texts: Is it awkward to say "Good morning" to roommate every day?

texts:
I know it is a bit weird to ask this question, yet in the country I am staying, China, people love to say "Good morning" to everyone every morning.

I have never been to other countries except China and I am going to study abroad in America.

Is this social etiquette the same in America and American people say "Good morning" to their roommate every day?


texts: What is the difference among these words?

texts: Some English words are driving me mad for their similarities when I try to momerize them. Could anyone tell me the difference between 'seduce' and 'seduct', 'seduction' and ' seducement', according to dictionary,their meanings are so similar that it is hard for me to tell them aparat.


texts: Neither..nor/ Either..or with contradictive sentences

texts:
I don't know how to explain these sentences. But my teacher gave me this problem of combining two sentences using neither-nor or either-or:

  I will attend the party.
  If I can't, my sister will.

How do you combine those using neither-nor or either-or? My best try is

  I will either attend the party, or if I can't my sister will.


texts:
I might go to the beach if the sun was shining.

I might go with you to the market if I wasn't ill.

I might do better if I had a different teacher.

If I won the lottery, I might buy a 20-room mansion.

Are all of them correct?


texts: "will have had" insted of "will have" - grammar

texts:
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-pullback-caused-by-conscription-problems-2014-5

  Felgenhauer notes that it would be possible to keep conscripts for only a few months longer than their contracts called for — but that would run the risk of a drastic slip in morale as soldiers overstayed their expected conscription period.
  Meanwhile, the arriving batch of Russian conscripts will have had limited training, reducing their battle effectiveness.
  The incoming round of conscripts will serve within Russian airborne units, marines, and army brigades.

I don't understand why it should be will have had instead of simple will have. Could you please explain this grammar point to me?


texts:
1) What is the meaning of the sentences below? Do they have the same meaning?

2) Which one is correct to say in Reporting Speech?

3) Can met be used as both a transitive and an intransitive verb?

Sentences:

  a) He was met with an accident yesterday.

  b) He met with an accident yesterday.


texts: Why do people use last word of an acronym?

texts:
I have heard a lot of people saying-

It's an HIV virus.
I study in BJS school.
and so on...

This means-

It's a Human immunodeficiency virus virus
I study in Bishop Johnson School School.

Is it correct according to grammar?


texts: Is the question mark needed at the end of indirect questions?

texts:
When I asked an earlier question I wasn't sure whether to put a question mark at the end of the following sentence, which is, obviously, a question, even if it is not written in interrogative form:

  Since I suppose both are grammatical, I wonder which one, "A" or "B", sounds more natural English?

The question is: is ending that sentence with a question mark obligatory?


texts: Does "you are getting close" have the same meaning as "you are close"?

texts:
No sign you are getting close to it.

  No sign you are close to it.

Do they have the same meaning?
To me, the first sentence reveals an action of the subject, like walking. The second sentence is just telling the location that the subject standing is not close to it. Both of them saying the petty much the same meaning. Am I understanding it right? Any mistake in the sentence?


texts: What's the meaning of "people are walked out" phrase?

texts:
From: https://workplace.stackexchange.com/a/44409/826

  There is a very good reason people are walked out when they are fired or laid off.

What does that mean?


texts:
Please take a look at this sentence

  Linking verbs show a relationship between the subject and a noun or adverb being linked to it.

I want to understand the word being. I think it is not passive voice, because then there should be any "be" form (is, am, are) before it.

And I think without "being" the sentence is still correct.

  Linking verbs show a relationship between the subject and a noun or adverb  linked to it.

Can someone please explain why and in which context being is being used here?


texts:
"That is me." Why is this incorrect and why should we use "that is I" please?

I think we can't say the pronoun "that" can't act as a subject:
That is a keyboard.

Who is she?
Here, too, "who" is not considered as the subject apparently! Is its reason the same as above?

What makes her happy?

But here "what" is considered as a subject!

I suppose the issue related to the problem is in the use of "to be" words, in the first two sentences above.

Do you agree?

All answers and comments are warmly welcome, I also would like to see StoneyB's answer. :-)


texts: Which tense should be used with "while" here

texts:
A: Do you know how we spent the afternoon?

B: How?

A: All of us chatted away in the kitchen while Ben’s mother showed me how to cook his favorite food.

B: Great. Sounds like you had a fun time there, didn’t you?

The answer key says that we have to use past simple tense “chatted away and showed”. However why don’t we use past continuous? Is it possible to use other tenses?

For example:
All of us were chatting away in the kitchen while Ben’s mother was showing me how to cook his favorite food.


texts: There was once a dreadfully wicked hobgoblin. One day he was in capital spirits because he had made a looking glass which reflected everything that was good and beautiful in such a way that it dwindled almost to nothing, but anything that was bad and ugly stood out very clearly and looked much worse. This story is https://www.storynory.com/the-snow-queen-part-1/


texts:
Can I use with with help?

For example:

  What does your sister always help you with?

Is it correct? (my English teacher said it was wrong)


texts: A saying for "we are old when we begin to often think about the past"?

texts:
I remember that I heard of a short yet profound saying that means "we are old when we begin to think about the past" from somewhere (maybe when watching an episode of Desperate Housewives a few years ago). So what is an idiomatic way to say:

  we are old when we begin to often track our memory about the past (and we are young if we still often look into the future).


texts: What does "ripped back" mean in this context?

texts:
(Harry opening his present from Hermione...)

  His heart gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading Broomstick Servicing Kit.

I couldn't find the definition of "rip back" from any dictionaries. It might not be a fixed collocation. I might think "rip away" could probably fit for the context. What does it truly mean?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "in time," "with time" and "over time"?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between in time, with time and over time? For example:

You will definitely learn how to play the guitar in time.
You will definitely learn how to play the guitar with time.
You will definitely learn how to play the guitar over time.


texts:
Shouldn't be agreement of tenses be applied in this case?

We learnt enough to (pass vs passed) the exam.


texts: Is the sentence 'I felt safely home in her arms' acceptable?

texts:
I immediately felt safe and at home in her arms. Now, as I reflect on that fateful trip, I am proud of the bravery of that little boy who left the security of his childhood home for a new life. Which of the following alternatives to the bold portion would NOT be acceptable?

解析

F. safely at home in
G. at home in the safety of
H. safely home in
J. home safety in

The above question is from the SAT test. The answer is J, but I can't understand why the answer H is correct.


texts: Is “call off” used correctly in the sentence below?

texts:
I had to call off all of my plans for tomorrow in order to meet you.

