texts: Which word does "evidence" refer to in this paragraph?

texts:
Page 79 of Mokard 2.2 (A smart card) security target :

  The TSF shall be able to relate the identity of the originator of the information,  and  the  application  package contained  in  the information  to  which  the  evidence applies.

I want to know what is the reference of the word "evidence" in the above sentences?

In the other words, which one is correct:

evidence applies to information, or
evidence applies to the application package that contained in the information?


texts: ...the first verse of her poem “America the Beautiful"... VS ...the first verse of her poem, “America the Beautiful,"

texts:
Bates composed the first verse of her poem “America the Beautiful" while standing atop Pikes Peak. (From ACT)

In this case, why can't I count "America the Beautiful" as parenthesis and add two comma around it accordingly? As following:

Bates composed the first verse of her poem, “America the Beautiful," while standing atop Pikes Peak.


texts: For the first reason but not for the second

texts:
I'm having some trouble understanding "for the first reason but not for the second" from a sentence in a programming textbook called The Structure and Interpretation of the Computer Science(emphasis mine):

  Numbers that fool the Fermat test are called Carmichael numbers, and
  little is known about them other than that they are extremely rare.
  There are 255 Carmichael numbers below 100,000,000. The smallest few
  are 561, 1105, 1729, 2465, 2821, and 6601. In testing primality of
  very large numbers chosen at random, the chance of stumbling upon a
  value that fools the Fermat test is less than the chance that cosmic
  radiation will cause the computer to make an error in carrying out a
  "correct" algorithm. Considering an algorithm to be inadequate for
  the first reason but not for the second illustrates the difference
  between mathematics and engineering.

Here is some context: the Fermat test is a test for primality. The answer it gives is only probably correct, although it would be correct in most cases.

From my understanding, the italicized sentence mainly talks about the fact that preciseness is vital in mathematics, but is not extremely important in engineering. However, I don't know what "the first reason" and "the second" refers to. Please explain it to me.


texts:
Summation of answers and comments:
Use "an" before a word that begins with a vowel sound,
otherwise, use "a".
Still not clear on which to use before acronyms that can be read as letter-by-letter or as the words they represent.
Side note: In the future, I'll only use acronyms where there is no need for "a" or "an" before them.  If an "a" or an "an" is needed, I'll write the words of the acronym.
I'd use: "Nightmare of an operator of N.Y.C.'s subway/Subway..."
Simpler sentence:
Instead of "An NYU student" or "A New York University student",
"A student of NYU" or "A student of New York University".

Original Question:
I'm pretty sure I use the correct "a"/"an".
Something like: if the next word (expanded from acronym, if exists) starts with "a"/"e"/"i"/"o"/"u"(/"y"?) => use "an", otherwise => use "a".
A (bad?) example from "The New Yorker"(!) on YouTube:
"An N.Y.C. Subway Operator's..."
What are the "official" rules?


texts: Past practices: "would" + bare infinitive versus "would have" + past participle

texts:
Before the advent of modern anesthesia, a ship's surgeon would have
  ordered the injured man to be tied down to the table, and he would
  have proceeded with the amputation. That would have been it.
  Before the advent of modern anesthesia, a ship's surgeon would order
  the injured man to be tied down to the table, and he would proceed with
  the amputation. That would be it.

Does the tense of the first version (with "have ordered...have proceeded...have been it") corroborate a relationship of past surgical practice to present practice?


texts: Wondering if anybody out here could simplify the highlighted parts of the piece of news

texts:
Three salvage cranes have also arrived at the scene, to raise the ship or move it to another area with weaker currents.Our correspondent at the scene described "an absolutely desperate development for the families" as three more bodies were brought in from the rescue site on Friday.

What kind of development we call "desperate development"?
Where is a rescue site? On the shore or in the sea? What happens at a such site?


texts: "At the corner of the house" vs "In the corner of the house"

texts:
I recently learned that we use "in the corner" when referring to an enclosure. So saying "there is a chair in the corner of the room" (where "room" is an enclosure) is correct. However, I recently came across an example where the preposition "at" was used with "house":

There is a chair at the corner of the house.

Why is at used here even though "house" is an enclosure? Why not use "in" here?


texts: How should I interpret "[Something] isn't for me"?

texts:
I’m afraid German beer isn’t for me.

Does it mean that "This beer isn't suitable for me" or "This isn't given to me"? How should I understand "for" in this context?


texts:
I want to speak of "his legacies in a field of study", but I am wondering if such usage is correct?

I have googled about the usage and found that seemingly no such usage exists. If this is the case, then what is the correct way to express "his legacies in a field of study"?


texts: Why did the author choose past perfect for chronological events

texts:
Could you look at these sentences:

  "Somewhere else in the fanzine I mention that I'd written to the Nivens and sent a tape and asked them if they'd be so kind as to fill it up with more of their groovey songs! Today I
  receive a tape."

I don't understand the use of past perfect for write, send and ask as the events are in chronological order.

First he wrote, sent and asked then he received.

There is no need of past perfect here.So did the author choose this tense to emphasize the gap between the time he wrote and the time he received it. He surely was not expecting to receive an answer anymore when he got it.


texts:
I need to change this sentence to passive voice. Can you please help?

*What kind of music will he play now?

THANKS PLEASE HELP!


texts: Difference between "Have you ever married?" and "Have you ever been married?"

texts:
What is difference between

  Have you ever married?

and

  Have you ever been married?


texts:
Example with a context (Putin's dream of reuniting the Russian empire is falling apart):

  NATO command has openly accused Moscow of sending troops and equipment (including tanks and heavy artillery) across the border to support the Russian-speaking rebels against the government in Kiev.

Why is there no definite article in front of NATO command and what does command really mean in this context? Although I'm not one hundred percent sure, I think I may have sort of a gut feeling that this might be something along the lines of when we say New York police to mean a bunch of police officers with New York serving as an adjective and the whole thing working as a mass noun. For example:

  Weightlifting is a very common past-time activity among New York police.

Are the two phrasings structurally and grammatically similar? Do you think I'm on the right track with this?


texts: How to find the Part-of-Speech of a word

texts:
I want to know is there a dictionary or site to find Part of Speech of a word?

For example, when I search "inform" it tells me the meaning of it and the part-of-speech of "inform".


texts: Is "I always call back when I missed the call" correct?

texts:
I always call back when I missed the call.
  I always call you back when I missed your call.

Is this right sentence?


texts: Use which tense to ask someone to check the status of someting?

texts:
Suppose I would borrow a Kindle from my brother, and I want to check the status of the Kindle to see if it has been broken or not, and want to use the word "work", which should I say?

  1. Is your kindle still working?

  2. Does your kindle still work?


texts:
Would you explain what is grammatical point behind this sentence? What does the author want to say? Is it correct to write like this in English? (Thank you in advance.)

  In the thirteen century, a number of political achievements cut Europe's overland trade routes to southern and north-eastern Asia, with which Europe had have important profitable  ...


texts: Do you say I´ll arrive in the first week of July? or on the first week of July?


texts:
SOAP

  SOAP is an XML-based protocol for accessing web services over HTTP.

'Over' here means "based on" or "not based on"?


texts:
I have a female friend and we used to have good feelings about each other, but we didn't end up becoming a couple. The problem was whenever we planed to meet at the time we were supposed to meet, she was always late for the appointment. So ...

I came to hate her.
I had come to hate her.

Number 2 is familiar with me, but I just want to know the difference between them.


texts:
Is using again in this sentence appropriate?

  Back at the gym again after a weekend of mindless eating.


texts: "it has been three generations since" or "there has been three generations since"?

texts:
Tell me please the difference between the following sentences.

  It has been three generations since we became to use first computers.

  There has been three generations since we became to use first computers.


texts: I'm not happy with it vs. I'm sad with it

texts:
As English speakers, it is more natural to use the phrase:

  I'm happy with it. (positive form)
  I'm not happy with it. (negative form)

However, is it possible to use the following as a negative form?

  I'm sad with it.

Is there an explicit grammar rule that states this or is it just unnatural?


texts:
WHat are the difference between "I cooked dinner in 1 hour" & "I cooked dinner for 1 hour"?

The dictionary says:

We use in to say how long it takes someone to do something:

He was such a clever musician. He could learn a song in about five minutes.

The dictionary also says

We use for with a period of time to refer to duration (how long something lasts):

There’s a lovely open-air pool near us. We usually go there for a couple of hours in the evenings when it’s warm enough.

SO, "I cooked dinner in 1 hour" =  it took me 1 hour to cook dinner

& "I cooked dinner for 1 hour" =  cooking dinner  lasted 1 hour

When to use "I cooked dinner in 1 hour" & when to use "I cooked dinner for 1 hour"?


texts:
There are no adverb alive, but how is ‘get out alive’ grammatical? Is alive an adjectival complement? However, get out is not copular and a predicative adjective should be after a linking verb.
The whole building was on fire - we were lucky to get out alive!
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/get-out


texts:
This sentence is written in the New Headway Intermediate Workbook.

'She _______ (not look) very happy this morning.'

'She _______ (not be)! Someone ________ (phone) while she _______ (sleep).'

I'm confused . Could you tell me If it is the evening,  is the correct answer then
 didn't look, wasn't, had phoned, was sleeping?  What about past perfect and past continuous together?


texts: "To be in" VS "To be available" on a phone call

texts:
Could anyone please let me know of using "in" and "available" mean the same in the sentence below?
It strikes me as if "in" is less formal than "available".

Helen: Midtown Computer Solutions, Helen speaking. How can I help you?
Ryan: Hello, this is Ryan Bardos. May I speak with Natalie Jones, please?
Helen: One moment please – I’ll put you through.
Helen: Mr. Bardos? I’m afraid, she is not ........ at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?

a. in
b. available


texts:
Is it correct to say?

Can you make me some tea?

or

Can you fry me some eggs?

I already know about "Can you make some tea for me?" etc variation.


texts: What is the most formal, polite and expressive way of saying 'Thank You'?

texts: Is there anything else other than 'thank you' to show gratitude in a polite, formal way to my professor at college?


texts: Would you tell me more about using who/whom?

texts:
To whom should I address the letter?
To who should I address the letter?

