texts: Applying adjective/adverb to nouns/verbs in a conjunction sentence

texts:
Take this simple sentence for example:
I like dogs and cats.
Which means I like dogs and I like cats. Simple.
What if I add an adjective "big" before the word "dogs"?:
I like big dogs and cats.
The first part is obvious, which means I like big dogs. What about the cat part though? Does it mean I like cats (size doesn't matter), or I like big cats? I have a feeling it's the former so if I want to say I like big cats, I would need to add the word "big" before "cats" but that sounds redundant to me.
Here is another example:
I want loud music and snacks.
This one is more obvious than the previous example since you can't apply "loud" to "snacks" since there is no such thing.
How do I know whether I need to apply adjective/adverb to consecutive nouns/verbs in a conjunction sentence respectively?


texts: how to use either with more than three options with the word based on

texts:
I would like to use either with based on for three options.

  The existing methods are based on either one type, fixed type, or a small set of different types of dependency relationships.

Is this correct?


texts: How would you translate this idiomatic phrase?

texts:
Italian: riprendere in mano

It means continue to work on something you abandoned for some long time (i.e. a couple of months).


texts:
She was there for a year. We tried to keep in touch. She called me a few times a month when her job allowed it, apparently she was very busy. Later (on) I didn't hear anything for a long time, so I figured she maybe had found a guy there who was more interesting than me. I was right.

What is correct/more natural here - later or later on?


texts: Isn't this sentence from Weathering grammatically wrong?

texts:
She was meant to stay indoors but everything looked varnished and bright after the rain, so she put her coat on and went outside, then came back in and slung the camera over her shoulder.
  Through the sopping grass and down towards the river. It was wide and brown today, and it rippled and churned. There were deep creases when it went round rocks and a hollow, clunking noise. It looked strong, like a muscle. When she threw in a stick, the stick didn't float on the surface – it got dragged under, as if something had reached up to grab it. She walked along the bank and there was the bridge she'd seen in some of the photos – it had rusty railings and a broken plank in the middle.

  Source: Weathering by Lucy Wood, p. 83

I don't understand the meaning of this sentence : there were deep creases when it went round rocks and a hollow, clunking noise.

First, does this 'it went round rocks' mean river flows around a patch of rocks?
Second, isn't 'a hollow, clunking noise' grammatically wrong?


texts: Why do people sometimes confuse when to use 'will' and 'would'?

texts:
For instance, I've heard quite a lot of people saying that "I would go" when they should be pertaining to use "I will go".

Is this because colloquials have perpetuated the language; tainting the baisc roots of language?

I do understand the usage of 'will' and 'would', but I'm somewhere lost along in semantics.

Does 'will' makes your expresssion more emphatic and firm. As to where 'would' seems to lack that authority: adding more flatness to the tone?

Example,

Person A: Dude did you hear about this party tomorrow, would you swing by?

Person B: Yeah, I probably would.


texts: When can I use "sum", "amount" and "total"?

texts: I think they can be synonymous in some context, but how to learn in which context I can use one and not another? Can you explain and give example about the precise meaning.


texts:
Mike takes small weapon and inserts into his jacket.

I want to make the above sentence into one single sentence without the conjunction. I guess I'm not aware of some word. That's I'm finding it difficult. Its not about grammar, its about writing a simple sentence to convey the same meaning instead of using a complex sentence. I feel I don't have to use this sentence which is little complex because it has two parts which are combined using the conjunction 'and'.


texts:
I am not sure if it is natural to use "discombobulating" (and its derivatives) in daily English (I find this word really nice-sounding). Or is it appropriate in formal English? In storytelling language?

For example, is it appropriate to have sentences like:

People nowadays are often discombobulated by information that comes from different sources on the Internet (This sentence maybe in a formal essay)
People here are quite discombobulating to me. They used to be very nice to me, but after some time, they became incomprehensibly distant. (Maybe in my blog)

Thank you so much :) If there are problems with my sentences, please also help me.


texts: I do not know what we call this part of sentence: "to be deceiving"

texts:
For example:

It is like to be deceiving the whole nation.

Inside above sentence, what do we say the part "to be deceiving"? Does it have any specific name?
As I know about this:

Is there anything to be shared?

In above sentence "to be shared" is called Passive infinitive.


texts: 'the very strong acid, chloric acid' vs. 'a very strong acid, chloric acid'

texts:
Chlorine(VII) oxide reacts with water to give the very strong acid, chloric(VII) acid - also known as perchloric acid. (source)

I guess we can use a instead of the here:

  Chlorine(VII) oxide reacts with water to give a very strong acid, chloric(VII) acid - also known as perchloric acid.

After all, this is the first mention, and we're describing "chloric(VII) acid".

  Chloric acid is a very strong acid.

I wonder what might have nudged the author towards the use of the here. Is there any difference in meaning?


texts:
There’s this word in Spanish which mean someone who asks a lot from others “pediche” an example would be my dogs, they always want food and stare at me asking me for it so i say “son un pair de pediches” “you are a pair of...”
Or my friend who always asks for my school supplies like pens, erasers, glue etc “ximena es una pediche siempre me pide” (ximena is a... she always asks me for things”


texts: "help understand" versus "help understanding"

texts:
What is the correct form for the following sentence?

This should help understand why we believe method A to be correct.
This should help understanding why we believe method A to be correct.

I'm more inclined towards the first one, but I'm not entirely sure.


texts:
What's the difference between:

1) I will talk to you after I finish this.

2) I will talk to you after finishing this.

is 2) grammatically correct? What would be the name for writing the sentence this way?


texts: "...but, rather, ..." vs "..., but rather, ..."

texts:
Which is more grammatical:

  John does not help out, but rather, sits and plays games all day.

or

  John does not help out but, rather, sits and plays games all day.

I feel like the second one is more grammatical since whatever is in the commas can be taken out and the sentence would still make sense. However, the first one has commas according to how it would sound if I said this sentence aloud.


texts: Usage of the article "the" before superlative adverbs

texts:
"Tyra sprints best of all competitors."

Is it a correct sentence?


texts: What is the meaning of the follwing sentence?

texts:
His critics pointed out that until he addressed his problem,success at the highest level will continue to elude him.

Does this mean ' He was already a successful person at highest level' ?

Im not getting the meaning of "continue to elude him" right .


texts: Since when do you know each other? VS Since when have you known each other?

texts:
Since when do you know each other?

vs

  Since when have you known each other?

I think people use the first option more often.
however since is a signal word for present perfect.


texts:
I wrote:

  What was like the relation between Greeks and Persians  before W happened.

Is "What was like" correct?


texts:
I've come across with the below sentence:

  The mistake most people make is to assume it’s stressful and
  exhausting—all this thinking.

I think it symply means "all this kind of thinking" but I'm not sure.
So, could you please tell me what it means exactly?

The fuller text is:

  Mindfulness is the process of actively noticing new things. When you
  do that, it puts you in the present. It makes you more sensitive to
  context and perspective. It’s the essence of engagement. And it’s
  energy-begetting, not energy-consuming. The mistake most people make
  is to assume it’s stressful and exhausting—all this thinking. But
  what’s stressful is all the mindless negative evaluations we make and
  the worry that we’ll fi nd problems and not be able to solve them.


texts:
What is the meaning of the following sentence especially the bold part

  History, as well as daily experience, furnishes instances of men endowed with the strongest capacity for business and affairs, who have all their lives  crouched under slavery to the grossest superstition


texts: "Get out (of)" Vs "get off" the train / taxi / bus

texts:
Imagine a foreigner or someone who's not familiar with the urban transportation routes is taking a path and gonna ask you about a particular station. (There is no any map around and he /she has gotten confused.) They ask:

  How many stations are left to the (e.g.) XXX Park station?

You say:

  Do not worry, I’ll tell you where to............

a) get off

b) get out

Which choice is more correct?

For me, the choice 'b' is the one I should pick up. If not, then please explain me why?

Meanwhile I would be thankful if you could let me about a train and a taxi too. Does the type of the vehicle make any difference in this choice?


texts:
Which one is correct way of asking question?

a ) From which site you downloaded this file ?

Or

b) From which site did you download this file ?

Similarly,

a) From where you got my number?

And

b) From Where did you get my number?


texts:
Why must we add an 's? Why "she is at the dentist's now" instead of
"at the dentist"?


texts: What would you do if it _____on your wedding day. Rains or rained

texts:
I am really confused about this sentence. I just hope I would be helped over here.
I discussed this question with one of my friends who is also an English teacher.

  What would you do if it _______on your wedding day.

1 - rains.
2- rained.

I selected the option ( 1 ). My friend told me that you have to use "rained" because "would" is used over here.
After that I shared my remarks with him.
I said to him, "We will use 'rains' because this sentence matches with first conditional sentence. It will be " rains ". I said we can use " would " instead of "will". He asked me the reason. I said it is better to use " would" instead of "will" in present day English. Now, I am actually confused that he is not agreed to my remarks. Let's see how I am being helped here.


texts:
What's the meaning of "to start behind someone"?

  In Jordan, they threw us in large camp where we lived in a tent. The United Nations gave us some food and opened schools, but when the PLO started, the FBI started behind us. The Jordanians treated us like gypsies and put us in different schools.

This quote is from the book Understanding Life in the Borderlands: Boundaries in Depth and in Motion.


texts: How much seconds for punctuation when we read a loud text?

texts:
I have one question that when we read text for comma, semi-colon we use approximately 1 second of pause and for period and colon there is 2 second of pause but I also want to know about following:

Quotation mark
Hyphen
Dash
Question mark (not at end of sentence)
Exclamation mark (not at end of sentence)


texts:
I am very much confused with the usage of Have-Had-Has.
I know "have" is used in Present perfect whereas "had" is used in past perfect.
Then what about the usage of "have had" combination in a sentence?

Where do I have to use them?

How I know whether my usage is correct or not?


texts:
We can use Present Simple for things that happen time by time:

  I play this game (every day)

We can use Present Continuous for things that are happening right now:

  I am playing this game (now)

Also we can use Present Continuous for things that are happening in this period

  I am playing this game (because for these 3 months I have someone to
  play with)

Then what is the difference between Simple(time to time) and Continuos for things that are happening in some period of time, if they can happen the same time to time.