And if the sentence doesn’t sound natural, what are the other alternatives I can use instead?


texts: Beginning with infinitives to provide further explanation?

texts:
I know I can start a sentence with an infinitive. However, in this case I am not sure whether I can start with it to provide further explanation. Is it correct?
Therefore, I want to use this master to deepen my educational background. To study the approaches and policies implemented in Canada to find whether I could adapt them back in my country to improve our situation.


texts: Term for legal procedure of challenging validity of confession

texts:
I am looking for a translation for the Hebrew term משפט זוטא (literally, "small trial").

This term denotes a procedure in which a defendant in a trial, after having confessed in earlier interrogation, claims during the trial that the confession was obtained by illegitimate means and should not be used as evidence. When this happens, the "main" trial is paused and the court turns to discuss the validity of the confession; in this "trial within a trial" the original defendant now has to prove his claim, while the original prosecution defends its position that the confession is valid.

This procedure is supposed to originate from the English (British) legal system. The literal translation Minitrial seems to be an American term and has a completely different meaning. I am not sure there is an equivalent procedure in the American judicial system.

I am looking for an answer from British English speakers. Does this procedure exist, and is there a name for or?


texts: Apt preposition: 'into an organisation ??? which ... procedures were being practised'

texts:
Source: p 231 of 296, Understanding Housing Policy, by Brian Lund

  [1.] ... In addition, the CRE [Commission for Racial Equality] acquired the power to instigate a formal investigation into an organisation of which it had a reasonable belief that discriminatory procedures were being practised.  ...

Is the preposition of correct? I would've guessed IN, because this is how I parse the sentence:

  [2.] ... the CRE  acquired the power to instigate a formal investigation into an organisation IN which ... discriminatory procedures were being practised.  ...


texts: Is "Not being a cat none of them could catch the mouse" grammatical?

texts:
Not being a cat none of them could catch the mouse.

Is the sentence above grammatical? Or is it a double negation? Then how to reformulate it?


texts: Why is James waiting with the Cleveland Cavaliers if he is a Rockets player?

texts:
And should the Rockets manage to make it through that gauntlet, James and the Cleveland Cavaliers could be waiting to defend their title.

I don't understand why James who is a Rockets player are waiting with Cleveland Cavaliers.

Can you break down this sentence?

Source: To Rule the NBA, James Harden Needed to Embrace Letting Go


texts: What does having a "tremendous personality" mean?

texts:
Here I'll use it in a sentence:

  "It took people a while to get used to his tremendous personality"

What does that mean?


texts: After a picnic break or the picnic break?

texts:
The context is the following:

We decided to have a picnic. After a picnic break we packed our bags and continued with our trip.

It seems to me that it should be:

After the picnic break and etc.


texts: Can I use "due left" as meaning of "due west"?

texts:
According to the dictionary, "due" can be used to emphasize for "Straight, directly" i.g: "Go due west".

So,can I use "due left" as meaning of "due west"?


texts: What is the meaning of bold sentence in the paragraph given down below?

texts:
"That’s where your friend is, floating up to Heaven,” was the answer.
But I still did not understand until the truth was explained to me in
plain words.
But I am telling things out of their turn. From a psychological point of view, we had a long, long way in front of us from the break of that dawn at the station until our first night’s rest at the camp.

Excerpt From: Viktor E. Frankl. “Man's Search for Meaning.”


texts: A phrase for looking at results of labor and comparing them to what had been planned

texts:
Imagine a political party winning the election and becoming the ruling party in a country. Despite the fact that the platform that it had presented many people deemed impractical, the new government starts enthusiastically implementing it.

If I want to say that five years later the time came for the government to check on the results of its work and on whether they corresponded to the results predicted in the platform, what phrase would best fit in here?

But five years later the time came to do the first checks.
But five years later the time came to make the first checks.
But five years later the time came to do first checks.
But five years later the time came to make first checks.
But five years later the time came to do the first reality check.
But five years later the time came to do the first review.
But five years later the time came to do the first checking.
Or what?


texts:
I heard below conversation recently which i feel is incorrect.
As per my knowledge "would have been" is used to talk about past possibilities.
But in below conversation would have been i think used talk about future possibility.

  A: Will you go to Shop?
  B: No, it been so late now. By the time I reached there shop would have been closed.

I think B should have use would be instead of would have been.

Please provide more light on use of would have been.


texts:
So what should be used:
Throw the ball up in the air.
Toss the ball in the air.

What should be used: throw up/toss?And should "in or into the air" be used ?


texts:
"The station doors open, and every officer in the building files down the stairs and forms a line on either side of me [Amy], holding the press back, creating an honor guard for me, and Rhonda and I run in holding hands like reverse newlyweds, rushing straight up to my parents who are waiting just inside the doorway"...

After you have married in church you usually rush out of the "doorway" to walk down the stairs of the church while your family and friends are cheering, hence the reverse? Am I way off?


texts:
Recently, I have come across a sentence in an essay about whether the change in our communication brought about by Facebook is good or bad.

As a society, he points out, we seek independence which with the use of technology, and specifically Facebook, we end up isolating ourselves.

Why is there a which? Is it grammatically correct or wrong? If wrong, how should this sentence be rewritten? If correct, what exactly does it mean?


texts: Is this sentence ambiguous? - If I were as hungry as my friend now, I would get the burger he ate

texts:
If I were the president, I would transform this country into a place that developed high-tech industries.

Even though the "developed" here is in the past tense, it is in a hypothetical sense and is not something really happening in the past.
There is no confusion or ambiguity here.
However, I think this one creates ambiguity:

If I were as hungry as my friend now, I would get the burger he ate.

My question:
Is this sentence ambiguous?
I think it's ambiguous because the ate seems to be able to mean both "eat" in the past and would eat.
My analysis:
Without a clear context, the listener might think I would go buy a burger my friend would buy in this hypothetical situation created by the if-clause.
The listener might also think my friend ate a burger sometime in the past and that I would buy the same one if I were as hungry.
By the way:
Can we use the reduced form to still carry the hypothetical meaning?

If I were the president, I would transform this country into a place developing high-tech industries.


texts: Is the phrase "was being" an excessive use of the verb "to be" and wrong?

texts:
Sentence in question:

  The Santa Catalina mountains were formed 12 million years ago during a period when the Western North American Continent was being stretched.

I think the sentence should be corrected as

  The Santa Catalina Mountains had been formed during a period 12 million years ago when the Western North American Continent was stretching.

Is my correction correct or better?


texts: Which preposition fits better in my own example?

texts:
I am going to make up my own example below.

(ex) I am very sleepy today because I did not have enough sleep "over" or "for" or "during" the last three nights.

Which preposition works better in my example above?


texts: How to express cross pairing between two groups?

texts:
Assume that we have two smalls: Group 1 and 2.

