texts: would + stative verb in past simple, "have" is an exception?

texts:
I saw in the "New English File - Advanced" book (p. 139, Unit 2A) from Oxford University the use of "used to" and "would" for past simple and one of the rules says:

  "we don't use would with stative verbs, i.e. to talk about situations or states which have changed."

But in an exercise of the same book the correct sentence are:

  "Our grandmother would always have a little surprise waiting for us when we visited."

  "Our grandmother always used to have a little surprise waiting for us when we visited."

And "have" is a stative verb ... Someone could explain me why is this correct? please


texts:
Is it correct to use "they/them" when it's not about people? For example:

  I dropped all the books; they lay on the floor.


texts: Can pizza be called a delicacy? I looked up the word delicacy in a dictionary, and it does seem to apply to a pizza too, but I'm not sure.


texts: Is “Are they planning to fly to New York? Is it next week?” right to use the continuous present followed immediately by the simple present?

texts:
Please consider:

  Are they planning to fly to New York? Is it next week?

Why is that combination of present tense forms used to indicate a future event, first the continuous one and then the the simple one?

Why not the other way around? Or both simple or both continuous?

What special nuance does the continuous aspect lend to this special kind of future?

Why do we not use the continuous present in this sentence:

  Little is it truth.

I know that in English, the progressive or continuous form of the present tense is used to focus along the action, but then we don’t use it in that other sentence.

Why not?


texts:
"No problems, were there?"  "No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but
  I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He
  fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."  (Harry Potter and the
  Sorcerer's Stone)

Can we use was after we, like the example, binding two people as a bunch: as in the case that Chelsea can be both singular and plural?


texts: How to refer to the young generation of a society

texts:
I want to describe a social situation in which the young people in a certain country come and demand something (e.g, they claim that the housing prices are too high for young people and want the government to help them, etc.)

How do I refer to this group of the young people of society? In particular:

What noun to use - "youth"? "young generation"?
What plurality to use - singular (since it is a "generation") or plural (since there are many young people)?

Here is an example sentence (which I am not sure is correct):

  "The young generation claims that the prices are too high, and they ask for help".

EDIT: The paper is not about a specific country. It is a paper in theoretical economics and so it deals with a general, hypothetic country.


texts: confusion that could be caused by the position of adverbial phrase

texts:
Original sentence: The skull of Pakicetus is cetacean-like but its jawbones lack the enlarged space that is filled with fat or oil and used for receiving underwater sound in modern whales.

My rewrite: The skull of Pakicetus is cetacean-like but its jawbones lack the enlarged space (found) in modern whales that is filled with fat or oil and used for receiving underwater sound.

I want to confirm that my rewrite is better because what the adverbial phrase "in modern whales" modifies is clearer. Let me give an another example to show why I think so.
I like to read books, listen to music, and do exercise in the morning. (This sentence might be unclear because I might like to read books and listen to music in the evening.)
My rewrite: In the morning, I like to read books, listen to music, and do exercise. (This sentence is very clear that I like to do all the three things in the morning.)


texts:
I'd like to say that we need to draw a square of which each edge length is 10 cm (i.e., 100 square cm).

What is the simplest way to represent such shape? Is the following sentence makes sense?

  We need to draw a 10-cm rectangle.

  We need to draw a rectangle each side 10 cm.

I think this is a very boring and childish question. However, this kind of simple thing is sometimes difficult for non-native English speakers. Please help.


texts: When someone suddenly loses their everything

texts:
Is there any idiom / expression in English which can imply the situation in which someone due to some bad happenings suddenly and quickly plummets from the height of success and glory to the depth of wretchidness?

In my language, there is a proverb which says the same thing usually when someone loses their prior dignity and fame or when they go bankrupt in a short period of time!

Some English equivalents that I have found in translation pages are as below:

  He raged to riches.
  He came from somebody to nobody.
  He came from hero to zero.

I don't know if they work in this sense of natural English! If they do, please let me know; if they don't please tell me the  current expression, idiom or proverb which you use in this situation.


texts: What's the whole meaning of "keep safe and sane under his own hat"

texts:
In "The Secret of Father Brown" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown was criticizing detectives that treat criminals as low humans instead of trying to get inside them and understand their thoughts and motives, saying:

  No man’s really any good till he knows how bad he is, or might be; till he’s realized exactly how much right he has to all this snobbery, and sneering, and talking about ‘criminals,’ as if they were apes in a forest ten thousand miles away; till he’s got rid of all the dirty self-deception of talking about low types and deficient skulls; till he’s squeezed out of his soul the last drop of the oil of the Pharisees; till his only hope is somehow or other to have captured one criminal, and kept him safe and sane under his own hat.

I know the meaning of "keep sth under hat", which means keep secret, and I also know the meaning of keep safe and sane, but can't get the whole meaning of "kept him safe and sane under his own hat"?


texts: Please help me identify the grammatical part of "done"

texts:
Construction was recently finished on a two-year renovation, undertaken because the original glass had begun to crack.

what does "undertaken" function here? Is it a participle, but I do not see how it is related to the main sentence? Part of the "was done"( was finished, was undertaken)? But the order seems to be wrong and should be "was undertaken" first then "was finished"


texts: Is "making a racket" some part of music?

texts:
It sound like the tutorial is saying (a video link with a time stamp)

  while I'm playing
  me drums in here making a racket

I am aware that playing drums looks like this

Is "making a racket" some part of it?


texts:
While reading the book the following sentence made me interested. The usage of "as" is like the form "as....as" but not the same. + The comparison is made by a noun phrase(no difference) not adjectives or adverbs. I wonder whether this is a common usage or this is a special usage author chose?

It occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound "as" the difference between the sick and the well.(Great Gatsby)


texts: Why can "with" not be followed by the -ing form of verbs in manner adverbials?

texts:
As we know, one way to construct a manner adverbial is using the -ing form of verbs after prepositions. However, it seems that the preposition with shows different behavior. To clarify what I mean, let us look at the following examples, using the similar preparation without:

You can answer me without a smile.
You can answer me without smiling.

But, the second example sentence in the following is incorrect:

You can answer me with a smile.
*You can answer me with smiling.

Regarding the similarity in the above examples, I wonder why it is ungrammatical with being followed by the -ing form of verbs in such a structure.


texts: Is the clause here ambiguous to the preceding sentence

texts:
The sentence in question is the following:

  Using the discovered method, the researcher can quantify the virus effectively, which is unprecedented.

The question is: is the bold clause qualifying the "quantify the virus effectively" here ? or the whole sentence (the fact that the researcher is using the discovered method to do quantification on the virus effectively) ?


texts: I have a question regarding "I am sorry"

texts:
I would like to say

  I'm sorry that the item you needed for your brackets has been
  discontinued.

Is this sentence correct?

Or should I say

  I'm sorry. The item you needed for your brackets has been
  discontinued.

Can "I'm sorry" be used alone as a complete sentence?


texts:
I'm reading some 1948 strips from the comic "Pogo". In a dialogue I found the sentence

  "You gone whup the opposition like they is ol' tilly birds!"

Easy-to-understand intentional mispronunciations aside (people who read "Pogo" know the characters speak in a, let's say, strange way), I can't seem to find any meaning for the word "tilly" apart from the first name, which I think isn't appropriate here.

The context is the election of a new sheriff for the swamp the characters live in (which mocks the real-life U.S. presidential elections of 1948, where Truman won).
Can the word be related to a political pun? Or simply a modification of "little" or "tiny" or "silly"? Or is there a kind of bird called "tilly bird"?


texts: “A friend of my brother“ or “A friend of my brother's”?

texts:
I got to learn that it's incorrect to say A friend of my brother. The correct clause should be A friend of my brother's but I don't know the reason why it is so.
I found a discussion on a forum on the same topic but still couldn't understand why it’s incorrect to say A friend of my brother. Doesn't the of in the clause work as apostrophe?


texts: Is it correct to say "no need of thanks"?

texts:
Is it correct to say "no need of thanks" when someone says "thank you"?

I think you're welcome, no problem, any time and nothing at all are quite often.

And I think no need to say thanks is also more appropriate.

But is it awkward to say no need of thanks?

I've searched about it but I couldn't find any results.

Could you please explain?


texts: Overworking and it usage within sentences?

texts:
Is it common to say something like:

  If you work in every weekend for 3 months you may get sick because of overwork.

Please correct me if it's clear what I tried to say...


texts: situations for "If ever there was a cause for celebration ... " (past tense)

texts:
From Cambridge Dictionary

  If ever there was a cause for celebration, this peace treaty was it.

I understand the meaning of it. I just can't make up a situation where the sentence fits.

If it were in present tense, I guess I could imagine that the heads of some countries are discussing in a conference, just after ending a war, which is really disaster to the world. Therefor, none of them want a celebration.

  If ever there is a cause for celebration, this peace treaty is it.

How about the original one (past tense)? Could someone help me on this?


texts: What does "come up through the system" mean?

texts:
This is a scene from the movie Southpaw:

  Judge: The child has no other family, is that right?

  Attorney: Uh, no, Your Honor. Uh, both my client and his wife came up through the system.

  Judge: I see. So that's why these circumstances are a little bit more painful for you.

In a child custody case, the attorney replies to a judge's question about the child's family members by saying both parents "came up through the system". What does it mean? Both parents went through foster homes? Why "came up through"?


texts:
When are we suppose to use "made" and "had" in a sentence?

I know that have is a causative which means 'make'.  For example:

  He had me wait for five minutes at the shop.

So in the same way can we use had instead of made?  For example:

  What on the earth had you do that?

If not, why not?


texts:
Imagine you want to say something particular to somebody but when you meet him/her you forget to mention the thing right away and you talk about different things for a while until a bit later when you remember it and you say:

  Oh I was almost to forget to mention that you got some mail.

I know it is likely to be grammatically wrong, I just wrote down what came to mind.

How do you say it in casual and formal ways?

This is not a case where you forgot to mention it in a previous conversation and this is not a case where you should have mentioned it before. You got the mail after the last time you had seen him/her. My sentence is a kind of conversational thing to say to myself. I don't have to say it aloud.


texts:
Carlos lives two houses away from me.