In other words, what is the difference in some habit(Simple) and period of time(Continuous)?

If we have a house which we have been building for 26 years. We can say:

  I build a house

because it's already become our habit(the time to time action)

And we can say:

  I am building

pointing at this like at some temporal period of time, though it's for 26 years.


texts:
The conjunction and/but is used to join two independent sentences of the same subject/s but different tenses and voices. The latter half is often shorter than the former which is more complete.

I would like to learn how to use "and" to join sentences, making them short, compact and free of repetition. What we can omit and what we can't.


texts: How to ask about the remaining distance to my friend's house?

texts:
My friend and I have been walking for about 2 kilometers, and now I want to ask her about the remaining distance to the house. What is the usual way to go about this? I have these in mind:

  How far still to go?

  How far do we still have to go?

  How much distance is left?


texts:
Gonzalez and I talked about Friends.

Gonzalez: In pilot, Rachel is a spoiled girl who just escaped from her wedding.

Where he used the present tense.
Should he have used the past tense?

... Rachel was a spoiled girl ...


texts: Can "in which" be used instead of "which" to express something in a more stronger way?

texts:
I have used "which" in a situation where two entities use things, but one entity used a different thing in the second time while the other entity stuck to the same thing it used in the first time.

I find it phrased weakly (I mean by weakly that it didn't express the meaning strongly enough):

  "A" changed its key and got XORed with "B" which used the same key as in the first time.

What I mean by that sentence is: A trial has occurred where "A" used a different key in the second time of the trial while "B" stuck to the same key it (refers to "B") used for the first time of the trial.

I thought of using in which but a user has stated in their answer to a question on ELL:

  In which may head a relative clause in which the which must stand as the object of the preposition in.

    He put the book in that cupboard.

... which leads me to the conclusion that it can't work for my case.

I have also thought of using where:

  "A" changed its key and got XORed with "B" where it used the same key as in the first time.

But it kind of indicates that "B" is a place rather than an entity.

Another way I tried for expressing it:

  "A" changed its key and got XORed with "B" which in return used the same key as in the first time.

But "in return" would mean because of the change "A" has done, "B" did that.

So, what is the best relative pronoun or phrase that can fit and express the sentence accurately?


texts: "question of why..." vs "question why..."

texts:
Given the following examples:

When it comes to the question of why oil price is rising, there is not really a simple
answer
When it comes to the question why oil price is rising there is not really a simple
answer

Are they both correct? Does one of the two sound more natural than the other one?
Would it be different if instead of "why" I used "whether"?

When it comes to the question of whether oil price is rising there is not really a simple
answer
When it comes to the question whether oil price is rising there is not really a simple
answer


texts:
Is this part of my phrase correct? "will know French and he'll do reconciliation"
I can guarantee you the quality of the translation because the editor of the book will know French and he'll do reconciliation.


texts: Which dialects of English are easiest for learners?

texts:
Choosing from the wikipedia list of English Dialects, which dialects are considered the easiest for learners? And related, which dialects and considered the hardest for learners? For example Received Pronunciation would likely be easier for a learner to understand than Cockney.

This question is meant to be focused on spoken English, the pronunciation and enunciation best suited for learners. Factors to take into account include, but are not limited to:

Mutual Comprehension
Will knowing the dialect make other dialects of English easier or harder to comprehend? (e.g. London Cockney is one example of a dialect which is notorious for being more difficult for English speakers from other areas to understand)
Does the dialect rely on heavy usage of slang specific to that dialect?

Pronunciation
Is the pronunciation of each phonic sound distinctive? (can easily hear the difference between sounds)
Is the pronunciation standardized? (not localized to small region, able to use the same IPA for similar spellings)
Are the phonemes of the learners native language more compatible with the dialect?

Pace of Speech
Is the average spoken wpm too rapid to be easily understood?
Are words often "mushed" together? (e.g. "cannaehavit" instead of "can I have it")

If other reasons/factors not listed here influence the answer, please include them with the answer and I will revise this list of influential factors.


texts: "one set of something" definite article or not?

texts:
I run into a sentence below:
"It's a short rectangle with a fireplace facing one upon entering, flanked by one set of windows with high radiators beneath and another set of french doors leading to another room"
Why there is not a definite article "the" before windows in one set of windows.


texts: George became a writer of detective stories. (What / Which) did George become a writer of?

texts:
In the declarative sentence：

George became a writer of detective stories.

We changed it to interrogative sentence：

(What / Which) did George become a writer of?

Should I use What or Which?


texts:
What does "Under the last lot. Under the new lot" mean in this passage:

  Paul: Have you ever seen me cry? Do I look like a man who cries? Has
  there ever been a day … ? Christ, we’ve known each other for fucking
  generations. Under the last lot. Under the new lot. We’ve been together for so
  fucking long. And have I ever been a crying man?

It's from a play called "The Cut" by Mark Ravenhill.


texts:
I know you are supposed to introduce yourself on the phone by saying something like "this is so and so", but how do you introduce yourself when you are calling with someone? Do you say

  "This is A and B"?

But then I don't think that is grammatically correct. Should it be something like "we are A and B"?

Also, would this be a proper way to introduce yourselves?

  "This is A, who had her appointment on Monday." (Although you are talking about yourself?)


texts: What's this kind of realistic, nonfiction, poetic travel writing called?

texts:
Sorry for my many posts on http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/19/travel/reif-larsen-norway.html?smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0 but this travel article just charmed me. What's this kind of writing called?

This non-fiction travel article talks about a person's direct 100% factual experiences, is excellently written like fine English literature but is NOT actually a dreamy, fanciful, fictive, imaginative literary work and  offers life lessons and edifying observations.

Verlyn Klinkenbourg writes slightly too lyrically for me and doesn't always educate on or uplift life.

1) I want to read more writing like this which don't have to be short articles. But I'm NOT searching for those travel guides or popular travel writing that just jabbers and spouts travel facts, details, and the like, with writing at the middle-school level.

2) To boot, what are some adjectives that describe this kind of writing that I missed? Many thanks.


texts:
Where is the error?

  For the recent exhibition, the museum ① acquired a rock ② from a volcano that ③ has erupted ④ more than two thousand years ago.

The answer is '③ has erupted'. Yeah, that is easy. We can't use present perfect with 'ago'.
But can we use past perfect with 'ago'?

  A. For the recent exhibition, the museum acquired a rock from a volcano that erupted more than two thousand years ago.
  B. For the recent exhibition, the museum acquired a rock from a volcano that had erupted more than two thousand years ago.

Some (we are not native-speakers) say you can't use 'ago' with past perfect, so you must use 'erupted' in this sentence.
Some say no, no, you can't use 'ago' with present perfect, but you can use 'ago' with past perfect because both are past tense. So,'volcano erupted' happened first than 'acquired rock', therefore you must use 'had erupted'.

Question

I know present perfect is not used with 'ago'. But what about 'past perfect'?
Can we use 'ago' with past perfect (although usually used with 'before')? And which is correct between A and B?


texts: Trying to make sense of these sentences from A CHRISTMAS CAROL

texts:
At last the dinner was all done, the cloth was cleared, the hearth swept, and the fire made up. The compound in the jug being tasted, and considered perfect, apples and oranges were put upon the table, and a shovel-full of chestnuts on the fire. Then all the Cratchit family drew round the hearth, in what Bob Cratchit called a circle, meaning half a one; and at Bob Cratchit's elbow stood the family display of glass.

meaning half a one - they formed half circle      right?

and:

at Bob Cratchit's elbow stood the family display of glass

I can't really understand a sentence above.


texts: Is "ahead" enough or should it be "ahead of me"?

texts:
I was distracted for a second, so I didn't see the deer step out onto the road ahead (of me).
Do I need to add "of me" here or is "ahead" enough?


texts:
What is the correct formulation:

  Prof. X research group at the University of Y

or

  Prof. X research group of the University of X

?


texts: What does 'by the glint of possibility' mean?

texts:
That’s what makes me cry. I was once a vice-president, a member of the Chairman’s Club. In the past it was always enough to be connected to humanity in a more abstract way, by the glint of possibility. To believe that there’s order and I have a place in it, is just too scary, that if I’m not here doing what I’m supposed to do, nothing else will be right.
  ("There Is a Plan"—Kathy Holwadel)

What does "by the glint of possibility" mean? Does it mean that to be connected to humanity in a more abstract way is not probable?


texts: Is it idiomatic to say a [name of month]?

texts:
Example:

  The girl disappeared a September, the Ghost Month.

I want to express that this is a September in the past and not in the current year. Is this the correct way? If not, what's a better alternative?

(Or maybe saying "in September" doesn't imply that it's a September in the current year or in the present?)


texts: usage with appostive non restrictive/restrictive

texts:
When an appositive noun or noun phrase contains an essential element without which a sentence’s meaning would materially alter, do not frame it with commas.
He visited the student bar where he met a student, Jenny, and they discussed college. (specifically Jenny)
He visited the student bar where he met a student Jenny and they discussed college. (might have met other students)
So unless the sentence explicitly requires commas in these sorts of examples they can be viewed as just a pause in the flow of sentence?
Examples are different but certainly not materially altered, just interpreted differently.


texts:
Nowhere in the United States but in New Jersey ______ so many people per square mile.

a) there
b) there are
c) there is
d) are there

The correct one is d.

When I use are there?
Why is there are not correct, is it not about existence?

Can anyone here explain this to  me?


texts: Juan berates her for her growing addiction [only for] Paula to rebuke him for selling crack to her in the first place.

texts: Juan berates her for her growing addiction "only for" Paula to rebuke him for selling crack to her in the first place. could you please tell me why "only for" is used. what is the purpose of only for in the above sentence?


texts: What's the meaning of put a life in your application?

texts:
When I learn the ruby on rails video, I saw a line code like below:

  Write Controller Code to put a life in your application.