Group 1 has two members: A1 and A2;

Group 2 has three members: B1, B2 and B3;

I want to do cross-pairing based on some unknown criteria. The result could be any of these cases:

A1-B1, A2-B2;
A1-B1, A2-B3;
A1-B2, A2-B1;
A1-B2, A2-B3;
A1-B3, A2-B1;
A1-B3, A2-B2;

Which is the correct/idiomatic sentence to describe the cross-pairing?

  I want to pair A1 and A2 with B1, B2 and B3.
  I want to pair A1 or A2 with B1, B2 or B3.

If both are improper, what's the correct way?

And if Group 1 just consists of one member: A1, then should the sentence be written as?

  I want to pair A1 with B1, B2 or B3.
  I want to pair A1 with B1, B2 and B3.

Note: the question is based off my previous post, where the author put:

  The team can pair James — and whoever else might be coming — with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma.

I was confused with the usage of and in that sentence. That's why I want to ask it as a general question.

Thanks!


texts: Simultaneous continuous actions in single sentence

texts:
Can we drop second auxiliary for simultaneous continuous actions in same sentence?
Is second variant correct:

  They are walking and are talking to each other.

Or:

  They are walking and talking to each other.

Please, give me some links to read further about the rules used.


texts:
I want to say that tomorrow there will be a workshop.
is this sentence grammatically correct:

  tomorrow is going to be a workshop

Sounds to me that tomorrow is that workshop itself...

is there another form for this?
thanks.


texts: I wasn’t able to joke with my position (meaning)

texts:
Source (news article): Russian Comedians Fess Up to Pranking Elton John by Pretending to Be Vladimir Putin

Example:

  “We just couldn’t pass up this opportunity to see what Elton John would say if he thought he was really speaking to Putin,” Krasnov, who played Putin, said in a telephone interview.
  The voice of Putin in recording does not much resemble the real Putin; Krasnov said he had not tried to imitate Putin much because he knew Elton John would probably not be able to tell the difference since he was speaking Russian.
  “I don’t have much experience in this, so I wasn’t able to joke with my position,” Krasnov said.

What exactly does he mean by saying he wasn't able to joke with his position?


texts: Is this verb usage idiomatically/grammatically correct?

texts:
For some reason, "slammed into" here sounds off to me. Does it sound OK to you? If it doesn't, please explain why.

  It was not uncommon for those chimpanzees to die within just a few
  days of capture. Most of them were found with their heads slammed into
  the ground.

What other verbs can be used in place of "slam" to describe a movement of forcefully shoving one's head into the ground?


texts: How would a Brit say this in a formal letter?

texts:
English is not my main language, but I'm quite a perfectionist so I always
try to improve it.

In a recent message to a British coworker, I've written the following
sentence:

  The delivery record shows that the aforementioned shipment to
  (addressee's  address), was collected by the addressee after being
  identified by means of ID card on (date) at (time) from the (road
  name) Post Office, (place).

I don't know why, but the 2nd half of the sentence, starting from "after
being identified..." doesn't sound too good in my head.
How would you say it in British English?


texts: Is this sentence ambiguous about when the events happened?

texts:
If I write the following sentence, how would it be understood?

  She took a shower, and she called for pizza delivery twelve minutes ago.

Would "twelve minutes ago" be understood to apply to both the actions, or just the last one?


texts:
I was updating the software running on my computer, and I noticed that the description of one of the updates contained the following phrase:

  this is the best iTune yet

What does yet mean in that phrase? What is the difference between that phrase, and this is the best iTune?


texts: Can I say "I was surfing Facebook and I found a video of a citizen shouting at a police officer"?

texts: Is the expression "surfing Facebook" something native English speakers use in their talk?


texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  She drew his attention to where there was the duster.

I feel there has to be "towards", not "to".


texts: "Aren't" instead "am not" for first person singular

texts:
I often notice that instead of "am not" the "aren't" version is used and I wonder if that is truly acceptable. What confuses me is that in school we were taught that the short version of am not is amn't and so this is correct and plain clear but when I see "aren't" I just can't stop thinking that it's a contraction for "are not" and is plain wrong for first person singular. I tried to search some grammar but all they say is that it's correct:

  However, for first person pronoun, I, there is no contraction with the verb be + not. (“Amn’t” is not a word in English.) Therefore, in casual speech and writing, English speakers use aren’t, instead, and except in formal situations, this is considered entirely grammatical.

And

  Because of this authoritative connotation, another way of saying “am I not” developed. Virtually all native speakers now use the form “aren’t I”, which is now completely acceptable in any spoken or informal written context.

I also sometimes stumble upon "ain't" but I know that it's very informal and should be avoided at all costs.

Consider the following:

I am lucky, am I not?
I am lucky, amn't I?
I am lucky, aren't I?
I am lucky, ain't I?

My question is: Can we use "amn't" in regular speech? Is "aren't" informal or formal and is it an exception in grammar?


texts: Difference between votes, the vote, vote

texts: According to Oxford's advanced learner's dictionary the vote means total number of votes cast. And vote means a choice  But I found a sentence  The main opposition boycotted last year’s presidential election, which Mr. Maduro won with 67.8% vote. Is it correct? According to me it should be 67.8% of the vote.


texts: the things that money can not buy vs the things that we can not buy things with money

texts:
The things that money can not buy
  The things that we can not buy with money
  The things that money cannot be bought

What is the difference between these phrase
phrase and clause ? Can money  be used as a subject ?


texts: My research about definiteness in English. Does it work?

texts:
Please do not laugh, it is truly hard. Trying to come up with one strict rule about definiteness in English (I wasn't able to find one) I collected some information and ask to check it out. Does that work?

We use THE when there is only one possible variant OR the noun following a definite article is well known to both ourselves and the listener.

So saying I want to show you the photo of Jane and me. would be appropriate either when the listener is familiar with the photo OR there is only one. Even if the listener doesn't know what photo you're talking about, the uniqueness of that photo forces us to take THE.

After hearing that, the listener unable to identify the photo decides that there is no more than one, therefore, there is no apparent reason to ask which one. He either identified it OR it is unique.

We MAY have to add a qualifying clause with OF (or another preposition), but that's not necessary.
Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of THE corners OF his small, sharp eyes.

In this example, THE relates to OF. All that goes after OF just makes clear what corners we mean and so creates uniqueness. It wouldn't be coherent to ask 'Which corners of his small, sharp eyes?'
Concluding, it is not a must to take THE in sentences with a clarifying clause (like Cars are a major source of pollution in cities.), but sometimes the two parts are closely related. (like The life of a polar explorer.) Another example of that would be Of THE 2 testing programs I USE the 860 Pro has outscored everything else I've ever tested.

Does that make sense?

