of the late politician's love life? Even admirers used the epithet "womaniser" in regard to him.
  However, the Ukrainian model less than half his age (he was 55) who was with him when he was shot on Friday night could say little about the attack.
  Anna Durytska, who was unhurt, told Russian media she had not seen the killer, who had struck from behind. All she had seen, she said, was a light-coloured car which quickly drove off. Into the dark.

Could you please explain to me why in this particular case the author opted for a set of past perfect verb tenses instead of sticking with the simple past tense? To me, it sounds like if we changed all the verbs in the example above to simple past tenses, the sentence would still sound equally correct tense-wise. Don't you think so?

  Anna Durytska, who was unhurt, told Russian media she didn't see the killer, who struck from behind. All she saw, she said, was a light-coloured car which quickly drove off. Into the dark.


texts:
The new generation will grow up believing that the kind of language they see on tv and social media is how argument should be framed.

Now my question can "is how argument should be framed" be written as "The new generation will grow up believing that the kind of language they see on tv and social media that is how arguments should be framed."?


texts:
I don't get the point of the sentence in bold below, what does that mean by "survive XXX to die of the XXX"?

Does it mean "did you prefer to die of the web than to survive bad diseases like HIV"?

  If the internet killed you, I used to joke, then I would be the first to find out. Years later, the joke was running thin. In the last year of my blogging life, my health began to give out. Four bronchial infections in 12 months had become progressively harder to kick. Vacations, such as they were, had become mere opportunities for sleep. My dreams were filled with the snippets of code I used each day to update the site. My friendships had atrophied as my time away from the web dwindled. My doctor, dispensing one more course of antibiotics, finally laid it on the line: “Did you really survive HIV to die of the web?”

Source: I Used to Be a Human Being, Andrew Sullivan


texts:
Today, I learned that some verbs can be used in present continuous form to make statements and requests sound less direct.

I'm asking permission to be excused from work  for at least three days.

Some of the groups are wanting to possibly make some changes.

I have seen this usage of wanting  for first time. Can you please tell some other verbs which are uncommon in present continuous form and can be used to make statements and requests less direct?
To be honest, I cannot understand how it makes the statement less direct (in the second example).


texts:
A police officer was directing (the) traffic. (Oxford Dictionary)

This is one of example sentences under

  4 [transitive] direct someone (to…) to tell or show someone how to get to somewhere or where to go

but does the sentence mean that the police officer was telling the way to go somewhere to the drivers or is it more like the police officer standing at the center of an intersection and acting like a traffic signal?


texts: Is "Mango is my favourite fruit" grammatically correct? Should it instead be "mangoes" or "the mango"?

texts: Mango is my favourite fruit. Is this grammatically correct. I saw somewhere that mangoes or the mango should come. But couldn't understand the reason.


texts: What is the rule for "difficult time" elision?

texts:
It is happening at a difficult time.

I notice it sounds "difficul time".


texts:
From The Economist's article on the US's economic troubles:

  American states and cities typically offer their employees
  defined-benefit pensions based on years of service and final salary.

The Oxford Dictionary defines "salary" as a count noun. Singular count nouns call for the use of an article.

Is the use of the zero article before "final salary" here explained by the fact that the noun is a part of a list-like structure ("service and final salary") where "service" cannot take an article as a mass noun (hence no article before either)?

I wonder how to explain that in linguistic terms; haven't found a mention of such cases in R. Quirk's grammar so far.


texts: Is playing with someone in Quake "quaking" with someone?

texts:
I often see new words being made up in English quite easily. Is this correct? What are the guidelines I should follow?

For example, there's a legendary game known as Quake, and there have been people with which I've played with for hours.

Would it be correct to say I was quaking with them?


texts: What is the meaning of "to head for the head"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "to head for the head" in the following passage:

  Two girls went into their hotel room after spending a hot afternoon. The girls have consumed enough soda pop to fill a small barrel.
  As the two bursting kids enter their room, they have but one thought - to head for the head.


texts: Is there an easy way to learn the month names in English?

texts: I can't memorize and repeat quickly the month names in English even though I've been studying English. I'd like to know if there are some ways or maybe a strategy to learn the month names in English.


texts: What's the weather like... ? The word order

texts:
What's the weather like in Spain today? or
  What's the weather like today in Spain?

Is the word order correct in both sentences?


texts:
"When you delete your account, people won't be able to see it on Facebook. It may take up to 90 days to delete all of the things you've posted, like your photos, status updates or other data stored in backup systems".