I don't know the meaning of the put a life, could you explain what is the meaning ?


texts: "the whole shabang" vs "the whole shebang"

texts:
In the vocabulary.com

  A shebang is a thing or a group, used in the phrase "the whole shebang." When your teacher says the test will cover the whole shebang, she means everything you've studied is fair game.

In the urban dictionary

  The whole shabang: Including everything that will make up the entirety of the main object in question or that will complement it.

Are they all correct(maybe)?

What is the difference between them?


texts:
source THE BLACK VEIL

  In the transient gleam of recollection and consciousness which
  preceded her death, a prayer for his welfare and protection, as
  fervent as mortal ever breathed, rose from the lips of this poor
  friendless creature.

The poor creature is the woman with the black veil and "his" welfare is the doctor's welfare. Is "mortal" the woman's son?


texts: "Men of the night" or "the men of the night"?

texts:
What's the most grammatical/idiomatic option?

Example sentence:

  It seemed to Mary that (the) men of the night were better at mating
  than match-making.

(Here Mary is referring to men who frequent bars and clubs.)


texts:
In a conversation appeared the phrase "And you" that I do not fully understand its meaning. I did not find this phrase in any dictionary. This is the context which the sentence appears:

Sophia: Hello, I'm Sophia

Lucas: Hello, Sophia. I'm Lucas

Sophia: Nice to meet you

Lucas: And you


texts: What does "you're the one" mean in this context?

texts:
Daughter brought her boyfriend Mick to home, so her father & Mick
started conversation.

  Mick: I know. You were in music band, right?

  Father: You're impressing me already.

  Mick: Well, I have your CDs.

  Father: You're the one.

My Understanding: Still no one buy his CD's by saying one refers Mick is the first one to buy CD. since s word added to CD, that is why I am confused.


texts: Can one at all say, in trying to bring some color to the style: "it is shown in an, unconnected with previous studies, work, that …", in the stead of the usual: "it is shown in a work, unconnected with previous studies, that …", or that's simply incorrect English?


texts: Does a following consonant cancel the preceding consonant?

texts:
According to a tutorial, we can link /d/ to /t/ or /t/ to /d/ in speech, for example,

I need two kilos of shrimp.

the /t/ sound in "two" cancels the /d/ sound in "need".

She asked Dave what would happen.

the /d/ sound in "Dave" cancels the /t/ sound in "asked".
In conclusion, for /d/ and /t/, the sound at the beginning of the following word cancels the sound at the end of the preceding word.
Is my understanding correct?


texts:
She is determined to finish this

Is the word determined a predicate adjective or a noun complement?


texts:
These from the dictionary

droop [intransitive] to bend, hang or move downwards, especially
because of being weak or tired
the drooping branches of the apple tree
She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop.
The plants were drooping from lack of water.

flop [intransitive] + adv./prep. to fall, move or hang in a heavy way,
without control
Her hair flopped over her eyes.
The fish were flopping around in the bottom of the boat.

It seems like "to droop" means to hang because of being tired or weak
and "to flop" means to hang because of heaviness
What is the difference between "his head was drooping as he was falling asleep" and "his head was flopping as he was falling asleep"?


texts: What kind of reduction is in: "...digging out ancient objects, archaeologists must interpret..."?

texts:
When finished with digging out ancient objects, archaeologists must interpret what they have found.

What kind of reduction is in my example?


texts:
It may sound like a silly question, but here's a sentence

  The unusual deal began last February. Amidst breaking news about Yanukovich, the former Ukrainian president, fleeing Ukraine, a clipped, mechanical sound from his mobile phone alerted an OCCRP reporter to a new message.

(from here)

The interesting part is that the text is published in July 2014. How come February 2014 is "last" from the standpoint of July 2014? Shouldn't it be called "this" February whereas "last" February would've meant February 2013?


texts: What does "simply put" mean in this sentence?

texts:
What does simply put mean in the following paragraph?

  Acoustic musical instruments are common throughout the world. Simply put, an acoustic instrument is any instrument that makes sound. This lecture will introduce you to an acoustic instrument invented in the 20th century.


texts: Who does the relative pronoun THAT represent?

texts:
1.Organizational structure refers to the formalized patterns of interactions that link a firm's tasks,technologies, and people.

2.Organizational structure refers to the formalized patterns of the interactions that link a firm's tasks,technologies, and people.

Do the two sentences have same meanings? In the two sentences,the relative pronounThat represent whom, is it patterns or interactions? I'm confused about the rule- relative pronoun represents the noun/pronoun just before it. I belive, in the first sentence, THAT represent THE FORMALIZED PATTERNS (specifically PATTERNS), and in the second sentence, THAT represents THE INTERACTIONS, is it correct?

Can I rewrite the first sentance in the following way?

--Organizational structure refers to the interaction's formalized patterns that link a firm's tasks,technologies, and people.

In this sentence,  the relative pronoun that represents the noun patterns, but not instructions, doesn't it?


texts: Posting memes, photos and jokes ‘is’ not or ‘are’ not?

texts:
Which one of these two sentences is correct:

  Posting lame memes, photos and jokes IS not gonna make you funny.
  Posting lame memes, photos and jokes ARE not gonna make you funny.


texts: Wishes I was gone vs. wishes I were gone

texts:
"She wishes I were gone" has 7 results on Google Books.

"She wishes I was gone" has 3.

The difference in results isn't very big.

What's the correct version? Or both are correct depending on the context?


texts: form / a form - when uncountable and when countable?

texts:
Here's an excerpt from a book on computer hardware:

  Computers don't judge the information they process because they don't really process information. They process symbols represented by electrical signals. People translate information into symbols that computers can process. The process of translation can be long and difficult. You do some of it by typing, and you know how hard that is—translating thoughts into words, then words into keystrokes.
  Computers work logically on the symbols. For the computer, these symbols take electronic form. After all, electrical signals are the only things that they can deal with. Some symbols indicate the dragon, for example. They are the data. Other symbols indicate what to do with the data—the logical operations to carry out. All are represented electronically inside the computer.
  Engineers figured out ways of shifting much of the translation work from you to the computer. Consequently, most of the processing power of a computer is used to translate information from one form to another, from something compatible with human beings into an electronic form that can be processed by the logic of the computer. Yes, someone has to write logic to make the translation—and that's what computer programming is all about.

I'm a little bit confused as to how do we know when to use the word form as an uncountable noun and when as a countable noun?


texts: Is present or past perfect tense choice correct?

texts:
I'm one of ESL students, Pervasive Developmental Disorder English learner.
I had stayed for a month in Los Angeles since I was 17.
Our native-English teacher at the PDD support school told us that grammatical mistakes in English usage will kill the writing credibility.

for example
Incorrect
I was working there for 10 years.
I'm living in the United States for 5 years.
I was staying in Los Angeles to study English when I was 17.

Correct
I had worked there for 10 years.
I have lived for 5 years in the United States.
I had stayed and studied English in Los Angeles since I was 17.

Our teacher said present and past perfect tense choice are correct.


texts:
The core stone is the information center of the new computer,
  which is envied by a lot of competitors of Carl's company.

In this sentence, can "which" indicate the phrase "information center"? It is normally to use "which" to indicate a noun, but as for a phrase, I am not sure.


texts: Is 'a flat horizontal surface' redundant?

texts: I suppose we can have a vertical surface that is not flat, so I think 'a flat vertical surface' is not redundant. But what about 'a flat horizontal surface'? Is this expression redundant? The context is scientific writing.


texts: What is the difference between I love flowers vs I love the flowers

texts:
I want to know what is the difference between these two examples:

  I love flowers so much!
  I love the flowers in my garden so much!


texts: What is "the flesh under the cheeks & chin, before the neck" called?

texts:
Look at these picture:

What is "the flesh under the chicks & chin & before the neck" called?

Is it still called "the under chin or under jaw"? For example, The man is thin not fat & I said to him "you   have a rash on / under your chin / jaw"

Note: you can see this part of the face clearly if he /she is overweight.


texts: What is the name of office kind where many people sit in a common, open but kind of secluded area?

texts:
In Swedish, the concept is called öppet landskap (direct translation: open/wide scenery/landscape). While I can explain the concept to our applicants over the, I fear that it's rather due to their pre-existing familiarity with the concept than due to the actual excellency of the explanation. (And, frankly, even if the latter is excellent, I still wish to learn the official term for further reference).

The difference between the Swedish setup and e.g. American (as far I've experienced), is that here, it actually (almost) feels cozy and separated from the other open areas, making it actually not so very open and, hence, less industrious.

The sense of seclusion is achieved not by walls, doors and such (we're not talking about a dormitory or multi-tenant chambers) but rather using lighting, location/direction of desks, coloring etc. In my experience, it differs from other countries in a clear but intangible way.


texts: meaning of "There is not much glory in it"

texts:
What does mean "There is not much glory in it" in the following sentences?:

  Well, it's nothing to do with the party and I'm sure there are more
  exciting ways that you could spend your time. But we do need some help
  with something. We’re compiling a database of articles the
  anthropology faculty has published. There is not much glory in it,
  but we are looking for someone with some knowledge of anthropology who
  can enter the articles. I hesitate to mention it.


texts: what does it mean: "Do these turn-ups work with these boots?"

texts:
I have been watching a funny British show (Catherine tate) about a gay boy coming out to his mom. The reactions from mom and neighbors are funny.

But at the end of it, there comes a scene where 3 thugs come to the boy's house and the boy opens the door with mom behind him. one of the 3 guy's showing his boots says:

"...Do these turn-ups work with these boots..."

It must be funny as there comes the laughter track, but I did not understand what it means. Can you tell me what it means and why it is funny?

Thanks

Here is the video where the sentence context starts (minute-seconds 4:40::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mflUTy6v6M


texts: Does "which wouldn’t have been at all unusual except it was during a rainstorm" mean "it would generally be 'usual' but not during a rainstorm"?

texts:
Full text:

  . . . the hours I’d spent hauling scrap.
  When Dad saw me with one of those books, he’d try to get me away from
  them. Perhaps he was remembering Tyler. Perhaps he thought if he could
  just distract me for a few years, the danger would pass. So he made up jobs
  for me to do, whether they needed doing or not. One afternoon, after he’d
  caught me looking at the math book, he and I spent an hour hauling
  buckets of water across the field to his fruit trees, which wouldn’t have
  been at all unusual except it was during a rainstorm.