I'll be glad to hear If someone has some suggestions to read about the topic.


texts:
The Ritual is an efficient, well-made if programmatic Brit horror, with good effects and a big monstrous reveal intelligently withheld.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/12/the-ritual-review-rafe-spall-brit-horror

I am not sure how to understand the passage in bold. Does it mean that the appearance of the monster is shown not until the end of the movie?


texts: Why does the car zoom "down" the road? Why do we use the preposition "down"?

texts:
I just learning English from magazine.
Today I learned a word about　"zoom" , that means moving so fast.
There's an example with this word.

  The car zoomed down the highway.

For this, I don't know why does writer using "down" in this sentence.
and is "down" acting preposition in the sentence?


texts:
The Guardian, a highly reputable newspaper, seems to use "on/in" interchangeable after "impact".

Sentences 1 and 2 are mine, and I want to know if my reasoning for the usage of on/in after "impact" has any merit. I want to follow through on this "reasoning" consistently, and not write "on" one time and "in" another time. This is just for the use of "impact", not in general.

Ngram shows "impact on reducing" is more often used than "impact in reducing".

  The program's impact on reducing benefits . . .

Example: . . . family doctors can also have a dramatic impact on reducing emissions in the NHS . . . - The Guardian

  The program's impact in reducing benefits . . .

Example: . . . such a scheme could also have an impact in reducing the climate footprint of the global plastics . . . - The Guardian

The following is my understanding/reasoning:

We say impact on noun/noun phrase - the impact [of something] on the reduction of carbon emission.

We say impact in verb+ing - the impact [of something] in reducing carbon emission.

Note: I have looked at questions from ELU and ELL on the usage of "impact on/in". There is overwhelming preference for "impact on". But in those questions/answers, "impact on" is followed by a noun/noun phrase. None of them specifically talks about the use of "in" when what follows "impact in" is a verb+ing. That is what I am asking about. Here are a few that I have gone through:

“To make an impact in the community” or “on the community”?
“Impact in” vs. “Impact on”
Prepositions used with “impact”
Should the verb “impact” be always followed by “on”?


texts: Impressive swelling capacity of grain when being cooked

texts:
How to describe a grain-food i.e. rice having impressive capacity to swell when being cooked. Especially when it has more capacity when compared with others (varities) of its' kind on same measure before being cooked.

EDIT: I am hoping there could be a shorter and stylish or more common way used by English native speakers to express such situation. As in my local language. I researched on reverse dictionary at.www.onelook.com, it gave me some words i.e. expansive, expansible, multiplicative, versatile, etc. but I am not satisfied. That is why I asked here for better help.


texts:
He looks like he could use a kiss, but I could be imagining that.
 Is it means it's just my imagination?


texts:
Can somebody explain what "to the downside" means in this context for me, please.

  We think the (economic) risks are to the downside. Gold has tended to underperform in an environment of strong global growth, so whilst not an outright tailwind, slowing growth certainly eases the pressure on gold.

Source: News Article It's Time to Buy Gold


texts: Pluralization of an Plural Proper Noun (Organization)

texts:
I work for the University of Southern California's USC Games department.

How would I indicate possessive ownership of items belonging to that department.

Is

  USC Games' student developers

correct? (Especially according to AP Style)


texts:
In the movie "the pursuit of happyness" by Will Smith in the character of Chris Gardner, the following dialog occurs:

A: Jay.
B: Yes, sir.
A: How many times have you seen Chris?
B: I don't know, one too many, apparently.

What does "one too many" mean? I wonder if it means "too many times".


texts: Do we have a such idiom, "right at hand" ? What does it mean?

texts:
Crying is right at hand in the smoothering dark, closed inside someone else, when you see how everything you can ever accomplish will end up as trash.

Source: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk


texts: This summer on our city is very hot or This summer is very hot in our city?

texts:
This summer in our city is very hot
or
This summer is very hot in our city

Which sentence is more correct?
I believe that the both sentences are correct, but I perfer to use the second one

Do this sentences have different meaning?


texts:
A friend who runs a teaching Institute had declared a holiday because of the rains and said

  "We gave our students downtime yesterday because of the rains".

I think the usage of the word 'downtime' is incorrect here, but I don't know enough to correct her.


texts: Verb - Using the verb Playing in context - Question

texts:
Overwatch league is an event based off the game overwatch, I knew what Overwatch was but not the event.

So my friend said to me:

"They're playing Overwatch league at the laundry mat" (In a surprised tone)

I didn't understand and I assumed they were playing the game at the laundry mat, when they were just playing it on the TV.
I just need to know if that was the grammatically correct way to say the sentence. He missed the context that they were playing on the TV.

What would be the correct way to say it?


texts: What is sentential relative clauses? "which the prime minister asserted was as much as 70 percent more transmissible than previous versions"

texts:
The decision, which Mr.Johnson announced after an emergency meeting of his cabinet,came after the government got new evidence of a variant first detected several weeks ago in Southeast England, which the prime minister asserted was as much as 70 percent more transmissible than previous versions.

Is this sentence which I highlighted sentential relative clause? I read this sentence in The New York Times. which the prime minister asserted was as much as 70 percent more transmissible than previous versions


texts: What is the meaning of "Stack up against"?

texts:
Does Stack up against mean comparatively to level up in performance?

  Performance wise, junior students need to stack up against the seniors to set a high reputation.

Is it a correct construction?


texts: a short answer on a question "Could you wait for a moment?"

texts:
Is it right that on a question: "Could you wait for a moment, please?"
I can't say: "I could", only "I can" because "could" in my answer will be about the past. What else short answers with modal verbs are appropriate here?  Could I say "I will"?


texts:
The following examples are taken from OALD:

That section of the road is still closed.
The library has a large biology section.
the tail section of the plane

I wonder if I can substitute segment or part for these section without changing the intended meaning.


texts: Verb tense for something must be completed by the current moment

texts:
What is the verb tense for saying that a task must start sometime in the past and be completed at the present moment? For example, to say that the temperature must be maintained at 30 degrees from 2 hours ago up until now, can I use 'must have been' like in "By now, the temperature must have been maintained at 30 degrees."?

Thank you.


texts: What does it mean to say 'cerebral cool' and 'packing a punch'?

texts:
Source

  An extremely astute and intelligent director who has a penchant for both mega-buck blockbusters (Star Trek, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mission: Impossible III) as well as flicks with relatively smaller budgets (Super 8, co-produced by Steven Spielberg) but still pack a hefty punch in terms of cerebral cool.

  As Emmett and Michelle learn to adapt to their subterranean life without getting homesick or the blues, they stumble upon something that should have ideally been left undiscovered. Is Howard really a psychotic, deranged bad guy or is he just a lonely old fellow in desperate need of some company, while god only knows what has blighted Earth.

