texts: "Documents have been updated" VS "Documents are updated"

texts:
I've received an email titled "Documents have been updated" informing me that some changes were introduced in some our documents (no surprise here of course). But I'd like to know if there is any difference between the sentence:

  Documents have been updated.

and the sentences

  Documents are updated.

  Documents were updated.

They seem to mean the same thing (or very similar). Could there be any reason to use the present perfect in this email's title (instead of "Documents are updated" or Documents were updated)?


texts:
I am having trouble pronouncing back to back 's' words.

Suppose I want to say:

  He loves English songs.

How should I say it without giving a pause between english and song ?

Is it

  He loves Englishongs.

  or

  He loves Englisongs.

I hope you understand what I am trying to say here.


texts: I know that single-action when used for handguns mean that the gun doesn't have to be cocked in order to fire, but I also saw the phrase "single-action rifle", "single-action shotgun", "single-action submachine gun". I was wondering if "single-action" meant the same thing for all guns, because as far as I know only handguns have to be cocked. After googling, I heard "single-action rifle" meant "bolt-action rifle", is this true?


texts: Distinguishing between prepositions associated with “lack”

texts:
The opinions that he expresses are lacking in intellectual depth.Source: Vocabulary Worksheet 9HVocabL6.doc, from Strasburg High School’s documents for English 9

Would you throw a light on the difference between “lack of” and “lack in”?

When, where, or how do you use the prepositions “of” or “in” with “lack”?

Which one would you rather use? Do you would discern a difference?


texts:
I've come across the expression in the 8th episode of the 3rd season of The Office. Here it is:

Andy: Am I trying to get under his skin?  Y-y-yes, because the angrier
he gets, the more marginalized he becomes.  Meanwhile, Andy Bernard is
out there...  ...laying on the charm.


texts:
What is the difference between "clean" and "clear"?
clean

verb
[with object]
make clean; remove dirt, marks, or stains from: clean your teeth properly after meals I cleaned up my room (as noun cleaning) Anne will help with the cleaning

clear

make or become clear, in particular:
[with object] remove an obstruction or unwanted item or items from: the drive had been cleared of snow Carolyn cleared the table and washed up

Why does one clean teeth, but clear the drive? How to decide which one to use?


texts: Why is "...seem as an underwater museum" wrong?

texts:
People looked for an unusual dive in what might be called an underwater mining museum.

Why can't the bold part be substituted by "seem as"?
Since seem is a linking verb meaning "to give the impression of being or doing sth " and "as" is a proposition meaning "used to describe sb/sth appearing to be sb/sth else," why couldn't them combined together to compare the place of an unusual dive as an underwater mining?


texts:
Why they say the Internet is your oyster when they mean, I guess,  you can find abundant resources to solve your problem?

Update : It has an origin  which I missed.


texts:
BBC: I have friendship with all the living beings

  The New York Times: I have multiple doormen and I have a friendship with one of them

According to Cambridge, friendship is both countable and uncountable noun but I am not sure when to use either version?


texts: "You should help John rather than he helping you."

texts:
You should help John rather than he helping you.

I sometimes see this sentence pattern. But I feel like something is missing between "he" and "helping". What is this pattern?
Edit:
I found a sentence in another forum:
Most people want fees for subsidised patients to be standardised rather than each public hospital setting its own rates - the way (they do now) now.
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/standardised-rather-than-have-having-each-public-hospital.2829335/


texts: What is the difference between, say, 'thousands' and 'thousands and thousands'?

texts: Does 'thousands and thousands', or 'millions and millions', etc. (something American president Donald Trump would say, for example) mean that it's at least four thousand (2+2)? Or does it mean nothing more than simply 'thousands' so 'thousands and thousands' can even mean 2 thousand?


texts: Saying "very much" right after "Nice to meet you, too"

texts:
Can I say "very much" right after  "Nice to meet you, too."? The other day I was introduced to one native English speaker and said that - just to emphasize how glad I was, but he looked a bit puzzled by what I said.

It was me who said, "Nice to meet you, too", which was in response to his "Nice to meet you."

If what I did was wrong, then what was the right way in English to emphasize the fact that I am glad to meet a person?


texts: Can possession of “gift” or “present” has two meanings?

texts:
For example, A gives a gift to B.

A: here’s my gift for you.

B: I’ve been waiting for your gift.

Should B call the gift ”my gift” or ”A’s gift”?


texts: Verbs collocating with the term "jet lag" used both as the subject and the object

texts:
Someone who has made a long journey from east to west by plane feels as if the time were several hours later than the local time.

Looking for the term which may be applied to that phenomenon (or a physiological condition as it's called in the article I'm providing a link to), I came upon "jet lag", and now I'm trying to use it to describe someone who starts yawning at daytime because of the feeling of tiredness  due to jet lag. after travelling though different time zones by plane, say, from New York City to London.

What I need is the verb(s) collocating with jet lag used both as the subject and the object.

The suggestions I could so far come up with are the following:

  His jet lag first manifested in a deep yawn.

  His deep yawn showed that his jet lag was seriously affecting him.

  His jet lag caught up with him, and he began to yawn.

  By six P.M., he began to suffer from jet lag, and now he was struggling to
  stifle his yawns.

Would any of my suggestions work? If not, could someone possibly suggest a few alternatives?


texts:
Consider the following pairs of sentence. The members of each pair differ in the order of a specific term and an explanation of its meaning.

a. John bought a Northern Inuit dog, which is a breed with a wolf-like appearance.

b. John bought a dog with a wolf-like appearance, which is a Northern Inuit dog.

c. John bought a Northern Inuit dog, which is a breed that looks like a wolf.

d. John bought a dog that looks like a wolf, which is a Northern Inuit dog.

Which is the more natural? What's their difference in meaning?
I'd appreciate your help.


texts: A brief response to salespeople's leading questions?

texts:
How to respond shortly to suggestive questions such as:

  Do you want to buy this one or this one?

Those are very popular among tradesman and are of manipulative nature. I don't want to explain each time that I don't think such questions are proper, and that none of this option is to be chosen by me, and I don't wish to be asked such questions.

I need a short phrase for such questions, as short as possible, and not too offensive.


texts: What part of speech is "Surrounded" in this sentence please?

texts:
My dream job is to run my own communication business surrounded by talented people
I see "my dream job" (Subject) "is" (verb) "To run my own comms company" (Subject complement)... But "surrounded" is giving me some problems. It looks like an object complement, but I am unsure if we can use an OC after the object of a preposition.
Thank you!


texts: Is any difference between "speak English" and "speak in English"?


texts: Do we say "rename itself into" or "rename itself to"?

texts:
I did a little Google search and it seems "rename itself to" is the correct answer, but I am wondering if both are ok.

Here's an example sentence:

  The Republic of Congo renamed itself into The People's Democratic
  Republic of Congo.

I heard "into" is only used when there's a movement, so I am inclined to think this is wrong.


texts: Usage of "a little bit" in "Can we postpone the interview a little bit?"

texts:
Can we postpone the interview a little bit?

Is this sentence grammatically correct?

I want to say, "I want the interview to be rescheduled to tomorrow at the same time," but I want to ask one question first, which is written above: "Can we postpone the interview a little bit?"

Is this correct?


texts: Confuse between past tense and past progressive

texts:
So this is the question:

Instruction: Complete the sentences. Use the past progressive in the while-clauses. Use the simple past in the when -clauses.

  When my best friend (call) _______ last night, I (wash) _______
  the dishes.

My answer:

  When my best friend called last night, I was washing the dishes.

But i'm not sure about that. The clause "my best friend ______ last night" can means during the call or make a call. Since the instruction said when-clauses must use the simple past, we still have "I (wash) _______  the dishes." Which is, it must be during the wash isn't it? And we have to use past progressive on the last sentence.

So, what is it? Please help me. Thanks.


texts: On a pond: The usage of the indefinite article

texts:
Look! They are sailing boats on a pond.

Is the indefinite article possible in this sentence?


texts:
Is "well" correct when using sarcasm?

  "What's the time?" she asked.

  "Well, aren't you in a real hurry?" he said sarcastically.

I am not sure if the word "Well" belongs here, especially in a sarcastic comment. I am thinking there might be a more appropriate word, but I can't remember what it was. Also, can we really use "Well" in a sarcastic comment? Why? Doesn't sound like something you would say in a sarcastic remark.


texts: What does "chrome" mean besides the metal?

texts:
I have trouble understanding the following sentence from lwn.net

  Because the nightly builds are not full browsers, the interface leaves out most of the traditional browser chrome.

I know there's a browser called Chrome but I doubt that's the meaning here. Using a dictionary I can only find chrome as my title says. I think it means something like user interface but I'm not sure.


texts:
The chamber wrote a letter to Boswell asking her to withdraw the bill, citing statistics from the World Economics Forum that say nearly 8 million metric tons of plastic get into the ocean every minute.

  In their analysis, the researchers estimated that between 100 and 1,200 tons of plastic is floating in the Arctic Ocean -- a wide range to be sure, but one that could be narrowed with future study.

When we take tons of as singular and when take plural? Or Both are possible?
Little bit confused


texts: I'm translating a song from my Portuguese to English. Its title (Aos Olhos de uma Criança) literally means "At/on the eyes of a child". It means that the things said in this song are being witnessed by a child. Does it sound natural to translate it to "By the eyes of a child" with no verbs?


texts: three hundred dollars bail -- shouldn't it be "three hundred dollar bail" without an "s"?

texts:
Link to the Youtube video (it's right at the beginning of the video when the reporter says that)

Transcript:

  James Rhein is out on three hundred dollars bail after being charged with criminal mischief. He tells me he doesn’t think this is that big of a deal. And he adds that his wife is "fine with it."

Why does she say three hundred dollar bail with an "s" on the end of dollar? Isn't that grammatically wrong? We don't say, for example, he is a five years old boy; we say, he is a five year old boy. What is really going on here grammatically?
I, actually, was told that many Americans do say three hundred dollars bail, but no explanation was offered.


texts: "the below given sentence" versus "the below sentence given"

texts:
I have observed that in some sentences adjectives are used after nouns, whereas in some sentences adjectives are used before nouns.  Or, if my understanding is wrong about these, in the first sentence they work as adjectives and in the second one, they work as verbs.