Which one is correct or which one do you use?


texts:
This is an excerpt from a 2010 book titled "Do Fish Feel Pain?" by American biologist Victoria Braithwaite:

  During the early stages when the aquaculture industry was rapidly expanding, mistakes were made and these were costly both in terms of direct losses and in respect of the industry's image. High-density rearing led to outbreaks of infectious diseases that in some cases devastated not just the caged fish, but local wild fish populations too. The negative impact on local wildlife inhabiting areas close to the fish farms continues to be an ongoing public relations problem for the industry. Furthermore, a general lack of knowledge and insufficient care being taken when fish pens or cages were initially constructed, meant that pollution from excess feed and fish waste created huge barren underwater deserts.

In the last sentence, the subject is "a general lack of knowledge and insufficient care being taken when fish pens or cages were initially constructed" and the predicate is "meant that pollution from excess feed and fish waste created huge barren underwater deserts."

I think that the when-clause "when fish pens or cages were initially constructed" modifies "insufficient care being taken". So if we just forget about the when-clause for a moment, we have this subject:

  a general lack of knowledge and insufficient care being taken

So the subject comprises two elements combined with "and", the first element being "a general lack of knowledge" and the second being "insufficient care being taken".

Now, which of the following does this second element mean?

  (a) insufficient care that was taken

or

  (b) the fact that insufficient care was taken


texts: How do I say if the portrait is made by humans not drawn by them?

texts:
On Oct 2, more than 6000 participants (humans) are gathering to create the largest portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. Once created, how do we say this without bringing any ambiguity?

Gandhi's largest portrait was created by humans? (But then, only humans create/draw a portrait)
Human-made Gandhi's largest portrait in the world (But then, human made does not talk about what it is actually)
Humans shaped in Gandhi's portrait?

I'm clueless. What is the proper way to tell this?


texts: What do you say at the end of an E-Meetings?

texts: Let's say, in our office, we used to take calls/meetings through Zoom & Webex. Usually, people say "Thank you. Thanks", at the end of the meeting. What else can we say in a polite and formal way? How would you respond in this situation?


texts: How to give a signal saying "This is the background paragraph" in the beginning of a paragraph?

texts:
In a cover letter, I have a paragraph where I explain my educational background, and right at the beginning, I want to explicitly state that "This is the background paragraph".

How can I do that?

For example, would the followings work and sound natural?

  To briefly explain my background, I have started my university education ...

or

  If I am to explain my background briefly, I have started my university education ...


texts:
I've got a sentence from a friend:

  There has been an increasing number of people to choose to use cell
  phones in daily life.

Is the sentence grammatically right?

Why is it "to choose" instead of "choosing"?


texts: Advances in compiler and virtual machine technologies

texts:
In the official java tutorial we can read:

  However, advances in compiler and virtual machine technologies are bringing performance close to that of native code without threatening portability.

I have two questions:

1) Why the definite article was not used with "advances" ("the advances")? We are talking about advances in specified fields, not, for example, about advances in biology.

2) Finally, why the definite article was not used with "compiler and virtual machine technologies" ("the compiler and virtual machine technologies")? Again, we are talking about specified (by an adjective) technologies.


texts: "The English language has changed over time" OR "The English language has been changed over time"

texts:
Are this two sentences the same?

The English language has changed over time.
The English language has been changed over time.

Also, which one is correct?

How the English language has been changed over time?
How has the English language been changed over time?
How has the English language changed over time?

Are they the same?

I watched a video about English Language history, and a man who was native speaker said: "How has the English language changed over time?"
But, why didn't that man use the word been?
I mean: "How has the English language BEEN changed over time?"


texts:
My question is, do you use:

  The regular customer in a restaurant had given the waiter a handsome tip before he left.

Does the bold-letters collocate well?. (Handsome tip=big tip am I right)


texts: As for / as to with people and new subjects

texts:
As far as I understand from my research on internet, there is no clear consensus on their usage.

  I found one speaker saying: "When you introduce a subject related to
  what you have just been spoken of, you can used both of them
  interchangeablely but if you talk about something on its own, which is
  not related to what you were just talking about, you can use only
  as to"

  I found another speaker saying: "I use only as for to introduce a
  new topic*" which contradicts with the second part of the quoted
  opinion above.

  And I found lots of speakers saying: "as for is used for people
  not as to"

What do you think about those opinions above? + Which versions would you use in the examples below?

  1- He's here. As for the others, they'll arrive later.

  2- He's here. As to the others, they'll arrive later.

  3- I wasn't hurt in the accident. As for my car, it's going to
  be in the garage for a long time.

  4- I wasn't hurt in the accident. As to my car, it's going to be
  in the garage for a long time.

  5- Hello, Newbie, and welcome to the forums. Please remember to give
  your threads appropriate titles. As for your question,...

  6- Hello, Newbie, and welcome to the forums. Please remember to give
  your threads appropriate titles. As to your question,...


texts: what preposition follows than in the given sentence and similar constructions?

texts:
What better way to spend a rainy afternoon than by reading a book?
  What better way to spend a rainy afternoon than reading a book?
  What better way to spend a rainy afternoon than to read a book?

In constructions like this, what preposition do we use after than, if any?
Are all the sentences grammatical?


texts:
I was surfing the web and came across this sentence:

If she had been that close to me, I'd have heard her if she had called me..

I was wondering if splitting the if part of a conditional sentence normal, and if it's widely used.


texts: Can "had" be used as a synonym for "make"?

texts:
Here is the context:

  These pictures had me recall so many memories. Father, you have been missed and I missed all those days that I had spend with you. Probably I was the happiest kid that time, Still happy but not as happier as I was when my dad was live.

Can the word "had" be used synonymously (that is, interchangeably) with "made"?


texts: I see a lot of instances that the is preceded next/prevous but I do not see a clear pattern e.g. next year vs the next year. I need some guidelines for this. I know that the refer to the word after next/previous. I think when you use next/previous you know the current thing and so the next/previous thing should refer to a concrete instance of the noun so the should be use always.


texts:
A girl ran out in front of my car.

I believe it equals -

  "A girl ran into the road in front of my car."

But, I don't understand the use of "out" here.


texts: How does 'as to' mean 'with respect to'?

texts:
I already understand and so ask NOT about the definition, which I instead want to burrow into.

  as to = With respect to; concerning:

How does the juxtaposition of as + to effect/imply/produce this meaning, which neither word seems to possess alone?


texts: 'bring to the fore" VS "bring to the forefront"

texts:
The acquisition of a large Industrial Hoses manufacturer in Turkey, while “stirring up a hornet’s nest,” brought to the forefront Turkish hard work, determination and pride. This results in a smooth and successful transition.
  The acquisition of a large Industrial Hoses manufacturer in Turkey, while “stirring up a hornet’s nest,” brought to the fore Turkish hard work, determination and pride. This results in a smooth and successful transition.

My question is whether here bring to the forefront means the same thing as bring to the fore.
Is bring to the forefront a idiomatic way to say things or a made-up phrase?


texts: which is correct " The dreams often portray..." or " Dreams ofthen portray..."

texts:
The dreams often portray.. or  Dreams often portray..

which out of two is correct way to start this sentence, thank you


texts:
I think I know, but I'm not sure. Dictionary sound is different from real life. Does it sound like "chi"?
(weirdly I couldn't find this with google or youtube)


texts: What is the meaning of "spring reloaded"?

texts:
What does "spring reloaded" mean? Does it mean "spring has come again" or "people are ready for spring this year again" or anything else?

"Spring reloaded" is used in some blogs or websites as a title of an article explaining what Easter is, weather of spring this year, spring clothes etc.

Here are websites I found:

http://www.encorepub.com/spring-reloaded/

https://presentlywandering.wordpress.com/2016/04/16/spring-reloaded/


texts: What does "a given" mean in this context?

texts:
The island is located in the Baltic Sea. There are lots of things to
  do in this island, and a seaside setting is a given.

The meaning found in a dictionary was "a known or established fact or situation", but it doesn't fit in this context. Does it mean that "seaside setting is naturally gifted/so good"? or does it mean that "seaside setting is a must-see"?


texts: How can I rewrite "I have opened console in my Ubuntu. I have written command tty." as a single sentence?

texts:
I would like to say two actions that have been performed once in the past:

  I have opened console in my Ubuntu.
  I have written command tty.

Is it correct to write both actions in one sentence like written below?

  I have opened console in Linux and have written command tty.

Is it good from point of tenses rules?


texts:
The company will issue (their, its) annual report next month.

In this case, should I use "its" or "their"?


texts: why is it now acceptable to say "what do you think TO that" rather than "ABOUT that"?

texts: Why is it now accepted to say "what do think TO that" instead of "ABOUT" that, as we were taught in grammar lessons?


texts: "He IS / WILL BE running a marathon this Saturday" – difference in meaning

texts:
1a. Michael will be running a marathon this Saturday.

  1b. Michael is running a marathon this Saturday.

  2a. Michael will be DJing at the Manchester festival this Saturday.

  2b. Michael is DJing at the Manchester festival this Saturday.

Is there a difference in the meaning between these forms (future continuous or present continuous)?
All these sentences  suppose that the event (marathon, festival)  has been planned before (but is it always the case to use both forms). Are they employed interchangeably?

May be the future continuous is better as running marathon  or DJing  is a long activity, or may be in term of certainty present continuous is stronger than future continuous?


texts: What's the difference about /t̬/ and /d/?

texts: In the IPA.It has a diacritic, voiced.This mark always be used in AmE,japanese...  such as water /ˈwɔːt̬ ər/,party /ˈpɑːrt̬i/,私  /ɰat̬aɕi/. So,if a voiceless consonant plus this voiced mark, how to distinguish them? For example t̬ and d.


texts:
This is a part of Asian culture, not common in Western countries. Asian people sometimes are willing to eat fish that still has some bones in it.
When eating, adults know how to rub the fish from side to side so that the bones can poke out and they use their fingers to take the bones out. Small children can't do that.
Normally, you need an art of eating fish to do it and you have to do it with care or else you may choke on bones.
Is it idiomatic to say "make sure you rock the fish to get its bones out or else you will choke on them"?


texts: "When I grow up, I am going to be a doctor"- Is it correct?

texts:
When I grow up, I am going to be a doctor.