The bold part in 2nd paragraph seemed a bit weird to me.Does it make any sense?


texts: If someone has two master of science degrees in math and computer science, when writing the degrees in abbreviation as "M.S. in math and in CS", how can we write its plural form, "M.S.' in math and in CS", or "M.S.'s in math and in CS"? Thanks.


texts: Should "for" be used in "The reason this stands out is for its characteristics"?

texts:
The following phrases sound OK to me:

The reason this stands out is for its characteristics.

The reason this stands out is its characteristics.

However, "is for" feels somehow forced, and I can't find a guidance pointing at either form. I can't even properly categorize it (phrasal verb + to be + preposition is too generic for any search engine).


texts: If I agree, am I agreeing that I can barely read it or that I can read it? In other words, may "well enough" be replaced with "just well enough"?


texts: a shopper's paradise into "a paradise for a shopper" or a paradise for shoppers"

texts:
People regard Bangkok as a shopper's paradise.

If I change the possessive case"a shopper's paradise",
which of the following is suitable.

  a paradise for shoppers
  a paradise for a shopper


texts: Why did they use the definite article in "the basketball court"?

texts:
I was reading an article about Usain Bolt on CNN's website and there is this sentence.

  With his height and weight, the world record holder would not look out of place on the basketball court.

Why is the definite article used in "the basketball court"? It could be any court and also the court was not mentioned before in the text.


texts:
Is it possible to pull or pull out a machine gun if it's already in your hand?

  He pulled (out) his machine gun and fired at the police.


texts:
When you had planned something, and it didn't occur the way you expect it, can you say:

  (storytelling)''Oh man, it was not the result I expected it should be''

Did the bold letters(phrase) usage correct?


texts: Sense of sentence usage with the subordinate clause

texts:
If the subordinate clause is an adjective clause, it may be in any tense as is required by the sense:

Sam finished the work which I do.
Sam finished the work which I did.
Sam finished the work which I will do.

Here the sense of the present tense and the future tense of adjective clause in sentence (1) and sentence (3) are fine to me because Sam finished the work which I have to do. But in the sentence (2) it is not fine to me because how can Sam finished the same work which I already did?


texts: Is it "by the end of year 2016" or "by the end of the year 2016"?

texts:
I feel uncertain about whether to use the definite article and "of" with a year. Which ones of the following sentences are correct?

  By the end of year 2016, the population had doubled.

  By the end of the year 2016, the population had doubled.

What about these:

  I picked the year of 2013 as a starting point.

  I picked the year 2013 as a starting point.


texts: stumble along -- what exactly does this expression mean?

texts:
Source: Absolute FreeBSD: The Complete Guide to FreeBSD, 2nd Edition by Michael W. Lucas (2008)

Example:

  Every switch manufacturer must decide how to handle subtle errors. Either the switch can shut down until it is attended to, or it can attempt to alert its manager and continue forwarding packets to the best of its ability. If you're a vendor, the choice is obvious—you stumble along as best you can, so that your customers don't think that your switches are crap.

Not sure what that means...


texts: Is it ok if I say " he often involves in/with trouble/incidents"

texts:
I am not sure if I found the right word/verb for what I am trying to say..

Is it ok  if I say
" He often involves in trouble/incidents"
" He often involves with trouble/incidents"

and another sentence..

" He involved in/with the brawl at the bar  somehow last night, so even though he didnt do anything wrong, he had to spend the night in costudy"

Is usage of the verb involve right in these situations..Can I use different verbs?

Thanks..Have a good time


texts: Using "the" before names and labels in quotations

texts:
I wrote:

Fig. 1 shows the user interface for creating a contextual rule. The rule shown is intended to eliminate [the?] reference section from the Wikipedia articles.

Do I need the before Wikipedia? Do I need it before reference? What if I write it as "reference" in quotation?
Here are other example:

In this interface, “References” is the name of the rule
In this rule, if the node’s tag is “H1” or “H2”, the algorithm updates the curPart value to  “heading” and the curTitle to the text extracted from the node (exText). We used the extracted text instead of the inner text because the node may contain some noise elements that must be excluded (e.g. the "Edit" link in the headings of Wikipedia articles)
Finally, CR3 states if the curTitle is “References”, then the current node must be excluded from the extracted content (References section).

Italic names and names in quotations are some proper names or names I devised for some variables, but I am not sure which needs "the" and which doesn't. What is the rule?


texts:
Suppose a friend says something to me which is incorrect, and because of that I do some research and learn something which is good for me. Now, in order to be polite and kind, can I say

"You caused me to learn this"

to him/her?

Are there better alternatives, e.g. by replacing 'cause' with 'make'? ("You made me learn this.")

According to macmillandictionary.com, the structure cause someone to do something means

  to make something happen, usually something bad

(emphasis by me)


texts:
Please tell me which choice below (or rather a better choice that I need to know) works better in my sentences in informal English:

  I got myself out on a limb. I need to clear my check by tomorrow. No matter how, I must ............ 2 million bucks by tomorrow.

a) line up [to prepare, organize, or arrange something]
b) hook up [hook somebody up with something to help someone get something that they need or want]
c) fix up [to arrange for someone to have something that they need]

For me, all three options work in this sense with the same meaning and informality degree.


texts:
As a programmer myself, I usually use the word 'todo' when I comment something on my code. The word is descriptive enough on that purpose, but I can hardly come up with any alternative words for it that I should use for a more formal usage (like presentations or reports).

More specifically, what I want to find is the alternative word that I can use instead of TODO on the presentation slide that looks like this;

* TODOs
  - Fix bugs on line X.
  - Improve the algorithm.

We usually use the word 'action items' to enumerate the tasks that are left to be solved, but is there any other alternative that is presumably less verbose or, even better, a single word?


texts:
I have a question about the interchangeability of the ing-gerund and the -of- noun phrase.  Take the phrases "murdering a man" and "the murder of a man":

  1a ..arrested [somebody] on suspicion of murdering a man....
  1b ..arrested [somebody] on suspicion of the murder of a man....

Google searches returned hits for both the patterns in 1a and 1b.  So, it seems that "murdering [somebody]" and "the murder of [somebody]" are quite interchangeable.

But for the phrase "using a stolen credit card" and "the use of a stolen credit card"

  2a ..arrested [somebody] on suspicion of using a stolen credit ....
  2b ..arrested [somebody] on suspicion of the use of a stolen credit ....

Google searches got some hits for pattern 2a, but close to zero hit for pattern 2b.  So, "using a stolen credit card" and "the use of a stolen credit card" are not really interchangeable.

So, the ing-gerund and the -of- noun phrase are really not the same?  What do native speakers think?


texts:
does "that this is impossible" mean "this is impossible that they were same individual"?

However, the student has certainly the right to claim that Florence Cook
and Katie King were the same individual until convincing evidence is
laid before him that this is impossible. Such evidence Professor Crookes
is very careful to give.


texts:
We have a survey.