Could you please clarify?

  1) Please find an example in the below given sentence. (before)
  2) Please find an example in the below sentence given. (after)


texts: Corresponding or associated? Which to use?

texts:
I want to write a sentence wherein the context is that there is a group 'T' which has fields T1, T2, … Tn.
Should I write fields corresponding to 'T' or fields associated with 'T'?

What exactly is the difference between the two? Any help will be highly appreciated.


texts:
Which one is mostly recommended to speak

  1) We played a game and I won to him

or

  2) We played a game and I won from him


texts: Are there any difference in these two phrases: a team of 13 people, and 13 people without a team of

texts:
Our new cake shop has 13 staff, including our boss
(1 boss, 1 manager, 2 assistant managers, 2 bakers, 1 cook, 2 senior shop assistants, 4 shop assistants)

In my diary, I have written this:

  The shop manager, nickname, is a nice person, he works with a team of
  12 people to make the shop function well and delight the customers
  with delicious cakes.

I am thinking to erase the three works, "a team of" from the sentence.
Originally, I thought the use of the three words could make a strong feeling that we worked together happily.
Should I leave it alone or the meaning will change if I erase the three words from the sentence?

  The shop manager, nickname, is a nice person, he works with 12 people to make the shop function well and delight the customers
  with delicious cakes.


texts: Meaning of "doodle let me go" and "yaller girls"

texts:
I've recently watched the movie "The Lighthouse" directed by Robert Eggers and in one of the scenes in the movie two main characters were singing a song containing following lyrics:

  "Doodle let me go, me girls, doodle let me go,
  Hurrah, me yaller girls, doodle let me go!"

Similar lyrics can be found in this song A. L. Lloyd - Doodle Let Me Go.
Could you help me to understand what "doodle let me go" and "yaller girls" phrases mean?


texts:
What is the difference between "shotgun to head" and "gunshot of head"?  Are these the same thing, or there is some semantic difference?

This is in relation to suicide methods.


texts: What does "until she passes the five-year mark, Dad’s record to date" mean here?

texts:
I am wondering what "until she passes the five-year mark, Dad’s record to date" means in the following sentences:

Séverine, Dad’s latest wife – French, not far off my age, one part
décolletage and three parts liquid eyeliner – slinks in behind him,
tossing her long mane of red hair.
‘Well,’ I say to Dad, ignoring Séverine (I can’t be bothered to spend
much time on her until she passes the five-year mark, Dad’s record to
date). ‘You’ve made it . . . at last.’ I’d known they were scheduled
to arrive about now – I had to ask Aoife to arrange the boat. But even
then I’d wondered if there might be some excuse, some delay that meant
they couldn’t make tonight. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 14

This is a thriller novel published in 2020 in the United Kingdom. One hundred and fifty guests would be gathering at some remote and deserted fictional islet called Inis an Amplóra off the coast of the island of Ireland to celebrate the wedding between Jules (a self-made woman running an online magazine called The Download) and Will (a celebrity appearing in a TV show program called Survive the Night). The day before the actual wedding day, to attend the rehearsal dinner, Jules' dad comes to the island. But Jules doesn't care about Séverine, accompanying her dad as his newest wife, unless "she passes the five-year mark, Dad’s record to date."
In this part, I am finding it difficult to understand (1) what "mark" means, and (2) what "dad's record to date" means.
(1) Is it perhaps, the "mark" here is the highest standard ever for her dad in dating, meaning he dated women only up to 5 years and no more until this time? But then, as far as I can guess, Jules seems to be saying that the "mark" here is the least standard that would make her regard Séverine as the proper Dad's partner, so I am confused. Is the "mark" perhaps like a score, as in "I got a good mark in English"? Or perhaps like a criterion, as in "Unemployment has passed the four million mark"?
(2) And I also wonder whether "record to date" means that "Dad has a record in dating," or that "Dad has a record up until this time."


texts: How to describe someone who strongly believes in caste system?

texts: How do I describe a person who strongly believes in caste system? Does even a word exist to describe the same?


texts:
How can I explain to ESL pupils what the difference is between "an attempt" and "a try" (as nouns).

For example: Why can I say "I passed first try", but not *"this is a try to create a perfect human"?


texts:
John could drive the car.
The car could be driven by John

The second sentence is the passive form of the first sentence.

But I have read in a book for teaching methodology that the two sentences have a range of difference in meaning.

The first sentence talks about  both ability and possibility.

But the second sentence talks about possibility only.

Do the two sentences differ in meaning?
If yes:

I would like to know whether the change is  syntactical or semantical?


texts: past which... -- not sure how to understand that

texts:
Source: Networking—A Beginner's Guide, 5th Edition by Bruce Hallberg (2010)

Example:

  Managing multiple processors requires a lot of overhead work on the part of the operating system. Because of this, having twice as many processors in a computer doesn't double its processing capability; instead, doubling the processors might improve the computer's speed by only about 50 percent. Depending on your operating system, there is also a point of diminishing returns, past which additional processors won’t give you much additional performance.

How exactly do you understand that past here? Is it functioning as a preposition or an adverb?


texts: Is there a significant difference in meaning between "I would like it to be" and "I wish it were"?

texts:
What is the difference in meaning betweeb the following sentences.

  I would like it to be already 8 pm so that I could go home.

  I wish it were already 8 pm so that could go home.

Does the first sentence even sound natural?


texts:
The view that customer-facing employees have of their organization is held to influence the impression that customers form of the organization.

What does the phrase "is held to" mean in this context?

Does it mean "is going to"?


texts: "To get emotionally attached" VS "To be dependent"

texts:
I think "to be dependent on someone" can mean "to be emotionally attached / tied to that person."
Though, I guess "to be dependent on someone" seems to cover a wider range of dependancies (like financial facets, emotional aspects, etc.) however I think freely interchange these two when it comes to emotional attachments.
Let me illustrate my intention by an example.
I am wondering whether in the context below we can substitute "don't get emotionally attached to him too much" for the bold part:

  "Don't get too dependent on him, Draco," Pansy warned. "I don't want you to be devastated... [Source]

I hope I have been able to make myself understood.


texts: grammar "The balls are of equal weight."

texts:
"The balls are of equal weight."
I think this sentence means "The balls are equal in weight."
Why do you say "of" here? What function and meaning does "of" have?
My guess is as follows
1)  He is of Polish descent (out of /from)
2)  The house is of his own design (out of /from)
3)  The trash smells of fish.(?)


texts: Is "triggerer" correct, or is there some other word to identify the person who triggered something?

texts:
This might sound a bit silly, but I'm writing a program, and I'm looking for a way to name a variable which contains the entity that triggered a certain process.
I googled around a bit, and there are relatively few references to "triggerer", eg.:

Wiktionary
Glosbe

Popular dictionaries I found contain no mention of this, nor anything reasonable in their respective pages for the word "trigger":

Merriam Webster
Cambridge Dictionary
Lexico

Is this an actual word? Or is there a better word? Alternatives I thought of or found were "activator", "starter", "causer" - but these sound kind if silly/not fitting.
EDIT: As some have pointed out, it might be helpful to clarify 2 things:

In the title, I'm referring to a person, but in the body of the question, I'm referring to an entity. I apologize for the confusion, but it stems from the fact that the entity currently represents a person (always), but this might not be the case in the future. Between writing the title and writing the body of the question, I made the generalization in my mind without realizing it.
In my specific case, it's desirable to distinguish the thing activating the trigger from the trigger itself, so just calling the "triggerer" a trigger is not appropriate.


texts:
Which of the following is correct?

1) Sections X to Y

2) Section X to Y

3) Section X to Section Y

4) Sections X and Y

5) Section X and Y

More importantly, I can't recognize the part of speech of "Section X" or any one of the above examples. Is there any grammar rule for the construction of such structure or is it just like some idioms that you can only follow?


texts: What's wrong in "Since the last explore voyages into space, we have increased our knowledge about the planet Jupiter"?

texts:
Since the last explore voyages into space, we have increased our knowledge about the planet
  Jupiter.

Why is explore incorrect? Could you please explain it?


texts: "You can finish to do it soon" - What is wrong with this sentence?

texts:
A non-native speaker of English used "You can finish to do it soon" when sending a message to me. What is wanted to be said is "You can finish it soon"

It seems wrong, but I can understand why it was used.
For me, the "to" could be interpreted as "in order to" which makes it "You can finish (in order to) do it soon" which is completely different in meaning.

However if you think like this: "You can finish it soon" -> "You can finish doing it soon" -> "You can finish to do it soon", it seems understandable.

What is so wrong with this sentence?


texts: Getting to your seat on airplanes (or elsewhere)

texts:
On airplanes, there are seats A(window)-B(middle)-C(isle) on one of the sides. Suppose someone is sitting on seat C and I need to get to seat B. What are the most natural ways to ask the person from seat C give me the way (is it the right way to put this?) to seat B?

What I can think of (not sure about correctness and the level of politeness):

  Excuse me, can I seat there? [and point to seat B]
  Excuse me, can I go past you?


texts: What is the meaning of "Dog ate my car"?

texts: I was watching a movie called The book of Henry. One day Henry's mother goes to work late. Her manager told her, "Late again!", and she replied, "Dog ate my car." So, I heard about Dog ate my homework, but I have never heard about that excuse.


texts: Does this express/imply the mountains are behind the temple (not the pagoda)?

texts:
The pagoda is surrounded by Bailin temple, with mountains behind and a river in front.

I want to express the meaning that there are mountains behind the temple, not behind the pagoda. The pagoda is in the temple.

Does the sentence implies the mountains are behind the temple, or does it mean it is behind the pagoda? I'm not sure because 'the pagoda' is the subject of the sentence, maybe it expresses the meaning that the mountain is behind the pagoda (subject), not the temple.


texts: Why is it correct "Do you enjoy swimming"?

texts:
Do you enjoy _____?
- to swim
 -swimming
 -swim
 -to swimming

Can someone explain me why the answer is swimming and not swim or to swim?


texts: Is there a difference between "I saw him going..." and "I saw him go..."?

texts:
I saw him going to city.
  I saw him go to city.