Is this sentence correct? Personally I think my growing up will happen in future and "I am going to be a doctor" sounds like it is going to happen in next month! But the sentence clearly indicates the speaker is a child. So according to me, "I am going to be a doctor" should be replaced by "I will be a doctor". So I think a more clear sentence would be

  When I will grow up, I will be a doctor.

Is my concept correct here?


texts: In a question should I ask "Can I change" or "can I changed"?

texts:
Which of these questions is correct

  Can I change the call to action in the version CN?

or

  Can I changed the call to action in the version CN?


texts: Is it correct to use both verb-to-be and verb-to-have in an interrogative sentence?

texts:
Is the man you met good-looking and have a stable job?

Is it vegan and have high protein?


texts:
What is the meaning of "on" in the following sentence,

  Einstein arrived one day at Brussels on a visit to the Belgian
  Queen.

?

Does it mean "Einstein arrived one day at Brussels for the purpose of a visit to the Belgian Queen" ?

Does "on" in the sentence mean "for the purpose of" ?

If so, Can we replace "He went to Italy for the purpose of studying music" with "He went to Italy on studying music" ?

Can we replace "I came to Paris with the view of studying painting" with "I came to Paris on studying painting" ?

If so, What is the difference in the nuance of the meaning between "on" and "for the purpose of" ?


texts: Can't make out one word in BBC documentary Civilization

texts:
I don't know if this kind of question is allowed here, but I'm going to ask anyway. In episode two of the BBC's documentary Civilization: Is The West History?, Mr. Ferguson, the narrator and presenter, says at 04:35

  Bells rang out in Vienna and all across central Europe summoning the faithful to pray for divine mercy. You can get an idea of the desperate yet defiant mood in Vienna from the graffiti in the old bell tower of the [St. Stephen's] Cathedral. This says: "Muhammad, you dog, X, go home!"

X denotes the word I can't figure out. The word sounds like "do hoond".

Episode link on Youtube:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=XGV1jAQVnBU


texts:
Will a good(Native) English speaker put "because" and "so" in one sentence?

For Example:

  because that apple is too heavy, so it fall down to the ground.


texts: What is preferable sentence to describe a species? (Article: the/a/an/none)

texts:
I have 3 sentences to describe dogs:

"The dog is loyal"

"A dog is loyal"

"Dogs are loyal"

According to many grammar books, all three sentences above are correct. I'm just wondering which one is commonly used by native speakers?

Thank you.


texts: Present Perfect or Past Simple (two similar samples)

texts:
I met the following two samples while doing grammar exercises.

The first:

  ‘Mr Jones has been arrested by the police.’ ‘My goodness. You don’t
  say. What has he done?’

The second:

  “I’m going to see Mr Warren,” she said.  “He’s in St Joseph’s
  Hospital.” Her father turned from the TV.  “What happened to him?”

What's the difference? Why is there Present Perfect in the first, and Past Simple in the second?


texts:
English lyrics by Halestorm rock band:

Here's to us:

Get another bottle out
Lets shoot the shit //What does it mean?
Sit back down
For just one more drink,
oh yeah

In some sites it's translated from English like "Let's chat". Is it correctly? If yes, answer me please, how is chatter related with shooting to excrement from the point of view of English-speaking people?


texts: Question about the usage of the comma in sentence; before adverb

texts:
There is the example of sentence below.
she walked slowly down the road, evidently in pain.
As you can see, there is the independent Clause after that, and "comma" is put in sentence which
consists the adverb and adjective phrase;this isn't a independent clause.
I just want to know why the "comma" is put in this sentence.
I'd like to listen to your clear explanation.


texts: What was Jobs trying to say when he said "It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it"

texts:
I can't fully understand the following sentence:

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it.

-Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address-

What bothers me is the bolded part. I know that Jobs  meant "Getting fired from Apple was a very unpleasant experience to me, but it turned out to be a great oppertunity to start something new." But how should I understand the grammatical structure of this sentence?

I came up with two possible explanations:

It was awful tasting medicine = Tasting medicine was awful. (expletive it)

If I understand it this way, this sentence has nothing to do (at least grammatically) with the preceding sentence. In addition to that, I don't think that someone would go around "tasting medicine". You take medicines, not taste.

It was awful-tasting medicine, with "it" representing the preceding sentence.

This leaves me with one big question: shouldn't you use "an"? Like,

"It was an awful tasting medicine, ..."

Which explanation is more convincing?  Or can someone give me an alternative interpretation of this sentence? Thank you.


texts:
Que : Why are you late ?

Ans a)  : I was stuck in traffic.

Ans b) : I stuck in traffic.

Which sentence should I use ? Simple past tense or Passive voice?

I want to refer past event and both sentences are referring to past event.

Meaning ,

a) I am late because I was stuck in the traffic.

b) I am late because I Stuck in the traffic.

Similarly,

a) Two persons were killed in accident.

b) Two persons killed in accident.

Is there any rule to omit or include was / were the English?


texts:
Lidia Ivanovna's dress had cost her great pains, as indeed all her dresses had done of late.

I am guessing between 2 meanings of the last part of sentence: all her dresses cost her great pains or lately her dresses cost her great pains.

Could you tell me which one is correct?


texts: Should I use "does works" or "does work"?

texts:
Recently I started to create a new email for work purposes. I work independently as a computer technician, I wanted the email to reflect my personal name and that I do not one but several jobs on PC. I started with something like lucaspcwork@example.com, trying to say: work that Lucas does on PC. Then I thought about lucaspcworks@example.com, trying to say the works Lucas does on PC.

That made me wonder, what is the right way? "Lucas does works on PC" or "Lucas does work on PC". Or should I use the word "job/jobs" instead of "work/works".


texts: What is the meaning of "as" in "...as can be judged by..."?

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

But then something quite dramatic happened as can be judged by the
many different animal groups that suddenly appear in the fossil
record.

Besides, why “as” can be followed by “can” straightly?


texts:
If a teacher asks her students to line up (or form a line), will it be equally natural to express this idea this way:

  Please make a line.

  Please stand in a line.

Is the use of "make/stand" natural or unnatural? And is it common?


texts: looking for an expression related to "hire"

texts:
I met John through his parents, who are good friends of mine. For a high school student, his passion for and grasp of econometrics were so impressive that I _____ my econometrics research project that started last year.

I am looking for a neutral expression to be filled in the blank. My intended meaning is hiring someone not because of that person's ability but because of a social connection.

Here John was a high school student. The writer was a professor. Part of the reason the professor brought John into his research project is that the professor and John's parents were good friends.

I was thinking about "took him on in" and "brought him into". But I am not sure.


texts:
What is the difference between "professional" and "vocational"? For example,

After high school graduation, she sought some "professional"/"vocational" training in a community college in order to work as a office clerk in the future.

Which word is more appropriate here?


texts: What's the proper name to call a bunch of coins?

texts:
Is it "amount", "bunch", "pack", "wallet" or something else?

The thing here is that I'm a programmer and I'd like to create a new variable to store the number of coins in it, but I'm not sure how to name it in English.


texts: Suggest + gerund or not that is the question

texts:
As I understand the B1/B2 grammar book by Raymond Murphy, the 19 verbs (I know this list by heart now)

  enjoy, mind, suggest, stop, postpone, admit, avoid, deny, fancy, risk, imagine, consider, finish, keep, keep on, put off, give up, go on, carry on

are supposed to be followed by a gerund.

For example:

I'll do the shopping when I've finished cleaning the flat.
/ He suggested going to the cinema.

Then why do they say,

  "I suggest you choose these glasses."

instead of "I suggest you choosing these glasses?"

Even the application "Grammarly" doesn't consider "choosing" as a mistake.


texts: An 'End-to-end Solution' or A '360-Degree Solution'? Is there any difference?

texts:
Often I write about my company's services and try to make them class apart. The very general way of doing this is putting catchy titles or punch lines on the slides or banners of the website. Whilst We provide the best or industry-standard solutions is unambiguous and thus frequently used, at times, I come up with the captions...

  A 360-Degree Solution   An End-to-End Solution

Do they mean the same? I think 360-degree solution is more complete than the latter one. Here is why...

For instance, we are a mobile app development company and if I say...

  Contact us for a 360-degree solution

Will it mean that we do provide solution for your handsets? Hardware? The fact is we don't do that but since I wrote 360-degree, it includes right from the handset (device's) problem to developing an application, its usability, marketing and what not. After all, it's 360-degree solution. From ZERO, go round the circle, and back to ZERO!

Now, if I say end-to-end solution, does it mean that I just talk about mobile apps development and nothing about device/hardware or something the like?

*What is the difference between an end-to-end solution and a 360-degree solution?

Is there anything like 180-degree solution? Does it make sense in English? Is it an end-to-end solution?


texts: Had they ever, if they had ever, whether they had ever

texts:
I was wondering had they ever seen each other before?
I was wondering if they had ever (ever had) seen each other before?
I was wondering whether they had ever (ever had) seen each other before?

Is there a difference between the variants? Are they all correct to use?


texts: "Looking for answers in..." - does "in" mean "related to"?

texts:
I found a similar phrase in a title where they used "in":

  Looking for Answers in Life?

Although I have read the article to figure out what in does really mean, in the end, I came up with two possibilities, either it means:

  1) Looking for answers by using life as the environment to search for answers in.

or

  2) Looking for answers that are related to life and about it.

Say I want to use the phrase "looking for answers" in the sense of the second example - looking for information about (life) - but for something other than life.  What preposition should I use? Should I use "in"?

Here is my example (which is supposed to be a line in a poem, but it is not with the exact words):

  They were looking for answers in (something somebody specializes in).

What is the right preposition to use to indicate the meaning I have stated?


texts: Use of 'follows' in "Theology and histories of religion followed the Gospels." (Chekhov)

texts:
Excerpted from an English translation of the story "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov:

  Then after the tenth year, the prisoner sat immovably at the table and read nothing but the Gospel. It seemed strange to the banker that a man who in four years had mastered six hundred learned volumes should waste nearly a year over one thin book easy of comprehension. Theology and histories of religion followed the Gospels.