  If you get a chance, go ahead and take the survey by phone or online, so that my store knows how I am doing, my name is Jack and the contact information of my store can be found on the bottom of your receipt.
  Have a nice day!

What are some best paraphrased version of this piece of speech in order to promote a sense of sympathy?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between between "hold the meeting off for tomorrow" and "hold the meeting over for tomorrow"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between between hold the meeting off for tomorrow and hold the meeting over for tomorrow? For example:

Something has come up, so let's hold the meeting off for tomorrow.
Something has come up, so let's hold the meeting over for tomorrow.


texts: Which sounds better: the Google headquarters or Google's headquarters?


texts: In "the" heaven and in "the" earth, but in hell

texts:
There is this famous short-story by Poe called "The Tell-Tale Heart" in which a man tries to convince the reader he is not mad by narrating the way he killed his master.
My question has to do with the very first words of the story that read as follows:

True! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

Would you know why Poe uses the definite article "the" for both "heaven" and "earth", but nor for "hell"? Is it a matter of grammar or there is some type of interpretation behind it?
Most translators of this text to my language (Portuguese) overlook this detail and translate as if they were all the same, but I do not think it is something that trivial.
I was thinking it could mean that the man hears things "from" heaven and earth (the places he is distant from), but hear things in hell, where he actually is at, although he says he is not mad. What do you think about this interpretation?


texts: "I have been TO..." is just for countries or for everywhere too?

texts:
Does the preposition 'to'  in the phrase 'I have been to...' fit to countries only or it goes well also for cities, supermarket, university etc.?

I'm asking it because the main use I've heard this kind of sentence with the preposition 'to' was mainly for countries. I can't recall something else.

Examples:

  I have been to the supermarket and bought some vegtables.

  Have you been to the university today?


texts: When to use who/that/which or an infinitive?

texts:
Consider the following sets:

It was the first movie to make me cry.
He was the first man to scale Mount Everest.

It was the first movie that made me cry.
He was the first man who scaled Mount Everest.

Are both sets grammatically correct? The latter sounds better to my ears, but I don't understand the differences between them.


texts:
Kids Woke up late and dad had or has? hangover from last night.

Question. What tense should I use? HAD or Has for this sentence. Thanks


texts:
In indirect questions, the so-called penthouse principle disallows Subject-AV inversion.
Thus,

Cathy wonders what did Sam eat. (Incorrect)

Cathy wonders what Sam ate. (Correct)

What is the rule for a sentence like this?

Might I know who that person is?

Might I know who is that person? (Incorrect)

The above sentence admits of inversion. I can see it has an embedded interrogative clause within the matrix clause (the whole sentence).
Why is there no inversion in the matrix clause but inversion in the embedded clause?


texts:
The house is to be sold in/for auction.

Which preposition is appropriate?

Is it in or for?

why?


texts: Idiom that says "He thinks one thing and says the other"

texts:
I speak Hebrew, and here we have a saying:

  Thinks one thing and says the other.

It means that he is a hypocrite. I looked all over the internet to find a similar idiom in English and came up short.

I think maybe "two faced" is a way of expressing a hypocrite, but I wanted to check if there would be any more idiom with the same meaning.

Sorry for my poor English, and thanks for your help!


texts:
Why is the future tense modal will used when mentioned broken machines like cars, computers, phones.

For example :

  Something is wrong with my computer. It won't work.

  My PC won't boot: Expert tips for fixing a PC that won't start up (
  from a computer magazine)

Well actually using modal will  makes a sense  too to some extent but it would be better if present simple continuous tense or simple present tense is used  because we already know that the machine is broken, yes it will not work or it is not going to work but simple continuous tense also is used  at around the time of speaking as well as referring to future.So the machine is not working now and it is not working when I push the its start button.

So I would like to ask..

1.Is using "will" in similar scenarios accepted by everyone in the UK and the US.

2.Does it sound unnatural when I say :

  My car/computer is broken and it is not working/ it doesn't work.

Can I use this tenses also?


texts: What does "that" refer to in "That is bad because..."?

texts:
Giraffes don't need to drink water because they already get some from
  the leaves they eat. However, when they do drink water, they can drink
  several gallons at a time.

  That is bad because a giraffe has to bend down and get into a vulnerable position when drinking.


texts: What does it mean by "veritable hive of activity."

texts:
But the headquarters of the freshly rebranded Lemaire (formerly known as Christophe Lemaire) are a veritable hive of activity.

I would like to know what veritable hive of activity means.
original article


texts:
When would you say "I fell over." and "I've fallen over."? Consider these situations:

You're still on the ground.
You just got up.
People saw your bruised knee and asked what happened.


texts: The meaning of the paragraph in the bracket

texts:
Could anyone tell me what the part in the bracket means?
The following narrative is given from the pen, so far as memory permits, in the same
character in which it was presented to the author's ear; (nor has he claim to further
praise, or to be more deeply censured, than in proportion to the good or bad judgment
which he has employed in selecting his materials, as he has studiously avoided any
attempt at ornament which might interfere with the simplicity of the tale).


texts: Send me a (photo / picture) of (you/yours/yourself) please

texts:
Please imagine you're talking to someone through a community application on your phone like Skype. You want to see his / her face in various pics. I was wondering which option below sounds correct to you to be asked from that person:

  1- Send me a (photo / picture) of you please.
  2- Send me a (photo / picture) of yours please.
  3- Send me a (photo / picture) of yourself please.

To me, they all sound correct, and semantically and grammatically I see nothing wrong with each one.


texts: Question about probable fixed use of "what do you do?" and "how do you do?"

texts:
Do we always have to use the question how do you do? fixed in greeting people? Can we ask it in other situations rather than greetings? Like when we are wondering how someone is doing the given task.

Do we always have to use the question what do you do? for asking about sojeone's job? Can we use it sonetimes instead of ** what are you doing?**


texts: "There is some evidence" or "there are some evidence"?

texts: I've read an article on BBC and the author wrote "there is some evidence...", but that phrase is really confusing because "some" is a plural identification but following "is". Can someone please explain this?


texts:
In the movie RED (2010) I heard some phrase I didn't understand at all.
So, an armed FBI team is getting ready to attack main characters (MC) who have been taken a guy (TG) to extort some secrets from him.
A dialogue following:

  TG: Are you gonna let me talk to them? I can negotiate something.
  MC: Thanks, when we want your help, we'll get out the drain cleaner.