First one refers to gerund.
Second one refers to infinite.

Do they have the same meanings or different meanings?


texts: Usage of the word "suggestion" in the context

texts:
Maybe, that early suggestion went, the familiar notion that any given
  experiment has one and only one outcome is flawed.

We can say "the saying goes" but to the best of my knowledge, we can't say "the suggestion goes". So, please explain the usage of the word "suggestion" in the above sentence.

The original context:

      Over the years, this substantial gap in understanding has inspired
  many creative proposals, but the most startling was among the first.
  Maybe, that early suggestion went, the familiar notion that any given
  experiment has one and only one outcome is flawed.


texts:
I read a sentence 'Some personality quirks aside,' in the following context

  When I was a kid, our neighbors had two twin cats. They looked seem- ingly identical—the same charcoal fur and the same piercing green eyes.
   Some personality **quirks aside**, you couldn’t tell them apart just from looking at them.But of course, they were two different cats, two separate beings, even though they looked exactly the same.

Psersonality is a noun,so 'quirk' should be a verb.

In Oxford Dictionaries, it reads

  1.Noun
  A peculiar aspect of a person's character or behaviour.
  2.Verb
  (with reference to a person's mouth or eyebrow) move or twist suddenly, especially to express surprise or amusement.

From the definition, a verb doesn't make sense. If a noun, I'm unable to parse its grammar and catch its meaning.


texts: What is the proper response when someone says "I am hurt"?

texts:
English is so flexible, there are too many ways to express "hurt"

  [transitive, intransitive] hurt (somebody/something/yourself) to
  cause physical pain to somebody/yourself; to injure somebody/yourself

  He hurt his back playing squash.

  Did you hurt yourself?

  Stop it. You're hurting me.

  My back is really hurting me today.

  Strong light hurts my eyes.

  My shoes hurt—they're too tight.

  hurt [intransitive] to feel painful

  My feet hurt.

  Ouch! That hurt!

  It hurts when I bend my knee.

  hurt (adj) injured physically

  None of the passengers were badly hurt.

Let's say you are playing with your child and then she says "I am hurt". What are your response?

Where does it hurt?

Where do you hurt?

What hurts you?

What hurts?

Where are you hurt?

Where is it hurt?


texts:
I have been trying to use the 'past perfect' tense and other related grammars in my sentence.
I want to make sure if the sentences below are grammatically correct. I would also like to know if these sentences can be used in daily lives and if it is possible to use different tense together in one sentence.Thank you!

I woke up feeling sick, so I didn't go to work.

I had woken up feeling sick, so I had not gone to work.

I have woken up feeling sick, so I have not gone to work.

I had woken up feeling sick, so I didn't go to work.

I had woken up feeling sick, so I have not gone to work.

I have woken up feeling sick, so I do not go to work today.

I will have woken up feeling sick tomorrow, so I will not have gone/not go to work tomorrow.


texts: Can you explain about the constructions of the type "verb+noun+another verb"?

texts:
I have seen constructions like:

  The number of electrons present inside the metal is large.

In the given case, the noun electrons is directly followed by the verb present.

It could also be written using as adjective phrase as:

  The number of electrons which are present inside the metal is large.

In this case, now noun electrons and verb present are separated by an adjective phrase.

Now consider,

  I saw them destroy you.

  She helped him find a buyer.

In these cases, I believe the noun/pronoun and the verb cannot by separated by any phrase like in the first example. I feel these constructions are a bit odd because of lack of an auxiliary verb and also due to the consecutive use of two different verbs with of course one noun/pronoun in between them. Can these have alternatives like that for the first example? Which these types of constructions are called (as)?


texts:
I am not too sure about usage involving the verb "meet":

  1a. He fulfilled his promise.
  1b. He met his promise.
  2a. He fulfilled his commitment.
  2b. He met his commitment.

The sentences using the verb "fulfill" are standard English found in dictionary definitions.  But the are sentences 1b and 2b, using the verb "met", good English?


texts: Does "constant reconfiguration" of something implies that the thing changes periodically?

texts:
There is one sentence like: We know little about the constant reconfiguration of the coastline. Does this statement mean that coastline changes periodically or it doesn't change periodically?

I guess that reconfiguring something means changing something to different form.
And the context of the paragraph from where this statement has been taken suggest to me that reconfiguration happens quite periodically.

Please refer Q-18 of reading section of the IELTS practice test Vol.2
https://ieltsonlinetests.com/4429534/result/ielts-recent-actual-test-answers-vol-2-reading-practice-test-2


texts: What does this recondite quote by Hardy mean?

texts:
Check out this sentence:

  Poetry is emotion put into measure. The emotion must come by nature, but the measure can be acquired by art.

Is it saying "poetry is an emotion in a measure? Emotion will come from you naturally, and no need to labor for it. On the other hand, the measure comes only through work. You gotta work hard to get it?


texts:
Then he was in line for a teller, smacking himself on the thigh with
  his rolled-up Herald. this was something a sweaty-eyed arsonist did,
  returning to the scene of the crime. A whiff of bleach hit him, even
  if it was present only in his mind.   “Oh, hi.” She made him
  right away, Jesus Christ, this skinny-necked black teller with her
  hair flour-sacked on top of her head, smiling. “Haven’t seen you for a
  while. Meter change, right?”

  -- Chuck Hogan, The Town

The highlighted part seems to mean either of these: (1) she recognized him as soon as he neared the counter of her; (2) she made him ready right away. What does the phrase mean?


texts:
Which phrase should I use in this sentence?

please type in your file name.
or
Please type your file name.


texts:
Could tell me if there is any difference in meaning and usage between which is why and that is why? For example:

I don't like hot weather, which is why I mostly stay in.
I don't like hot weather, that is why I mostly stay in.

I can't see any difference whatsoever. Is it just a matter of style which one to use.


texts:
And like other teenagers, Sridharan enjoys video games, though he's
  trying to find a way to profit off of that interest too. He owns an
  eSports team, in the hope it will take off amid the wave of popularity
  for video game competitions.

(Source: CNN Money)


texts: 'You hang up hurriedly and attend to baby,crockery,etc', could you please tell me how to read 'etc'? just read the letters one by one or there is another way to read it?


texts:
What are the differences between the similar adjectives:

Devilish

Devious

Satanic

For me they all mean the same, but once someone said:

A person can be ‘devilish’ but not his/her behavior or actions. Actions are said to be ‘devious’. Meanwhile, "satanic" can be used for both.

Do you confirm his statements?


texts: why is the infinitive "be" used instead of "are" in the sentence "Here be samples."?

texts:
In the image below, which is from an article webpage about a smartphone from Forbes, there is the sentence, "Here be samples." right above the pictures.

  Here be samples.

I wonder why the infinitive form "be" was used here instead of the present simple form "are".


texts:
But when the Piper stepped ashore and not so much as a single squeak
  was to be heard, the Mayor and the Council, and the town-folk
  generally, began to hum and to ha and to shake their heads.

This is from an English (or Scottish) fairly tale "The Pied Piper". What's the meaning of "to ha"? could you teach me?


texts:
Doing exercises to improve my English and this is the following question:

  How many friends do you have?

  A - Just a little

  B - A few

  C - Much

  D - Lot

The exercise doesn't have any other especification about, so I presume that wants me to mark the most correct option.

I'm thinking about marking A. Letter D doesn't look like correct, nor C, and letter B appears to be missing the rest of context in this sentence. Am I right about going with A?


texts: Someone, anyone, somebody, everybody. Are those 3rd or 1st person?

texts:
Is there any rule or a reminder I can use?
I've got confused all the time.

Is it "Someone say" or "Someone says"?
Is it "everybody say" or "Anybody says"?
And the most confusing for me is "Nobody Speak" or "Nobody speaks?"


texts: Can "sugar-coating" be interpreted in multiple ways?

texts:
I've used the term sugar-coating in certain sense and a user corrected me stating the below.

  ...sugar-coating usually refers to using less harsh or euphemistic language when describing a situation. "It's not so bad. It could be worse" when in reality "I've never seen conditions as deplorable as these"...

We use the expression sugar-coating for adding the extra nice-to-haves, especially when the time is of the essence. Like creating a POC to ensure protocol compatibility but investing several hours on picking the perfect icons, instead of some generics, to enhance the UX of GUI.

It might be my Swenglish shining through but I've heard this expression being used that way quite a lot, even outside of Sweden (although exclusively in IT context, now that I think about it). Naturally, I wonder if the original sense, referring to coating bitter, medical substances by sweets, might be undergoing a shift. Or if I'm just abusing the language.

In fact, we're using the expression as is, i.e. with English words. Hence my confusion as to its accuracy. Perhaps I should've suspect something, as I've seen that in other circumstances.

For instance, we also use the term overhead fully believing that it means projector. In fact, during a seminar in US, I've been corrected by a Swede who claimed me wrong pointing out that it's called overhead because "the picture is throwed over your head on the blanket" (i.e. light's projected on the white screen, which is usually elevated). And to a Swede, contradicting/correcting someone that clearly is like dropping a nuke. That's how certain he was, hehe. I told him that window and smorgasbord originate in Swedish but not overhead. He wasn't pleased.


texts: Is there a word for the definition of an event?

texts:
Let's say an event organisation creates the concept of a new event where people gather to listen to music. It's going to be a recurring event taking place once every year. Whenever that event takes place, we call that 'an event'. Is there also a word for the concept/definition of the event? So not any of the instances of it, but rather the concept of it.

Update: It's not necessarily a musical event. It could be the concept of an outdoor activity. It could be the concept of prize winning pumpkins held annually. It could even be a recurring event where people are not gathering, but I can't think of an example yet.


texts:
He has a runny nose.

I told him, "Clean it up, your mucus is dripping."

What do we call for it? Snot? Snivel?

How do I say it more natural?


texts:
She almost laughed out loud at herself, thinking she could trust her
  instincts about people.

"laugh out loud" VS "laugh out loudly", which is correct?
I looked up they are all adv.


texts:
I know I should have waited a little longer but I can't wait.

Is it possible to use present simple tense ("I know") with "should have" (modal verb)?


texts:
I face an issue with a catch-phrase on my site.