  Tara Westover: Educated


texts:
Could you please tell me which word is more correct? Support or Root for ?
For example, I like one team or, maybe, player.
What do I have to say? I support this team/player or I root/ I’m rooting for this team/player?
Is there any difference? How would you say? Does it depend on the country (the USA, Canada, the UK)


texts: Why is it called "under the sea" when it should be "in the sea?"

texts: Why is the phrase "under the sea" constructed the way it is? Shouldn't it be "in the sea?" Does "sea" refer to the surface of the ocean in this case? Or is it just one of those quirks in English?


texts:
1. I am suffering from a headache.

2. I am suffering from toothache.

3. I am suffering from backache.

According to Raymond Murphy headache is countable because it is common,  while toothache, backache and stomach ache   are  uncountable because they  are  not common.

In India it is  common to omit the article  a with all kinds of ache.

Do native speakers follow the rule in their speech and writing?

Is the omission of the article before headache considered wrong?


texts: Is using "while" instead of "whereas" discouraged in academic writing?

texts:
Some time ago, I was participating in a course for academic paper writing in which the professor cautioned the students against using while instead of whereas. It was surprising for me; I supposed that it is a completely acceptable point in English.

Is it really recommended in academic writing to use whereas rather than while?


texts: "I ask you consider" vs "I ask THAT you consider" vs "I ask you TO consider"

texts:
I ask you consider...
I ask that you consider...
I ask you to consider...

Which is correct?


texts:
Sunil said to his friend, "look out! Be careful keep away from the wire".

a) sunil exclaimed with surprise to his friend to be careful and keep away from the wire.
b) sunil exclaimed with surprise and said to his friend to be careful and keep away from the wire.

Which one is correct in indirect speech?

Is it right to say, "exclaimed to someone"?


texts:
Please help me with

  One of these most intelligent students whose example (is/are) being followed (is/are) David. (question 42)

I have checked its answer, but I still don't understand it.

The correct answer is "is-is". Why is the first blank "is" and not "are"?


texts:
I found out that I could be a part-time or a full-time student.  It would be a great opportunity  for someone like me who is working full time.

I am writing a personal statement.  I found out that I could be either full time or part time in the past but I am still working full time now.

Someone told me I should use is because I am still working full time now. But isn't it breaking the parallel pattern, the former part is past and the latter is present tense.


texts:
I'm stuck on the following phrases. Is it correct to use preposition "of" in the sentences bellow?

It's not a little unpleasant of being her so fussy.
It's awfull of him having done this.

Thank you.


texts:
Is this question grammatical?

"Is there anything I can do to help for the party?"

I saw it on an English class whiteboard.

I think it's supposed to be "with" instead of "for".


texts: Currently, in everyday language, I hear people use the expression: 'step foot in', rather than the expression: 'set foot in'.  The former expression sounds incorrect while the latter expression sounds correct. Can anyone comment on this?


texts:
I wrote this sentence below in an essay and my teacher corrected me from:
“I agree with this statement because more and more women go to college like men, having sometimes an even better academic performance from their male peers”
To
“I agree with this statement because more and more women go to college like me, and sometimes they have an even better academic performance from their male peers”
But I don’t get it. Why I cannot use gerund in that case?


texts: Which word is "which" refering to ? seat or table?

texts:
She offered me a seat at the table, which was covered with a spotless nylon cloth.

I think it refered to "table" but I am not sure. How we can realise it?


texts: "Teach someone something" or "teach something to someone"

texts:
Daisy was teaching Taekwondo to a group of children.
  Daisy was teaching a group of children Taekwondo.

Which is the correct usage of "teach"?


texts: "peeked over the balcony," "peeked out the balcony," or "peeked out of the balcony"?

texts:
What's the correct construction? Say, you're inside the house and are peeking to see what's in the balcony?

Example sentence:

  Faking courage, I peeked over/out/out of the balcony.


texts:
I am developing an application. When users login to this application, I would like to welcome them.

Should it be "Welcome Susan." "Welcome, Susan." "Welcome, Susan" "Welcome Susan"
or something else?

I am having trouble determining the grammar to utilize.


texts: What is the difference between ‘ever’ with perfect tense and past tense?

texts:
What is the difference between ever with perfect tense and past tense?

  I'm the queerest young fellow that you ever heard. (related link)

  I'm the queerest young fellow that you've ever heard.


texts: The correct way to say how reading books help you forget

texts:
The account holder is an educated person.

Now, I am wondering which one is correct.

Reading book is the good way in order to forget something.
Reading a book is a good way to forget something.

I saw the second sentence on a Skype account.


texts: Meaning of "3e9 seconds" in this blog post?

texts:
I was reading a FaceBook note, Mastering Programming by a renowned software engineer Kent Beck.

This is the 2nd paragraph.

  Here are ways effective programmers get the most out of their precious 3e9 seconds on the planet.

3e9 seconds (300000000) roughly translates to 9.5 years according to Google.

What does 3e9 seconds mean in this context?


texts: What term should I use to mean when a person stops what they are doing to do something?

texts:
What I mean is this:

Suppose someone is doing a job, like washing a car and someone insults that person. The person then stops washing the car just to punch the other person and then returns to washing the car.

I once heard something like:

"The person got out of his way just to punch him".

or something like that.

The phrase construction is also used when a person does something they are not supposed to do and the person narrating that is surprised by the good action.

Like, he changed his normal behavior to do that for me...

My first example is probably wrong, but I remember the words "of his/her way" ... or something like that. Excuse me if I am not that clear.


texts:
A quote from BBC's live feed on today's Philae landing, a post by journalist Jonathan Amos:

Assuming Philae can avoid the cliffs, the boulders, the fissures and the steepest slopes, it has a good chance of getting down in a stable configuration. But how do we know it's down? The action of the feet and legs touching the surface is to move a central pole running up the middle of the robot's main housing.
This will generate a signal that activates the screws in the feet and the harpoons on Philae's underside. It should also have activated the small gas thruster on the roof of the housing, pushing the probe into the surface. But, as we heard earlier today, we're no long sure this will work. So for Philae to succeed at landing, a soft surface will be preferable - something like a "snowdrift".

Philae hadn't yet landed at the moment Jonathan Amos posted his report.
Is it okay to say should have activated about an event whose timeframe is in the future at the moment of speech?
Can I say:

I should have visited you tomorrow, but I'm no longer sure I will be able to.


texts:
1a. He made a little statue (out) of clay.
  1b. He produced a little statue (out) of clay.

  2a. We can make synthetic fibers from petroleum.
  2b. We can produce synthetic fibers from petroleum.

Are they grammatically correct?


texts: "again called you yesterday" or "called you again yesterday"

texts:
I tried to call a friend yesterday and wanted to let her know that I have tried calling her. Do I write

  A: I again called you yesterday

or

  B: I called you again yesterday


texts: Can you join these two independent clauses without using that?

texts:
"I was so sad everything went wrong."

Is this a run-on sentence?

This sentence has two subjects ( I and everything) and two verbs (was and went).  There are two independent clauses.  There is no punctuation between them.  At first glance I said it was run-on sentence and the word that should be inserted between sad and everything, but then a student asked me why it was necessary to insert that?


texts:
The question is one of small moment. Certainly good art pays as well as mediocre. And the cost of preparing ads is very small compared with the cost of insertion.

I don't understand the meaning of this sentence: The question is one of small moment. And this sentence: Certainly good art pays as well as mediocre.


texts:
... our perspective, but what does it look like when the moon blocks sunlight from the Earth from space.

(Source: Earth from an alien's eye view: How our planet looks from a different perspective far, far away, Daily Mail)

1) what does it mean 'the moon blocks sunlight from the Earth from space'?

2) in order to avoid the 'from ...  from ...' construct, what is an alternative phrasing?

3) in general, what's  the essential relationship, if there is any,  between the objects of the two from(s) in such a construct?


texts: what does "inform design decisions" mean here?

texts:
In the above example, the task matrix describes the various methods (and their frequencies based on persona) for accomplishing the goal of booking an airline ticket. The user task matrix helps you identify the non-negotiable aspects of the user experience. For example, our above matrix shows that the most important task is “searching travel routes” since it’s used multiple times by all 3 personas. You can use this to inform design decisions by ensuring the “search route” function is part of the primary navigation instead of a discoverable item.

I know that inform means "give (someone) facts or information; tell"


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to use the word experience to mean multiple experiences, and follow it by a verb without adding s. For example:

  Experience show that most people ...


texts: Help changing active to passive voice in this sentence?

texts:
What would be the passive of the sentence?

  He will have eaten the whole mango by the time I eat a single piece.

Simply, I want to know that what would be the change in time clause, other than today, yesterday, etc.


texts: Which sentence is correct, "The shop is open" or "The shop is opened"?

texts: As for "The shop is open" or "The shop is opened",which sentence is right?


texts:
Imagine you are watching TV with your son and the volume is a bit low, and you want to ask him to turn it up. You could simply say

  turn it up,

but is it okay to say:

  Play it up.

Does it sound wrong, strange or awkward if I use it according to sense 11 below taken from a Cambridge dictionary.

  10: [intransitive or transitive] to perform music on an instrument or instruments
      He learned to play the clarinet at the age of ten.

  1: Play us a song!/Play a song  for  us!
    2: On Radio London they play African and South American music as well as rock and pop.
    3: They could hear a jazz band playing in the distance.
    4: Play  up  a bit  (= play louder)  - I can hardly hear you!

  11:      [intransitive or transitive] to (cause a machine to) produce sound or a picture
      Play the last few minutes of the video again.
  See also playback


texts:
I noticed on google a inversion sentence structure of this form:

  book source
  Very, very few times will the buyer's first offer be exactly at the seller's bottom price.