The above quoted sentence is constructed by me. Is it correct to use this sentence in formal writing? An American friend of mine has told me that this sentence seems odd.

How can we describe this situation (someone who lives two houses away) in an idiomatic way? How would you say “he lives two houses away” in AE or BE?


texts: Which of the following is correct? "as I/me/mine"

texts:
She has the same religious beliefs as I. (I do)

  She has the same religious beliefs as me. (sounds wrong)

  She has the same religious beliefs as mine. (just how you say "she has the same car as mine?")


texts:
Should I use "in" or "to" in this sentence?

  Theorem 1 plays an important rule in the proof of Theorem 2, and hence
  the weighted version of it will be very important "in" Theorem 3.

Also, is this sentence correct?

Thank you!


texts:
It's the name of this great kizomba song by Nelson Freitas.

http://youtu.be/eyCxsHPN1gs

What does exactly the "rebound chick" mean?


texts:
Once I have seen a little boy about 5-7 years old taking a grandmother
across the street alone!
Once I saw a little boy of 5-7 years old moving his grandmother across
the road alone!

Which sentence is better? Is present perfect needed to say that something happened only once? I know that Americans are inclined to use past simple where others would use present perfect, so it's optional for Americans either to use present perfect or past simple.


texts: "Want to go look for something" - what is the verb?

texts:
1) I want to go look for my wedding dress today.
  2) I want to go to look for my wedding dress today.

Are these both acceptable ways to say this?

Also, could someone point out the parts of speech?
According to my thoughts, in first sentence:

  I ⇒ Subject
  want to go ⇒ compound verb (intransitive)
  look for my wedding dress today ⇒ adverb


texts:
Excerpted from The New Yorker:

  Melodramatic or banal prose mostly gets blamed on the author, reasonably enough.

Something gets blamed means someone blames that something, and someone blamed on something means something is being blamed by that someone, but what is get blamed on?


texts: Do native speakers use "whatever" in place of "what"?

texts:
I have heard phrases like the following in animations:

  Whatever happened to Naruto?

  Oh god, whatever happens now?

  Whatever is the matter?

Why what is being replaced by whatever in these phrases?


texts: Are the words "yet" and "still" synonymous in the sense of "despite"?

texts:
Are the words "yet" and "still" totally synonymous in the following sentence?

  The team was unprepared, yet/still it managed to pull it off.


texts: Is it "Whose fault is that?" OR "Who's fault is that?"?

texts:
I wrote:

  I read nearly all the contents of the websites about the war between the Nazi and Russian armies. I don't know who's fault was that! Hitler or Stalin?

Was it whose fault or who's fault?
What is the construction and grammar of each?


texts: "far-fetched", NO ! "far afield', yes, but

texts:
Since years I am using "far-fetched" as the english equivalent of the french "farfelu" (my mother tongue is french), never applied to persons, like a mix of "complicated/cranky/scatty", typically in a context of a following type : you have to show a concept, or to make a proof of something, you do one, and the proof is correct, but it is complicated, and there is a "trivial", natural, proof instead. It is not overly complicated though, not complicated enough to make your proof ridiculous at all, but complicated enough to make it slightly funny, knowing the existence of the trivial proof. Then I would say to you : your proof is far-fetched.

For the first time yesterday, I used this expression while talking with a person whose monther-tongue is "american english", and the person felt insulted. After some explications I gave, the person told me that "far afield" was better suited for what I intended - which was something of the type described above.

  My question is the following : is "far afield" better suited indeed for what I discussed above ? If not, what would be the best for UK english , for american english ? If yes, is it typically american english or not ?

Thx !


texts: Help to understand a sentence from a Page Six news article

texts:
Nordstrom parted ways with the brand, which was launched in 2014, as far back as February 2017, citing “brand performance.”

As I understand the sentence, it means Nordstrom went with the brand from 2014(launched date) to February 2017. Am I getting it right? What about citing "brand performance."?

Also, the sentence structure looks odd to me. I don't know how to parse it correctly.

Here is the full source.


texts: Object Place Verb: is that a correct order in an english sentence?

texts:
I've read this sentence on a US internet news site (huffpost.com):
"Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller in a series of leaked emails pushed white nationalism[...]."

I've always thought that place ("in a series of leaked emails") goes after the verb and the object ("pushed white nationalism"). But I guess a news site probably uses correct grammar, so what's the rule? Has it changed recently? Is it permissible outside of news speak?

Thank you for your answers!


texts: "I was almost shot for a moose" vs. "I was almost shot as a moose"

texts:
Consider:

I was almost shot for a moose.

I was almost shot as a moose.

I take them to mean the same thing. However, I think "for" here is a restricted usage, as in "He takes you for granted.", "For my part, I’ll be sitting on my front porch in a lawn chair.", etc. These two can be regarded as fixed idioms while "be shot for" seems not.
Based on this I conntrived the following examples:

He was almost killed for a bear.
He laughed at John for a fool.
He accept her painting for a gift.
He kicked away the can for a ball.
These kinds of mushrooms are sold for medicine.

Are they all valid examples? If not, when is for used this way except in fix idioms?


texts: There's nothing to do but do/to do something

texts:
According to the rule, the infinitive is used without the particle TO in conjunction with the following expressions:  rather/sooner than; do + anything/nothing/everything but.

  He'd sooner kill his wife than forgive her.

  This device can do everything but talk.

  My parents do nothing but quarrel.

The question is: Does the above rule also restrict the use of particle TO in the verbal compliment even if the main clause is "There was nothing to do"?
Are the following sentences both correct? If the answer is "yes", which is the preferable usage?

  There was nothing else to do but wait and see.

  There was nothing else to do but to wait and see.


texts:
For example, I'd say:

The interview's on Monday.

Is that grammatically acceptable?


texts: Strange use of "were" with uncountable nouns

texts:
In the sentence

  If aging were programmed, then...

were is used instead of is or was or have been. Why?


texts: The best replacement for 'streets general natural surveillance'?

texts: I'm writing a scientific paper and I want a more concise phrase. What's the best phrase with the same semantics as a replacement with 'streets general natural surveillance', which means how much the pedestrians or residents can observe the street and its events and incidents?


texts: Past perfect or past simple in this case

texts:
When I  called for  the record ,he first answered me, he did not have it. However he knew the record because it was true that the band had  planned that they would leave a record in the shop after the gig.In fact he did not know if they had done  it.Then he took my number and said he was going to look for it once we had hung up the phone.After thirty minutes I  received a  phone call: the record was on hold for me.

Would it be possible to change for "it had been true that the band  planned "because the statement was made first.If this change is possible, is it  necessary to have another past perfect for planned, I don't think so?


texts:
I wonder whether this phrase below is grammatical?

  All your choice of an employer depends on is whether

1) you possess necessary skills and expertise in the sphere of corporate finance.
2) you love what you do
3) you are ready for overtime work
4) bla-bla


texts: "start from the beginning" vs "begin from the starting"

texts:
What is the difference between the following two sentences? Do they both mean the same?

  Why don't you start from the beginning?

  Why don't you begin from the starting?


texts:
He represents a civilized Germany, a role which in itself means that Mann's conception of Germany was not a simple one; he is mild of manner, sane and reasonable, though he is attracted to the demonic in Adrian at the same time as he fears it.

Can you please explain to me why the indefinite article is placed before the word "Germany".


texts: What is the difference between 'Conditionals' & 'Subjunctive mood'?

texts:
Do both conditionals and Subjunctive mood overlap each other at some point or are they just different concepts?

For example: If we started now we would be in time. (subjunctive mood)

The above sentence is also a 2nd type conditional. So I was wondering, what is the difference between both concepts ?


texts: What does the word "trend" as a noun exactly mean?

texts:
Merriam-Webster defines it as:

1a: a prevailing tendency or inclination : DRIFT
// current trends in education
1b: a general movement : SWING
// the trend toward suburban living
1c: a current style or preference : VOGUE
// new fashion trends
1d: a line of development : APPROACH
// new trends in cancer research

Whereas, Oxford defines it as:

A general direction in which something is developing or changing.
‘an upward trend in sales and profit margins’

Oxford defines it as a "general direction" of the changes/developments. On the other hand, Merriam-Webster's various definitions of the word does not even connote a direction. Could you also, please, explain the different meanings provided by Merriam-Webster using more simpler usages? Thank you.


texts: On 'unknown to' in “As for how we know, the equipment used is unknown to be in the Houthis’ arsenal.”

texts:
I am generally acquainted to seeing unknown to followed by a noun, pronoun or noun phrase. What about this case

  As for how we know, the equipment used is unknown to be in the Houthis’ arsenal.

Is it grammatical?

The full paragraph from where it was excerpted:

  He dismissed the claim by the Houthis that they had attacked the oil facilities. “The intelligence community has high confidence that these were not weapons that would have been in the possession of the Houthis,” Mr. Pompeo said. “As for how we know, the equipment used is unknown to be in the Houthis’ arsenal.”


texts: How to understand two "to know"s in this sentence?

texts:
One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life -- more money than even Dudley had ever had.

I don't know how to parse the sentence correctly. The first "to know" is easy for me to understand. The second "to know" got me lost. Can someone help to identify what the second "to know" does there?

P.S. The passage is from the book Harry Potter.


texts: "this is A big but..." or "this is THE big but...", any difference? which is correct?

texts:
But, and this is A big but here, all of this can be purchased out on the black market.

OR

  But, and this is THE big but here, all of this can be purchased out on the black market.

After I google, there seems to be more results for "this is A big but...".


texts: Difference between "if + present, will + infinitive" and "if + present, would + infinitive"

texts:
What is the difference between the following two sentences.

I will be surprised if he confesses.
I would be surprised if he confesses.

I know that the first is often referred to as first conditional.
I see often sentences like the second one in the form of "if + present, would + infinitive", but cannot find sentences in this form in grammar books.


texts: A set-up which is intended to make fun of someone

texts:
Please suggest a verb that depicts the following situations.

For example your friend calls you and says he had an accident but when you run to his house you find out that he has lied and it was a set-up.

What do we call my friend's act?


texts:
I know similar questions were asked by many others before but I am still not sure.