Why the writer says "delete all of the things" not simply "delete all things" ?

what is the difference ?

I see this structure appears many times in English but have no idea why is that.

Is there any rule here?

Thank you


texts:
I want to start from the most fundamental and hard problem to me (and maybe to everyone).
Two years ago, I had started a project to teach English to non-natives in English only.
Before lots of them had suffered from an ill-linked relationship between their native language and English. I had found this  problem fairly early from my first start of learning foreign languages and help them to learn a more grounded meaning of each morpheme.
Now it turns out to be pretty effective to teach them more fundamental grounded meanings such as not just teach them 'prepare' but teach them meaning of pre- and pare so that these morphemes can work in other places too.
Now I faced another problem to teach the phonemes. I tried to teach them learn IPA symbols and to connect them with their sounds, but most of the people just dropped out in the middle of this course.
I need a simpler way of standardizing phonemes which is easily interpreted by the public to start with.
I want to listen to your advice and gather each one's intuition so that we could make a progress in teaching pronunciation and also developing a standardized way of speech recognition across different languages.


texts: Setting the time frame with present perfect

texts:
Can you set the time frame of an event with present perfect? I'm wondering if you can refer to specific events (but without using actual time references like "yesterday") by using present perfect.

  I have done these exercise routines before. And I always did them after I ate a light breakfast.

Does this make sense? Can I switch to simple past because I am referring to some events that must have happened at certain times? Or do I have to avoid being specific by using present perfect to explain everything related to these events?

  I have done these exercise routines before. And I have always done them after I have eaten a light breakfast.


texts:
Can "You'll catch your fingers in the door!" be used instead of "You're going to get your fingers caught in the door!"?
You want someone to stop closing the door again and again because they might slam the door on their hand/get their fingers caught by accident.


texts: i am confused about a gerund verb (having)

texts:
This example comes from my physics book:

  1) Ripple tank consists of rectangular tray having glass bottom and is pleased nearly half meter above the surface of the table.

I'm not completely sure of the role the verb "having" is playing in this sentence. Is it being used as the complement of the sentence, the object of the sentence or the subject of the sentence? Why couldn't we instead use "have" instead of "having"?


texts: Is it right to not change “tomorrow“ into “the next day” when it is indirect speech?

texts:
Is that sentence right or it is necessary to change “tomorrow”?

  He said that he would travel tomorrow.
  He said that he would travel the next day.


texts:
Hi everyone here is the context

Arguably, new media is, accordingly, facilitating a soundbite-level of knowledge for a soundbite news culture. Certainly such themes often came out in the interviews.


texts: Why is "oftentimes" commonly used by speakers of english as a second language

texts: As a native English speaker, the word "oftentimes" sounds very unusual to me. I sometimes hear it being used in radio interviews etc. by people who use english as a second language (quite commonly Germans). I was wondering why this might be - is it commonly taught in textbooks, or perhaps a direct translation of a word commonly used in other languages?


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

texts:
I don"t quite understand what "subject" means in this sentence. Can anybody explain it for me?
"Don't subject yourself to ridicule."


texts:
Introduction - a friend asked me on chat if [a large, well known website] is down. I replied after 10 minutes that it was working for me. He replied that it was down during that time. Then I stated that we can check tomorrow news.

My first instinctive sentence was:

  If it's in the news, it means it was down

After thinking about it I am not sure if it is fully correct. Most mixed conditionals I found on the internet concerned unreal ones.

I guess that proper way might be with future perfect:

  If it's in the news, it means it will have been down

But it does not 'sound right' and I have a 'feeling' the original one is correct (then again - I'm not a native speaker) as the ending is too close to 3rd conditional. How to express it properly?


texts:
top [countable] the highest part or point of something

  at the top of something She was standing at the top of the stairs.
  The title is right at the top of the page.

  at the top Write your name at the top.

  to the top He filled my glass to the top.
   to the top of something We climbed to the very top of the hill.
   on the top Snow was falling on the mountain tops.
   on the top of something He was completely bald on the top of his
  head.
  I was out of breath when I reached the top.

  (British English) the top of the milk (= the cream that rises to the
  top of a bottle of milk)

  The wind was blowing in the tops of the trees.

  on top of something/somebody:   on, over or covering
  something/somebody

  Books were piled on top of one another.

  There was a vase on top of the bookcase.

  Many people were crushed when the building collapsed on top of them.