B is preceded by A = B follows A.

Having taken into account the explanations above, and if they are correct, would you tell me how the bold part could be correct?


texts: "It had now been two weeks since he had left the house"

texts:
It had now been two weeks since he had left the house.

Is this use of since correct? Is the tense of the verb after it correct?


texts:
I am confused between the following sentences.   Which of these sentences are correct?

  You wear whichever shoes are comfortable.

  You wear the shoes which are comfortable.

Please explain to me which sentence is correct.


texts: why use "is" instead of "are" after a plural subject?

texts:
On this page : NYPD Officer Peter Liang found guilty of manslaughter in stairwell shooting that killed Akai Gurley, around 3rd screen in the middle, we have this sentence

  Meanwhile, supporters of Liang, who is Chinese-American, have said he
  has been made a scapegoat for past injustices.

"supporterS" vs "who IS" vs "HAVE said"?

What I guess is here considers "supporters" as a whole, like "a people" means a certain group of people, am I right?

Even if yes, I still think this is too subtle for me, would you please give me another example so that I can will have an idea when to use this kind of structure?

Also, how will the meaning change if I replace "is" with "are"?


texts: Would this present participle phrase always imply causation? "X is an antibody, having specificity against.."

texts:
DRUG is a recombinant trispecific antibody, having specificity against TARGET1, TARGET2 and TARGET3, as well as several orthologic targets.

I was reviewing a translation and changed this sentence to

  DRUG is a recombinant trispecific antibody with specificity against TARGET1, TARGET2 and TARGET3 as well as several orthologic targets.

..because, in my view, this "having" phrase implies a cause-and-effect relation of this sort:

  Because the antibody has specificity against the targets, it is a trispecific antibody.

..whereas in the original text the specificity characteristic was merely descriptive.

Am I right, or may this "having" be descriptive too?

What if we only remove the commas in the original sentence:

  DRUG is a recombinant trispecific antibody having specificity against TARGET1, TARGET2 and TARGET3 as well as several orthologic targets.

Would this be analogous to my sentence with "with"?


texts:
Which preposition would be the right one to use in this context?

"I have published a number of papers in/on theoretical syntax."

Is there a meaning difference?


texts:
“Sam took a transport to mother’s house”.

For a matter of style I want to use the word transport or transportation as a synonym of vehicle, but for American readers. I read that in AE transport is never a noun except for a few cases (which I don’t know). Transportation to me sounds like a robust kind of conveyance of people or things (for instance, transport for a taxi, but transportation for the whole taxi system of a given place). I want to know if the phrase above sounds OK to AE speakers when meaning that Sam went to his mother’s by car, taxi or even a bus – public or private.


texts: meaning of "send something to the devil"

texts:
What does "send something to the devil" mean?

Here is an example:

  If you knew what I know, you could send all your worries to the devil.

I wasn't able to find it in dictionaries, though there is the idiom "go to the devil".

Seems to me that it means get rid of something annoying.


texts: Are "normative document" and "regulatory document" synonymous?

texts:
From the Russian Federal Law on Circulation of Medicines:

  The registration dossier shall comprise the following documents:

  1) draft designs of primary packages and secondary (retail) packages for the medicinal product;
  2) document certifying the compliance of the manufacturer of the medicinal product to be registered with the requirements of the good manufacturing practices, issued by a competent authority of the country of origin of the medicinal product to be registered and certified in the prescribed manner, as translated into the Russian language;
  3) draft normative documentation or normative document for the medicinal product or reference to a relevant pharmacopeia monograph;

What if we used regulatory document there? Would this be better?

I sometimes come across the Russian expression "нормативный документ" (normativny document), for instance, in relation to a drug product monograph. I usually translate it as regulatory document. A drug product monograph describes what composition a drug product should have and what requirements it must meet.

I notice that some people translate the same as "normative document". I googled and found that this law also uses this phrase. So, are "normative document" and "regulatory document" synonymous, and if not, what is the difference?

P.S. I've found that the Russian State Guideline on Good Clinical Practice (ГОСТ Р 52379-2005) stipulates the English term "applicable regulatory requirements" as the translation of "нормативные требования" (normativnye trebovaniya).


texts: How to name stuff that measures water and electricity usage in your house?

texts:
How to name stuff that measures water and electricity, gas (whatever...) usage in your house? Is there any term to name them all together?

Need common term, e.g. "domestic meters"


texts: I hear that the term "landlord" is used mostly for male. But is it also used for female? If not, what is a better word for expressing female owner?


texts: What does ‘so’ indicate, and what’s the part of speech of it?

texts:
It was the fifteenth of January, about nine o’clock in the morning: Bessie was gone down to breakfast; my cousins had not yet been summoned to their mama; Eliza was putting on her bonnet and warm garden-coat to go and feed her poultry, an occupation of which she was fond: and not less so of selling the eggs to the housekeeper and hoarding up the money she thus obtained.
  (Jane Eyre)

What does so indicate? What's the part of speech of it?


texts:
A line from the movie The Road:

  There was a long shear of bright light, then a series of low concussions.

With the noun shear being a tool, I can't imagine what a shear of light would look like. I also thought it might figuratively refers to something shear-shaped, but still find it hard to conjure up the image. What does the word shear mean here?


texts: How to understand "Ron had gone a nasty greenish colour"?

texts:
Ron had gone a nasty greenish colour, his eyes fixed on the house. The other three wheeled around.

Ron had gone a nasty greenish colour because her mother would give them a hard time.

My question is that:

Does "Ron had gone a nasty greenish colour" refer to his face? If so, why didn't it put "Ron's face had gone a nasty greenish colour"? If not, what does it truly mean?

~ From Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets


texts:
A mother sees her daughter's shoelaces are all loose from her shoes. What would she say to her?

  Your Shoelace tie is off.

Or maybe:

  Your shoelace's tie is loose.

Can you correct the above sentences, or tell me what a native speaker would naturally say in this situation?


texts: Informally asking a rider/driver to accelerate

texts:
Are any of these constructions legitimate when talking to a person driving a car or riding a motorcycle? If no, which ones can be used?

"Add (some) gas!"
"Push the gas!" (This one for the car, meaning "Pushing the gas pedal").
"Add (some) throttle!"
"Add (some) revs!" (I'm pretty sure, this one works, but I wanted to be more specific about the action performed by the subject).


texts:
A great way to explore the town and the neighbouring villages of Shottery and Wilmcote, home to Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Shakespeare's mother Mary Arden's, is with City Sightseeing's 'Hop On Hop Off' buses.

Do the words in bold mean "the cottage of Mary Arden", "the house/place/establishment of Mary Arden" or something else?


texts: What's the meaning of 'Had you?' in the lines from Michael and Mary (1930) by A. A. Milne?

texts:
Could someone help me understand 'Had you?' in the following lines from Michael and Mary (1930) written by A. A. Milne?

Michael. Oh, well, I've read enough to dine out on. (He throws it on to the sofa. She picks it up and looks at the back.)
Mary. Never heard of him.
Michael. Yes, he would pretend to like that, but really he wouldn't.
Mary. Had you?
Michael. Certainly. I'm a well-read man.
Mary. Do you think he's more famous than you are?
Michael (hiding a smile). Much.


texts: How to say in English that someone is aggressive and that aggression is pointed at someone?

texts:
What is the most natural way to say that someone is aggressive and that aggression is pointed at someone? Is any of the following options correct and natural?

  Kate is aggressive to/towards her Mom because she doesn't allow her to watch too much TV.

  Kate behaves aggressively to/towards her Mom because she doesn't allow her to watch too much TV.

  Kate is aggressive with her Mom because she doesn't allow her to watch too much TV.


texts: "I try" versus "I am trying" when talking about an achievement

texts:
When talking of a task somebody is trying to achieve, is it better to use the present tense or the present progressive tense?

Between the following sentences, I find the first more correct.

  I am trying to calculate the minimum angle for which the range of the projectile is maximum.

  I try to calculate the minimum angle for which the range of the projectile is maximum.

Both these sentences seem fine, to me.

  I am trying to be a better person.

  I try to be a better person.

Is there any difference between the sentences I used, or should the same tense used for both the group of sentences?


texts:
After they returned to Jaspers's  house Jaspers tried to draw Heidegger out, remarking that surely his friend could not agree with Nazis on the Jewish question. Heidegger: But there is a dangerous international network of Jews. Jaspers: How can such an uncultivated man like Adolf Hitler govern Germany? Heidegger: Culture doesn't matter. Just look at his marvelous hands? Heidegger left early and never saw his old friend again.

  Jaspers was stunned. Nothing Heidegger ever said had prepared him for this rapid political engagement with Nazism…

I have the question regarding the Past perfect used in the second paragraph of the above excerpt. I presume that this usage is OK but I tend to write this sentence this way:

  Nothing Heidegger had ever said prepared him for this rapid political engagement with Nazism.

My "logic" for this usage is as follows:

Heidegger's unuttered words are located before the conversation which is quoted at the end of the first paragraph.
The things must be firstly told and than it is possible to be prepared for them.

Could you tell me where my "logic" fails?


texts: Someone who eats good things and in large amounts

texts:
What do you call a person who has gotten used to have quite high-quality and nutritious foods habitually and in a considerable amount? (Such that individual sometimes often devours their food!)

The only word I found to encapsulate both concepts in one single word is trencherman which can be used as a noun.

  A person who eats a substantial amount; a gourmand; one with a healthy appetite, and a cultivated appreciation for dining.

  You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it; he is a very valiant trencher-man; he hath an excellent stomach. (1599)
  The heavyweight champion of the world was off his feed. . . . Rocky, ordinarily a first-rate trencherman, was pushing away from the breakfast table after downing only two eggs and a pair of lamb chops. (1954)

  (Wiktionary)

My questions:

Does it sound archaic to you or it is still in current use?
Is there an interchangeable synonym for that?
Is there any adjective to be used instead?
Maybe for each one of my raised qualities, there is an independent and specific word which can uniquely explain the person; if so, please let me know about them as well.


texts:
"I want to drink milk." he asked his mother.

His mother refused to make a milk for him because he was naughty.