English is not my native language, and I just can't solve this issue.

I have a catch-phrase, and by the rules of grammar, it needs the article an:

  Make test from your materials. Without an effort. Without wasting time

However, I have never seen this kind of usage of articles in slogans (or I just didn't notice), and it seems redundant to me.

Can I not include the article in the slogan, just because it is not a part of natural speech, and should be compact/strong? I mean, in order to sound certain, like "I'm loving it". By the way, is that also a formal mistake - to use love with -ing?


texts: Do we say "the bottom of the foot" and "the top of the foot" in general everyday conversations?

texts:
Do we say "the bottom of the foot" and "the top of the foot" in general everyday conversations as shown in the picture?
For example, "the bottom of your foot is so dirty". If we say "your foot is dirty", then it is not too accurate because only its bottom is dirty not the top one.
For "hands", we say "palm" and "the back of the hand". I don't know how to say the similar thing with "feet".


texts: Hermann OF the Teutonic Order VS Hermann FROM the Teutonic Order?

texts: Which sentence is correct? I don't know which preposition is used in such case - from or of.


texts: Noun Clause with That (with preposition or not?)

texts:
Which one is correct? or there is no difference?

Jan is worried that his son won't come home.

Jan is worried about that his son won't come home.

Thank you in advance.


texts: How do I indicate a unit number in an Australian postal address?

texts:
How do you indicate a unit number when writing the postal address of snail mail?

Australia Post's Addressing guidelines does not mention how to indicate unit numbers.

Wikipedia states that for a flat or apartment, you should have the unit number, then a forward slash, then the street number. However, it does not have a citation for that.


texts: Which of these two sentences is right and why?

texts:
I have some problems with making sentences. For example, I don't know which one of the following sentences is right.

What devil's action had you done?
What devil's action you had done?

this period of time that mentioned here.
this period of time which is mentioned here.

I might don't accept it.
I might not accept it.


texts:
Peter Quill: He is gonna be so pissed when he realizes I switched out the Orb on him.
Gmora: He was gonna kill you, Peter.
Peter Quill: I know. But he was about the only family I had.
Gmora: No. He wasn't.
-- Guardians.of.the.Galaxy.2014

Although I fully understand what this dialogue is all about, I'm wondering what the usage of on is here.
I think on indicates who is the recipient of the action.
Can you please give me some more examples?


texts:
I am not sure about the meaning of the highlighted part of the following sentence:

  A clear foe of the brute force deployed so unilaterally by the
  stupidly authoritarian Roman Empire, Getafix stands surety for
  another concept of order, based on much more humanist values.

Does that mean that he exchanges surety for another, better concept?

The dictionaries I've consulted don't feature this kind of construction.

Or is "surety" a spelling mistake and should be "surely"? I would have expected "firmly" then, though.

(EDIT: As I've commented below, I hadn't realised that "stand surety" is a phrase, otherwise I would have found it in a dictionary and not checked all the meanings of the entry for "stand").


texts: How to tell "that I am not against/countering your opinion" politely?

texts:
The one situation that happens most of the time, when I converse with my Boss was that When he misunderstands some point and talks from that view and if I want to correct him, He mistakes me that I am confronting, countering or against his opinion. But actually not. In that situation, what is the right sentence that I could use to politely address the issue and stress the importance of my point.

Currently, I am using "I am not against your point or countering your idea" sort of, but with that I could not make him listen to me. instead, makes the situation worsen. is there any other sentence that I could use, which would be polite and at the same time effective to make him listen as well.


texts: "By doing sth, it is ..." is it real English?

texts:
Here is a quote from the Global Times article "China rumors fly before Taiwan vote":

  By restating these rumors, it’s they who are guiding the public
  opinion, trying to influence people’s voting.

I think it's not a decent English.


texts:
If I Сould Tell You. W.H. Auden (1907– 1973)

  Time will say nothing but I told you so,

  Time only knows the price we have to pay;

  If I could tell you I would let you know.

I'd like to know the meaning of "but I told you so".My interpretation is "I warned you it would be like that " but other people see it like "but I explained everything to you instead of Time".

How to tell the meaning from the grammatical structure or vocabulary of this sentence?


texts:
The company's annual revenues rose by 30%.

I'd like to ask if the preposition by there is indispensable. Is it wrong with it left out?


texts:
The night was so quiet that not a sound could be heard.

Would you possibly tell me if the following, which I have just written, is correct or not? And could you tell me in what topic of grammar I can find such lessons?

  The night was so quiet that a sound could not be heard.


texts: Could you explain “had it not been for”?

texts:
Could you explain the grammar of this sentence?:

...my own father would have drowned himself had it not been for my mother's prayers and faith.

I didn't understand the construction of this sentence. The tense in bold and its relation to the tense before. It seem like conditional but there is no if is there an idiom here.

Thanks.


texts: How to avoid the repetition of the word "goal" in this sentence?

texts:
The macro goals are set based on what you wanna achieve in next few weeks or months. What's the overall purpose of your work. It can have many layers, such as a week goal based on a month one which in turn is based on a year goal.

Should I avoid the repetition of "goal" in the last clause or the use of "one" is enough to mitigate the awkwardness? The sentence sounds a little off to me, but I don't know how to fix it.

Also, in my question I use the word clause to separate the structure of my phrase because I don't know a better way to describe it. Does clause makes sense in this context? Is there a word that fits better?

Based on the feedback I received I changed the sentence to:

  The macro goals are set based on what you want to achieve in next few weeks or months. What's the overall purpose of your work. It can have many layers, such as a weekly goal based on a monthly one which in turn is based on a yearly one.


texts: Is it correct to say "an additional time"?

texts:
Suppose you want to ask your boss to give you more time. Is it correct and idiomatic to say

  Would you please give me an additional time?

I know that I can say "additional time" without the article. However, I am wondering would it come off as if I am implying a period time? i.e.,

Would you please give me an additional {period of} time?

Something like the deletion structures.


texts: A more precise phrase to describe someone softening their tone

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase that would encapsulate something I'm trying to describe, which would be someone who has distinct or strong views/opinions, but due to their current position or a position they're trying to achieve, they're now not as vocal or distinct with those positions, and instead softened/backpedaled their stances on them.

I am thinking this can be described as

  lowering their voice

or

  softening their tone

but these 2 phrases seem to generic to fit what I'm trying to describe well. Are there better alternatives?

An example of such a situation would be a former Apple (the company) hater, who was vocal about the negatives of Apple the company and its products, now working at Apple, and they're not as opinionated anymore, or they try to clarify their older positions and morph them into meaningless generic statements.


texts: using singular or plural after X versus Y

texts:
I have a title like:

  Strong versus weak mode

I am not sure if I should use mode or modes?


texts: Difference between adjectives and participle adjectives

texts:
Michael, bereft of his son Luke, died of a ,broken* heart.

Broken is adjective or participle adjective. I think it is participle adjective, because it is formed from the verb break. But the book I am reading says it is not.

The same is the case with

  Lessons learned easily are soon fogotten.


texts:
In this sentence would it be better to use 'would' or 'could?' What's the difference?

  I [would/could] go to the party, but I wasn't invited.


texts:
I know,

  Can't agree more.

I want to say someone's answer is awsome. I think nobody can give a greater answer.
Can I say

  Can't greater more


texts: Is the question "Whose children dropped off at his house?" correct?

texts:
The sentence is:

  Tom's aunt dropped the children off at Tom's house.

I mean they are children of Tom's aunt

Can I say:

  Whose children dropped off at his house?

Is it correct grammatically?


texts:
While I was watching the TV show Friends, there was a sentence that I couldn't understand.
Monica : Phoebe, you understand, don't you?
Phoebe : Well, I could see where I'd be your best shot, but no. I'm sorry. It's very twisted.
In this conversation, I can't understand the sentence, I could see where I'd be your best shot
Please switch that sentence into another sentence that's easier to understand, not changing the meaning.


texts: American pronunciation of "second" (edited)

texts:
I'm learning American English with some online classes, and the instructor says that the 2nd vowel 'o' of "second" sounds like "/e/" in everyday conversation (e.g. "Can I talk to you for a second?"). I'm not sure if the symbol "/e/" is right, but I put it just like I heard.

I checked it using some dictionaries, and they say it sounds /ə/, which is familiar to me, without other clear explanations that I want.

Could you please explain to me about it?

+
Let me try to elaborate. What the instructor said is that we commonly know that the 2nd vowel 'o' sounds like a weak 'u' sound(/ə/) as @Michael said. However, He pronounced the word "second" differently, and tell this pronunciation is used in everyday conversation.

He pronounced the 2nd vowel of the word "second" like a weak version of /e/, for example, like from egg, error, etc. If I re-spell this word according to what I heard, I would do "se-kkend".

I'm not sure if this is related, but he said he spent his childhood in California.

I guess these added remarks also might be vague, but I'd appreciate any example to support or disprove this statement.


texts:
When I doing my IELTS test, I found

  Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer

and in a blank

  Time at current address：_______

I filled in fortnight, because I think only one word or number should be filled in. But the answer is 2 weeks, and actually there is 2 weeks in the dialog. Did I misunderstand it?


texts:
I was perusing through past ACT English questions, and I came across the question:

  "while pretending to be a person _____  in a different country and century"

The possible answers were:

A: whom had lived
B: who were to live
C: whom lived
D: who lived

The correct answer was D, but I am having trouble understanding why it is "D." My thought is that it would have to be whom, as the subject, person, was the object of the verb "be." Thus, "D" seemed impossible from my point of view. Could anyone share some insight into why my path of thinking was incorrect?


texts: Is using "safe bet" in this sentence correct?

texts:
Is this example correct:

It is always a safe bet to call someone whenever you need.

In my mind this example means that this someone will not turn you down.
Is it correct?


texts:
Participle phrase (which acts as an adjective )

prepositional phrase (which can be used as either an adverb phrase or an adjective phrase)

Q : So adjective phrase is just a fancy name that can be participle phrase or prepositional phrase and other modifier words, am I right?


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, so I'm often wrong when it comes to grammar. I usually go with my gut feeling.