According to my research, "on top of something" is simply on something.

So, if you are lying face-up, the book is on your face or "on top of your face"

But, "on the top of something" means "on the highest point of something".

So, if you are lying face-up, then the highest point of your face is the tip of your nose, therefore the book is "on the top of your face" means the book is on the tip of your nose. Maybe, you're an acrobat who has that kind of skills.

This is what I am guessing. I might be wrong.

What are the differences between "the book is on top of his face" and "the book is on the top of his face"?


texts: Is it insect repellent "mats", "tablets" or "mat tablets? I have found all of the above three versions during my search.


texts: What phrase should I use to say that a girl rejected a guy who was rude to her?

texts:
How can I say that a girl rejected a guy who was trying to pick her up (and he was possibly rude to her)? For example:

  Mike was trying to pick her up at the party yesterday but she just ______ him.

Something like to send someone as far as he can get to :)

I think reject works, but I am looking for something more informal, basically any expressions used in spoken English. What word or phrase can I use? (There should be more than just one expression for this.)

Thank you so much for your help.


texts:
I think the following sentence is wrong

It is difficult to explain why did Rajagopalachari resign from the congress in 1940.

Because after explain assertive form of a clause is used.
Therefore it should be

It is difficult to explain why Rajagopalachari resigned from the congress in 1940.

Am I right?


texts: What's the difference between "take it easy" and "take care" when you are parting from someone?

texts: When I'm parting from someone, I say, "See you around."  Sometimes I've heard people saying "Take it easy." or "Take care".   What's the implication of these phrases?  I understand that when I take an interview or something, maybe someone might say to me, "Take it easy".  When I have a cold, someone might say to me, "Take care."  I'd like to know whether I can use these sentences just as a greeting, instead of saying "Good bye".   I also would like to know in what situations I can use the phrase "Take it easy."


texts:
Is this a inversion?

  "So as softly she wanders I'll desperately follow her footsteps
  and I'll chase after shadows that offer a trace of her sight
  Ah, they promise eternally that she lays hidden within them
  but I find they've decieved me and sadly I bid them goodbye"

Could that be rewritten like:
While she wanders, I'll desperately follow her footsteps.


texts: disassemble the sentence to understand the word of "where"

texts:
Sentence：
Would you please put the book where it belongs？

Q：
I tried to disassemble the sentence to understand what "where" looks like. (see as bellow)

(1) Would you please put the book at the place.

(2) The book belongs at the place.

so, "where" = "at the place" = "at which"

Am I right？

ref. Grammar book.

(a) Where = in/at/on which

(b) And follow the example：

(1) This is the place.

(2) I was born in the place.

(1) + (2) = This is the place where I was born.

so, "where" = "in which"


texts: Is 'have reached' grammatical in 'If you have reached this level by the end of the month, I will buy you a car'?

texts:
If you have reached this level by the end of the month, I will buy you a car.

Is this tense correct?


texts:
I have been watching a TV show about cheetahs, and the narrator used the following sentence:

  Speed is key,

As far as I know, "key" is neither abstract nor uncountable. I don't understand why 'the' is omitted before 'key'.


texts:
Wake up, Mr. Jankowski. You're having a bad dream."
  My eyes snap open. Where am I? Oh, hell and damnation.
     "I wasn't dreaming," I protest.     "Well,
  you were talking in your sleep, sure enough," says the nurse. It's the
  nice black girl again. Why do I have such trouble remembering her
  name? "Something about feeding stars to cats. Now don't you go
  fretting about those cats––I'm sure they got fed, even if it was
  after you woke up. Now why did they go and put these on you?" she
  muses, ripping open my Velcro wrist restraints. "You didn't try to run
  off now, did you?" (Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants)

There are preterits in the sentence, but they seem to be non-deictic pasts: the preterites are posterior to ‘I’m sure’. So it sound like a kind of  ‘remote conditional construction – “If you went tomorrow, you’d see Ed” (CGEL,p148)’. Is it that, or do I have to read other ways?


texts:
What sounds better? Is first version viable?

This solution is quite difficult to come up with.
It is quite difficult to come up with this solution.


texts: How to express "decrease not so much" formally?

texts:
There are two variables A and B. A decreases from 100 to 5 while B decreases from 100 to 80.

I want to say that the degree of drop for B is less than A. What should I say that more formally?