Could this be sloppy writing?  Would this:

  Very, very few times the buyer's first offer will be exactly at the seller's bottom price.

be better?


texts: Is "a circular pond which is seen oval from in front" right?

texts:
In a fire temple there is a pond with a special design. Although it is in reality circular but when you look at it from in front when you enter the temple it looks oval.

Now how can I describe this quality proper and easy?
Is "a circular/round pond which is seen oval from in front/side.entrance" right?


texts:
Could you explain what  the highlighted sentence means please? I am confused more on the word nuanced and people would have us believe

  Earlier on Monday, British Chambers of Commerce director general John
  Longworth told the BBC that an in-out referendum should "take place as
  soon as is practical".

  Mr Longworth said that 55% of his members were in favour of a
  "reformed Europe", and said the "in-out debate is more nuanced than
  a lot of people would have us believe".


texts: Difference between "be tagged as" or "be labelled as"?

texts:
What's the difference between 'be tagged (as)' and 'be labelled (as)'?
For example
"The country no longer wanted to ____ as a Third World nation".
Which terms could I use to fill in the blank?


texts: Past Perfect with a time reference in a separate sentence

texts:
Would it be proper to use Past Perfect thus:

  X and Y have announced the creation of a joint venture titled Z. The
  two firms had stated their intent to form the JV back in 2012.

The first sentence contains the past reference, then comes the next, with Past Perfect to stress that their statement was before the event described in the first sentence. Is this O.K? Or should Simple Past be used (below)?

  The two firms stated their intent to form the JV back in 2012.

P.S. Sorry. The first sentence contains present reference, as StoneyB pointed out.


texts: Quoting a German sentence with double German quotation marks and an apostrophe in a US-English text

texts:
I wish to quote the German sentence

  Karl war, wie man so schön sagt, „strack wie Sau“, aber Max’ Freund konnte Karl doch heimfahren.

inside a US-English text. The audience consists of English-speaking mathematicians worldwide. (The actual German quotation would have been pure maths, even less understandable to the community, so I decided to change it to something more clear.)

In the middle of the sentence we see the German double quotation marks and an apostrophe.

(i) How to quote that sentence correctly?

(ii) How to quote that sentence in the best way which prevents any misunderstanding?

Here are a few options for (i) and (ii).

She said, “Karl war, wie man so schön sagt, „strack wie Sau“, aber Max’ Freund konnte Karl doch heimfahren.”
She said, ‘Karl war, wie man so schön sagt, „strack wie Sau“, aber Max’ Freund konnte Karl doch heimfahren.’
She said, »Karl war, wie man so schön sagt, „strack wie Sau“, aber Max’ Freund konnte Karl doch heimfahren.«
She said, «Karl war, wie man so schön sagt, „strack wie Sau“, aber Max’ Freund konnte Karl doch heimfahren.»
She said, Karl war, wie man so schön sagt, „strack wie Sau“, aber Max’ Freund konnte Karl doch heimfahren.
She said, “Karl war, wie man so schön sagt, strack wie Sau, aber Max’ Freund konnte Karl doch heimfahren.”
... your version? ...

Note that the default option 1 has the problem that the right German double quotation mark and the right English double quotation mark are very similar. Even worse: the right German double quotation mark looks very much the same as the left English double quotation mark! The alternative 2 has the problem that the apostrophe looks exactly the same as the right English single quotation mark.


texts:
I often hear this:
"Can you repeat?"
shouldn't it be
"Can you repeat that?"
Question: is it incorrect to not put an object after 'repeat'? Maybe that is just 'slang' or such slips are acceptable in informal conversations?


texts: Alternative to "I sense a bit of [anthropology]"

texts: Often I'm looking for a creative way to express something like: "I sense a hint of anthropological approach / existentialism etc." I take any suggestions to alter this sentence. Most naturally, I'd go for a food paralel (I taste a dash/drop (?) of anthropological perspective) but I wasn't able to find a unit of taste. :)


texts:
I've noticed a dictionary defines devilment as "wild or bad behaviour that causes trouble" but gives the following example:

  eyes blazing with devilment

Does the example fit the definition?


texts: Does this sentence make sense? ( I feel comfortable like in the living room.)

texts:
I want to know if it is acceptable to a native speaker to say

  "I feel comfortable like in the living room."

Is there any problem in I feel comfortable like in the living room.?


texts: Which is correct? “under/in the Materials Science Division”

texts:
Mr. X worked in my laboratory under the Materials Science Division.
Mr. X worked in my laboratory in the Materials Science Division.

Which sentence is correct? One of the professors of my wife wrote the following sentence.

  It is a true pleasure for me to write this letter of recommendation for Ms. X who worked in my laboratory under the Materials Science Division during her Master’s thesis since 2015.

Is this sentence grammatically correct? If not, kindly suggest something.


texts: What are some polite sentence structures for asking a question from a stranger?

texts:
The other day I was in the library and saw a few people studying; I was sat next to them and soon realized they were university students. I wanted to ask one of them which university they were from and how their course was structured. But I couldn't come up with a sentence I thought was appropriate. I thought of a few sentences, but wasn't sure whether they were appropriate (grammatically and or socially)

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you'd ..."
(I had no idea how to continue this sentence further)

"Excuse me, I was hoping I could ask you a question."

"Excuse me, I was wondering if I could ask you a question if you don't mind"
(I had no idea whether the phrase "if you don't mind" at the end of the sentence was appropriate or if there was any way to improve the structure of this sentence)

"Excuse me, Do (i wasn't sure if I was supposed to use "Do" or "would" here) you mind if I asked you a question"

I'd be thankful if you could help me improve and/or complete these sentences and maybe even suggest me a few other sentences I could have used.


texts: What is the correct placement of adverb? What is the difference in meaning?

texts:
(1) It would have never worked.

(2) It would never have worked.

(3) It never would have worked.


texts: My question is simple, is there a known reason why the word "prefix" has only one "f" but the word "suffix" has two, "ff"?


texts: What is the difference between city centre and city's centre?

texts: I was wondering about what's the difference because I always learned it as city centre, but now I read it like that, and... Is it the same?


texts: Independent Clauses? Noun phrases placed former to placing subject?

texts:
“I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self respect. And it's these things I'd believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be. I love her and it is the beginning of everything.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald

I think I may discern a complete sentence in aiming to observe a verb and verb arguments. In And it's these things I'd believe in, may it seem that a noun phrase these things (argument of believe[?]) seems all right to go former to placing a subject, I? I guess I may frequently think it goes subject verb object (noun phrase), not maybe (noun phrase) these things, subject, I. Do you say And it's these things I'd believe in, independent clause, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be., conditional clause?


texts: Is there any difference between "(rope) sold in 100 meter coils" and "(rope) sold by 100 meter coils"?

texts: Can't get what variant is better when talking about 100 meter rope coil being sold (without possibility of cutting).


texts: Choice of tense following "I wish it was true that..."

texts:
Which is correct?

  I wish it was true that I don't love you.

OR

  I wish it was true that I didn't love you.

I am talking in the present time, trying to express that I am not happy as a result of my love for you after its hurtful times in the past and still now.


texts: Indirect objects before direct objects because they’re pronouns

texts:
Is there a rule out there that says the indirect object is placed before the direct object if it is a pronoun? I read in on another post, and don’t understand it. Before you say to comment on that post, I did and was told to post another question.
Here’s the link
Order of prepositions
It is found in sanders’ answer


texts: Is it wrong to write, I heard you save them? or Is it just a difference between American English and British English?

texts:
Trunks and his parents, and Goku had travelled to the Future for some reason.
When Bulma saw Yajirobe, she said:

  Thank you. I heard you saved them.

I am wondering why it is neither

  Thank you. I heard you save them.

nor

  Thank you. I heard you that saved them.

because our English teachers used to tell us that infinitive is used without to after certain verbs of perception, such as hear and see.

Or is it just a difference between American English and British English?

Thank you.


texts: Is the sentence meaningful without context?

texts:
Is the following meaningful without context? Can it be called a sentence? As for me, it is a sentence and meaningful because 'am' means 'exist'.

  I am.


texts: what I have been reading vs what I have read

texts: Can anyone explain to me why several book review sites are called "what I have been reading" when they describe books the reviewer has read? why aren't they called "what I have read"?


texts:
I was telling someone that "platyhelminthes" is the last phylum which shows organ (and the only phylum) level of organization and after that all other phylas show "organ system level of organization". Now how's this  question related to English? Well, I want to know how I can naturally express it.

  After platyhelminthes all the phylas show organ system level of organization.

  From aschelminthes on all the phylas show organ system level of organization. (Aschelminthes too shows organ system level of organization)

So what would sound natural "after" or "from......on"? What do you think?


texts: What's the difference between "belong TO me" and "belong WITH me"?

texts:
What's the difference between "belong to me" and "belong with me"?

For example:

  "My darling, I'm very happy that you belong to me."

  "My darling, I'm very happy that you belong with me." (one example in a song)

What's the difference between these two sentences?


texts: Who do you call a person who do paperwork for a university's program?

texts: what should we call a student who doing all the paperwork and all stuff regarding formal letter for a program in a university 's club organization? is it program secretary?


texts: Word request: how to refer to the time when schools close in a day?

texts:
I want to describe the time in the afternoon when schools close, but I'm not sure if "close" is the right word here. for example:

  I'm sitting at a cafe, looking at the window, waiting for the streets to fill with children when the schools close.


texts: Write a combination of two sentences using the word "respectively"

texts:
I want to combine the following sentences:

The first column shows the variable names.
The second column shows the description of the variables.

Which of the following are correct?

a. The first and the second column each show the variable names and the description of the variables, respectively.

b. The first and the second column each shows the variable names and the description of the variables, respectively.

c. The first and the second column show the variable names and the description of the variables, respectively.

d. The first and the second column shows the variable names and the description of the variables, respectively.

Or, maybe do you have any better suggestions?

I think the correct answer is a because I read in another source and it says "they each have ...." That sentence implies that the verb  remain without s. But my concern is whether the rule still applies to the sentence if the sentence is added with "respectively" ?


texts: How can this sentence with "no more akin" be simplified?

texts:
Consensual sex is no more akin to being rubbed up against in the subway than drinking wine is to being roofied.