He came to me,

  "She doesn't want to make milk for me."

What word should be use if he wanted his mother to make a bottle for himself?

Can I use "make milk"?


texts: Can I use a past and a future tense verb in the same sentence, connected with an "if"?

texts: The sentence in question is: " I will talk to you later in the evening, if I WOKE up." I believe that it should be "if I wake up", but the speaker said that this falls under an exception.


texts: the way/as/how/like he did it. What's the difference?

texts:
I'll do it the way he did it.

  I'll do it as he did it.

  I'll do it how he did it.

  I'll do it like he did it.

Are all of them grammatically correct?
Do all of them mean the same?


texts: Using adverb before or after a verb, what is the difference?

texts:
I have seen following two varients of the sentences
John and team has worked tirelessly

and
John and team has tirelessly worked

I believe tirelessly is an adverb. Which of the above sentences is correct? If both the sentences are correct, when to use which form?


texts:
I see in some videos diferent ways to say numbers, and I like learn this. If I say a telephon number for example, I can change "zero" for "o".

9090-3578

nine zero nine zero tirty five seven eight
nine o nine o tirty five seven eight

Today I see one video in youtube one pearson say for the year 1900 in the different ways:

nineteen hundred
one thousand nineteen hundred

I'm interesting in study different ways to say the numbers. Could you give examples of other more usual simplified forms of saying numbers?


texts: "The book tells the story, consisting of X, Y, and Z." or "... the story, which consists of X, Y, and Z"

texts:
Which of these is grammatically correct and considered as a formal writing style?

  The book tells the story, consisting of X, Y, and Z.

or

  The book tells the story, which consists of X, Y, and Z.


texts: Using Past Simple in a past-subjunctive if-clause

texts:
When I refer to the past and use subjunctive-mood if-clause, do I have to use Past Perfect or using Past Simple is also fine?

For example, should it be like:

  Do you remember what happened when I first met that singer 20 years ago?
  If I hadn't known anything about that singer, I would have definitely
  considered him to be а mediocre.

or it can be like:

  Do you remember what happened when I first met that singer 20 years ago?
  If I didn't know anything about that singer, I would have definitely
  considered him to be а mediocre.

?


texts: Why the K is silent in "know" and "knowledge"?

texts: Why is the K silent in "knowledge" and "know"? I have heard many non-natives pronounce the K but not natives. In dictionaries there is no K in the pronunciation but there is a K in spelling.


texts: What does "arms" stand for in hotel names?

texts: "Sunset arms apts", "Hacienda Arms Apartments", "Windsor Arms Apartments", "Robot arms" (Futurama) - what are all those "arms"?


texts: About inversions like: "At no time did it seem necessary ..." and "So convinced am I that ..."

texts:
Are there some rules behind these inversions:

  "At no time did it seem necessary to direct the machine to the ground."

  "So convinced am I that he is on the right lines that ..."

  "The two inventors were not in the “show” business and neither were they in the business of getting rich."

Are they associated with specific expressions like: "At no time", "So convinced", "Neither", etc.?


texts:
For this sentence:

  This way we couldn't make him aware of the changes we've made in his home

How can we make a positive question to get listener's confirmation, with emphasis on the current condition or literally the "This Way" phrase?

May we use "Do"? :

  Do this way we couldn't make him aware of the changes we've made in his home?


texts:
I'd better get a quart. (daum.net)

There’s a had better usage in the above. I’m not trying to figure out what the original it would have been, but can this construction below be made? (When I, the main verb, is logically the object of the non-finite verb - get, it could be thought as a tough movement. But it's not the case.)

  I’d be better to get a quart.


texts:
Sean hurries into the room to hide from the hitman. As he closes the door and the room goes dark, he bumps into something which makes a loud sound/noise. Out in the hall the hitman has heard the sound/noise. He strides toward the door.

What is appropriate here - sound or noise ?


texts: Some words to describe the situation in a given workplace

texts:
I am an assistant staff in ABC shop. There are 15 staff (including myself) in ABC shop. Some unpleasant things have been happening between the two groups of staff for a long time here. I want to learn how to describe the people in the following situation.

The 14 staff can be divided into two groups, group A and group B. Group A dislikes group B and group B does likewise.
My job title is the least in the shop. I am both friends of group A and group B, so I am always stuck with the two groups where they argue over something.

For (1), I am writing group A and group B are enemies, but this is too strong and will ruin my diary. I need some gentle words to describe (1).
For (2), is it correct if I say I am working in between the two groups?


texts:
These days we can access more and more online systems. However, should we say access or get access to as in the following example:

  You can access your account by clicking this link.
  You can get access to your account by clicking this link.

I personally prefer the access form, but I'm afraid I might be making a mistake and the proper form is get access to.

Also, are continuous forms of access and get access to allowed e.g.

  I am accessing my account now
  I am getting access to my account now

Which is correct?


texts:
What is this supposed to mean?  "ditch the top hat but do scrub up a little."

It is used in an article that talks about a gourmet fare.

Thank you!


texts: The usage of adverbs anywhere and nowhere in negative sentence

texts:
Which one of the following sentences is correct?

Can you buy thіs magazіnе for mе? І sее іt nowhеrе.
Can you buy thіs magazіnе for mе? І can't sее іt anywhеrе.

The first one seems a bit odd to me. I've already seen this question: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/61124/when-to-use-nowhere-and-when-not-anywhere, but it wasn't helpful


texts:
In an IELTS Reading passage:

  In answer to the final question about the importance of rainforest conservation, the majority of children simply said that we need rainforests to survive. Only a few of the pupils (6%) mentioned that rainforest destruction may contribute to global warming. This is surprising considering the high level of media coverage on this issue. Some children expressed the idea that the conservation of rainforests is not important.

Does "contribute to global warming" mean to increase or to reduce global warming?


texts:
I wonder if the use of "state" in the sentence below is correct or not. What I want to learn is whether this sentence is grammatically correct or not.

  Water vapour is water’s state turned into gas form by boiling at 100 degree.


texts: When talking about application form at the university (as a part of admission). We make application or do application or both?


texts:
I want to emphasise the fact that something "does respect" what agreed, but in the past.

Is it

  The file that we sent you yesterday "did respected" what agreed?

or

  The file that we sent you yesterday "did respect" what agreed?


texts: What's the valid term for a "base" for plants?

texts:
In case of some plants you can take their cuttings to multiply them. The cuttings are put in the ground directly, so you can have multiple seedlings based on one plant. You can have dozens of plants which are used for this process.

Boxwood or jasmine can both be a good example of such plant.

The term which describes such a group of plants in my language is "matecznik", which is a variation of the word mother.

What's the correct term for such a group of plants? I'm looking for the name of the group of the plants that other plants were grown from.

Edit: I found some book titles that might be close to it:

  Schoeneweiss D.F. 1969. Susceptibility of evergreen hosts to the
  juniper blight fungus, Phomopsis juniperovora, under epidemic
  conditions. J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 94(6): 609-611.

  Remlein-Starosta D. 2004. Pestalotiopsis associated with Erica spp
  ornamental plants in nurseries near Poznań- increasing problem.

Is an evergreen host or nursery a correct term for it?


texts: Conjunction lest, speaking of reasons ? where it is more preferable to use "lest"?

texts:
Can we always use "lest" to provide explanations reasoning an action, status, etc. ?

Compare:

  She was worried lest the refuges be suffering cold weather.

  She was worried about the refuges to be lived in cold weather without a suitable shelter.

The question is where we must use this conjunction ?
Can it be used in ordinary/academic written English ? (I do not see this conjunction very often)


texts:
I want to fill in the blank of the following sentence with an adjective with a meaning similar to "interested/fascinated/passionate..." but I hope the word sounds negative or ironic:

  The mainstream media are _____ in/about reporting gossips of celebrities and politicians.

Also, it would be great if you can change the structure of the whole sentence to make it idiomatic, if necessary. Thanks!

I also want a literal word. I have thought about "crazy", but I think it is too colloquial.


texts: The door slammed to. If without 'to', could this be ungrammatical?

texts:
The door slammed to.

  The door was slapped to.

  Suddenly the trapdoor fell to with a boom.

First of all, let me tell you the sentences are from a grammar book. (no context)
Might I trouble you to tell me whether adverb 'to' is essential in those ones? They seem to indicate direction. But, actually,  I can't fully understand what directions they indicate.

Please let me assume that a door was situated between 'me' and 'a girl'. The door slammed shut in the wind. Subsequently, a third person showed up, saying "the door slammed to".

In this case, would you tell me which direction 'to' indicates? Me or a girl?


texts: present perfect continuous and repetition

texts:
In a previous post I asked if "websites i have been visiting today" means that I have visited the same sites multiple times and the answer was "yes".
If I say: "I don't want people to know what websites I have been visiting" does the same principle apply  (I have visited the same sites repeatedly) or does it mean "various websites I have visited recently/lately", so not necessarily the same sites over and over again?


texts: meaning of “prove $1 of value and .. low threshold to purchase”

texts:
“The easiest way to make $1,000,000 is to convince 1 million people to give you $1.”

  This was long before $0.99 apps on the App Store, but Dad was right. He also knew that it was easy to prove $1 of value and there was a low threshold to purchase. Brilliant. Our subscription platforms work like this too.

  Source: Quora

I didn’t understand the meaning of “it is easy to prove 1 dollar of value and there was a low threshold to purchase”


texts: Meaning of warm vs hot when talking about weather

texts:
Here is the context:

Warm weather means temperatures around 25°C
Hot weather is when temperatures are around 35°C

Then if today there is hot weather, what should we understand when one says "I wish it was warmer today" ?

I understand that he/she wishes to have temperatures around 40°C, but you could also interpret it as he/she wishes the temperatures were closer to warm weather i.e. 25°C.


texts: Is it proper to use "dedicate oneself" together with a quantifier?

texts:
I see TheFreeDictionary gives one of the meanings of "dedicate" to be

give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause

, in which "entirely" implies totality without any reserved. So is adding any quantifier to modify "dedicate" or its object improper? For example, is it improper to say

"I dedicated myself much to Quantum Mechanics during my MSc studies."