My answer is "B decreased not so much as A." But I suppose that it is not native English.


texts: Parsing "Which the FBI assumed meant him being arrested"

texts:
Sarah Kemple said Stirling was the only one who knew about the explosives.
  He said he was trying to prevent a mistake.
  Which, at the time, the FBI assumed meant him being arrested.

I came across a tricky sentence while watching a US drama.
Please tell me what that sentence means and the original form of the sentence with the explanation of how the original sentence end up being "I assumed meant him being arrested"?


texts: Different pronunciation for words starting with en- ( /ɪn/, /en/ and /ɪˈ/ )

texts:
Are there any guides to know when to pronounce as /ɪn/, /en/ and /ɪˈ/?

For e.g. enable, entertain, enforce


texts: I am studying in the imperative sentence and I wonder what "No parking" is short for.I also want to get more comprehensive material of the imperative sentence.


texts: What does "between drink and dignity" mean?

texts:
I'm reading one book now (Black Arrow, by Robert Louis Stevenson), and I found one sentence (or, rather, part of a sentence) I can't understand.

“What!” bawled one of the grumblers, “he carrieth us to seaward!”
“’Tis sooth,” cried another. “Nay, we are betrayed for sure.”
And they all began to cry out in chorus that they were betrayed, and in shrill tones and with abominable oaths bade Lawless go about-ship and bring them speedily ashore. Lawless, grinding his teeth, continued in silence to steer the true course, guiding the Good Hope among the formidable billows. To their empty terrors, as to their dishonourable threats, between drink and dignity he scorned to make reply.

I've checked original translation in my language, and it is (almost literally):
Sometimes he is drunk, and when he is drunk, he is very proud. So he scorned to make [a] reply.
Is this translation correct? If yes, can you please give some examples with word "between" with same meaning? Or is it just some sophisticated figure of speech which I hardly can meet in other place except this book?


texts:
Could somebody please explaing what the phrase "Do you stuff your own shirts, or do you send them out?" means in the following context:

  Giles:  I'll have you know that I have very, uh, many relaxing hobbies.
  Buffy:  Such as?
  Giles:  I enjoy cross-referencing.
  Buffy:  Do you stuff your own shirts, or do you send them out?

  (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer S2E18)

Also, what shirts and cross-referencing might possibly have in common?


texts: "The set of integers" vs. "The set of *the* integers"

texts:
Which is preferable to say, "the set of integers" or "the set of the integers", when I want to refer to the set {0, ±1, ±2, ...}?

Intuitively, I would say "the set of the integers", because "a set of integers" could refer to just any set consisting of integers, say {1, 2, 3}, and so "the set of integers" could refer to some set consisting of (not necessarily all) integers which was introduced earlier. It was recently pointed out to me that the form "the set of integers" is better, and now I am confused.

I tried googling both phrases, and both produce a lot of results.


texts: "I cannot say anything else" vs. "I cannot say nothing else"

texts:
a) I cannot say anything else.
b) I cannot say nothing else.

Are a) and b) both correct in this example?

  Yes, I cannot say anything/nothing else, because I did not notice anything/nothing else.

If not, can anyone explain why?


texts:
I'm not sure about the tenses I chose for my question on Economics SE

One of the rationales of the single-use plastics ban adopted
by  the EP in 2019 is that it will spark innovation in cheap
biodegradable recyclable plastics. Has any progress been registered in
this regard?

The directive has already been adopted but it is yet to come in effect. Would a native speaker say: was and would in that sentence?


texts: meaning of the phrase "rule with an uneven hand"?

texts:
I have come across it in a video. Here it goes:

  With his harebrained schemes and asinine dealings with the gods, king Midas ruled the ancient kingdom of Phrygia with an uneven hand.

I have looked up the word uneven  in some dictionaries, but still have difficulties understanding what it means in the sentence.


texts:
If I wish to state that I wish to be discipline, which of these statements are correct?

I wish to be discipline
I wish to be disciplined


texts: What grammar construction is "have/has to be participle"?

texts:
Recently I have heard following sentence:

  "What other basic commands do you think she has to be told?

I do understand what does this sentence mean, but I do not fully understand what construction is it grammar-wise?

My guessing that it is "-have to + passive voice-" combination here, where "-have to-" is that "kind-of-modal-verb-but-overly-not", am I right here?

Also, if for some reason I would like to cut off modality from sentence, can I rephrase this sentence in following way (just for note, I want to point that someone already told her some instructions and now I am wondering what they exactly were):

  "What other basic commands do you think she was told?