I don't get it at all. Why it's "the" drain cleaner, because it wasn't any before in the movie. I guess this is some kind of joke, bot it seems to hard for me to understand.


texts: the meaning of "peeling paint" in the mentioned sentence.

texts:
they tend not to include black activists' campaigns against lead
  poisoning caused by peeling paint in city slum apartments.
  (Source)


texts: Is it natural or idiomatic to say "I can't eat dinner with just only rice/ bread. I want to eat with savory food"?

texts:
Normally, when you eat rice or bread, you often eat it with some food that is salty such as meat or food that is sweet such as sugar.
Now, a person just eats rice or bread for dinner, do we have a common term to express that, for example, "he eats rice only / bread only for dinner"?
And, how do we suggest him to eat, for example, "you should eat bread/rice with savory food"?


texts: Why not omit ‘this’ in the sentence ‘Why is John going over to the shop this early in the morning’?

texts:
Why not omit ‘this’ in the sentence

  Why is John going over to the shop this early in the morning?

I cannot understand what the ‘this’ means in the sentence above.


texts: Intransitive verb + one's way construction

texts:
The following seems to be transitive verb + one's way constructions.

  She pushed her way through the crowd.

  She cut her way through the jungle.

I parse that as this: S+V+O+O.C

Yet, the following looks like   intransitive verb + one's way constructions.

  He worked his way through the book.

  They shopped their way around New York.

Would you tell me how I parse that?

Is it obvious that If they are intransitive verbs, "his way" and "their way" are not an object?


texts:
A and B have yet to answer the question.

Or

A or B has yet to answer the question.

Or

Neither of A or B has yet to answer the question.

Which is the best?
Thank you very much for your answer and edit.


texts: What does the phrase "group into" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a schedule planner app:

  In the app, you can easily group to-dos into projects and drag tasks within
  and between them.

I am not sure if the word "group into" is used in the sense of "add" here.


texts: Confirming something and at the same time expressing your previous lack of knowledge

texts:
Someone informs me:

  I think it's going to rain.

I check the weather Service and I find the forecast includes rain. I want to share this additional information with the person who informed me. I could say:

  The forecast actually/indeed says it's going to rain.

But I feel actually or indeed suggests this is obvious to me, the person is therefore providing useless information, and what I'm actually saying is like:

  Oh really? The forecast indeed says it's going to rain.

How can I say it with emphasizing instead the information was useful, it led me to check the forecast, and I'm now able to share an additional information that can be useful too? I'd like to keep a short sentence.


texts: Phrasal verbs with this meaning of "on" in them

texts:
Please, don't die on me!

  She ran out on me.

In the two examples above the preposition "on" seems to indicate the speaker's physical presence in the situation, in which the particular event (expressed by the verb) is/was unfolding and directly affects/affected the speaker.

Are there any other phrasal verbs in English with the same preposition conveying the same meaning? If yes, can you, please, provide some examples?


texts:
When explaining an event that happened in the past which one is proper?

(It happened when) it had not been that long since I moved to the US

vs

(It happened when) it had not been that long since I had moved to the US

or should I change the first part to "it has not been" ?


texts:
Meals are a time for human connection.
Meals are a time for human connections.

What’s the difference between these two sentences? To me both seem to have the same meaning, and I am unable to figure out the difference between the two. I think both sentences are implying all human connections in general, then what’s the difference?


texts:
When they finish, those old materials made new will be handed out.

Is the sentence right? How to explain the part "made new"? It's very strange to me. The following sentence is more natural to me.

  When they finish, those old new-made materials will be handed out.

Which is right?

SOURCE: Teachers Hit The Common Core Wall


texts: Difference between "hundred", "a hundred", and "one hundred"?

texts:
What is the difference between hundred, a hundred and one hundred? Which one is correct?

The book has hundred pages.
The book has a hundred pages.
The book has one hundred pages.

I think maybe the first one is correct. Is that right?


texts:
What is the meaning of "no dogs to speak of" in the following sentence:

  There are no dogs to speak of, every animal is
  equal.

Does it mean "no to speak of dogs, every animal is
equal"?

What is the difference between "no dogs to speak of" and "no(not) to speak of dogs"?


texts:
The bowl of a spoon is bowed down to hold water or food.
Is it correct to say "please dribble water into the spoon" or "please dribble water onto the spoon"?
It seems native speakers say "onto the spoon". Why is that?
Imagine the spoon is like a tiny pool and we say "in the pool"


texts: Someone who invites other people to another religion

texts:
I was wondering if you could let me know how shall I describe someone who tries to convert people to another religion. The only word I know is "missionary" who attempts to invite people to a specific religion. So I would say something like:

  He / she is a Christianity / Islam / Judaism  missionary

I need to know how natives would say such a thing?


texts: What would you call anything that you achieve without any try

texts:
What do you call something like wealth, property etc. that you win or receive or somehow achieve from someone or somewhere unexpectedly and with no try? I know the word windfall which is can only be used for an unexpected amount of money. But how about i.e. a house which after dying one's aunt because of lacking an inheritor gets belonged to you? Or what would you call a founded bag full of dollars?

In my language, any belonging and property or amount of money which you have not tried for its achievement litterally is called wind-brought; which means the blowing wind has brought it to you that thing which requires no any diligence!

Some adjectives that I have come across are as below:

  easy money/property/house.

  gravy money/property/house.
  God-sent money/property/house.
  fast money/property/house.
  quick money/property/house.

Regarding "money" I think the best noun would be windfall, but I don't know what a native would use in this regard?


texts: Is PC used as an English expression for a computer in English speaking countries?

texts: Japanese people call computers PC in Japanese-made katakana expression. English speakers usually use laptops for that. Is PC used to mean a computer in English-speaking countries?


texts:
Is the verb used naturally in the following sentence.

  I left the money on the table, but I forgot to tell my wife.

Do I need to use about it after the wife


texts:
What does 'rest' mean in 'rest assured' and where else 'rest' can be used in this way? What is the different between it and 'to be assured'?

  You may rest assured of that.


texts: I'm drafting a letter of invitation for someone. And one sentence goes: "I am [the / an] owner of a bookstore" - which article shall I use?


texts:
Father: Can't you just try sharing a room with your sister? Your mom
  was always so good at this stuff. I'd come home from work and
  everything was always perfect. How would mom have handled this?

  Daughter: She would have caught me before I moved into the garage. Mom
  knew everything I did before I did it.

  Father: What is it honey?

  Daughter: It is just not fair. First, I lose my mom! Then grandma
  leaves. Now even I lose my own room.

  Father: I know how much you girls miss your mother. Because I miss her
  too. Very much. But you still got me.

1) I don't understand the use of "would" in the italic part.

2) Is the following implied from the bold part?
How would mom have handled this if she had been alive

Movie: Full House


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

  we can also use get to with him or her or me or you after.

where there is a clear "ra" in "or me"

question

Is this a way of emphasizing "or" to pronounce it as "o ra"? or that is just his personal style?


texts: Which tense is it? Is it grammatically correct?

texts:
In the song Honey You by The Dead South there is a line that goes like this:

  "Then I looked into your eyes never understanding why
  You would never run with me"

Is that a correct way to say? If so, can anyone explain it to me?


texts: Questions with "What" followed by "a/an"

texts:
I am asking for an explanation/description when to use "a/an" after "What" in a question, or why to omit "a/an".