The sentence is from New Yorker : WHY DID CATHERINE DENEUVE AND OTHER PROMINENT FRENCHWOMEN DENOUNCE #METOO? By Lauren Colline

Here is a sample sentence from Chinese English learning site about usage of “no more than” and “not more than”:

  A whale is no more a fish than a horse is. 马不是鱼，鲸也不是鱼 (=Neither a horse nor a whale is a fish)
  She is not more clever than he is. 她不如他聪明 (= She is not so clever as he is).

So how to understand the quoted sentence properly?
Does it make sense to break it this way? Is the grammar correct?

Consensual sex is not akin to being rubbed up against in the subway.
Consensual sex is not akin to drinking wine being roofied.

Or

Consensual sex is not akin to being rubbed up against in the subway.
Drinking wine is not akin to being roofied.


texts: what does *otherwise* mean in this sentence?

texts:
What does otherwise mean in this sentence?

  You do not need to be living on one of the southern European contries
  to understand the implications of otherwise well-intentioned job
  protection, and why it is better to protect workers than to protect
  jobs.

There are some definition for it in dictionary but I do not understand its meaning here.


texts:
In Fight Club (1999), Narrator speaks about his health problem:

Narrator: For six months, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't sleep...with
insomnia,  nothing's real. Everything's far away. Everything's a
copy of a copy of a copy.

What does "Everything's a copy of a copy of a copy" mean?


texts: When to use "is" vs. "does" when asking a question?

texts:
When do I use is or does when I ask a question? For example,

  Is your item still for sale?
  Does your item still for sale?

I am not sure which one to use.


texts:
I got this question in my English exam this morning and have been wondering about it:

So my questions are:

Can "Not long before [something happened/an event/a point in time]" be seen grammatically as "Before [something happed...]?

If the answer is yes, than the sentence will become "Before the interval, ____________.". Therefore, I can totally choose B. so that the complete sentence will be "Before the interval, the critic came to the theater.", right?

If the answer is D., the sentence will become "Not long before the interval, did the critic come to the theatre."

However, I think the comma is absolutely abundant. So my questions are:

2.1. Can we use a comma before a 'subject-auxiliary verb inversion'?

2.2. Is "Not (so) long before/after ..." counted as a way of beginning an inversion?

Thank you. And if there is any grammar mistakes above, please tell me too.


texts:
I have read rules on using articles... They say we should not put an article before names of lakes like Lake Erie, Lake Kissimmee, Lake Rabun.
But we do use the with groups of lakes like the Great Lakes
But I have read two examples that I can not understand, why is THE used:

Go jump in the lake.
The lake was frozen.
We swam in the lake.


texts: I ALWAYS think that. What's the meaning of ALWAYS in that structure?

texts:
I wonder what's the meaning that "ALWAYS" is trying to convey when used in simple present sentences such as:

  I always think that John should stop drinking.
  I always think that Victoria lies too much to be trusted.
  I always think that Peter has an ulterior motive when he kisses up to Jenny.

Recently, I heard someone say that "I always think that" is not logical. Because it expresses that someone is thinking about something all along.I think that's not the meaning. But I would like if someone could clarify what the mean really is.


texts:
Here, I am confused about how to make a meaningful sentence.

This is my idea.  I want to say:

  Another example for under-segmentation is shown in Fig 14. By this effect, nearby dormers have merged.  Because of that, an edge referring to a dormer is lost.

So, I express my idea more concisely like this:

  Another instance of being under-segmentation is illustrated in
  (Fig. 14) in which the nearby dormers have merged and it causes to
  lose a graph edge.

So, my questions are:

Am I correctly using the word being?  I am always confused about when to use it.
Does in which refer to the idea by this effect?


texts: In the First Conditional, what is more important, cause or time?

texts:
In real life it happens that the cause happens later than the result. Would the grammar be up to the cause-result sequence or up to the time sequence? How should I form the first conditional?

  I finish my jogging at 8, before the rain will start.
  or
  I will finish my jogging at 8, before the rain starts.

Which is correct?

There was a similar question (Mixed conditional and sequence of events) here, but it is not about Conditional 1, and the answer there bases on feelings instead of explanations, and is not helpful a bit.


texts: nonellipsed forms: "to glory" vs. "to hell" -- Is there a rule?

texts:
To glory!

I've come across the bizarre (is it?) question that's asking me to write the complete form of this exclaiming 'sentence'. I came along the sentence below as the nonellipsed expansion:

  [Let's go] to glory!

However, it gets a bit hilarious if you want to apply the same to "to hell with the guns!":

  [Let's go] to hell with the guns!

It's rather

  [Go] to hell with the guns!

Are these exceptions? Is there a general rule we can apply to the phrases than begin with the structure "to + noun"? Is there ellipsis here, since I don't seem to see it?

I've been taught that to write a complete expansion for the ellipsed form, you should choose what's the nearest and yet the shortest. Is this true?


texts: Question about expression "Referring to"

texts:
I have a question about the usage of "referring to". Let's assume that you are in a meeting and you are giving a presentation. You have to explain about a couple of things  that are in the table chart one by one.
In this situation, I 'd like to use "referring to " to let my audience know about which one I'm talking about. For example, I want to start by saying "referring to number 7 item which talks about~~ ,  we finished our work for that by ~~~.
Is this correct or wrong?
Any other suggestion?


texts: The use of the prepositions "in" and "after" in terms of time

texts:
Tell me please if there is any difference in meaning between the following sentences.

  I will do the work after an hour.

  I will do the work in an hour.

I cannot see any difference in meaning. If there is not any, then which preposition is more common, and which one is more formal in this context?


texts: "It is not as if S+V" vs. "It is not as if S+ [subjunctive]"

texts:
I'd like to know what feeling does this expression convey.

  I'm surprised they've invited me to their wedding—it's not as if I know them well.
  (OED Learner's|it's not as if)

Can you tell if the speaker is happy or unhappy for being invited to the ceremony from this sentence alone?

Does this assume any sarcastic tone if it's like this:

  I'm surprised they've invited me to their wedding—it's not as if I knew them well.

Does the tone of blaming and/or surprise get stronger if it's:

  I'm surprised they've invited me to their wedding—it's not as if I were their old friend.

I'm asking this question because the typical translation given for this phrase in my language has very much a nuance of sarcastic or looking down or chiding on the action or words that is remarked by this word.

Thank you! :)


texts:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

  1) Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

Why "told me" and not, "said to me"? I was taught "say" to attach to quote, and "tell" in another situation.

  2) He didn't say any more but we've always been unusually communicative in a reserved way, and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that.

Why "say" and not "tell"?


texts:
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/sit-in-for

  to take the place of someone temporarily

    I’ll be sitting in for the secretary at/on the meeting tonight.

Is the use of "sit in for" common or is this one used more:

  He's taking place of her for a day.

Which one is used more "sit in for" or "take somebody's place"(temporary)? And can "on" be used instead of "at" for the meeting? I'll be sitting in for the secretary on the meeting.


texts: Is "as that of drugs can do* or "as that of WHAT drugs can do" correct?

texts:
Could anybody tell me which one of the following sentences is correct?

The issue is that an abuse of "kratom" leaves can have the same deleterious effect as that of drugs can do.
The issue is that an abuse of "kratom" leaves can have the same deleterious effect as that of what drugs can do.


texts: past simple for an event before past perfect

texts:
The room on the first floor of the Barbour County Courthouse in the little town of Eufaula, Alabama, was normally the County Clerk’s Office, but after it had closed for the day on August 2, 1957, it was being used by the county’s Board of Registrars, the body that registered citizens so they could vote in elections—not that the Board was going to register any of the three persons who were applying that day, for the skin of these applicants was black.

Why "was" and not "had been" because at the time of writing this room was not the County Clerk's Office anymore and if I use past perfect for the first verb would it be possible to use past simple for the second verb close


texts:
What is the difference between below sentences or they are completely same at all?

We will be looking at the questions very soon
I will focus on new questions

and

We will look at the questions very soon
I will be focusing on new questions

Are these sentences completely same or they have difference in meaning also?


texts: What is the difference between 'It seems like' and 'she seems'?

texts:
There are two sentences.

  She seems crazy.
  It seems like she is crazy.

I don't know the difference between two sentences in meaning.
Could you tell me the difference in meaning between two sentences?


texts:
Can you use earlier and later as adjectives? Here is a conversation I overheard this morning:

A: I was able to do two paintings yesterday.
B: Me, too. But the earlier one I had to re-do, because Professor C hated it.

Can you use earlier and later like this? I guess the person was using earlier as a short version of "the one I painted earlier," but I'm not sure if this usage is correct.


texts: Correct pronoun for negating a complete list with "I don't care about any of ..."

texts:
Which would be correct pronouns to replace [...] in the following sentence:

This thing has A,B and C, but I don't care about any of [...]

Them? It? These? ...?


texts: Do adults speak this way "I want to allow all refugees"?

texts:
Some English-learning tutorial gives a sentence

  ... I want to allow all refugees

Does it sounds like children's talking, e.g. "I want this", "I want that".

Do adults say things that way in real life, especially in formal discussion?


texts:
One group was taxed a Benjamin if they didn't do X, and the second was given a bonus of the same amount for doing X.

One group was taxed $100 if they didn't do X, and the second was given a bonus for the same amount if they did X.

I guess both options are valid but I'm wonderig which one is more natural to (mostly) American eyes.


texts: "interested" or "interesting" in this context

texts:
I am writing this context:

  Dear Mr. XXX.

  I am XXX from Italy.

  I am applying for XXXXX. I am very interested in the Master program "MA in Business computer science", which its subject code is 11.9.
  I followed the website, that is specified in the excel document posted on XXXX website, and I just found a Germany version of the program. I tried to click on "English" button, but I didn't get the English version.

  Kindly would you tell me where can I find a description in English for that program please?

  I really appreciate you help.

  Thank you very much.