  They are already getting what they wanted

  They are already getting what they have wanted

If I understood right, the first sentence

  They are already getting what they wanted

means they are getting what they wanted in the past
(but it is not sure they want it now)

and the second sentence

  They are already getting what they have wanted

means they are getting what they wanted and what they still want.
(and contexts should provide dates or time from when they wanted, whereas past tense doesn't require them?)

Am I understanding it correctly?

Thank you


texts: An (erosive/eroding) job/task/action etc

texts:
I wonder what adjective do you normally use to describe an action / a task which as time passes causes you to wear out and makes you exhausted. These kinds of jobs are not at all boring at first, but by the lapse of time make you tired and maybe fed up with continuing them. These actions/jobs/tasks etc. are somewhat eroding your patience body after by the passage of time. So, after a period of time you might not be interested to them (at all).

For instance:

  — Even if you have a team, lexicography is a/an.................job. It requires lots of patience and love. Otherwise, it can make you exhausted after a short while.

I don't know any word in English encompassing this concept, but I think using "erossive/eroding" in a figurative sense (of course if it works,) would be my needed adjective.


texts: The use of the phrase "if not" in context

texts:
Tell me please if I used if not grammatically correct in the following sentence.

  Shouldn't you have been at work today? if not, then it is alright.


texts: It’s raining today vs. It would rain around this time

texts:
I’m a Japanese English teacher. I come across a strange sentence when I’m correcting a student’s composition. Although I feel it’s strange but I can’t explain why. I need your help.
In this situation, which expression is more appropriate? Or another better expression?
Situation:
Two people are standing in front of a bus stop, talking. Then it’s started raining.
A person goes:
“It’s started to rain. Do you have one more umbrellas with you?”
Another one says:
The weather forecast says it’s raining today.
I feel the sentence in bold should be replaced  by the expression like “The weather forecast said it would rain around this time today.”
What do you think? Am I wrong?
I tried to put this sentence in Google but there’s no result.


texts:
When I answer a question, get a reply:

  Thanks! But I can't give this answer partial credit.

I do not understand the partial credit means.


texts:
1. "Something scientifically in white helps to avoid car accidents."
2. "Something  in white helps to avoid car accident scientifically  because clothes are bright."

1 means that being white is scientific.
2 means that the reason clothes are bright is scientific.
The meaning I wish to convey is:

Science has shown that hi-vis (high visibility) clothing can reduce
car accidents.


texts:
The customer can serve herself, and then pay for the goods with the minimum of delay.

In the sentence, the customer can be a male or female. But the pronoun 'herself' has been used. I'm confused with the use of 'herself'. Please explain it to me.


texts: were "the cylindrical wooden fastenings" horizontal or vertical?what does "wrenching asunder" mean?

texts:
were "the cylindrical wooden fastenings" horizontal or vertical? how can i imagine it?
what does "wrenching asunder" mean?

(...)The parts broken were at least five feet removed from Slade, who
had his back to the screen; but even if he had intended to tear it
down by a cleverly devised sideward motion, it would have been
necessary to fasten it on the opposite side. As it was, the screen
stood quite unattached, and the grain of the wood being parallel to
the axis of the cylindrical wooden fastenings, the wrenching asunder
could only be accomplished by a force acting longitudinally to the
part in question.

From Transcendental Physics


texts:
Can "almost" be used in the all tenses?

I give you the examples for "almost".

She has almost forgot about her cake and the presents.
She had almost forgot about her cake and the presents.
She almost forgot about her birthday cake and the presents.
She almost forgets about ....(the same as the above)..
She will/would have almost forgot...
She will/would almost forget ..
She was almost forgetting about..
She is almost forgetting about.
She will be almost forgetting about..

Are they possible in English, and could you tell me the differences between them?

I await for your explanation, thanks!


texts: Technical use: "Manufacturing" vs. "Production"

texts: I want to know the cases when we should prefer one word over another. In other words, what are the technical usages of production and manufacturing?


texts:
Sometimes I feel difficulty telling the difference between simple past and present perfect.

Given a picture like this:

which one is correct between these two? Or in what sense are they different?

A. He fell off his motorcycle.

B. He has fallen off his motorcycle.


texts: What is 'it' in the phrase 'with future on the uncertain ground as it's'?

texts:
The text shown in the image is:

  However, at 34 years of age and with his future in international cricket on uncertain ground as it’s, any setback is bad news for the Australian all-rounder at this late stage of his career and Watson faces a nervous wait for the results of scans. (Source)

What is 'it' as shown in the image , clear from the title. Also it is not 'its', that should be noted well.


texts: "Once" and "since" at the beginning of a sentence

texts:
I was analysing the word "once" and noticed that mostly at the beginning of a sentence it is a conjunction and at the middle or end it's mostly an adverb. However, if a comma is placed after "once" at the beginning of a sentence it becomes an adverb. Here are examples of "once" as an adverb:

Once, I made a cake from meat.
I made a cake from meat once.

And as a conjunction:

Once you get there, call me.

I wish to ask if the word "since" can work the same way. The way I see it, it can't work as an adverb at the beginning of a sentence with a comma after it.

I haven't been there since.
Since, I haven't been there.

As a conjunction:

Since you won't do it, you will not get money for it.

I also wonder if the word "after" can be an adverb at the beginning of a sentence.


texts: what does "it" refer to in this sentence "...by those whose culture it is"?

texts:
This is a sentence from an LSAT:

According to one proposed definition, a culture is the totality of the
customs practiced by those whose culture it is.

Could someone please explain what does "it" refer to?
Thank you very much,
Leon


texts:
What's the difference between the following sentences:

1 He finally plucked up enough courage to ask her to marry him.

2 He finally gained enough courage to ask her to marry him.

3 He finally got enough courage to ask her to marry him.


texts: What is the status of prepositions in the expressions where the gerund is the object?

texts:
There's an idiomatic expression "to be done with something" meaning to finish it.
And there's a sentence in a question posted here:

  When the sun dropped low behind the hills and we were done playing for
  the day, ...

It is a correct sentence, and to me, it's perfectly understandable, but...

There's not "with" after "we were done", and it puzzled me.

I have never met it as it is in the sentence - without with, and I'm wondering why it is missing there.

Is it the gerund "playing" that makes "with" unnecessary, or anything else?

Are there other expressions like "be done" where the use of the gerund excludes the use of a preposition before it or allows omitting a preposition? Could you provide a few examples of those?


texts: Do "lettuce" and "let us" have the same pronunciation?

texts:
I was watching a video about food and I feel that "lettuce" and "let us"are pronounced the same way, Am I right?

If yes, what can I do to prevent confusion especially while dealing with customers? I'm not a native English speaker but I serve native speakers.


texts: Saying "you've caught me" or "you caught me" when surprised

texts:
When someone surprises another person, which is the correct way for answering?

"You've caught me!" or "You caught me!"


texts: "Let's go ahead" when talking about passing people on the street

texts:
My whole class was walking in two rows. My friend and I were walking together. So she wanted to pass the two kids walking in front of us, and walk in front of them because they were way too slow:

  Come on, let's go ahead.

  Come on, let's get ahead.

Do they sound natural and likely? And what about "let's move up" or something similar?


texts: Modals: I (wouldn't / won't) have known... difference

texts:
Choose the correct:

  'I can't believe I got the final question in the pop quiz wrong.'

  'I (wouldn't / won't) have known the answer either'

A book says that wouldn't is the only correct option. But in the same book:

Is it a mistake in the book? Why won't is not correct?


texts:
He was carrying a nice new black leather briefcase.

He was carrying a nice black new leather briefcase.

Is there any difference?


texts:
We all know here 'some more' used as an 'adverb':

  Would you like some more cake?

  I think we still need to practice some more.

  If the rice is still not cooked, add some more water.

  Would you like some more potatoes?

  I need to work on it some more.

I wonder how 'some more' used as an 'adverb' can be placed before noun in bold sentence.  Is it grammatical?

I conclude that 'more' is likely to be an adjective and then 'some' can be used as an 'adverb' on above examples.


texts: "My hands are shaking with cold" vs "My hands are shaking with the cold"

texts:
I looked at the example sentences for the noun "cold" where it is used with the meaning "low temperature/cold weather" on dictionaries like Cambridge and Collins; and in all of them, after "with", "cold" is used instead of "the cold". So, I wonder if it is wrong to say

"My hands are shaking with the cold"

"His feet were numb with the cold" etc.

instead of

"My hands are shaking with cold"

"His feet were numb with cold" etc.

What do you think? I guess it is more idiomatic to not use "the", and "with cold" is the proper idiomatic phrase in all cases.

A couple of example sentences from the dictionaries:

"My feet were numb with cold"

"His feet were blue with cold"

"He shivered with cold"


texts: What does "crust" mean in the following passage?

texts: This pizza tastes really nice. The crust is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.


texts: Would someone please tell me the reason for using will and would?

texts:
The goal for these negotiations is to reach a mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution that would ensure Iranˈs nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful.

I am wondering the reason why there has been used the different tenses like the following:

Would

Will


texts: "Through critical engagement with philosophical texts" or "Through a critical engagement with philosophical texts"

texts:
Through (a) critical engagement with philosophical texts, I examine the phenomena and provide an in-depth analysis.

This is a line I am writing. The noun "engagement" seems tricky. Scrolling down dictionary entries, it seems to me this sense I am using in my writing is "the feeling of being involved in a particular activity" (Macmillan) or "the fact of being involved with something" (Cambridge). Both these sources define the noun as uncountable. However, "engagement" is a count noun when used to describe battles. Dictionary examples:

  a military engagement

  Heavy engagements are reported between rebels and government forces.

This makes me wonder if I can say "a critical engagement with texts". So is the noun a mass noun, a count noun, or either? Is the article needed/optional/incorrect?


texts:
Nothing visible through the windshield. It's just black.

I take my car into a forest, the car battery goes down. Outside it's so dark. I wrote the above sentence to describe what I see though the windshield. Now my confusion is whether "It's just black" is a natural way a native speaker say it, or if they'd just say "It's just dark".


texts: Sentence construction Using Took and Had Taken

texts:
Which statement construction is correct?

  a) He did not provide her service even though he had taken Rs 500 from her as an advance.

  b) He did not provide her service even though he took Rs 500 from her as an advance.