I'm documenting some parts of an application and I was reminded that I often omit the the article in my sentences. So we started discussing individual cases but I was objecting to my very best knowledge why the should not be part of them but I'm not sure.

I would still like to write them correctly even though none of us are native speakers.

The donut chart is used ...

I wrote it without the article because in my understanding the refers to noun chart which in this case is well defined by the word donut so I would say it doesn't need an article. And it's about a donut chart that is the only one on the component I'm documenting.
The chart slice sizes are ...

I also omitted the article, but in the end I think my sentence was wrong, because article here refers to slice sizes and I should actually wrote it as Chart's slice sizes and of course without the article.
top part with the date period selector

This is the whole text of some bullet point. I omitted the article because it refers to a specific selector. A date period selector specifically.

Etc... As said, this is all very fuzzy to me.


texts: Could some verb tenses have implicit meaning contrary to their tenses?

texts:
I and my friend have been reading a few passages and after reading, there has been a debate between me and my friend over some verbs in the passages. The debate is whether the verb tenses of the passages have an implicit meaning contrary to what their tenses are.

An example:

  It was a terrible life for little children. Many of them became ill and died.

I say that the verb of the example context is simply expressing simple past, a thing that happened in the past and is not longer happening. But my friend says although the verb tense structure is simple past, it has an implicit past progressive meaning, which means there was an ongoing process of children becoming ill and die in the past.

Another example:

  Charles Dickens wrote books in those days.

The meaning of the above context according to the verb, which is simple past tense, is that Charles Dickens wrote some books in those days, just that.

However, my friend says that the meaning of the example context above is that Charles Dickens used to write books in those days, in another words, it was his job and he used to do this on an ongoing task.

I'm so confused and I don't know which of us is right.


texts: What is a word with the same meaning as imminent, with a positive connotation?

texts:
Is there any word with the same meaning as imminent, with a positive connotation? The sentence is " This discovery has an imminent impact on the technology".

Is imminent itself appropriate?


texts: Usage of words... run behind the windows

texts:
Is the sentence correct? Does it sound natural?

  The room was on the street side, and agricultural machinery and commercial vehicles were running behind the windows.

I am not sure whether it is okay to say 'running behind the windows'.
The meaning of the second part would be that there was heavy traffic of trucks and cargo vehicles outside the house (facing the windows of the room).

Maybe there is a better way to formulate the second part of the sentence?


texts: Future tense of 'drink': It will be drunk/drank/drunken?

texts:
Referring to a bottle of water, the sentence in question is: "I assure you, it will be drunk."

Is this correct?


texts:
This will be provided later on.

Is there any other way(s) to say "later on" in this sentence?


texts:
1. Would it be okay if I called you when I got back home?
2. Would it be okay if I called you when I get back home?

Now I believe that both the sentences follow the rule of the second conditional.
What I am confused about, is if I should keep the entire sentence to the past even after following the second conditional is over to keep the tenses sense, like I did in the first sentence.
Or
Should I get back to present to tense after the following of the second rule part is over?
Now, if you don't understand the question, just leave a comment, and I'll get back to you. :)
And, which of two sentences would you use?


texts:
In the sentence -

  The boy saves his pet mouse from the cat.

what is the function of the prepositional phrase from the cat? I'm pretty sure it is not adjective describing MOUSE. I'm thinking ADVERB. do you agree? If it is, what type of adverb?


texts:
Can you guys help me with my problem here. I"m confused between these two sentences:

  My hand breaks

and

  My hand is broken

As far as I'm concerned, for the first sentence "breaks" is a verb. Conversely, for the second sentence "broken" is an adjective. But is the first sentence grammatically correct? If it is, do both sentences indicate the same meaning?


texts:
A quote from The Conspiracy against the Human Race

  Everything comes back to the self and must come back to the self, for it is the utmost issue in our deciding whether we are something or nothing, people or puppets.

What does "come back to the self" means generally? and hence what the quote mean as a whole?

The section is discussing the issue of free will vs determinist. The writing style of the book has been quite pretentious and confusing. It maybe difficult for you guys to interpret with merely the quoted passage. Please speak if more context is needed.


texts: "be vigilant that +SVO," what grammatica part does the "that clause" play?

texts:
When leading hiking tours, for example, guides must be vigilant that groups don’t trample native plants or disturb wild animals.

I understand the sentence semantically, but the thing is I am not able to parse the text in bold, for it does seem to be a objective clause, relative clause, etc.


texts:
'"What else for, dearie?" he said. "I don't stand in need of
  hedge-stealings. I'm a freeholder, with money in the bank; and now I won't trust women no more! Silly old besom! I do beleft she'd ha'
  stole the Squire's big fob-watch, if I'd required her."

This is from "Rewards and Fairies" "Marlake Witches" by Kipling.
http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/digi300.pdf

What is "hedge-stealings"?

Is this literally  the stealing of the hedge?

I am glad if some one kindly teach me.


texts:
a. John was talking incessantly and Bob was drinking shot after shot of vodka making me feel very uncomfortable.

  b. John was talking incessantly and Bob was drinking shot after shot of vodka, making me feel very uncomfortable.

The two sentences are the same except for the comma after the word vodka.

Can we tell if John's talking and Bob's drinking are both making me feel uncomfortable or only Bob's drinking?

Does the comma change anything?


texts: Why do people, incorrectly, begin a sentence with the word "But"?

texts:
I find myself editing a good number of people's questions on Stack Exchange sites in order to correct grammatical errors.
A large number of these edits include fixing what appears to be the common mistake of beginning a sentence with "But". A hypothetical example would be

I have set my router up to use DHCP. But it does not seem to be working correctly and it is causing me some problems accessing the internet.

or

My computer was working fine for three years. But the other day it died.

As a (British) English teacher, seeing a "but" with a capital "B" is one of my pet hates. I am not sure why though. I think that when I was at school one of my English teachers must have emphasised that this was wrong (along with starting a sentence with "due to..." - but that is another story.)
The two examples above would, obviously be correctly written as

I have set my router up to use DHCP, but it does not seem to be working correctly and it is causing me some problems accessing the internet.

and

My computer was working fine for three years, but the other day it died.

I see this mistake made a lot by non-native English speakers, although, worryingly, many native speakers do the same. Why is that? Is it an issue arising from direct translation from the mother tongue. I wonder whether it is grammatically correct in other languages to begin a sentence with the equivalent of "but", i.e. "mais", "pero", "aber" etc. I guess that I need to check my old foreign language grammar books, but I don't have them to hand.
Maybe it is because the sentence has become rather long winded and the authour feels that it is time for a full stop.
Do English teachers no longer teach that this is a grammatically incorrect thing to do?
So, I respectfully ask this question to non-native English speakers: Why do you feel that is it OK to begin a sentence with "But"?
Addendum
Thank you for the answers and comments. I stand corrected. After further (pointed) research I came across this, from The Story of English in 100 Words by David Crystal:

During the 19th century, some schoolteachers took against the practice
of beginning a sentence with a word like but or and, presumably
because they noticed the way young children overused them in their
writing.
But instead of gently weaning the children away from overuse, they
banned the usage altogether! Generations of children were taught they
should ‘never’ begin a sentence with a conjunction. Some still are.
(Entry for and)

My English teacher at school was quite an agéd chap and obviously had been taught by a teacher who, in turn, had probably been educated by someone for the above epoch, or if not, then using materials derived from that time.
My next question would now be, "When did the practise of forbidding the starting of a sentence with 'But' cease?" It was certainly alive and kicking in 80's Britain.


texts:
I was told that:

  1) I hope to play a good match this evening.

is grammatically correct.

On the other hand:

  2) I believe to play a good match this evening

is grammatically incorrect.

Yet I was told that:

  I believe I´ll play a good match this evening.

is grammatically correct.

Why is the previous sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Can "better off" stand by itself in a sentence as a reply?

texts:
For example:

Ana:
You shouldn't be with Josh, he always joshing you. (haha)

Cindy:
I know, he's mean. I should be by myself.

Ana: You're better off.

shouldn't it be "You're better off without him"?


texts: 'We cheer each other on before I depart.' - What does 'on' mean?

texts:
I'm not a native-speaker; sometimes prepositions (or adverbs) are tricky for non-native speakers.
'We cheer each other on before I depart.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgxCjetxgfU
(look at 2:10)
In this sentence, I don't know what does 'on' mean? I understand what 'on' means in these sentences:
There's a mark on your skirt.
Put your coat on.
But when we use 'We cheer each other on'... What nuance of meaning of the word 'on' is here?
Is it possible to omit 'on'?
'We cheer each other before I depart.' (Is this sentence correct?)
Would it still be the same meaning? Why does first sentence have 'on'? And could you tell me some example sentences with this meaning of 'on' in them?


texts:
Let's say you were asked by an economic teacher. And it goes like this:

  Economic teacher: Do you think economic instability will continue in the future?

  You: It could be, but won't be long.

Or

  You: It's possible, but won't be long.

Both of them, as we all know is talking about probability, but is there any difference between these two?


texts: What is the grammar error in this sentence: "We should spend more money on education and health and fewer on new technology"?

texts:
The following sentence isn't grammatically correct and I don't know why ?

  We should spend more money on education and health and fewer on new
  technology.

Could anyone help ?


texts: Is it correct to say "I didn't study this chapter in details"?

texts:
My professor wants to ask me some questions about a chapter.
I want to tell him I didn't study it in details.
What should I say?


texts:
Recently I discovered a song where the singer mentions the word sprizzle. I looked it up on UrbanDictionary, but the definitions there don't seem to fit. Translated, he says in the song

"we chill with a sprizzle "


texts:
In Italian, signore or signor (equivalent to Mr. or sir, depending on the context) can be used together with other titles, for example with dottore ("doctor"), or military ranks (e.g. capitano, "captain").

In particular with the military ranks, there is a difference between Signor Capitano and Capitano. When speaking with other soldiers, Signor Capitano would mean:

My rank is lower than Captain
I am speaking with somebody whose rank is higher than mine

Can sir be used with other titles?
What is the equivalent of Signor Capitano, said by someone who has a rank lower than Captain?