But the same dictionary also gives another meaning of "dedicate" to be

To set apart for a special use

Then if this meaning is taken, it seems to be OK to modify "dedicate" or its object by a quantifier; thus my example above seems to be proper. But in this dictionary I don't see any example of the kind involving "dedicate oneself" with a quantifier, nor do I see one in Oxford Dictionaries; the examples of "dedicate" used for this kind of meaning I see with a quantifier are "dedicate time, attention, effort or life", as illustrated by

She is now dedicating most of her time and attention to the completion of her fist novel.

It would be good for more effort to be dedicated to training to help build capacities of the nations in managing fauna and flora species.

I met many people who dedicated much of their efforts to assist in the planning of the anti-hate demonstration.

The ceremony was a very simple and moving commemoration of a life totally dedicated to aikido.

So I wonder whether "dedicate oneself" can be used together with a quantifier.


texts:
I want to explain the following procedure for th number 1 to 10.

I want to partition the numbers to the group of 3 like this:

1 2 3 : 2  3 4: 3  4  5 : 4  5  6 : 5 6 7: 6 7 8: 7  8 9: 8 9 10.

How can I explain it?

In real data set the partition size is 100 and I have more than 5000 numbers.


texts: the ways the phrase " I guess ( that ) ... " is used in today's usage ? where u think a good place to start from?

texts:
Can you English Speakers ( especially native ones) help me with getting a better idea of the ways the phrase

  " I guess ( that ) ... "

is used in today's usage  ? I mean, where u think a good place to start from ?


texts: GOES AROUND(road) the backside of a mountain

texts:
When someone is telling you this:

  There is a great twisty road that goes around the back side of the mountain.

Does the "goes around" mean:

it is encircling the back side of the mountain
OR there is a twisty road along the back side of the mountain.


texts: What does it mean X symbol between 2 names?

texts: What does it mean symbol x between 2 names? (I saw it in some places regarding to the peppermint names in Latin, for example on Wikipedia and on this site)


texts: Can you explain "causing greyed out vision" grammatically?

texts:
"Oxygen deprivation in the retinal cells impairs their ability to process light, causing greyed out vison"

I have a question of the sentence above.
I think "causing"is a verb and "greyed out"is also verb.
How is this sentence correct grammatically?


texts:
I often see the word "bus" (in the sense of interconnect layer of a computer system) to be written in plural as either "buses" or "busses". Which one is the correct form?

Wikipedia uses both on the same page.


texts:
For example, one would normally say:

  I use make-up to look as beautiful as possible.

But what if, perhaps to sound a little humorous, I said:

  I use make-up to look as little ugly as possible.

Is the form correct and used?

I couldn't find much information about the form "as little +adjective as"


texts:
What is meant by "have been to" in the following sentence:

They have already been to Paris, haven’t they?

Does it mean that:

They have recently visited Paris?

or

They have just come back from Paris?

Thank you


texts: What terms do linguists use when they parse the sentence below?

texts:
I'm trying to learn grammar using Internet tutorials, and it appears to be the consensus that sentences consist of a subject, verb, and often an object. And in the simple examples provided by the tutorials, identifying the sentence structure is always easy:

  The dog (subject) eats (verb) a bone (object)

But I'm never able to do it in my own writing. For example, I can identify the subject "we" the verb "develop" and object "Y" in the sentence below, but I have no clue what the rest is.

  By combining X, we develop Y, which allows us to use Z to build R that can be combined with S to allow T.

Can someone label the sentence structure of the sentence above, so that I know the names of things that I should lookup, or refer me to some good literature that defines grammar. I have a background in Computer Science and Math, so something formal (maybe using formal grammars) would be very useful.

My motivation is that I'm currently trying to learn how to write better (using the book "Style The Basics of Clarity and Grace"). The book contains sentences  such as "you underlined abstract nouns as simple subject" and I would like to know what those kind of things are. Therefore, I would like to be able to label components of sentences with their appropriate linguistic names. I think that a formal grammar would help me do this (given by background), but it doesn't have to handle extreme edge cases, or be at the bleeding edge of linguistic research.


texts: According to me, get in this context can be used.  For example if we talk about a  person who  a moment ago was  talking and then he suddenly stopped. So his condition changed from talking to not at all. But be may also be used if u do not want to describe the changing condition but  the person's present condition which is silent.  I am much confused right now.Please tell me the exact difference. And also point me to a site which has detailed explanation about the difference between Get and Be. Thanks in advance. And please answer this question because it holds a great importance to me.


texts:
2016 GOP candidate Fiorina said on TV,

  I am the lump of coal in her(Hillary's) stocking.

What's the exact meaning of "I am the lump of coal in her stocking"? She will be a secret weapon against Hillary? Is it a biblical idiom?


texts: "understanding of" vs. "understanding about"

texts:
In one of my posts (meaning of "Hold the time warp for your brain") I said

  Even if my understanding about "hold the time warp" is right, I don't understand the whole piece

In another one about a technical concept "PPV", I said

  Is my understanding about this correct?

Actually, I am sure whether I use the correct preposition.

merriam-webster gives these definitions and examples

  : ability to get the meaning of and judge

  He lacks an understanding of what's going on.

  : an agreement of opinion or feeling

  We've come to an understanding about how to proceed.

However, WHO use the word this way

  to improve information and understanding about mental illness

where "understanding" seems to refer to some knowledge or meaning rather than an agreement.

When would I use which preposition? Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts: At the time of, in the time of, in a time of

texts:
Love at the time of Corona

  Love in the time of Corona

  Love in a time of Corona

Of the three expressions only
at the time of (something) ( idiom) appears to be present in dictionaries, but I’ve come across all three forms.

Are all the above forms idiomatic and interchangeable?


texts:
From an article in the Washington Post:

  The surge in illegal border crossings is expected to continue as the
  economy improves and warmer weather arrives.

Which "economy" is improving?  The economy of the illegal migrants' country (such as Mexico)? The U.S. economy?  The migrants' personal income?


texts:
I learned about i wish i had  vII -> something i regret that i didn't do something in the past and i have now effects of that
And about i wish i had wihout vII -> I regreat that i have to do something now.

But i have some exercise about I wish + Past simple or I wish + would.

and i don't have any idea what they mean and what difference they have.
Somebody could explain me, how this 4 forms differ ?


texts:
Please, help me correct these sentences taken from a table description for an IELTS writing task 1:

They walk in just 5 percent of (the) cases. The percentage of journeys made by public transport is almost the same as the previous one.

Do we need 'the' before 'cases'?
The wording almost the same as the previous one sounds really awkward. How can I rephrase it?
Is it better to just say,

The percentage of journeys made by public transport is 3%?

Thank you in advance.


texts: toggle in -- what does this phrasal verb mean?

texts:
Example with a context (Java: A Beginner's Guide, 6th Edition by Herbert Schildt):

  OOP is a powerful way to approach the job of programming. Programming methodologies have changed dramatically since the invention of the computer, primarily to accommodate the increasing complexity of programs. For example, when computers were first invented, programming was done by toggling in the binary machine instructions using the computer's front panel.

I don't think I comprehend that part well enough. To toggle something basically means to switch it back and forth between two different states. But here, I'm really at a loss as to how I should interpret the action of toggling in this context. Plus, the preposition in also throws me off a little bit.


texts: Confused with the correct pattern to use noun clauses

texts:
Consider the following sentence taken from Mathematica tutorial.

  Changes to a notebook that only involve opening or closing cell groups will not cause the front end to ask you ...

According to my understanding when reading Toefl preparation books, the noun clause should immediately follow the noun to which the noun clause refers.
If I apply this guidance, the sentence above will be decomposed as follows.

Changes to a notebook will not cause the front end to ask you ...
The notebook only involves opening and closing cell groups.

But the meaning from technical point of view becomes weird as the correct meaning should be as follows.

Changes to a notebook will not cause the front end to ask you ...
The changes only involve opening and closing cell groups.

What do you think about this? Is the quoted sentence grammatically wrong?


texts:
The librarian says reference books cannot be checked out and you can
  put what's called a hold any book that's been checked out. From this,
  it can be determined that it is not true that one can place a hold on
  reserve book. (Longman TOEFL iBT CD-ROM)

Is it trying to imply that reserve book is the same as reference book? I can't see any definition for reserve as an adjective. The Harvard Library website defined reserve book as:

  Books and other materials for  classes are sometimes put on Reserve and are available for a shorter loan period so that everyone in the class can use them.

What does the word reserve book mean?  The two sources seems to contradict.


texts: You weren't playing? vs. You weren't playing?

texts:
You weren't playing?

shouldn't be:

  Weren't you playing?

Or could it be written in both ways?
My teacher gave me the first question but I don't know. It doesn't look grammatically correct.
Thanks in advance


texts: "I suspect not" or "I don't suspect", when to use which?

texts:
In an ELL post (The difference of a sentence with and without the phrase "in use") I said

  I suspect "in use" does not mean "being used" in you example.

If I rewrite the sentence above as the following

  I don't suspect "in use" means "being used" in you example

Is the meaning affected? Which one is more idiomatic? When to use which?


texts:
Which is right?

  I went to the (mall) to meet my parents for lunch / to lunch

This for a paper I am submitting for a writing assignment. I have heard "to lunch" is right, but is it right in this sentence please?


texts: I have to get the ticket stamped or punched in the ticket

texts:
When entering the bus I have to get the ticket stamped by the device in the bus. Can I say?
I have punched the ticket in or I got the ticket stamped?


texts: What do you call the facial expression where the mouth and the eyes are wide open?

texts: I am thinking about "in awe", but that doesn't necessarily imply that the eyes are wide open and the mouth is also wide open, so if there's no such word is there a phrase that you can use to convey the same idea? I could only come up with the phrase "their eyes and mouth were wide open" or "the expression where the eyes and the mouth were wide open", which both sounds awful.


texts: A word for a (prominent?) feature of something

texts:
Suppose you can distinguish something and guess its purpose just by looking at  some ???? in it.

something like prominent points (marks), marking points, or outstanding points....

My sentence is:

  Anchors serve as starting points of a data region or marking / indexing/ featuring points within a block of data.