I feel sentence (a) is more correct as it gives detailed idea about first past (i.e., money taken) by using past perfect. Sentence (b) is more informative.


texts: Strange sentence structure, the use of "had"

texts:
Only through dire circumstance had they discovered that he was also the dragon Kotrialstrasz. - In Warcraft: War of the Ancients #1

So why is the word "had" put in that position in the sentence or can it be put after "they"?

Thank you.


texts:
I am confused about when to write capital letter or small letter in a title. Like the title above, I think

  The, and, in are perp, so they can be small letters.

Am I right? Can someone clarify the rules about the Capital and Small Letter in Title.


texts: What does "throw somebody into a fervor" mean?

texts:
Does it mean that possibly makes the White House angry?

"If the yuan was allowed to free float, it would easily fall below seven, making Chinese exports cheap again, but possibly throwing the White House into a fervor"

source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2017/02/07/why-chinas-central-bank-is-losing-money/#419c3c717e1f


texts: "It __ a week since the exams began" (was, is, has been, had been)

texts:
It was a week since the exams began

a)      It is a week
b)      It has been a week
c)      It had been a week
d)      No improvement

Answer on a website cites that option A is right. I feel its wrong. What`s the correct option?


texts: Are these sentences the same? "To sit at someone's feet" vs. "To sit at the feet of someone"

texts:
Examples:

  He sat at the feet of his professor.
  He sat at his professor's feet.

I found the expression "sit at sb's feet" in Oxford dictionary and I found the expression "sit at the feet of sb" in The free dictionary by Farlex. I've read both and it seems they are the same.


texts: What is the difference between “Of”, “Of the”, “the Of the” and “the Of ”?

texts:
I am learning English from the book and I read the sentence that make me very confuse.
The sentence is "I have no memory of the moment of impact." I can't really understand this meaning.
What is the difference

Memory of impact
Memory of the impact
The memory of impact
The memory of the impact

Another examples

king of fighters
king of the fighters
The king of fighters
The king of the fighters

What is the difference between this sentences? Thank you so much.


texts:
I have this sentence:

  "Whether the toString function can be applied successfully to a host
  object is implementation-dependent"

What is the meaning of "implementation-dependent"?

P.S If you need additional information, inform me.


texts: American English Idiom "Out of this world" and Sentence Stress

texts:
what does this idiom mean "Out of this world". Does it mean something like "Excellent" or "Awesome"?

When I'm eating something and I say: "It's out of this world." Which words gets most stressed in this sentence?

Any suggestion appreciated.


texts:
"There's a lot of old mines around here."

This is a line from the beginning of the movie Nevada Smith.
I think the grammatically correct line is,

  "There're a lot of old mines around here."

I think being grammatically correct does not necessarily mean being colloquially natural.

I wonder which is commoner, "There's a lot of old mines" or "there're a lot of old mines", colloquially speaking.


texts:
I am not sure about the meaning of "on" in:

  link
  Ukraine rolls on separatists while Russia holds back

What does "on" meaning here?   Does it mean Ukraine tanks/vehicles ran over the separatist soldiers?


texts:
If you touch a balloon there is a dent created at your finger tip.

Now this word dent seems so rough. Like one has to use a lot of pressure to create a dent. Is there any proper word to replace it so the sentence seems like one doesnt have to use that much pressure at all.


texts: Noun Phrase example? What exactly is phrase and clause?

texts:
Natalie adopted a cat that refused to meow.

I came across this example for a noun phrase but I don't understand how this can be a phrase when it has a subject and verb which perfectly agree with each other. Now I am also confused with the difference between phrase and clause. Please help me.


texts:
What is the proper way to ask?

  How can we achieve this?

or

  How we can archive this?

What's the difference between them?


texts: "I am done doing something" [Example sentence with "buying]

texts:
Let's say you have just bought the most expensive item out of your ''need to buy'' list, and by doing so, you felt satisfied because you will not have to worry anymore. And you say:

  "Finally, I am done buying the most expensive thing I needed to buy, and I have no worries anymore."

Is this sentence grammatical? Especially relating to the situation I have given?


texts: what does the author (Mario Pujo) mean by the following sentence?

texts:
What does the author (Mario Pujo) mean by the following sentence from The Godfather?

There was no greater natural advantage in life than having an enemy overestimate your faults unless it was to have a friend underestimate your virtues.

It comes from the following passage:

The Don considered a use of threats the most foolish kind of exposure; the unleashing of anger without forethought as the most dangerous indulgence. No one had ever heard the Don utter a naked threat, no one had ever seen him in an uncontrollable rage. It was unthinkable. And so he tried to teach Sonny his own disciplines. He claimed that there was no greater natural advantage in life than having an enemy overestimate your faults, unless it was to have a friend underestimate your virtues.


texts: Error correction : He feels his troubles as much or even more than they

texts:
He feels his troubles as much or even more than they.

This is an error spotting question asked in my exam, I am particularly stuck at two spots in the sentence . First if its correct to use as much here or its better to use as much as. I looked up for the phrase in Merriam Webster here but could find only one sentence which has used as much in it and I am not able to make out from that whether to use as much here or as much as. Second, Is the they used correct or should it be replaced with them ? What I have learned is that nominative cases are compared with nominative and objective cases with objective, so accordingly they is correct with he but somebody on a three year old yahoo answers thread had suggested correction with them.


texts: 1. Let's all thank  group A, B, and C; 2. Thank you to  groups A, B and C

texts:
Let's imagine a small firm where all people know each other very well. This firm consists of five groups A, B, C, D & E. Each group was involved in some process. Together they were doing one big project. Now when they have already done it they all went to the office party. There aren't any other people at this party. An announcer says:

  1. Let's all thank <the> group A, B, and C.

  2. Thank you to <the> groups A, B and C.

My opinion: all the people at the party know each other and know who in what groups worked. That's why we must use "the", but I was told that only variants without "the" are correct.

So:

Why can we say 1. & 2. without "the" before "group(s)"?

Why cannot we say 1. & 2. with "the" before "group(s)"?

Thanks!


texts:
I was writing this one sentence and confused with prepositions. Additionally, I would like to know if there are other grammatical errors besides these two prepositions.

....They are always helpful for reminding me of what to focus on in order to improve my English.

Thank you for your help.


texts: Is it ok to say "so he basically did a dunk"?

texts:
Is the grammar ok?
Or should this be said in a different way like-

  so he basically performed a dunk

Which one is right?


texts:
Source: Beginning Shell Scripting by Eric Foster-Johnson, John C. Welch and Micah Anderson (2005)

Example:

  They leave things alone. If the OS wants swapfiles in /var/vm instead of a separate swap partition, they’re fine with that. If the OS wants to mount things that aren’t boot partitions in /Volumes, great! As long as they don’t have to dink with it, they’re happy.

Not sure what that means and how to understand it.


texts:
Consider these examples,

  My phone is broken, I'm going to the shop to get it repaired.

  My phone is broken, I'm going to the shop to repair it.

Usually, people use the former, why is that?

Does the latter indicate I would repair the phone myself?


texts: Looking for a word that fits for a young grown woodland

texts: I'm looking for a word that represents a young wood of forest. In German, you would say "junger Bestand". What is the equivalent English expression - young stand, young stock or some other word?


texts: "A quarter past five" or simply "Quarter past five"?

texts:
I usually say “It’s a quarter past” (for instance) “five”.

But I think I’ve heard (or read) “It’s quarter past ...”, too, with no indefinite article: is that correct?

Which is more common (if both constructions are in use)?

Is the omission of the article more colloquial (informal, popular, whatever)?

Is there a difference between British and American English?

Thank you very much.


texts:
From the movie Red Dawn:

In a scene, a group of young fighters interrogate an enemy soldier. One of them says, "Rub a butt on him." And another one goes on to seemingly pinch the enemy soldier really hard. I found a clip of that scene here.

What does "rub a butt on him" mean here? To pinch someone's face so hard that it looks like a butt?


texts: Is my understanding of this quote correct?

texts:
I am having trouble understanding the following sentence:

  Age is no better, hardly so well, qualified for an instructor as youth, for it has not profited so much as it has lost.
  Source

I think it means the following:

  An old person is no more an instructor than a young person. Or rather, almost, they are not as qualified as an instructor as young people. Why? Because it has lost rather than profited.

Am I correct? If not, why not?


texts: Up to what time administrative staff is available in the college?

texts:
1) Up to what time administrative staff are/is available in the college?

2) what time up to college administrative staff is available/present in the college?

Which one is correct?


texts: Which should be used: 'swap over' or 'swap with'?

texts:
Which of the following should be used:

Swap big portions of food over smaller ones.

Or

Swap big portions of food with smaller ones.

Thank you.


texts:
The contradictions of mass slavery and poverty side by side with boundless leisure and abundance was only one side of the picture.

From CIVILIZATION AND BEYOND Learning From History by Scott Nearing

The subject NP seems to be "the contradictions," a plural form, but the verb "was." Does the verb agree with the following singular NP?


texts:
Can I say 'Why are you into studying music?' instead of 'How did(do) you happen to study english?'

Is the expression 'Why are you into ~~" grammatically right?


texts: What is the difference between IMO and IMHO and IHOP?

texts:
I was reading a public forum, and I saw the following abbreviations:

IMO
IMHO
IHOP

As far as I see, these are interchangeable somehow, but I don't understand the correct usage of them.
Just assuming the

  IMO

Probably stands for "In my Opinion",

and the extra 'H' letter stands for the Honest (or other references says: Humble).

I don't understand with the extra "H" does it sarcastic or even rude to say?

For the last one, I have absolutely no clue. I've tried to google it, and I ended up with:

--

After all, I don't know how to use these abbreviations.
Plus, is it common in the spoken language as a slang?

Edited with an example of the last one

  Person 1: Hey you wanna go out later tonight?

  Person 2: IHOP

  Person 1: Damn, maybe next time

I appreciate every answer!


texts:
I would like to know the difference between the following sentences bcz its very confusing to me.