To be clear, I am not using sir as title, but as word to respectfully address a man (which is the usage signore has in Italian).


texts: Do you place a comma before "365 days per year" if it doesn't follow "7 days per week?"

texts:
In other words, which of these sentences would be correct:

  We hold sleeping to the highest value 365 days per year.

OR

  We hold sleeping to the highest value, 365 days per year.


texts: Is 'taking an 'exercise' expression idiomatic?

texts:
I often hear people say

  I am taking GRE or I took the online test of Kaplan.

What I would like to know is that, is 'take' right here if i use it in the context of practice exercise in a Math book

  I took the  exercise of probability in X book, it was really challenging.

What would be the idiomatic way of saying it?


texts:
Could you explain the difference between below sentences, please?
May be the first one is used when we talk about some common facts/knowledge, for example, "I already know a multiplication table."?

  I already know.

vs

  I have already known.

TIA

P.S. As I understand, the key word "already" very often is used in Present Perfect tense, not Present Simple.


texts: What is the subject of this sentence 'after "by" comes a verb, and then comes "ing"'?

texts:
It sounds like the video is saying (link with a time stamp corresponds the following)

  What do "pushing" and "exercising" have in common?
  They both end in "ing", so I'm going to write here: "ing".
  Okay?
  So we use "by", after "by" comes a verb, and then comes "ing".

I guess I can add a "it" to produce this sentence

  after "by" it comes a verb, and then comes "ing".

although I have no idea what "it" refers to.


texts: Use of 'of' in "of what a bond that would have been, of how much it would have meant to him"

texts:
They could have visited the place together; for a moment Harry imagined coming here with Dumbledore, of what a bond that would have been, of how much it would have meant to him. But it seemed that to Dumbledore, the fact that their families lay side by side in the same graveyard had been an unimportant coincidence, irrelevant, perhaps, to the job he wanted Harry to do.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I don't understand the use of 'of' in those clauses or phrases. What does the whole part in bold say?


texts: Should I put an article before "half" when talking about time?

texts: I know that in context of time, if for example it is: 1:45 then I should say: "It is a quarter to two". But my question is about "half" in such context, for example, in case of 1:30. Should I say "It is a half past one."? I'm asking it because I didn't notice that people use this article in context of time.


texts: Advertisements and Instructions Missing Stuff

texts:
Michael Swan in his book http://ielts-house.net/Ebook/Vocabulary/Practical%20English%20usage.pdf (page 2)
writes

So, my question is what would all the sentences look like if we added all the things that are missing there?


texts: Is "the validity of the argument" correct?

texts:
In this manual I've met a sentence:

  Conclusion: Give final evaluation of the validity of the argument.

During my classes, I was told that the double usage of the in structures like A of B is prohibited.
Also, I've read a manual about the usage of articles, but I don't remember any information regarding this issue.

Is the quoted sentence correct?


texts: preposition and relative pronoun - good at

texts:
If there's one thing koalas are good at, it's sleeping.

Can I change this sentence to "If there's one thing at which koalas are good" or "If there's one thing that koalas are good at"?


texts: What do you call a CGI version of an actor?

texts:
For example, in the movie Star Wars Carrie Fisher played Princess Leia, but because she was not as young as she used to be, they used a CGI version of her. What do you call the CGI version of an actor? Is there a particular word for it?

Here's an example sentence:

  Disney used a ___ of Carrie Fisher in 10 other Star Wars movies.


texts: Gerund or infinitive after "do something like"?

texts:
Using the following sentences as an example.

This is what happens when you do something stupid like stealing a baby unicorn.

This is what happens when you do something stupid like steal a baby unicorn.

When you do something like stealing a baby unicorn, you only make yourself a target.

When you do something like steal a baby unicorn, you only make yourself a target.

Which version is more idiomatic?

Can both be used without changing the meaning?

I've searched the web for answers, but it seems both constructions are used.


texts: When I want to refer to the user who is performing a search, should I use "the searcher user" or "the searching user"?


texts: English native speaker vs. Native English speaker

texts:
Which of the following options is the correct or the acceptable?

  "He is an English native speaker"

or

  "He is a native English speaker".


texts: "Contributed to", "contributed for", or "start to"

texts:
I just want to know if this sentence is right:

  It contributed to the decision of start respecting people.

If it's not, how can I fix it? I've no idea if I should use contributed for or start to instead.


texts: Is there a difference between "go {for the walking/for a walk/walking}" ?

texts:
(1) Did you go for the walking?

  (2) Did you go for a walk?

  (3) Did you go walking?

Is there any difference between three of them? For me it is right. I am talking about the grammatical as well as the meaning difference. I think the three sentences are well. Some people told me that the first sentence isn't correct.
I understand that it is correct, It follows the grammar rule.

Did+sub+verb+preposition(for)+object of preposition which is noun(walking - gerund of walk(verb)


texts:
Good day,

My question is, let's say you have a girlfriend at the moment, and a random question has popped from one of your friends who is tagging along with the two of you.

  Your friend: what is your age gap? Obviously, you guys are not at the
  same age.

  You: well, I am 2 years her senior(rather than 2 years older
  answer)

Have I answered it correctly? Also, I think 2 years her senior is more impressive to ear than older, am I right?


texts: order of objects with phrasal verbs (e.g "put on")

texts:
Let's take the phrasal verb "put sth on" in the meaning "to cover part of the body with clothes". Having the direct object only (as a pronoun), the sentence is:

  I put it on.

Now, I want to add the indirect object "you". I want to express that the person I'm speaking to is covered with it by me.

What is/are the right sentence(s) to express that?

  I put you it on.
  I put it you on.
  I put it on you.

I would be great if you could add a couple of other examples of sentences with phrasal verbs and two objects (direct object as pronoun), where the indirect object is not marked by an own adposition (preposition or postposition).


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

  Riley has always judged her for it.

I wonder if it simply means that:

  Riley has always judged her based on it.

My second question is:

Are these two sentences - from the text below - contradictory?

  Riley has told her since then that she doesn’t think that anymore.
  Riley has always judged her for it.

The text is nelow:

  It was dark, with only the light from the streetlight outside penetrating the room. Gwen
  recognized the girl—she was in some of her classes. She was trying to
  shrug some guy off, but he wasn’t having it. He started pulling off
  her clothes. Gwen was about to get up—she thought the two of them
  could make him stop—but then two more men came in and closed the door
  behind them. One of them propped a chair up under the doorknob so no
  one could open the door. Gwen was paralyzed with fear.

  The other girl screamed, but the music was so loud no one could have heard her. They held her down on the bed while they raped her. They were laughing. It all happened so fast. She hadn’t wanted them to know she was there. She was afraid they would do the same to her.

  They left the girl there, sobbing, on the bed. As soon as they were gone, Gwen threw up. She went over to see how the other girl was, but she’d passed out. Gwen turned her on her side so that she wouldn’t choke on her own vomit, and then she went to find Riley. And Riley told her she should
  have fought back.

  Riley has told her since then that she doesn’t think that anymore. When Gwen found Riley at the party and told her what had
  happened, they went up to see the girl together. Gwen told her she’d
  been in the room; the girl didn’t say anything, but Gwen could see the
  reproach in her eyes. She asked Gwen if she would be able to identify
  the men who raped her, and to corroborate her story. She’d told Riley
  that she thought she’d be able to recognize them, but the minute the
  girl put her on the spot, Gwen panicked. She didn’t want the
  responsibility. […] The girl
  wanted to press charges, but she didn’t want to do it without Gwen’s
  help. But Gwen didn’t help her, even though Riley urged her to. She
  told her that she couldn’t be a witness. She did nothing. She graduated and moved away and tried to forget about it. But she’s always been haunted by the thought that those college boys—whoever they were—are now grown men. And if they could behave that way once,
  they could do it again. She heard that the girl killed herself not
  long after. And Gwen’s been living with the guilt ever since.

  It has defined her, shaped her life. She’s a coward, someone who failed to do the right thing. She knows she no longer deserves any of the good
  things life has to offer.

  Riley has always judged her for it. Even now, years later, Riley’s generally holier-than-thou attitude infuriates her. She sometimes
  wonders if Riley did everything she should have done in all those war
  zones, whether she’d always done everything absolutely fucking morally
  perfectly. She wonders if Riley ever made a mistake, if she’d ever
  been afraid, all that time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena


texts: Is "memory power" or "memory" used by native speakers

texts:
Many non-native speakers says:

  Someone has a good / bad memory power.

Or

  Someone has a good / bad memory.

Which is more appropriate to native  speakers?


texts: Meaning of the sentence 'Sorry is an understatement'

texts:
I was reading a novel where a woman A apologizes to another B through a letter. A is very regretful about her past actions, esp towards B and wanted to apologize. A mentions that she is sorry for that and asks for forgiveness. And also this statement.

Sorry is an understatement.

What does this exactly mean? Is the person profusely sorry but is unable to express more than this statement? Is my understanding right?


texts:
(A coordinating conjunction is a word that joins two elements of equal grammatical rank and syntactic importance.) (website definition)

Grace is saving money so (she can buy her own horse.)- dependent  (so acting as so that/in order to).

But what about the other conjunctions.

Grace is short of money but she can still buy her own horse.

Grace is short of money yet she can still buy her own horse.

Grace is short of money and ,for now, can still buy her own horse.

So they are not joining elements of 'equal' grammatical rank.

Is this usage correct; joining dependent clauses this way.


texts: So I'm reading the news and it says, "Three Americans have been found dead at one resort". Why is it "have been" and not were?


texts:
Various kinds of meat and fish in the bazaar were found by the cook.

In the sentence, should commas be used before and after the phrase 'in the bazaar'? If commas is used there, the phrase is an adverb. If not, it is an adjective, I think.


texts: Sentence construction using come or came

texts:
I saw my boss coming to office. I started conversation.

"Hi sir GM, You Just came/come to office?"

Which one is appropriate to use came or come?

Is verb just is used as linking verb ?


texts: adjective for a success in the growth of freedoms of citizens in a country

texts:
If financial situation of citizens is growing, we would call it economic success in the country.

If the population is growing, we call it a demographic success.

What if citizens' freedoms (like freedom of speech, of travelling, of religion, etc.) are growing, how would we describe that success?

(I need an adjective).