It is supposed to be used for some phrases within a webpage which indicate the content of the web page


texts: What is the difference between "to get", " to take" and "to pick"?

texts:
When I should use "to get", "to take" and "to pick"?
Who answer can put a few examples?

Thanks.


texts: I'd like to know the answer (what is "to know the answer")

texts:
In the sentence:

  I would like to know the answer.

What is "to know the answer" here?
Is it a participle functioning as an object,
a verbal modifying like,
an infinitive functioning as an object
the predicate of the sentence?


texts: Difference Between "conducted by " vs "is conducted by"

texts:
An experiment conducted by a scientist
An experiment is conducted by a scientist
An experiment that is conducted by a scientist

Which one is grammatically correct ?


texts:
Please be respectful to fellow employees, partners, and others who
  work with or on behalf of XXX and XXX’s legitimate business interests.

In the example above, I am not sure if the bold part applies to "others".

I'm not sure which one is correct among two:

(others who work with or on behalf of (XXX and XXX’s legitimate business interests)) - If I interpret this way, it also implies "others who work with XXX's legitimate business interest", and I think it sounds awkward

or

(others who work with or on behalf of XXX) and (XXX’s legitimate business interests) - I think this doesn't make sense, because the verb is "be respectful" and if I interpret this way, it becomes "be respectful to XXX's legitimate business interest", which sounds awkward.


texts: So fat is he ... So beholden is he to ... -- Grammar Question

texts:
Sikorski is outspoken but not alone. Powerful officials inside Russia also see a darker cast to the regime, with the influence of the free-market economists and loyal oligarchs whom Putin once surrounded himself with significantly diminished. The liberals, relatively speaking, are out; the Russian president is reportedly now only working closely with security officials and the Defense Ministry. Some European diplomats even question whether Putin is still fully in charge, so beholden is he to the siloviki – the military and security establishment. “Every year the ruling circle shrinks smaller and smaller,” said one Kremlin source. “The only people that Putin is listening to are the military and the intelligence.”

How do you really understand that type of phrasing? How should one read it?


texts: "probably have seen" or "have probably seen"?

texts:
Can we say that one of the the following sentences is more correct than the other? Is there any difference in meaning?

  1) As you have probably seen, in that article he advocates free trade.

  2) As you probably have seen, in that article he advocates free trade.


texts:
For the verb "break", many dictionaries have example usage sentences like:

  He broke the law.
  He broke the agreement.

Could the usage of "break" be expanded to "diet" and "quarantine" (MERS related):

  He broke his diet.
  He broke the quarantine.

Are 3 & 4 standard English?


texts: He was having his food when I went to his home. Or.... When I go to his home

texts:
He was having his food when I went to his home.  Or....
He was eating his food when I go to his home.

Do I have to use comma before when?

He was eating his food, when I went to his home.


texts:
I am confused a little bit about the meaning difference between these two phrases:

  I wish I was there.

  I wish I had been there.

Could you explain about it?


texts: Is the word "actually" redundant in the context?

texts:
Some psychologists believe that we can explain every decision or
choice that an individual makes by referring to some earlier
conditioning that the individual has undergone, so that, although the
individual might feel free, his or her action is in fact entirely
determined by what has happened in the past, and by genetically
transmitted predispositions. We cannot know for certain that this
isn’t actually the case.

Philosophy: The basics
I don't know the use of "actually" in the context above. Is it redundant?
Is there any difference between "this isn’t actually the case" and "this isn’t the case"?
I tried to understand the bold sentence like this: We cannot know for certain whether this is actually the case or not. Is my understanding correct?
Many thanks


texts:
I’m going for a long walk off a short pier

I suppose this sentence means that the speaker is going to walk along a pier. Is "a walk off" here means a casual walk? Or maybe preposition "off" has a meaning I am not aware about.

Dictionaries define "walk-off" only as a baseball term.

Could you clarify the meaning of this sentence?


texts: Which is correct, Routes to circumnavigate or Routes circumnavigating?

texts:
These were the spice routes to circumnavigate the globe.
  These were the spice routes circumnavigating the globe.

Which of the two is correct?  I think sentence (2) is correct.   Could you help me clarify it?


texts: "I found her sit on the table" ungrammatical?

texts: My online English teacher marked my answer for a practice question, the title, as wrong. And it revised that into sitting instead of sit. But could I just use that sentence, as it is, conveying the meaning that "she was seen in the act of sitting down"? I meant (sorry for my short English skill) she definitely started to sit, however her butt was not yet completely landed on the table, or just landed. Or, simply, does the verb Find not go well together with something in progress?


texts: the main thing is that the guilty parties be tracked down -- the subjunctive mood

texts:
Usage example with a context:

  She has given a full and exhaustive account of her last hours with Boris," Prokhorov said. "If any further investigative action is required, she has promised—something she has done publicly—that she will cooperate. The main thing is that the guilty parties be tracked down

I would like to ask native speakers of English what kind of feel do you have when you hear a sentence that uses the subjunctive mood? What do you think the difference semantically as well as in meaning would be if we changed the above sentence to something like this: the main thing is that the guilty parties must be tracked down?


texts:
I wonder what the meaning(s) of "for"s in the following sentences/phrases are.

I have a lot of homework for tomorrow.
I have a lot of homework for English.
The schedule for next week.
What are we going to do for our music history class?
To wait for someone.
Keep it for me.
I got the square root of 3 for problem number 6.

It really confuses me. Can you explain it to me? Thank you in advance!


texts: Email subject for an email including information for campus residents who have poor internet connection

texts:
I am sending an email to all students, but it is for campus residents who have poor internet connection. Which one is a good subject?

To campus residents who have poor internet connection
To campus residents regarding poor internet connection
Poor internet connection in campus residences
Regarding poor internet connection in campus residences

I would appreciate any other suggestions.
Also, please tell me if there is a mistake in the above options.


texts:
I think I have seen two versions of this structure:

The challenge is [to V]

  The challenge is to transform people’s mentality about preventive healthcare, says CEO of Cure.fit.

  I take my dreams very seriously and love to rediscover and challenge myself and this time the challenge is to publish my book before February 2019.

The challenge is [gerund]

  The blessing part gets me out of my comfort zone, but the challenge is not letting it drain my energy supply.

  The challenge here is surviving your friends.

What is the difference between the two structures in terms of meaning? If there are any differences, then when to use to V and when to use gerund?

Would the meaning of these sentences change if we used the other structure? (Like, the challenge here is "to survive your friends" instead of "surviving your friends.")


texts:
[Source:] Arguments that appeal to ignorance rely merely on the fact that the veracity of the proposition is not disproven to arrive at a definite conclusion. These arguments fail to appreciate that the limits of one's understanding or certainty do not change what is true. They do not inform upon reality. That is, whatever the reality is, it does not "wait" upon human logic or analysis to be formulated. Reality exists at all times, and it exists independently of what is in the mind of anyone.

I am guessing OED Online's Definition 8b as the apt definition for inform in the foregoing:

  III. 8b. Of a quality, principle, etc.: to be the determinant principle of; to give a thing its essential quality or character; to inspire, animate; to pervade. In later use more generally: (of an experience, etc.) to influence, to affect.

Yet OED appears mum on inform upon. So what are the similarities and differences? What would happen if upon were omitted here?
I know that as prepositions, upon = on.


texts: Choose 'in the dim light' or 'under the dim light'

texts:
A: He smoked elegantly in the dim light;
  B: He smoked elegantly under the dim light.

Between A and B, which one is proper?


texts:
I have read the sentence below:

  He is on the swim team.

My questions are:

Why use the preposition "on" ? Can I use "in"?
What's the difference between "on" and "in "?
Can "the swim team" be replaced with "the swimming team"?


texts: Present simple + time? "I can't do it for the next 5 hours"

texts:
Is it correct to say something in present tense, but it has a time information that will be taking place until a certain time in the Future.

For example,

  I can't do it for the next 5 hours.


texts:
Mohan said that he had been in London for two months but until then/till then he had not time to visit the water.

Is there any difference between until then and till then?


texts: Is this regarded as an elliptical sentence? It strikes me as weird

texts:
My English teacher said this is not a complete sentence:

  I like white and yellow colours, so are my clothes.

She completed my sentence with a few more words in red colour:

  I like white and yellow colors, so are my clothes are these colours.

I have learnt of some elliptical sentences,
but I have never seen any example
sentences that are written that way (the 2nd sentence).

Can you tell me what kind of grammar / sentence construction it is, please?
I want to learn more about it.


texts: Plural or singular: grammatical, not semantical

texts: I heard that a plural and a singular are not related to semantics but to grammar. Then If I ate two pizzas, it doesn't matter whether I say 'I ate a pizza or I ate pizzas'?


texts: Do we need "at" before "around 7AM" as in "I go to work (at) around 7 AM"? Confusing!

texts:
Do we need "at" before "around 7 AM" as in  "I go to work (at) around 7 AM"?

We got these examples in this dictionary

  around /əˈraʊnd/  adverb

  We got home at around 8 o'clock. = (US) We got home around
  about 8 o'clock. [=it was approximately 8 o'clock when we got home]

We also got these examples in this dictionary

  He arrived (at) about ten.

I don't understand why they use "around" & "about" together. So they use 2 adverbs "around" & "about",  which have same meaning, next to each other


texts: Email subject: "introducing myself as an aspiring  at "

texts:
I'd like to use the following subject in the emails I will use to try reaching companies, looking for a job:

Introducing myself as an aspiring <job position> at <company name>

How idiomatic is it to use a gerund phrase?
Does the at <company name> part make sense? I want to reflect that I want to work at the contacted company in particular.


texts:
You could imagine sentence (a) (being??) uttered by someone consulting their diary and seeing that tomorrow's page is blank.

I can imagine him (being??) really angry.

I can't imagine elephants (being??) able to fly.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/imagine says the verb "imagine" is sometimes followed by the ing-form of another verb: She imagined herself sitting in her favourite chair back home. So my question is: do we need "being" in (1) (using the passive voice), (2) and (3) (both using an adjective)?


texts: How do you say it? "Everything is possible" or "anything is possible"?

texts: As you all can easily see I'm not a native speaker. Over the years I was convinced that the correct expression had to be "everything is possible" but now I'm not sure anymore.


texts:
What is the meaning of "last" in the following sentence?