  1) A person may say:

  Look at that bridge, it is so old that it would fall by next year.
  Look at that bridge, it is so old that it will fall by next year.
  Look at that bridge, it is so old that it may fall by next year.

I would like to know the sample context in which I can use them and why do we use would here as opposed to will if certain or may if not certain.

  2) Who is at the door

  That would be my friend John
  That will be my friend John
  That may be my friend John

The same confusion


texts: Steven Speilberg movie vs Steven Speilsberg’s movie

texts:
How does it feel to be the lead in a Steven Speilberg movie?

Vs

  How does it feel to be the lead in a Steven Speilberg’s movie?

Which one is correct of the two?


texts:
I wrote:

  Whether these powers are good or not, or whether they have good intentions or not, people dislike to see their presence in the region.

I suspect if I had to use "Regardless" or "No matter" instead of "whether" and "whether" is not applicable here.


texts: What exactly does "at a low ebb" mean in this context?

texts:
She was a pretty little thing, but I fear the libido of the young men she encountered in here would be at a low ebb.

I do understand what "libido" means, as well as "ebb". The dictionary definition of "ebb" tells me that it usually refers to the flow of the tide and has the connotations of a tide backing away or the flow of anything else for that matter falling/decreasing in intensity. In noun form, it's typically used this way: "on the ebb" which means to "be on the fall".

But the thing is the phrase "at a low ebb" sounds to me rather like "at a low level" or "at a low flow". "Ebb" is not supposed to mean so—where "ebb" already means a dwindling amount of something, how can it be labelled low? And I haven't seen at used before "ebb" anywhere before.

So:

  What exactly does "at a low ebb" mean and in which sense is it used?


texts:
I saw the sentence like:

It can go places where people cannot.

Is this sentence grammatically right?


texts: Vocabulary to describe a great football (soccer) victory

texts: If a soccer team scores 4 goals while its opponent scores only 1 in a match, how can we describe this kind of victory? What idioms and/or soccer jargon are there?


texts: He has very good command in/over/of English

texts:
He has very good command in/of/over English.

Which is the best option out of the three and why?


texts: Do I need "for" or "of" in a statement like: " { - / for / of } which there is "

texts:
Which is grammatical?

a. Tom denies a lot of the things he really has said. For instance, 'I have never been arrested,' which there is footage of him saying.

b. Tom denies a lot of the things he really has said. For instance, 'I have never been arrested,' for which there is footage of him saying.

c. Tom denies a lot of the things he really has said. For instance, 'I have never been arrested,' of which there is footage of him saying.


texts: "Black"/"brown"/"yellow"/"red" people -- are some of these accepted (in the US)?

texts:
A co-worker and I just discussed whether "brown people" (for people with Latin American origin or perhaps Middle-Eastern origin?) is acceptable in the US, as I read this phrasing more often now, e.g. in this source, attributed to an ACLU lawyer:

  At a time when corporations are finally being held accountable for their roles in enabling mass incarceration, it is encouraging to see a company as powerful as Google cutting ties with businesses that profit from incarcerating poor Black and brown people... [...]

Said co-worker also challenged my observation that "black" is okay. In his view, all such descriptors should be based on geographical origin of the person instead of based on skin color. My understanding was that geographical descriptors were not as mainstream anymore, since they also led to utter inaccuracies like "Caucasian" for white people.

So, previously I would have binned the terms the following way:

"white person" - ok to use if you must
"black person" - ok to use if you must
"brown person" - totally unsure about this
"red person"/"yellow person" - not ok, because perceived as clearly racist

Which of these are actually accepted?

(I am white, if that helps.)


texts: Does 'It would be very appreciated' contain any obligation for the future?

texts:
I have a feeling that if I ask for something that I really need and would welcome, I can add 'very appreciated', but then I feel myself obligated to somehow react in addition after getting what I need, i.e. to express my appreciation.

So, if you ask person to do something and add 'it would be very appreciated', what is the correct response after the person does it? Is a response really expected?


texts: Present perfect + when + (past simple / present perfect)?

texts:
I have no idea what tense should I use after the "when clause" when the first part of a sentence is in present perfect.
Should I use past simple (continuous) or present perfect (continuous)?

  I've done this many times before when I was helping my uncle.

  I've done this many times before when I've been helping my uncle.

  I have done a lot of crazy things when I was with my friends.

  I have done a lot of crazy things when I've been with my friends.

Which versions are correct?


texts:
Example (from the movie Willow Creek):

  — Tell me a little bit about, um, the Patterson-Gimlin site and just how to get there, man.
  — Oh, well, um, you can take this road, I can show on the map, and you go down that road. It's probably easier that way.
  — That would be great.
  — You come down to the bottom and there's an old camp site there, you know, and, uh, when
  you're at that camp site, you basically just take a right. You have to bushwhack and go through the forest.
  — My girlfriend is OK with that.
  — But it's not... you won't get lost. Just follow the sound of the creek on your left and look at the hill on your right. You just keep going straight between those until you come to a big gulch and you'll see it all blasted out with rocks and log debris and, uh, that's the bottom of the film site area.
  — Wow.

I know it probably means covered with a lot of rocks in an unorganized way but what does it mean exactly to be blasted out with something?


texts: What does it mean when a cash register is out of balance?  I cannot seem to find "out of balance" in dictionaries.  Could it be a technical jargon?


texts: That "was" OR That "is" my birthday week

texts:
My friend said the following sentence :

Me : I guess you have submitted your report during 1st to 7th of
January.
She : No, that's not possible. That is my birthday week and
I was on vacation the whole week.

And I tried to correct her saying, it's not, "that is my birthday week", but instead, it should be, "that was my birthday week". She insists on saying that she is grammatically correct as date always takes the present tense.
Who's correct? And why?


texts: Why "about" in "she kept walking about the room"?

texts:
Regarding the sentence

  She kept walking about the room.

Is that ok to use "in" instead, as in

  She kept walking in the room

Why is "about" used in this sentence?

Is there any difference to between "about" and "in"?

(The above question was asked to me)


texts: '-...ory' : Pronunciation difference between American and British English?

texts:
While listening to the OALD's pronunciations of prefatory, I wondered why the British pronunciation (ˈprɛfətrɪ, which resembles ♦pre-fah-trie) lacks the sound of the letter o, and thus seems less intuitive than the American (ˈprɛfəˌtɔri, which resembles preh-fah-tory)? Is it wrong in British English to articulate the o?
What are some formal terms describing this phonetics issue? Alas, I'm unversed in phonetics; so please feel free to edit the title and question.

Footnote: I apologise for ♦mimicking the pronunciation (3. Are there apter words to describe my action?)
; I can't aurally register phonetic symbols.


texts:
Before the following sentence I state that "we could train the "XX" function by using certain idea in an optimization problem for a model."
Then I want to say:

  Moreover, we could also train, by using a same idea or new ideas, the
  "YY" function and bring in different models in one optimization
  problem. In this way I suppose we shall have a better result, even.

Question 1: Should I use could or can? (Solved)
Question 2: Do I use even correctly?
Question 3: How may I write this sentence better...? I feel weird when I read it...


texts: It's about time [she came/has come], It's about time [to verb]

texts:
The scenario is that you have been waiting for your daughter or wife that is visiting a friend of hers. Your son complains about them taking so long.

In this scenario I would say:

  It's about time she came home

But then again this construction attracted my attention, and I would like to know whether it is correct or not.

  It's about time she's come home

Edit:
Incidentally: what about this construction: It's about time [to verb] as in:

  It's about time to leave now.

Is it plain wrong?

P.S:

I think the construction is alright regardless of my example being awkward. I have found this by Robert Feder, The Chicago Sun-Times, 2007 via COCA:

  We did the documentary about four years ago. It 's about time to go
  back and do a follow-up.


texts: What would be the connotative meaning of "deeply grounded in tradition"?

texts:
What would be the connotative meaning of "deeply grounded in tradition”?

I have looked on various searches and sites and haven't been able to find anything. I have to find an example of denotative meaning and then offer an example of connotative meaning from the following for my communications course:

  Hello, when I was a young girl, my father always told me I could do anything I set my mind to If I coupled vision with determination and hard work. He meant it.

  I consider myself fortunate to have learned from the best. Both as an entrepreneur and as a parent.

  My father is a man who is deeply grounded in tradition. He raised my siblings and me to work hard and strive for excellence in all that we do. He taught us that to inspire and gain respect in life and in business you have to earn it.


texts:
What's the difference among "in regard to" ,"with regard to" , "concerning" and "as regards"?

Is there any nuance among them?


texts:
I have heard a sentence saying "The seminar now will take place a week on Tuesday"

Does this mean the seminar will take place from next Tuesday?

Could anyone explain grammatically how that is correct?

Thank you for your help!


texts:
A: Is it the room?
B: Of course!
B: I will not be able to sleep in that landfill.
A: The theater always sends the authors there.
B: Authors?
B: You would never let Vinaver or Yasmina Reza stay there.
B: You are not in it for nothing.
B: I'm not here for my pleasure.
B: I am invited, but I also have work to do.

What does "You are not in it for nothing" mean?


texts:
In my country, we use the informal term "paga fantas" which refers to a man who buys stuff or is willing to get anything for a girl with the intent of seducing her.

In some particular cases, a man who does this only intends to have sex with a girl, therefore he makes a great effort to buy a girl expensive stuff so that she accepts having sex with him.

Having said that, the purport of "paga fantas" doesn't refer to the following English terms:

Don Juan,
Lothario,
Prince Charming,
Cocksman,
Ladies' man,
Lady-killer,
Philanderer,
Playboy,
Seducer,
Sheik,
Womanizer,
Philander,
Skirt-chaser.