EDIT:

Some confusion took place in comments, so, to avoid any further confusion:

Just like in case with economic success and demographic success, I am looking for an adjective that would describe/modify the word “success”;
I need to keep the word “success” – it’s crucial;
Adjectives containing hyphens or spaces are also welcome.


texts: What are the little "legs" on the bottom of a laptop called?

texts: What is the proper name for the four legs (pads?) on the bottom of a laptop? I am thinking of those that are glued to the laptop and make the airflow circulation better under it.


texts: "getting worse and worse " vs " got worse and worse"

texts:
"I remember xxxxx   at that time getting more and more depressed, he got worse and worse "
I don't undrestand why it is not he was getting worse and worse (because getting depressed and the immediate consequence getting  worse and worse take a long time  . Both are "process"
Is it because worse and worse implies a continuous thing so it is no use choosing a continuous tense


texts: Can "Keep looking back" cover the act of looking back repeatedly at an interval of a few seconds?

texts:
I wonder if "Keep looking back" can describe the act of looking back repeatedly at an interval of a few seconds.

For example, you are walking along the sidewalk and a man is walking in the same direction as you are. And while he is walking, he looks back at you for a second and keeps looking forward and this happens again and again like at an interval of several seconds.

This is not him looking back continuously but it is repeated.

In this case, can we say "He keeps looking back (at us) while walking. He is suspicious."?


texts:
..he could have dwelt for a long time yet/still in that soft, well-upholstered hell, if this had not happened, this moment of complete hopelessness and despair and the tense moment when he had bent over the flowing water, ready to commit suicide.

Using yet there is a dated/literary alternative to what would normally be expressed as "he could still have dwelt for a long time in that soft, well-upholstered hell".
As @200_success comments, it's a bad example for English learners.

That's not to imply yet should be avoided in general. Where it means [from some time in the past] up until now, it's perfectly normal ("I haven't finished writing this answer yet"). It's just not such a good choice these days where it references [some time in the future] after now, such as "I could yet/still finish soon". 1

1 Noting archaic/literary usages such as "I met him many years ago, when he was yet a young man", that should perhaps be "narrative reference time", rather than "now".

Many competent native speakers (and more particularly, writers) still use yet to reference a future time, so for them it's not really appropriate to say still is "better". But for learners I think it's probably easier (and "safer") to avoid yet in any context where either still or but would also be valid

.......

MY QUESTIONS:

The bold parts are the one that I have written, and I think the bold parts are the choices which you have advised me to write them,.

Other than that, I am wondering what the italic parts mean.


texts:
Is using "on the show" wrong here? I want to say "on to show" to mean "revealed on the show", but obviously it's not correct to use it to mean that, but I am wondering what exactly it could mean in certain contexts.

For example:

  He rigged the paternity test on the Jeff Springer Show.

Does the sentence imply that the paternity test was taken on the show, or can it mean numerous things like that the results of the test were revealed on the show?


texts:
In wikipedia's gratitude letter, it reads

  Thank you for giving Wikipedia shape, and purpose, and momentum. Thank you for fitting us into your life.

  With immense gratitude.

Reference to "give something shape", what does shape mean here?


texts: Should I always use a comma before a quote?

texts:
When quoting something said by someone else, should I use a comma before the quote?
Suppose I quote the definition given in a dictionary. Am I correctly using the the punctuation marks in the following sentences? (I am using them in the way I think correct in American English.)

  One of the meanings of cat is, "a small animal with soft fur that people often keep as a pet."

  A cadet is, "a young person who is training to become an officer in the police or armed forces."

Should I use a comma only when I explicitly quote somebody?

  Groucho Marx once said, "Although it is generally known, I think it's about time to announce that I was born at a very early age."

Should I use a comma in this case too?

  As Groucho Marx said,

    No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.

On Comma Sense, A fun-damental guide to punctuation (Richard Lederer and John Shore), I read the following about using the comma:

  Use commas to set off complete quotations:

    The great general George S. Patton once said, "No, no—the war is this way, you idiots!"


texts: 'Fall is here' and ' has gone full pumpkin'

texts:
I found this sentence:

  Fall is here, which means my cat has gone full pumpkin.

I can't understand what it means.

  Fall is here...

Does it mean something from where you can fall down?

  ...has gone full pumpkin.

I think has gone means that cat looks like full pumpkin, but in this case why does he looks like that only because he is located in the place where he can fall down?

Could you explain the meaning of this sentance?


texts: How "While" and "With" differ from each other?

texts:
Part A should be attached to part B while part C remains attached to part D.
Part A should be attached to part B with part C (being) attached to part D.

I know "with" has a usage similar to that of "while", but unsure how they differ.  For the above two sentences I created, I would like to know which is correct.


texts:
Does it sound natural to say

  I'd like to have a cup of coffee

at a café or is it too wordy?

It sounds like the more wordy the more polite.


texts: 'I've never been on' vs. 'I've already been on'

texts:
I've never been on a ship before. It's a fantastic experience.

  I've already been on a ship before. It's a fantastic experience.

Are both options correct? Thanks a lot.


texts: Adjectival Phrases- "accessory before the fact" vs "accessory after the fact"

texts:
What is the difference between accessory before the fact and accessory after the fact?

Although I knew the individual meanings of them but unable to differentiate them from each other. Google says that both are similar per my comprehension.


texts: Why only "under various conditions", not "underneath", "below"?

texts:
At an experimental agricultural station, many types of grass are grown ................. various conditions.

I figure out the answer is 'under'.

But I wanna know why cannot replace it other prepositions like 'underneath', 'below'


texts: If "prime" means first, what are second, third and so forth?

texts:
Title covers it all really.
If "prime" means first, what are the correct terms for second, third and so forth?


texts: 'either to X or Y' or 'to either X or Y'?

texts:
Here's a question I read in a book:

Most of the non-Western countries have been subject either to total colonial rule or varying degrees of economic control.

The question is whether the bold part requires improvement or not.

I feel that have been subject to either should be the correct answer, but the book says that have been either subjected to is the correct answer. So, I am confused.


texts: present continuous = present perfect in many cases

texts:
I have read the book Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings.  One of the uses of the present continuous is:  To talk about particular actions or events that have begun but haven't ended at the time of speaking, we use the present continuous.  For example:

  The car isn't starting again.

My question is:  Is this use similar to the use the present perfect, and can we replace this sentence like this:

  The car hasn't started again.

The author wrote that one of the uses of the present continuous is when to talk about action has begun and hasn't ended at the time of speaking, this is clearly that is similar to the use of present perfect, isn't right?


texts: Does a that-clause as appositive after a plural noun call for a definite article before it?

texts:
Why there is no definite article before "claims' in the following sentence? Does the that-clause after the plural noun 'claims' in the following sentence make it specific?
Or is the noun still generic even though it has been qualified by a that-clause?
Can I use the definite article here? How will the meaning change?

The union denied claims that it would call off the agitation.

Please explain.


texts:
I wonder if i can use '' it '' and verb+ing in the sentences below. I know that ''it'' can be used between verb and adjctive . Can use it in the same way in sentences below?

1) I left it as legacy to you to find treasury .

2) I left finding treasury as legacy to you.


texts:
The teachers at school teach us these phrases that we can use instead of "How are you?" which of them are natural English and commonly used and which are uncommon?

I know surely that "How do you do?" is just a very formal "Hello!" but somehow our teachers not know of this!

Also "What's up?" and "What is up?" are synonyms, the latter, I think, is rare and uncommon.

I also think that "Wazap?" and "Wassup?" are too informal and mostly black people use them.

P.s. I'm not in school.


texts: Invincible as an adjective for faith and attitude

texts:
Invincible means too powerful to be defeated and its another usage is invincible faith or attitude which cannot be changed. I am a bit confused with the usage in the second form. I have written a few sentences and want to ensure that i am using it correctly.

  I have invincible trust in god and miracles.

  Indian team has invincible faith on the current form of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni which will certainly help them in the World Cup 2019.

  Invincible faith in these so called gurus can be dangerous for society.

  I have tried to use it in kind a sense of unshakable trust and unshakable faith.


texts: Capitalize the first letter in the quotation in the middle of the sentence

texts:
Do I need to capitalize the first letter in the quotation in these two examples? If so, will I need to put a comma before the quotation mark?

The button produces a voice message “T/the signal is on” to tell that they are allowed.

It recognizes a person saying “T/tell me when the signal lights up."


texts: Is it totally wrong to say "the report cannot be shared with them"? Based on MS Word it is, it accepts "the report cannot be share with them". Could someone explain this?


texts:
She is used to there being no one else around.
She is used to being no one else around.

Would anyone please elaborate which one would be correct and why?


texts: Two figurative meanings of using raft in expressions

texts:
In my language, if I say “he’s gone with the raft” it means, figuratively, that he’s insane.

On the other hand, if I say “do you think I came with the raft?” or “do you think I came on the straw through the pipe” it means that I’m not that stupid as you think.

I would like to know if such expressions exist in English not necessarily to use this particular word “raft” or “straw”.

Would you please help me with your replies?


texts: What is the correct "but is" or "but isn't" at the beginning of an interrogative sentence?

texts:
I read this sentences :

I figured… together , we might just be untouchable.So far, we've been pretty good at our job.But is losing one of our own too high a price to pay?

and here is the last sentence I don't really understand is it correct ?

but is losing one of our own too high a price to pay?

I can't understand why it's just but.I mean, I translate it directly.

is that too much of a price?

I mean it's kind of lost to me isn't it.
That is, I would rewrite it like this:

isn't that too expensive a price for us?

Or there is take my sentence, then so:

but isn't losing one of our own too high a price to pay?