  Whiptail was first. He set sail so fast! But his tail whipped the sail
  and then he was last.
  Little Dale saw it all. So he got out of his boat to carry Whiptail
  across the moat.
  Dean had a boat that looked like a bean. It would not float. It began
  to lean. Out fell Dean! And there was Dale, to take him across to be
  with Whiptail.

? (Source: The Crossing by Foster & Erickson Illustrations by Kerri Gifford)

Does "he was last" mean "he was the lowest rank" ? Or does "he was last" mean "he was spoiled the race' ?

Does "last" in the sentence mean "lowest rank" or "spoiled" ?


texts:
What does the phrase "anachronistic British sense of fair play" denote? I read it in the following sentence

The soldier believes in torturing information out of captured Germans while Blimp still holds to the anachronistic British sense of fair play.


texts: Difference between "a daughter of a policeman" and "the daughter of a policeman"

texts:
Example 1:

  (1) She is a daughter of a policeman.

  (2) She is the daughter of a policeman.

Does the (1) imply that her father policeman has more than one daughter?

Does the (2) imply that her father policeman has only one daughter?

How about this
Example 2:

  (1) This is a wheel of a truck.

  (2) This is the wheel of a truck.

These two sentence doesn't quite give me the feeling that the truck has only one wheel.

So, why is that?

Is it because the number of children is something hard to predict while the number of wheels on a truck are usually more than one?


texts: How to answer when someone ask to choose a day?

texts:
Example:

question: Can you send me options [......]?

Should I answer:

Date [xx] - Monday or Wednesday at xx works for me. Would that work for you?

Is this a nice way to answer and is it formal?


texts: The correct way of using articles in the example

texts:
Could you please explain how to correctly use articles in the following example?
Consider a situation in which you need to assign a task for someone:

Implement an/the ability to [here goes a description of the
required ability]

In my opinion, the correctness of both ways could be justified.
I assume that it's correct to use an because I am introducing some ability and then want to describe it.
I suppose that it's also correct to use the because I am talking about the specific ability and then describe why it's unique.
Could you please say which of the reasonings is correct or if both of them are wrong?


texts: Usage of the Present simple and the Future Progressive

texts:
Why we use the Present Simple in the sentence:

  The train leaves at half past six tomorrow morning.

I think the future progressive also may use there. It is because future progressive can denote events which are expected to happens in the normal course of events. That is, what is differences of the sentence, cited above and the sentence:

  The train will be leaving at half past six tomorrow morning.


texts: Is "being raised" Simple Past or Present Perfect?

texts:
While this is a legend, there are many modern stories about children being raised by wolves.

If I analyze this carefully from my understanding the context meaning of "being raised" in the sentence would actually be "A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now." which is a rule in present perfect, but when I checked the rule there's no example of 'being' included in the form.

If I take 'being' as a linking verb then raised would only be a simple past.


texts: Can past tenses in a sentence have different time reference?

texts:
Duric Ludokian was a huge wealthy Armenian who had fled from his
  native country to Russia in 1896 shortly after the first Turkish
  massacres and pogroms against the Armenian people had begun. He had
  fled (1) again in 1918 after the Russian Revolution and was (2)
  among the first of the thousands of Russian émigrés who found (3)
  sanctuary in Berlin. Ludokian had made his fortune in nuts. He
  described himself as a ‘nut importer’. (William Boyd’s The New
  Confessions - from English Grammar (by Downing), p367)

Which one of the following is right?

I.
(2) and (3)'s event times precede speech time. (1) precedes both (2) and (3). ((2) = (3))

II.
Though (3)‘s event time may precede (2)’s event time, it adopts past simple for denoting that it happened after (1).


texts: Which is natural and unnatural when I want to say that I have a smart phone by Apple?

texts:
I have a smartphone which is made by Apple
I have a smartphone which was made by Apple
I have a smartphone which has been made by Apple

I am struggling with this matter. . . .


texts: In the geological context, can a mountain range 'experience' upheaval. Or could a statue 'experience' acid rain? Is their a better verb to use when events 'happen' to an object that is not conscious?


texts: Is this 'there' a deictic or does it mean 'at that point'?

texts:
He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families
  are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making
  friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."   He held
  out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.   "I
  think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said
  coolly.  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is ‘there’ a deictic indicating Hogwarts school where they’re going now, or does it have an adverbial meaning ‘at that point’?


texts:
O'Sullivan & Hilliard's The Law of Contract (2018 8 ed). p. 55.

  3.23. The Ontario Court of Appeal suggested in Tilden Rent-A-Car Co v Clendenning (1978)
  that the rule was too absolute, and chose to distinguish L’Estrange. There, the defendant
  rented a car and signed the contract without reading it. On the back of the contract, in
  fine and faint print, was a clause seeking to limit the claimant’s liability. The court, applying
  orthodox offer and acceptance principles, held that a signature will only indicate
  acceptance of a term where it is reasonable for the other party to believe that the offeree
  really did agree to the term in question. While a court should be reluctant to find that a
  signature did not indicate acceptance of a particular term (otherwise commercial uncertainty
  would result), on the facts the term had not been accepted:

    In ordinary commercial practice where there is frequently a sense of formality in the
    transaction, and where there is a full opportunity for the parties to consider the terms of
    the proposed contract submitted for signature, it might well be safe to assume that the
    party who attaches his signature to the contract intends by so doing to acknowledge his
    acquiescence to its terms, and that the other party entered into the contract upon that
    belief. This can hardly be said, however, where the contract is entered into in circumstances
    such as were present in this case.

What are some formal terms describing this syntax? How can a verb follow such as without another subject?


texts: What is the opposite movement of "go into the shade of the wall": "go into the sunny area"?

texts:
shade: [uncountable] an area that is dark and cool under or behind something,
  for example a tree or building, because the sun’s light does not get
  to it

  shade of something The shade of the pine tree provided some
  protection from the sun.

  in the shade The temperature can reach 40°C in the shade.

  in the shade of something We sat down in the shade of the wall.

  in shade These plants grow well in sun or shade.

  under the shade of something Two cows were sleeping under the shade
  of some trees.

  The trees provide shade for the animals in the summer.

So, we say "Please go into the shade of the wall" and what is its opposite movement "Please go into the sunny area"?


texts: Any grammatical patterns for using the word, 'all', in "all (last night/yesterday/today/next month)"

texts:
In this question, I am focusing on the word, 'all', combined with the following phrases.
I have made up the sets of similar examples below:

a) "I had a headache all last night." (correct)
b) "I had a headache all night last night."
c) "I had a headache for all of last night." (correct)

a) "I was here all yesterday."
b) "I was here all day yesterday." (correct)
c) "I was here for all of yesterday." (correct)

a) "I'm here all today."
b) "I'm here all day today." (correct)
c) "I'm here for all of today." (correct)

a) "I'll stay here all next month." (correct)
b) "I'll stay here all month next month."
c) "I'll stay here for all of next month." (correct)

I spent a lot of time talking to my non-native English speaking friends about my sentences. They picked the ones that they thought were correct. I marked their choices as correct. There are two correct answers in each set.
I'm wondering if there is a grammatical pattern for the correct ones. I'm very confused about this. Do you think my friends' answers are correct?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say: Don't look at life ordinarily but as extraordinarily?

texts: Should it be: don't look at life ordinarily but as extraordinary?


texts:
Is using 'the' after 'both' in the sentence example correct?

  'He is both the troublemaker and worth the trouble'


texts: When you {complete / have completed} your service

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

  1.) When you complete your service you will retire on pension

  2.) When you have completed your service you will retire on pension.

I think first one is not incorrect.


texts: What does "Had enough in there?" mean here?

texts:
I am wondering what "Had enough in there?" means in the following sentences:

I push into the drawing room next door and as I walk through I stop
short in shock. A figure’s sitting there on the sofa, in the gloom.
After a moment I recognise it to be Olivia. ‘Oh, hey there,’ I say.
She looks up. Her long legs stick out in front of her, her feet bare.
‘Hey.’
‘Had enough in there?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Me too,’ I say. ‘You staying up for a bit?’ I ask.
She shrugs. ‘No
point in going to bed. My room’s right next to that.’
As if on cue from the dining room comes a burst of mocking laughter.
Someone roars: ‘Drink it – drink it all down!’

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 15

Before the actual wedding day, at the rehearsal dinner, Hannah, Charlie's wife, left the dining room where the best man Johnno and the ushers are playing their drinking game (the Irish snap) to find Olivia (the bridesmaid) sitting next door.
In this part, I wonder whether Hannah means "Did you eat a quantity of food in the dining room?" or perhaps, "Are you sick and tired being in the dining room, with all the noises from the drinking game?"


texts: How can I revise the sentence: "the hunter was waiting so that the leopard goes..."? It sounds a bit awkward

texts:
I find this sentence a little awkward especially because of the verb “goes”. How can I revise it?

  The hunter was waiting so that the leopard goes to the proper position for being shot.


texts:
Why does the author prefer to use present perfect in this case?

  I have included all the records you have ordered

Why not ordered as the two orders were made quite a long time ago (6 months and 8 months for the first one) and belong to the past

Is it because the seller thinks there will be more orders in the future or is it to emphasize the orders?


texts: He believes that the world is round OR He believes the world is round

texts:
Which of the following sentences look better in formal writing:

"He believes that the world is round" OR "He believes the world is round"


texts: "Do" in Simple Present Tense in British Style

texts:
In British english, I know simple present tense allows do/does like,

  I do follow the rules,

or

  He does follow the rules.

My question is about whether all action verb follow this rule like:

  I do eat rice;
  I do go to school

etc.


texts:
"In the progression of massive hepatic necrosis one singles out the
  stages of yellow atrophy, red atrophy and recovery."

What is the meaning of "one singles out" in this context?

Based on Merriam Webster dictionary, 'singles out' means to treat or to speak about. But still nothing understandable for me in this context.

Would you replace 'singles out' with 'treats' here?

  "In the progression of massive hepatic necrosis one treats the
  stages of yellow atrophy, red atrophy and recovery."