I would appreciate your valuable help in advance.


texts:
Imagine you are fighting someone over a bad problem. A friend tries to interfere. You are going to get even with the guy because of what he did in the past. You want to prevent the friend from interfering and ask them not to say or do anything because it is a personal matter. I was wondering if someone could let me know if in the self-made sentence below the bold word is natural (for indicating that you are going to get even with the guy / get settled)? If not, then what shall I use to convey exactly the same message:

  Please don't interfere. This is a personal settlement.


texts: What does "coherent mental reckoning" mean in this sentence?

texts:
Our units of temporal measurement, from seconds on up to months, are so complicated, asymmetrical and disjunctive so as to make coherent mental reckoning in time all but impossible.Indeed, had some tyrannical god contrived to enslave our minds to time, to make it all but impossible for us to escape subjection to sodden routines and unpleasant surprises, he could hardly have done better than handing down our present system. It is like a set of trapezoidal building blocks, with no vertical or horizontal surfaces, like a language in which the simplest thought demands ornate constructions, useless particles and lengthy circumlocutions. Unlike the more successful patterns of language and science, which enable us to face experience boldly or at least level-headedly, our system of temporal calculation silently and persistently encourages our terror of time. ...
From Robert Grudin, Time and the Art of Living.

What does coherent mental reckoning mean in this sentence?


texts: Recently I have been trying to learn to pronounce the voiced th properly.Is it a correct way of pronouncing it by saying "d" with my tongue between my teeth?I know that this is not the canonical way,but to me it seems that this is a much easier way to do it and it is close to the way the natives pronounce it.


texts: Use of phrasal verb and preposition together in "He pulled the cap off of the marker."

texts:
I have read it in a book:

  He pulled the cap off of the marker.

Doesn't "pull off" show that the person removed the cap? Why to use "of"?

In another sentence in the same book it is:

  He pulled off the cap.

Is there any difference in meaning of the both sentence? Does "of" add to the meaning somehow?


texts: There's a song by the Beatles A Day in the Life. I can't figure out why that the is there. Would it have been different if it had been written as A Day in Life?


texts: Would Americans be more inclined to use "proved" or "proven" here?

texts:
He was also suspected of another robbery, but again nothing could be
proved/proven.

I know that both are used, but which one would Americans be inclined to use in this example?
As I understand it "proven" is more common in AE than in BE, but is it more common than "proved"?


texts: "I wish I could visit all countries" or "I hope I can visit all countries"

texts:
We use "wish" to talk about things that are impossible, or things that probably won't happen.

  On the other hand, we use "I hope..." when there's a good chance that something might happen. You can use it to say what you want to happen in the future. Phrase Mix

I have dreame to visit all countries, and I'm working on it, and I want do it some day. in the same time I know this is very very difficult, and my chance is very small to achieve it.

So, which one of the following should I say:

  I hope I can visit all the countries one day.
  I wish I could visit all countries one day.


texts: "Computers are often argued to be the most important invention of the last hundred years." Could anyone tell me whether this sentence is right? And why? Thank you!


texts:
I was told that this is correct:
What day will it be tomorrow?
Do you consider this wrong
"What day will be tomorrow?"
If it's wrong without "it", why do we not need "it" here?
What man will come tomorrow?


texts: Can we say "put the lid on the box" and "take the lid off the box" when one side of the lid is joined to the box?

texts:
We can say "slide the lid open / closed" as shown in the above picture
Or

We can say "snap/click the lid open / closed" as shown in the above picture
But what about this one

Note that one side of the lid is joined to the box so we can only move the lid freely into "on-off" position. And, I am not sure we can "take it off" and "put it on".
Can we say "move the lid open / closed" in this case?


texts: "I see no A or B" versus "I see no A nor B"

texts:
In a question, there's been a correction and instead of the original

  I'm seeing an answer on SO and I feel that I'd need to post a comment to it with a relevant follow-up question. However, there's no link nor button to do that.

the edit changed it into

  I'm seeing an answer on SO and I feel that I'd need to post a comment to it with a relevant follow-up question. However, there's no link or button to do that.

Which one is correct?
Are those equivalent?


texts: What is the difference between “then” and “than”?

texts: I want to know the difference between “then” and “than”, when i use it and how, because the pronounce is very similar?


texts: What does "but more about this presently" mean?

texts:
I was reading an article and came across an unfamiliar phrase for me. Here is the context:

She would never express regret, let alone offer apology, throughout the months that followed; nor has she done so since. But more about this presently.

Then I checked out whether this is a pattern or phrase looking at other written text. I found plenty of usage of "but more about this" either with "presently" or "later".
Another example of usage of "but more about presently"

Otherwise, you will find it impossible to connect with them and your level of impact will be zero. The very worst thing you can do is to try and take the moral high ground and pressurize them into accepting your values. This will never succeed — but more about this presently.

What does this phrase mean exactly?


texts: What does "blue corn moon" mean in this song?

texts:
In the song "Colors of the Wind," which is  used in the movie Pocahontas,  there is a part which says:

  Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon ...

what does blue corn moon mean ?


texts: "adjective" or "noun" for answering the question word "What"

texts:
Given Sentence:

  Girls  who  are  tall usually  long  to  be  dainty  and  small,  and  vice  versa;  plump  girls  with  rosy  round  faces  would  love  to be  pale  and  delicate;  slender  girls  with  very  white  skin  hate  their  pale  and  colourless  look.

Question:

  What do dainty and small girls want to be?

Possible Answer:

  Dainty and small girls want to be tall.[adjective complement]
  Dainty and small girls want to be tall girls.[noun complement]

Which will be appropriate answer for this type of "What" question, "adjective" or "noun"?


texts:
I came across the sentence "The shellfish belongs to past ages when the whales were land animals and all that".

What is the predicative of "animals and all that"? I guess "were land" but If so, Why did it place before "were land" like "the whales, animals and all that were land"?


texts:
John said that Bill was ill.

Does this sentence indicate that Bill's illnes is only simultaneous with John's statement? Thus Bill was ill in the past, in the moment when John was saying this. And if I wanted to express the fact that Bill is still ill (in the present time) I would have to say "John said that Bill is ill".


texts:
Ok, let see this sentence "I do not want to get married in the near future".

Ok, I want to say an opposite sentence, so I want to say "I want to get married in the far future". Is it ok to say like that?

I often hear people say "in the near future" but rarely hear they say "in the far future".

So, What is the opposite of "in the near future"?


texts:
What is the proper response to I love you?
Is it "I love you too"  or "I too love you" ?


texts: Confusion with an answer to a test question

texts:
While most scholarship on women’s employment in the United States
  recognizes that the Second World War (1939–1945) dramatically changed
  the role of women in the workforce, these studies also acknowledge
  that few women remained in manufacturing jobs once men returned from
  the war. But in agriculture, unlike other industries where women were
  viewed as temporary workers, women’s employment did not end with the
  war. Instead, the expansion of agriculture and a steady decrease in
  the number of male farmworkers combined to cause the industry to hire
  more women in the postwar years. Consequently, the 1950s saw a growing
  number of women engaged in farm labor, even though rhetoric in the
  popular media called for the return of women to domestic life.

Which of the following statements about women’s employment in the United
States during and after the Second World War is most clearly supported by the
passage?

Most women who joined the workforce during the Second World War
wanted to return to domestic life when the war ended.
The great majority of women who joined the workforce during the Second
World War were employed in manufacturing jobs.
The end of the Second World War was followed by a large-scale transfer of
women workers from manufacturing to agriculture.
The increase in women’s employment that accompanied the Second World War was longer lasting in agriculture than it was in
manufacturing.
The popular media were more forceful in calling for women to join the
workforce during the Second World War than in calling for women to
return to domestic life after the war.

The given answer is (4), but to me (3) is also a probable answer because it states that numbers of female transferred to agriculture from manufacturing companies.
Where am I wrong?


texts: "Carpenters love the tools they use to build houses with."

texts:
In the following sentence, "with" is necessary?

Carpenters love the tools they use to build houses with.


texts: “a lump the size of a golf ball” or “of the size” or “a golf-ball-sized lump”?

texts:
Which one of them is grammatically correct?

a lump the size of a golf ball
a lump of the size of a golf ball
a golf-ball-sized lump

Which one of them is used more in daily language specifically in UK ?


texts:
What is the meaning of "just so often" in this context?

  Mr. Mompesson, in bed with his little daughter (about Kate's age) whom
  the sound seemed chiefly to follow, "observed that it would exactly
  answer, in drumming, anything that was beaten or called for." But his
  curiosity led him no further. Not so Kate Fox. She tried, by silently
  bringing together her thumb and forefinger, whether she could still
  obtain a response. Yes! It could see, then, as well as hear! She
  called her mother. "Only look, mother!" she said, bringing together
  her finger and thumb as before. And as often as she repeated the
  noiseless motion, just so often responded the raps.

from http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301051h.html


texts: Difference Between Photographs Of And Photographs With?

texts:
1.Photographs of my teachers and my parents are taken.

  2.Photographs with my teachers and my parents are taken.

Are these sentences different in meaning?


texts: what are the synonyms for "immediate results"? can I say "soon-achieving results"

texts:
The topic of my issue is : Researchers should not limit their investigations to only those areas in which they expect to discover something that has an immediate, practical application.

I want to avoid repeating "immediate application" in my issue.I was thinking that maybe "soon-achieving results" is a correct synonyms.(?) are they any better synonyms?


texts:
What the bold part reffered to? Could it be rephrased like this: "and children learn the reflex to think in terms of mental states". If yes, what's the meaning of reflex to think about mental state?

  Furthermore, we know from developmental research that children learn to think about mental states and the reflex to think in terms of them in the context of families where they have opportunities to learn and through relationships where they experience others as mentalizing and get help to develop these capacities themselves (Clarke-Stewart & Dunn, 2006; Denham &
  Kochanoff, 2002a, 2002b; Symons, Fossum, & Collins, 2006; Taumoepeau & Ruffman, 2008).

  Midgley, N., Ensink, K., Lindqvist, K., Malberg, N., & Muller, N. (2017). Mentalization-based treatment for children: A time-limited approach. American Psychological Association.


texts: A sellers demands a sum of money for the thing he sells and that is called 'price'. Question is, is the same on the side of a customer? I mean, does a customer offer a 'price' when he bargains? Is the word 'price' suitable when a sum of money is offered by a customer.


texts: Do we say "he has a stitch in his head"?

texts:
I am not a stitching expert, but according to my research it seems like people stitch a wound differently from a split in clothes.
To stitch a split in clothes, we just need 1 long stitch and wind it around the split into a spiral shape.
Can we say "my T-shirt has a stitch in its sleeve"?
To stitch a wound, we may use many small stitches separately as the below picture.