Should the bold word be "interesting"? or "interested"?


texts:
You should write one hour every day.

or

  You should write for one hour every day.

Which one of the above sentences is correct?
Can someone please help me understand when do we have to use for when talking about time?


texts: Could somebody explain to me what an abstract activity is? I have looked in several dictionaries but it is not clear. I mean in a general sense, nothing to do with computer science! Is it something like a separate activity, not connected to another?


texts: What is the difference between charming girl and girl charming?

texts:
I saw the sentence on the internet like 'I thought my rescuer would be prince charming'.

I think 'I thought my rescuer would be a charming prince' is also right.
Why does he obstinately use the sentence like 'I thought my rescuer would be prince charming' instead of 'I thought my rescuer would be a charming prince'
I want to know the difference in meaning.

And one more thing, why does the writer omitted 'a' in front of prince in the sentence 'I thought my rescuer would be prince charming'.


texts: Which wording is more correct and common ("introduced to" or "included in")?

texts:
Original:

  Он внесен во всемирную еврейскую энциклопедию.

The meaning of the sentence is that the person has been placed in the encyclopedia. The life of this man and his contribution to the history was so significant that information about him has been placed in the encyclopedia.
Could you please help me to choose the most correct wording:

  He is introduced to the World Jewish Encyclopedia.
  He is included in the World Jewish Encyclopedia.
  Maybe there is a better wording?

Thank you in advance!


texts: Correct use of multiple 'will ' and 'and'

texts:
Which one of the following is correct? Could you please tell me the reason for it as well?

I will come and will paint your fence and will repair your car.
I will come, paint your fence and repair your car.
I will come, will paint your fence and will repair your car.


texts:
“Well, Voldemort’s going to try other ways of coming back, isn’t he?
  I mean, he hasn’t gone, has he?”    “No, Harry, he has not. He is
  still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share…
  not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die;
  he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies.
  Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to
  power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what
  seems a losing battle next time — and if he is delayed again, and
  again, why, he may never return to power.” (Harry Potter and the
  Sorcerer's Stone)

Which of the meanings reported by the OALD is the one while has in the sentence?

Used to contrast two things
Although; despite the fact that…

Does it indicate the fact before mentioned or to infinitive clause followed?


texts: The use of the present participle participle clause with the future tense in the main clause

texts:
Based on the fact that the present perfect participle clause always refer to something that has happened in the past relative to the main clause in the sentence, is it possible to use it in the following sentence?

  Having had my lunch, I will come back.

Is such use of the perfect perfect clause permissible when the main clause is in the future tense? Can I say in my given example, "Having had my lunch" is equivalent to saying "After having my lunch/After having had my lunch"?


texts: What is the definition of "non-ladder" or "non-run"?

texts: I found this word in a dictionary (my native language to English), but I cannot find it in any English one.


texts: Talk about regrets- "I wish I would have a dog" Vs "I wish I had a dog"

texts:
I wish I would have a dog.
  I wish I had a dog.

What's the difference between the two. I was told the first one is to describe something unreal. The second one is something you would like to change. But I think the first one includes this kind of feeling that you want the situation to be changed too.


texts: automobiles >as they relate to people< - What does the *as* clause modify?

texts:
Two troublesome noun phrases:

  A "automobiles as they existed in the 1950s"
  B "automobiles as they relate to people"

The first noun phrase seems to be complete in and of itself, because "as they existed in the 1950s" deals exclusives with "automobiles" and does not seem to refer to anything outside of the phrase.
But the second noun phrase seems to be incomplete, because "as they relate to people" appears needing to refer to something else outside the phrase.

The incompleteness of noun phrase B stands out even more when both phrases are used in a complete sentence:

  1  He described automobiles as they existed in the 1950s.
  2  He described automobiles as they relate to people.

In sentence 1, "he described" does not appear to be modified by the "as they existed in the 1950s", because "as they existed in the 1950s" gives information about some intrinsic property of automobiles.
Yet in sentence 2, "as they relate to people" appears to modify "he described" by showing the manner of "describing".

In another word, "as they existed in the 1950s" in sentence 1 seems to be contained completely within the noun phrase "automobiles as they existed in the 1950s".
But, "as they relate to people" in sentence 2 seems to be spill outside the noun phrase "automobiles as they relate to people" and modifies "he describes".
Does anyone think that noun phrase B is, by itself,  incomplete?


texts: Word for: the act of translating binary into text

texts:
What do you call the act of translating binary into text?

Is it just called encoding, and the process of translating text into binary called decoding?

I think encoding and decoding are too general, so is there a word specific for encoding from binary into text?


texts: Can ‘I weirdly affected my friend’ not only mean ‘I affected my friend in a weird way,’ but also ‘I made a weird effect on my friend’?


texts: "An all night curfew _______________ yesterday following ...."

texts:
"An all night curfew _______________ yesterday following  the violent clashes between...."

My question is that when we complete this sentence with "is reported to have been declared " or "was reported to have been declared" , is there any difference in meaninig and

can we say

"An all night curfew is reported to have been declared  yesterday following  the violent clashes between...."

after let's say 10 years later .I mean using "is " could also imply the incident occured recently?

Thanks


texts: "Serve in an intelligence service" vs. "serve with an intelligence service"

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference between serve in an intelligence service and serve with an intelligence service. For example:

We don't know much about Mike except that he served in an intelligence service in a foreign country.
We don't know much about Mike except that he served with an intelligence service in a foreign country


texts: Tense to use for a past event that is still relevant at the present time

texts:
My English grammar book (English Grammar, David Daniels & Barbara Daniels) describes the perfect tenses as follows:

  The perfect tenses are used to describe how an event in the present, past or future continues to be relevant at a later time.

When I say when I was born, in English I use the past tense, as I have done in this sentence too. I don't use a perfect tense. In Italian I would use the passato prossimo, which this section of the Italian Wikipedia article about passato prossimo considers equivalent to the present perfect.

Which tense should I use for a past event that it is still relevant at the present time?


texts:
Hold on to the rail.
Hold on to the railing.

What's the difference between rail and railing?


texts:
It is often the case that other people greet me with "What's up?" and I don't know how to answer, so I usually say "hello" or "hi". It's embarrassing...

As a person whose first language is not English, I am not really sure "What's up" means. Does it mean "what are you doing", or "hello"? How should I answer "What's up"?

Thanks!


texts: "No doubt he .." or "There is no doubt (that) he ..."; are both grammatical?

texts:
No doubt he will pass the examination.

  There is no doubt (that) he will pass the examination.

Is the first way, "No doubt he", grammatical?

The second, of course is grammatical! What's the difference in context / meaning, if any?


texts: What is the meaning of "concrete whole"?

texts:
When I am reading Philosophy and Simulation, I encountered the phrase:

  "concrete wholes"

But I could not understand what does the phrase refer? Could you give me real world examples of concrete wholes and meaning of it?

  And  even  if  one  does  not  have  a  problem                         with  an  ontological  commitment  to  entities  like  these  it  is  hard  to  see                        how   we   could   specify  mechanisms  of  emergence  for  life   or  mind   in                 general,   as   opposed   to   accounting   for   the  emergent  properties   and            capacities  of  concrete  wholes  like  a  metabolic  circuit  or  an  assembly  of               neurons.
  The   only   problem   with   focusing   on   concrete   wholes   is   that                           this   would   seem    to   make    philosophers   redundant   since   they   do    not                        play any role  in  the elucidation  of  the  series  of events  that  produce            emergent   effects.


texts: How to express the sentence in the question

texts:
I want to say the designers of a system have considered(*) two goals for it, and I want to mention the goals in a passive way, as shown in the following sentence:

Two goals are ..... for this system, which are A and B.

Is the above sentence correct and idiomatic?
If yes, how should the blank be filled? i.e. which verb should be used?

(*) I don't know if "to consider" is the right verb to use, please correct me if I'm wrong.


texts: Is there a word that describes the kind of "consciousness" that both AI and humans can have?

texts: AI don't have consciousness, but they do possess something related to consciousness while still not being quite there, what is this thing that both humans and some AI both have presently?


texts: What's the name for face side view of face

texts:
I'm looking for English word which describes the photo of head facing sideways relative to camera.

For example in this mugshot:

The right photo is portrait, what would you call the left one? In my native language it's called "profile". But if I say profile photo, people will think Facebook profile photo.


texts: What does "conjured out of nowhere to drag things to a resolution" mean?

texts:
Could you please help me understand this bold sentence? Or rephrase it? It's difficult for me to understand this part of the sentence word by word. I think that the author says the Simpsons screenwriters were using something like deus ex machina to fix their plot holes.

  It’s not incidental that all three of those examples involve Homer.
  Season 9 saw the show drop him into any situation on the flimsiest of
  pretenses. He flies to Cuba with Mr. Burns. He climbs the tallest
  mountain in the world. He crashes Moe’s car into a river to collect
  the insurance money, swims out from the depths, and then breaks out of
  jail. Those episodes don’t so much have plot holes as they do plot
  canyons, where things that make no sense are either studiously ignored
  or conjured out of nowhere to drag things to a resolution.

  source


texts:
Should I use "these" or "those" to refer to previously mentioned arguments? I can give some context:

Paragraph 2: Argument A

Paragraph 3: Argument B

Paragraph 4: Argument C

Paragraph 5: For th_se reasons I would like to apply to this scholarship, since.......


texts: Is it correct to use "was" right after a "had?"

texts:
Example:

  The world had turned into a messy blur, and I was caught in the middle
  of it.

Is this grammatically correct?

Or should it be instead

  The world had turned into a messy blur, and I had been caught in the middle
  of it.


texts:
1- We had a man singing to us as we sat in the restaurant having
  our meal.

  2- We had a strange woman come to the door selling pictures.

  3- I just had them doing stretch routines, and after, they got
  really good at it.

  4- A: Is there running water? B: Of course, there is running water. B:
  Oh, but I wouldn't use it. It is very contaminated. We had three
  dogs die in the well.

  5- I have half the Committee coming tonight.