I hope I described the question correctly.That is, I wonder if it is correct that in my sentence it is just but? isn't it necessary to add isn't or but itself carries such a meaning?
I would be happy to help, thank you


texts: Is myopia a medical term which is only used in medical and professional context? Or can it be used in colloquial conversation? The question also leads to another question: is there any popular and colloquial synonym of myopia?


texts: Do I have to parallel tenses in this question?

texts:
I have just returned to my hometown after working and living in Rome for 5 years. I do not work or live in Rome anymore.
I meet someone who says: "I haven't seen you in a while, what have you been doing?
How do I answer this question? If I say: "I have been working and living in Rome" it sounds like I still work and live there, which is no longer the case.
Can I answer: "I worked and lived in Rome" even though this doesn't parallel the tense in the question?


texts: I need to communicate the time we need to leave a house in order to catch a train, should I say "We should set out at 18:15" or "We should hit the road at 18:15". Does it have the same meaning? What native speaker prefer?


texts: Do i even want to know what you were looking at?

texts:
Do I even want to know what you were looking at?

What is this means?
Do we have any alternative way to saying in the same way?


texts: Do I need to put "the" before "contemporary" in this context?

texts:
Here I am going to talk about this problem in the contemporary
  Tajikistan.

Is "the" required in the above sentence? I could find many instances of both contemporary with and without "the" on the web. I tried "the contemporary" with the name of different country after it, and I found many examples. I also tried the same without "the", again many examples. But the latter seems to be more frequent. Also, I have seen many "in the contemporary world", but then "the world" is correct itself, while "the Tajikistan" is not.


texts: Changing the place of 'not' affects meaning?

texts:
(1) He is leaving not just the institute, but also mathematics.
(2) He is not leaving just the institute, but also mathematics.

Does the second sentence imply that he is not going to leave any of them, so he is staying? At first glance they have the same meaning for me.


texts:
7. as yet [as conj. 25b]   =
  a. Hitherto, up to this time, =  3;  with a negative = 4;
  implying expectation or recognized possibility of coming change.

  yet = II. Senses relating to time.
  2.a. (a) Implying continuance from a previous time up to and at the present (or some stated) time: Now as until now (or then as until then): = still adv. 4a. Often also implying contrast to a future or subsequent state more emphatically expressed by as yet (7a) [...]

Please help me dig deeper than definition 7 above, which I already understand and ask NOT about.

Question 1: OED pinpointed the right definitions of yet (an adverb, adjective, or conjunction) in as yet, but it doesn't identify the lexical category. So which lexical category is yet?

Question 2: In as yet, I can't even determine whether as is an adverb or conjunction; so I don't know where to start on OED's entry on as. Which OED definition of as matches? Please identify.

Afterword to user 'rogermue' 's answer: Idioms can defy the principle of compositionality, but  Wikipedia attests to success in interpreting prepositions separately in some syntagma.
So even if as yet is an idiom, I wish to persevere to dig deeper.


texts:
In India, it is quite common to serve water in a glass made of steel. Here it is...

But then, we also have a glass made of glass(!) to serve it better. Here it is...

My colleague asked that if 'Give me a glass of water' is a common expression without any ambiguity, how do we ask someone (In India) if we want water in a glass' glass!

I discussed this with my daughter and she came up with something thought-provoking. She said, we can say...

  Give me water in a crystal glass

She argued that in India, when it comes to 'glass crockery', it's not just referred to as 'glass' but 'crystal glass'. Surprisingly, in Google Search, 'crystal glass' comes up with exactly what she said. But I need to confirm with you all.

Before you answer, it's important for me to clarify that Indians don't call these as 'tumblers'. For us, they all are 'glass'. I'm tagging this question with 'Indian English'.


texts: Sentence construction from a history book

texts:
Is this sentence correct
'To these internal rivals were added the threat to his position from the ever-growing commercial activity of the English company'.
If it's correct then what is the word order.


texts: Can I say "I haven't written to you for a long time" instead of "for a while"? And what exactly does "for a while" mean in that phrase?


texts:
From a short description of a drug on a web-page:

  A chemotherapy drug (an alkylating agent) indicated in malignant glyomas and melanoma.

Is it acceptable to use this phrase? I found examples of "indicated in pregnancy" but I'm unsure whether this usage translates to "malignant glyomas", since it's not a human health condition but a kind of tumor.

Should it always be "indicated in/for the treatment of malignant glyomas", or is it acceptable to cut corners here for brevity's sake?


texts: "Talk about something" vs. "talk something"

texts:
Tell me please why the speaker left out the preposition about in the following sentences.

  The connective tissue we are going to  discuss in this episode is essential in maintaining homeostasis, so today we are talking blood.

I aware of the idiomatic phrases like talk money, talk shop or talk business, but the example I have given is not only one that does not seem idiomatic. Another similar phrase I have heard is talk clothes, that is why I wonder if there any difference between talk about something and talk something or the preposition about has got redundant in modern English.


texts: Are "concur" and "agree" exact synonyms?

texts:
I was talking to a friend and he said something I agreed with so much I said the common phrase:

  I couldn't agree more

except, I said "concur" instead of agree because we were using Skype, and back when Cortana was a thing, the suggested phrase was always "I concur" instead of "I agree". My question is, do

  I couldn't agree more

and

  I couldn't concur more

mean the same thing, or is concur badly used here?


texts: Is the second clause defining or non-defining clause?

texts:
When I plug the equipment into an electrical source, its green light
  turns on, but when I push the start button, the microwave does not
  work. I think there is an electrical problem , which prevents its
  motor from working properly.

When I wrote "electrical problem", the sentence became meaningful and complete, and the second clause in bold is a detailed description for the electrical problem. Thus, I guess it is non-defining clause and, therefore, comma is required here. A native English teacher disagrees, so what do you think?


texts: I found it on the way/I found it on a road

texts:
Someone had lost something on his way home. So his friend found it and brought it back, what will be a natural way to express that:

  I found it on the way.

  I found it on a road.

And does the following sentence sound natural for a specific road:

  I found it on X road.

  I found it on X street.


texts: How to understand in other words the title of the text "Sailing into history"?

texts:
Sailing into History
By Cesar G

Imagine yourself on a boat looking out at the horizon and all you can see is the water meeting the sky with no land in sight and you are sailing straight ahead to meet the world. Jesse Martin does not have to imagine: he is living it.

On Dec. 7, 1998, at 17 years old, Jesse departed from Melbourne, Australia  on his boat Lionheart to attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo and nonstop around the world. He sailed south of New Zealand, through the South Pacific, around South America, north on the Atlantic, back south past Africa, through the Indian Ocean and back to Melbourne.


texts: do you say "to pour hard objects out of a container"?

texts:
pour [transitive] to make a liquid or other substance flow from a container in a continuous stream, especially by holding the container
  at an angle

  pour something + adv./prep. Pour the sauce over the pasta.

  She poured boiling water down the sink.

  Pour away as much fat as possible from the roasting pan.

  pour something Although I poured it carefully, I still managed to
  spill some.

  The crew mixed and poured the concrete.

It seems like you use "pour" with liquid-form substances or grainy stuff such as water or milk or salt, etc.

I am not sure if it can be used with hard objects like toys or rocks or paper-form like money.

do you say "to pour toys / rocks / dollars out of a bag"?


texts: To which the bolded phrase refers to? "aristocratic control" or "reducing aristocratic control"?

texts:
I've assumed that Which was is eliminated between the word Control and Already.

  By the end of the century, the time was ripe for more change: the tyrants were driven out, and in 508 B.C. a new reformer, Cleisthenes, gave final form to the developers reducing aristocratic control already under way.

P.S. My answer would be aristocratic control but I am not sure.
If it is referred to "reducing aristocratic control", why which was is eliminated?


texts:
The 'Black Mirror' Christmas Special Is A Total Mindwarp, According To Twitter.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/26/black-mirror-christmas-twitter_n_6382820.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

What does mindwarp mean here?


texts: "I heard the clock strike ten": why not "striked ten"?

texts:
I heard the clock strike ten.

Why is strike in the simple present in this sentence?

What are the conditions for using a simple present verb after a past tense verb to talk about the past?


texts: "My phone is ALSO ringing" and "I am ALSO eating"

texts:
When I say:
(1)"My phone is also ringing"
I mean that there are some other people whose phone are ringing.
Here "also" is working for subject.

But when I say:
(2)"I am also eating meat"
I mean that there are some other things that I am eating.
Here "also" is working for object.

While the both sentence structure is same.


texts: Contracted form of Present Continuous with nouns ending with -s

texts:
How do we form the contracted form of Present Continuous with nouns ending with -s, for example:

Thomas is playing football next Sunday.

Can we write

Thomas' playing football next Sunday.

How does this form function in oral language? For example, can we say like

['tɒmǝs 'pleɪɪŋ 'fʊtbɔ:l ...]

instead of

['tɒmǝs ɪz 'pleɪɪŋ 'fʊtbɔ:l ...]

I did research in Google but it seems that most instructions deal with very basic grammar, for instance, how to contract I am (I'm) or you are (you're).


texts:
I never know how to use prepositions like of, in or at.

What's the rules for each one of then?

My last doubt was about this sentence:

Order of importance
Order in importance
Order at importance

What's the correct option?
Could you help me with the rules for each one of them?

Thanks a lot!


texts: Difference between "to X" and "to be X'ed"

texts:
In each of the following sets of sentences, are both of the sentences grammatically sound? Otherwise which is the correct sentence?

1(a) The system failed to report the amount of goods to export.
1(b) The system failed to report the amount of goods to be exported.

2(a) The management asks to control the funds to request from the department.
2(b) The management asks to control the funds to be requested from the department.

3(a) We should limit the number of records to display on screen.
3(b) We should limit the number of records to be displayed on screen.


texts: Do I need to repeat the pronoun "their" in my sentence, when describing something

texts:
I would like to describe the help and communication of some workers. I just wonder do I need to repeat the pronoun "their" in my sentence or not.

  I would like to thank the staff at the university A for their great and professional help and their respectful behavior.

or I must not repeat it as it is clear that I am still talking about the same people.

  I would like to thank the staff at the university A for their great and professional help and respectful behavior.


texts: What does it mean for someone to be "held to low(er) standards"?

texts:
Like, for example:

  Women/Poor students are held to low standards

I'm confused whether it means, not expected to be as good as other groups, or mistreated, or something else

Extra context:

  Too often, students of color
  and students who face
  challenging circumstances
  don’t receive the support
  and encouragement they
  need to succeed. They are
  held to lower standards
  because of a Belief Gap
  between what society
  believes they can achieve
  and what they truly are
  capable of when we believe
  in them.