Suppose that we stitch a wound just like stitching a clothes split.
Is it correct to say "he has a stitch in his head"?


texts: There is no difference among "start work", "start working" & "start to work", is there?

texts:
I heard my native teacher say, "I start work at 9". Checking the dictionary, I got:

Start: to begin doing or using something
    -start something

    -start to do something

    -start doing something

So, in the case of "I start work at 9", is "work" a correct noun?

And in the case of "I start to work at 9" and "I start working at 9", is "work" a correct verb?

And is there any difference among the 3 structures?


texts: Countable & uncountable nouns in the same sentence

texts:
Which one is grammatically correct:
1. There is food and drinks at X Cafe.
Or
2. There are food and drinks at X Cafe.

(This is for a class test paper).

Thanks
EC


texts: The role of the “it” pronoun in these examples

texts:
Can I use “it” in the role of placeholder in the following?

  I'm afraid I can't make it to the meeting this afternoon.

  I'm afraid I can't make it where we agreed this afternoon.

In this context, “make it” means “manage to come”.


texts: What is correct when "increase or decrease" is a passive?

texts:
What is diff between "as n increases" with "when n is increased"?
Also i know this sentence: "as n increases, the energy consumption increases" is correct, when i think n and the energy consumption are passive here!! Why do not use we a past participle form of them?
Thank.


texts:
‘Good God,’ said Howard for the third time, ignoring Shirley’s soft background questioning, his attention all Miles’. ‘He just dropped down dead in the car park?’
  ‘Yep,’ said Miles. ‘Moment I saw him it was pretty obvious there was nothing to be done.’
  It was his first lie, and he turned his eyes away from his wife as he told it. She remembered his big protective arm around Mary’s shaking shoulders: He’ll be OK … he’ll be OK …
  But after all, thought Samantha, giving Miles his due, how were you supposed to know one way or the other, when they were strapping on masks and shoving in needles? It had seemed as though they were trying to save Barry, and none of them had known for certain that it was no good until the young doctor had walked towards Mary at the hospital. Samantha could still see, with awful clarity, Mary’s naked, petrified face, and the expression of the bespectacled, sleek-haired young woman in the white coat: composed, yet a little wary … they showed that sort of thing on television dramas all the time, but when it actually happened …
  ‘Not at all,’ Miles was saying. ‘Gavin was only playing squash with him on Thursday.’
  ‘And he seemed all right then?’
  ‘Oh yeah. Thrashed Gavin.’
  ‘Good God. Just goes to show you, doesn’t it? Just goes to show. Hang on, Mum wants a word.’
  . . . . . .
  ‘He’d had a bad headache for a couple of days, apparently.’
  ‘Ah,’ said Simon, chewing toast. ‘And he ignored it?’
  ‘Oh, yes, he didn’t think anything of it.’
  Simon swallowed.
  ‘Goes to show, doesn’t it?’ he said portentously. ‘Got to watch yourself.’
  . . . . . .
  ‘I always knew he’d pull through,’ [I believed my husband unlike the dead one above pulled through his heart attack] Shirley had said, unruffled and serene. ‘I never doubted it.’
  And here he [my husband] was, as good as ever; and there was Fairbrother in the morgue. It only went to show.)
  (The Casual Vacancy, by J. K. Rowling)

What does the expression, goes to show, mean? I guess, it, things that we meet, goes and just show the result when happened. What do I have to think of it?


texts: Is this sentence correct? "My English may be not perfect."

texts: I'm from Poland and it's really important for me to get the answer quite quickly, thank you.


texts: Do "I can't remember" and "I don't remember" mean the same thing?

texts:
I don't remember

and

  I can't remember

Do these mean the same? I translated it to my mother tongue using Google translate and the translation is the same, but I have a feeling that it's not correct to say "I can't remember".


texts: What does "temporary chicken" mean? What about a "one time chicken"?

texts: I listened to a song called "temporary chicken". Wikipedia explains that it was a strange joke track about a man so desperate for work that he accepted a part-time job in a chicken costume. I would be satisfied with the explanation but the song has words as "one time chicken", but if a man took the job, it means he appeared as a chicken more than once, so I suspect Wikipedia has wrong explanation.


texts:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/author.php?author=Labr4t

Here is the use of "have a moment" natural?( apart from its other  meanings)?

  The phrase 'Having a moment' should be used whenever a conversation between yourself and someone else is interrupted, either verbally or through the unwanted presence of someone.

    Does not necessarily mean the you are actually having a moment.
    Boy and Girl are having a discussion about motorized seesaws at a party, Random Guy appears near them, attempting to interject the conversation.

      Girl: "Uh sorry, we're having a moment right now"
      Boy: nods
      Random Guy: "Oh, uh, sorry" Exeunt

Source: The Urban Dictionary.

And is this use common in AmE:

  to not be acting normally for a short time, for example because you are not thinking about what you are doing, or because you are feeling a

Source: The Cambridge Dictionary.

The Dictionary says it's a British phrase, so is it used in AmE as well?


texts: Standalone ɴᴏʀ: "neither this nor that" versus "not this nor that"?

texts:
Is one of these correct two versions and the other incorrect, or are they both correct?

Those on the bottom had neither the ability nor the opportunity to get to the top.
Those on the bottom did not have the ability nor the opportunity to get to the top.

Are they both grammatically correct, or can you never use nor without having neither next to it?

Is “not this nor that” a grammatical construction in English, or must it only ever be “neither this nor that” or else “not this or that”?

When can you use nor?


texts: How to interpret "ask somebody to verb" in this conext?

texts:
If someone is in the room, please ask them to leave, or book another room on the 2nd floor.

I read this on a manual, and does the bold part mean:

  Please ask them to leave. Or please book another room on the 2nd
  floor.

Or

  Please ask them to leave. Or please ask them to book another room on
  the 2nd floor.


texts: "nearby" (close by) as an adjective, a preposition, or an adverb

texts:
Would you show me if there could be any potential difference semantically between the two?
Please, would you possibly take into account the bounds of possibility that the word "nearby" in the following could be an adjective, or even an adverb:

I live in a nearby town.
I live in a town nearby.

Furthermore, what is the difference between these following pairs semantically, being distinguish between adjective, preposition or even an adverb.
First pair:

A) I sometimes meet friends in a nearby restaurant.
B) I sometimes meet friends in a restaurant nearby.

Second pair:

C) I ran to the telephone box nearby to call an ambulance.
D) I ran to the nearby telephone box to call an ambulance.

UPDATED:

First off, thanks all for your invaluable concerns as to problems. However, my most problem is about discerning between being an adjective or an adverb, not comparing them just as an adjective.

Second, my more specific problem is that if we distinct them as once an adjective and next an adverb what different meaning could be caused? (Such as the sentences above.)

UPDATED:And, would this one be incorrect?I hope to visit you in your near home. [near cannot be used before a noun to refer to distance]
........
........................
Edited: This part of answer has been prosed by one of the dear members, However, I failed to get it. Could you tell me more about it in a more readily way?
SEMANTICS:: the relationship of "nearness()"
Many locational prepositions have an associated semantic relationship that takes two arguments. Usually both arguments can be locations, or one is a location and the other is a situation. For instance:
The tree is near/nearby the river.
In that above example, there is the relationship of "nearness()" that involves the two arguments "the tree" and "the river". That is:
nearness( the tree, the river ) <-- semantic relation
Many times one of the arguments can be covert (that is, implied or understood from context). E.g.
Go near/nearby the river.
nearness( ("you":implied), the river )
and,
The tree is near/nearby the river.
nearness( the tree, ("the river":implied) )
and,
The tree is near/nearby where we are.
nearness( the tree, ("where we are":implied) )
For an example where one argument can be a situation:
Tom killed a bird near/nearby the river.
nearness( Tom killed a bird, the river )
where the first argument is the situation describe by "Tom killed a bird".


texts:
Would you refer to the packaged powdered ingredients as cake mix or cake mixture?

I suspect the difference, which I am by no means certain of, is that "cake mixture" refers to cake mix with water added, while "cake mix" refers to the powered form before water is added. Can someone tell me if this is the case?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
In Merchant of Venice, Antonio repeatedly talks about giving his life up for Bassanio. First he is willing to have a pound of his flesh cut off, and then, in act 5 swears upon his soul that Bassanio will never break Portia's faith.
What would you call a person who is willing to give up their life for others?


texts:
"It won't fall only on my shoulders, but also on the company that I'll be working for."

Is this sentence correct or does it need to show possession on the second sentence, like "on the company's (shoulder) that I'll be working for"?

Also, how does the meaning of the sentence change in the different positionings of "only"? E.g., it won't fall only on my shoulders; it won't only fall on my shoulders; it won't fall on my shoulders only.


texts:
Sentence:

  Although he was bred __ the law, he became a successful journalist.

Problem: Fill in the blank with apt. preposition.

Attempt: I have no idea. Even my 1500 page Oxford dictionary doesn't have a usage of the verb "breed" which might suit the sentence here :/ My best guess can be "with" or "under" but I don't know if it's correct.

Question: What is the correct answer here and why?


texts: When exactly should I omit "linking verbs"?

texts:
Take for example this sentence.

  "There was a plane crash last night. 20 passengers on board"

(Were is omitted after passengers).

I am struggling to find that when should we use "linking verbs" or not.
Please help me.


texts:
Narrator: If I did have a tumor, I'd name it Marla. Marla. The scratch
on the roof of your mouth that would heal if you could stop tonguing
it, but you can't.

What does "tonguing it" mean here?
This dictionary says it refers to musical but here context is not at
all musical.
Source: Fight Club (1999)


texts: Difference between "resultant" and "resulting"?

texts:
I came across a person practicing English saying that the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered a disaster after a powerful earthquake and a "resultant tsunami".

I would have normally written it as a "resulting tsunami".

Wiktionary lists both words as adjectives, and I can't see any difference in meaning.

Is it ok to use either word? Does "resulting" sound more natural, possibly because it's more common?


texts:
what is the meaning of "if" in this paragraph?
what is the description of "if flattish bosom"?