What is the difference between "have someone do" and "have someone doing" ?


texts:
From the movie Nightcrawler (2014)

Example:

  I'd want updates on what was going on. With this footage, people would turn to your channel for the story. I like you, Nina. And I look forward to our time together. But you have to understand. $15,000 isn't all that I want. From here on, starting now, I want my work to be credited by the anchors and on a burn. The name of my company is Video Production News, a professional news-gathering service.

What does that exactly mean?


texts:
America was inhabited by native American Indians thousands of years ago.

What is the appropriate form to use?

  She has many different inhabitants today.

  It has many different inhabitants today.


texts:
It's true he didn't sleep much last night. It had come to him, the
  wrong side of midnight, that More was no doubt asleep himself, not
  knowing that it was his last night on earth. It is not usual, till the
  morning, to prepare the condemned man; so, he had thought, any vigil I
  keep for him, I keep alone.

  — Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

What does the bold phrase mean?


texts: What does "I don’t even count them in the till" mean?

texts:
I don’t even count them in the till.

What is the meaning of "in the till" here? I googled but got nothing for this.


texts:
A: Mmm, these flowers are gorgeous, aren't they?

  B: I'm afraid to read the card

  A: Oh! Don't sweat it! They are for me! They are from a secret admirer.

  A: No!

  B: Yes!

  A: Who is it?

  B: I don't know. They have got to be from that guy from the bar the other night.

  A: What is his name?

  B: William.

  A: Oh! that's right! He was really into you!

  B: I mean who else it could be? I have only done a couple of Gianni shows and at
  this rate I'll have my first stalker by the end of the year.

Movie: Fashion House

Why did she use "could" here? Is it kind of logical deduction? Can we use "can" or "might" there?


texts:
I want to describe to someone in my code, that I am writing it in a certain place for him,so he can have an easier access to it.

So I wrote :
' So it will be easier to access it '
But I am not sure about the syntax.
Is it :
' So it will be easier to access to' ?

Thank you for helping me.


texts:
Members and White House aides say Trump appears to be more comfortable at Bedminster, which, according to one member who enjoys reciprocal privileges, has a "totally different" vibe.

As I understand, the which clause(..., has a "totally different" vibe) is modifying the word Bedminster, which is a place name. Virtually, it becomes: Bedminster has a "totally different" vibe. I am wondering if a place can have a vibe, because the dictionary definition of vibe is:

  Vibes are the good or bad atmosphere that you sense with a person or in a place.

So, it seems to me that only a person can have a vibe of something or someplace. For example, "Sorry, Chris, but I have bad vibes about this guy."

The full source.


texts: "make a big difference to your English" vs. "make a big difference in your English"

texts:
I understand the meaning of "make a (big) difference", I am a bit confused about the usage of the preposition though.

Ngram Viewer shows that both are common

From a tutorial (transcript)

  When you speak English, do other people find it difficult to
  understand what you’re saying? If so, you might not be using stress
  correctly. Pronouncing words with the correct stress can
  make a big difference to your English ...

While her pronunciation sounds like

  ... make a big difference in your English ...

Obviously, the speaker is trying to say that pronouncing words with the correct stress can make your English better.

To convey that idea, should I use "in" or "to" there?


texts: Does "propose" mean "suggest" or "intend" in the sentence below?

texts:
Matt: it hit me, she was the one for me, I decided I should either marry her or stop seeing her.

Mike: Wow

Matt: Really, and since I've proposed everything has been perfect, I feel like a million bucks. it was the right decision.


texts: What is the sentence constituent of "of gambling" in this sentence?

texts:
I've cured people of gambling before.

I -- subject of the sentence;

have cured -- the predicate;

people  -- the object;

What about "of gambling"?


texts: Is "2 nm is the length of what" a clear and idiomatic question?

texts:
I asked a question on this post,

  In a Chromosome, 2 nm is the length of what?

about a part of this figure.

the whole thing is a Chromosome, and I would like to know what the first part is, so, is "2 nm is the length of what" a clear and idiomatic question?


texts: "redeem" in a TED talk of Kelly McGonigal

texts:
I cannot figure out what the following sentence means.

  Now I said I have over a decade of demonizing stress to redeem myself from, so we are going to do one more intervention.

Especially "stress to redeem myself from" is not clear.

I think this as "stress to save myself from".
But I am not confident.


texts:
Ran into this:

  The exploitation of human beings in any form, particularly sexual,
  especially when applied to children, conflicts with the fundamental
  aims of tourism and is the negation of tourism; as such, in accordance
  with international law, it should be energetically combatted with the
  cooperation of all the States concerned and penalized without
  concession by the national legislation of both the countries visited
  and the countries of the perpetrators of these acts, even when they
  are carried out abroad;

Source

Does it equal "according to"?


texts: "were to precede" instead of "preceded": cannot parse this sentence structure

texts:
Suppose this sentence

  It would be helpful if you were to precede the report  with  an introduction.

I just cannot figure out why in this sentence, author used "were to precede". In my opinion shouldn't author use "preceded" instead?

If this sentence is already correct, how can we parse it? What's its tense?


texts: How can I bring up 'bullet points' in a follow up letter?

texts: I wrote a letter to a community council regarding a presentation I wish to make.  I am writing a follow-up letter asking if they have an interest in meeting in person.  (They indicated by phone that they did.)  I want to state in my second letter what the points are that I want to bring out at the face-to-face meeting.  How do I say that without saying "As a reminder, these are the benefits I feel my company can bring to your community"?  It's the "as a reminder" that I don't care for.  "I would like to point out that..." also seems like I think the readers are morons.  Help?


texts: There are many ways to say "from now on,..." or "After this...' or etc, but actually which expressions are more commonly used in everyday English?

texts:
As far as l can gather, there are there are many ways to say "from here on,..." or "After this..." or etc, but actually what expressions are more commonly used in everyday English?

  Hereinafter/hereafter:

  e.g. Elizabeth Gaskell's novel "Ruth" will hereafter be cited within the text as EG.

  from now on/as from now:

  e.g. From now on the gates will be locked at midnight

  Henceforth:

  e.g. Henceforth, said building shall be the property of Brendan Duggan.

...

If there are some other common expressions (that I didn't mention), please tell me.

And also If you mentioned two expressions like X and Y, please specify that:
In written/spoken English, people often prefer to use X rather than Y.


texts: Question\ Difference between "It was someone doing sth or who did sth"

texts:
I have a question about the differences between

  It was someone doing something

and

  It was someone who did something

For example:

  It was him watching the TV

OR

  It was him who watched the TV

What are the differences between these two sentences?
Why should people use -ING form (like watching)? Does it mean "happening"?


texts:
What is the difference between the sentences

  He had a gun.

and

  He has had a gun.

I think when you are saying about the past why don't you just say it as
"He had a gun" instead of "He has had a gun"?, this goes same with these below sentences as well.

  He has killed.
  He has had killed.

  She had sex before she died.
  She had had sex before she died.


texts:
What is the difference between these two?

  Ann has some nieces.
  Ann has several nieces.

OALD defines some as:

  3) a large number or amount of something
  4) a small amount or number of something

and several as:

  more than two but not very many

Does this mean that some is more than several? How can I use them correctly?

The question asks " does Annie have any nephews or nieces ?


texts:
Which one is correct ? I were or I was

We always use I have which implies that I is plural.

Then why don't we use I are  ?


texts:
I have gotten confused with word order. If we have "time" it goes at the end:

I came in the evening

If we have "place" it goes at the end, too

I came to school

If we have them both firstly goes "place", then "time"

I came to school yesterday

What if we have also some adverb - "late"

I came to school in the evening late

Such a word order or a different one?

Actually originally I got stuck with "very much". I had a sentence like

I liked it at school yesterday very much

We can have a context

Yesterday there were a lot of places we visited. We had a party in a club, a park, a forest and even at school.

And someone asks:

Where did you like it yesterday very much? I ... mmm, I have forgotten, sorry!

Of course the person can answer shortly -"at school", but we are interested in the full answer:

I liked it at school yesterday very much

Yes, we can also say

Yesterday I liked it at school very much

But what if we place "yesterday" in the second part of the sentence, not in the first one?

What are your thoughts about it, guys?:)


texts: Difference between past, past perfect, past perfect progressive tenses

texts:
I am wondering what is the difference, and in what case should I use these sentences:

"I walked a lot to get there"
"I have walked a lot to get there"
"I have been walking a lot to get there"


texts: The past tense form (past subjunctive) after "as if" to indicate a hypothetical or possible scenario in the past?

texts:
How I understand the as if/as though structure
We use the past subjunctive form of a verb (which means that except be as were, other verbs' forms are just the same as their past tense forms) after as if to indicate a hypothetical scenario in the present.
And We use had + past perfect to indicate a hypothetical scenario in the past.
I wonder if we can use the past subjunctive form of a verb (not the form had + past perfect) after as if to mean that the action is in the past and being hypothetical at the same time.
I also wonder if we can use the past subjunctive form of a verb (not the form had + past perfect) after as if to mean that the action is in the past and being possible (not entirely hypothetical) at the same time.

Questions:
(1) For example, are the sentences (a) and (b) below correct?
(2) Do the as if structures in these sentences tell hypothetical scenarios in the past or scenarios that might be possible in the past?

(a) She ordered me to jump up and down as if I played basketball for a living.

(b) They gave me an attitude as if I said something wrong and made them mad.


texts:
Example sentence:

  The diet I picked was hard. Fortunately, I became used to it (on) the
  second day.

Do I need the on? Why or why not?


texts: Do I need a comma before the following italicized text?

texts:
The letter didn’t start with her customary(,) Hi, I’m Aiko Kobayashi, the girl
  who … In fact, it only had two lines.

Do I need that comma? Why or why not?


texts: What does "subsonic Fluger impact delivery dart" mean?

texts:
It's from "The Lost World. Jurassic Park". The character of Richard Schiff describes his rifle. "Lindstradt air rifle. Fires a subsonic Fluger impact delivery dart".
This line drives me crazy. Especially "fluger" or "fluger-impact". I couldn't find any definition in the Internet. I think it's a name, but even though it doesn't make any sense to me.