Baxter has written a pamphlet with the portentous title, "Narrative of
Facts, Characterising the Supernatural Manifestations, in Members of
Mr. Irving's Congregation, and other Individuals, in England and
Scotland, and formerly in the Writer Himself." Spiritual truth could no
more come through such a mind than white light could come through a
prism, and yet in this account he has to admit the occurrence of many
things which seem clearly preternatural, mixed up with much that is
questionable, and some things which are demonstrably false. The object
of the pamphlet is mainly to forswear his evil and invisible guides, so
that he may return to the safe if flattish bosom of the Scottish Church. It
is noticeable, however, that a second member of Irving's congregation
wrote an answering pamphlet with an even longer title, which showed
that Baxter was right so long as he was prompted by the spirit, and
wrong in his Satanic inferences. This pamphlet is interesting as
containing letters from various people who possessed the gift of
tongues, showing that they were earnest-minded folk who were
incapable of any conscious deception.


texts: Is it correct to use the indefinite article before the name of dances?

texts:
Which article: a or the is it the most natural to use in the following sentence?

  Let's dance a/the waltz at our wedding.

Are both pissible? If so, then is there a difference in meaning or it is just a matter of prefference?


texts:
I deeply apologise for the length; I wanted to provide (over)sufficient context while questioning my confusion and miscomprehension. Please advise if this can be improved or pruned.
 Source: The Legal Analyst, Ward Farnsworth

  p 176: A final example involves the use, against people suspected of terrorism,
  of coercive forms of interrogation—physical and mental pressure
  that falls short of “torture,” though obviously there is a lot of room for
  debate about where that line gets drawn. One argument against using
  any such pressures at all is an appeal to the slippery slope: if we get used
  to putting physical pressure on people, we will become numb to its horrors
  and dangers and will be inclined then to move on to more aggressive
  methods that would more obviously amount to torture; or we will
  start using torture elsewhere—against people suspected of other things,
  or against people convicted of crimes whom we want to punish regardless
  of whether they have any useful information. (The “we” here might refer
  to the police who do the pressuring or to the public at large.) All these
  things could happen, but it is hard to prove that they will happen.

176. How is the above an example of a slippery slope? Farnsworth submits that 'All these
things could happen', so why does it matter whether they will happen or not? Aren't these all truly cogent, coherent reasons, regardless of their probability of occurrence?  What's "slippery"?

  p 177: A path of this kind, with the right to die expanded in each case,
  was followed by courts in the Netherlands. The first decision by itself
  might not have seemed to imply the last one, but each step between
  them turned out to be slippery. This might have been so because norms
  of equality—of treating like cases alike—made it hard to draw lines between
  any two of them; in that case we might question whether it was
  a true slippery slope or just a case where the implications of the first
  decision weren’t fully appreciated until later. But it’s also possible that
  distinctions between these cases are available and plausible yet hard to
  draw in practice: each case presents heart-rending facts, and judges may
  not have the stomach or, perhaps, the moral confidence to say that any
  two of these situations are different enough to deny relief. If so, the result
  could amount to a true slippery slope: a case where decision two really
  was not thought to follow from decision one when decision one was
  made, but did follow from it after all.

177. If in actuality, decision 2 did follow from decision 1, then how's this a slippery slope?

As an addendum, I thought to link to https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/a/4683.


texts: Why does a definite article come in 'The years sure pass quickly.'?

texts:
The years sure pass quickly.
It's a general statement, isn't it? Is this ok too: years sure pass quickly.?


texts: "I took my dog to the vet." - acceptable when I have more than one dog?

texts:
I have two dogs, and one was sick so I took him to the vet.
Should I say (1) or (2) when I tell this to the listener?

Is (1) correct?

  (1) I took my dog to the vet.

  (2) I took one of my dogs to the vet.


texts: Is there a more idiomatic phrase for "can be used in later times"?

texts:
Is there a more idiomatic phrase for can be used in later times?

For example:

  One of my demands is that the code can be used in later times.


texts: Can "Don't be sad" start a sentence followed by a comma?

texts:
Example sentence:

Don't be sad, everything will turn out fine.

I've seen "Don't worry" used like this, so I think it's not ungrammatical. But part of me, sees "Don't be sad" as a complete sentence, so I'm a bit skeptic about this usage.
Maybe it's grammatically correct to start a sentence with an imperative sentence?


texts:
I would like to paraphrase a sentence:

  "This is how the costs of each course should be."

So my idea was:

  "This is how the price/prices per course should be."

What are the differences between singular + per vs. plural + per?

Or

If you have better paraphrases, you're very welcome to share them.

Thank you very much :)


texts: The difference between characteristic, feature, aspect, attribute and quality, their definitions are defined using each other

texts:
It's annoying the Dictionary always happens to me this absurdity:
Characteristic - distinguishing feature or quality
Feature - a distinctive attribute or aspect of something
Attribute - regard a quality or feature as a characteristic of or possessed by, quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone or something
Quality - distinctive attribute or characteristic possessed by
For a partly ignorant on the English Lexicon person if you do not know these words it's going to be challenging to know their meaning and more their differences because they are defined using each other, what should I do?


texts: "The network path" and just "Path" or "A path"?

texts:
This question is about filesystem paths and network paths only (computers)
I often see sentences such as The network path was not found or ...if path is not found..
Confusion is regarding The and A word.
My understanding is if we don’t specify what kind of a path are we talking about then we should omit The and just say path?
And if we know this is network path or file path then we would use The and say The network path or The file path.
Assuming the path word is not used for the first time in some sentence otherwise we would say A network path or A file path?
I need help understanding when to say The path vs. A path vs just path.


texts: ...the ones that stay... Is "that" correct?

texts:
Friends are like stars, they come and go, but the ones that stay are the ones that glow.

This is a quote I read on Facebook and that is quite frequently used by some. I have doubts whether it's grammatical or not.

Should not it be those in place of that since ones is plural? The sentence then becomes:

  Friends are like stars, they come and go, but the ones those stay are the ones those glow.


texts:
This vision of human possibility led him to a range of subjects united
  mainly by their total lack of intellectual respectabilty: murder, the
  occult, sexuality. (At the Existentialist Café, by Sarah
  Bakewell)

Does "their" refer to subjects? Could you please rewrite the sentence?


texts: What it means - Translators do not always do what they say they are doing or, indeed, what they think they are doing

texts:
Translators do not always do what they say they are doing or, indeed, what they think they are doing

I spent a lot of time to try to catch correct meaning over the above sentence but just could not get it. Would anyone there can help on this? Thank you in advance for the kind help.


texts:
please help me check these two sentences are grammatical or not

The loudly boiling water is very noisy.

The man swimming very fast is my teacher!

My grammar book told me that participle phrases should be put after the nouns, single participle should be put before the nouns.

So are these two sentences correct?

Thanks very much for your help!


texts: If something is oversold, is it worth more or less than the sell price?

texts:
On one hand, in the context of stock market, Lexico dictionary defines the word "oversold" as follows:

  Sold at a price below its true value.

On the other hand, when defining the word "oversell", it says:

  Exaggerate the merits of

These meanings seem contradicting to me: the first one defines "oversold" as something whose price is less than its true value, while the second one defines "oversold" as something whose (concieved) price is more than its true value.

Do I get it wrong?


texts:
Could this sentence:

  He asked the way to the London.

be wrong?  Because according to this dictionary, "ask" means to tell somebody to give you something.  Using this definition would suggest that my original sentence would translate as:

  He told somebody to give him the way to the London.

which seems to be missing something.  Would this modified original sentence be better?

  He asked the information about the way to the London.

because it would translate to:

  He told somebody to give him the information about the way to the London.


texts: What does "lean into" mean in this context?

texts:
I am reading a story and there's a conversation between two young men and I was wondering what "lean into" means in this context. I supposed it meant something like "snuggling" in this context but when I try to search it in google all it says is that its a term used in professional boxing. I will quote the following paragraph:

  "Wait!" cried Antonio, rather surprised at Lovino's speed, and rather elated by his smile. "Wait, Lovino, your ankle!" Lovino drew a breath like a warning and batted Antonio's hand away, but a gasp of laughter finally burst from his lips. "I'm fine!" Antonio's chest flipped. Lovino's laughter was still the most wonderful sound he had ever heard. He had to hear more of it… "Don't be silly, you are injured, lean into me…" Lovino's eyes flashed wildly. "You perverted…" Antonio placed a hand on his back… "Hush, that's the pain speaking…"


texts: Why is subject-auxiliary inversion NOT triggered by 'so' as a correlative conjunction?

texts:
Source: p 258, A Student's Introduction to English Grammar (2005), by Huddleston & Pullum

  [1.] The main elements that trigger inversion like this
  include:
  ...
  expressions containing so or only, as in [46]
  - or Sue is going, and so am I. ...

I ask this question only for 'so' in a correlative conjunction (eg 'Just as ..., so ...'), for which I usually witness subject-auxiliary inversion.
Thus, for the main clause, why were so and is NOT inverted?
I would've written:

  [3.] ... so is protensio derived ...

Source: p 54, The Logic of Apuleius ...,
 edited by David George Londey, Carmen J. Johanson

  [2.] For just as the word protasis
  is derived from a Greek verb of holding out or offering, viz., proteino, so
  protensio is derived from the matching Latin verb protendo.

Footnote: I encountered this  quote while researching the etymology of 'protasis'.


texts:
Could you explain what the highlighted parts mean please?

  An added benefit of Valerie's schedule is that it corresponds
  closely to her 13-year-old daughter's schedule, which means they have
  more time to spend together. "I love that I get to see her first
  thing in the morning, and make breakfast for her," Valerie says. She
  also hopes that her good sleep habits will rub off on her daughter,
  and that she will grow up with a healthy appreciation of sleep and
  its importance. "I certainly don't take sleep for granted like I used
  to."

If " to get to do something" means "to begin to do something" , can we use it in both forms :

For example :

  I love that I get to see her first thing in the morning

  I love that I get to seeing her first thing in the morning

Because a source says it should be used ing form after get to

  get to doing something to start doing something

  He got to thinking  that it was all his fault.