When we are asking a general question we use "what" as a determiner:

What films do you like?
What university did you go to?
What dog do you have ?

I am wondering that there is no use of "a/an".
For example :

"What a dog do you have" or "What a film did you watch ?"

Right now, i haven't found any information about this.(google,dict,grammar rules,study-books)


texts: What of Reinhold Niebuhr clashes 'with modern racial sensibilities'?

texts:
[35% down the page:] One example given by Niebuhr (who was writing in 1930s USA) was the way charitable help for black education didn't deal with the roots of the problem. His language is not in line with modern racial sensibilities, but the point is still of value.

The Negro schools, conducted under the auspices of white philanthropy, encourage individual Negroes to higher forms of self-realisation; but they do not make a frontal attack upon the social injustices from which the Negro suffers.

Reinhold Niebuhr, Moral Man and Immoral Society, 1932

Please elucidate what linguistic problems conflict with modern racial sensibilities? Niebuhr raises awareness of and reports problems facing the 'Negro', so 'Negro' isn't used scornfully or derisively?


texts:
I wanted to have a conversation with her, so i walked to the table she was sitting at.

I wanted to have a conversation with her, so i walked to the table she was sitting in.

Are both the above sentences grammatically correct?


texts:
Fire suppression equipment must be manned.

Does it mean that operators should be provided? The meaning for "man" is somewhat ambiguous for me.

According to Cambridge dictionary, "man" (verb) means:

  To man something such as a machine or vehicle is to be present in
  order to operate it

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means:

  to supply with people (as for service)

Does it mean that personnel should be provided along with the device being provided?


texts:
I have seen on a clothing advertisement something like the following:

  This Summer "Must Haves"!

Is it correct? For example, one swimsuit is one "must have" and two swimsuits are two "must haves."


texts: Is the word "copybook" used in school practice nowadays? Is it acceptable to use it instead of "notebook" or "workbook"? Thanks.


texts: how to discern where to use "whereas" or "although"

texts:
A. He didn't take an umbrella whereas it was rainy.

B. He didn't take an umbrella, but it was rainy.

C.  He didn't take an umbrella although it was rainy.

Would you please show me which of these could be correct?


texts: ..eating a pig's head..why not "pig head"?

texts:
In my grammar book, the following is stated:

  2.5 animals
  1. Use ’s when referring to the parts of the body of a living animal.
  2. Use ’s when referring to the products of living animals.
  3. Do not use ’s for dead animal body parts or products.

But today I read an article, with the following sentence:

  a protester eats a raw pig's head outside a vegan ...

So I am thinking how does it fit in the rules above? Clearly, he was eating a part of a dead animal, so why not "pig head" then?


texts:
I consider cell phones are a nuisance.
  I consider cell phones as a nuisance.
  Cell phones are considered as a nuisance.

Which of these sentences are acceptable as standard English?


texts:
I had such a sentence:

  Are there not much sugar and candies in the shop?

And I was confuseed with "are".On the one hand it should be "are" for we combine "sugar" = "it" and "candies" = they together getting "they". "They" = "are".

But on the other hand sugar is the first of "sugar" and "candies" and it's not plural, it shoul be "is" like:

  Is there not much sugar and candies in the shop?

Or we would say "is" not with "and" but with "with":

  Is there not much sugar with candies in the shop?

Or it should look like:

  Is there not much sugar and  many candies in the shop?

Or even

  Is there not much sugar and are not many candies in the shop?

But the last one seems to be broken


texts: How sarcastically say someone that they cannot fool an experienced person like you?

texts:
Is there any proverb or fixed expression to imply that one cannot mislead or deceive a wise and well-experienced person?

For instance, let's think that you are a well-versed mechanic and want to purchase a second-hand automobile from a con artist who thinks that they can pull the wool over your eyes and sell you a car which has worked 120,000 miles for a car that moved only 12,000. You are enough experienced to be able to distinguish between a beater and an almost brand new car. You open the car hood and immediately realize that it is plain the car at least moved more than 12,000 miles.

I need a proverb or expression or even an idiom to use in such a situation to say in a sarcastically that you cannot fool an experienced person!

Such a saying depending on the situation can sound too offensive. Sometimes, you can use it in a humorous and friendly tone with your friends in some more slight situations


texts: Do we say "Bob is my second big brother"?

texts:
A couple has these sons and daughters:

Tom (a male - born 1st)

Mary (a female - born 2nd)

Lana (a female - born 3rd)

Bob (a male - born 4th)

Lulu (a female - born 5th)

Mike (a male - born 6th)

Suri (a female - born 7th)

Is it correct for Suri to say:

"Tom is my biggest brother, Bob is my second big brother and Mike is my third big brother"?

Is it correct for Lana to say:

"Bob is my 1st little brother, and Mike is my second little brother"?


texts:
Example 1

  I've lived here all my life, and I've been through quakes before. But this one felt different — not because of how big it was, but because of all the bad things that happened before.

Example 2

  It was 8:30. My brother had arrived 3 hours before.

Why does the first sentence use past simple and the second use past perfect? I thought with "before" it was not obligatory to use past perfect. Is it because, in the first sentence, there is no logical relation between the bad things and the quakes? That is: the bad things did not cause the quakes.

In the second sentence, both events are compared. Is that why past perfect is used?


texts: Chronological order of events in sentence

texts:
While reading this article I came across the following sentence:

  Today Democrats are wondering what went wrong, but before too many fundraising dinners have been digested they will have concluded they don’t need to worry, that demographics will bail them out sooner or later, and that the right and noble course of action is to proceed as before.

I'm a little bit puzzled as I just can't get the right chronological order of events. Am I wrong, or the author places a completed future event before a past one that continues up to the present?

Please let me know your thoughts on this.


texts:
There are two containers connected with a thin sheet of plastic for keeping a pair of contact lenses. Should we call them (or it)

  Contact lenses cases

or

  A contact lenses case

or

  Contact lens cases

or

  A contact lens case


texts:
Did you really understand all (what / that ) he said?

what is the correct answer "what or that"? Why?


texts: WHEN or WHAT is the due date for this assignment?

texts:
I want to know due date for my assignment which is given by teacher.
In this situation, is it correct to say

  When is the due date for this assignment?

or

  What is the due date for this assignment?

or other things you recommend?


texts: Sentence construction for completed action

texts:
In the morning, one of my team members had come to my desk to discuss the problem he has with another team member. After he had left I called the other one in the afternoon to discuss it.

Can I say,

  a) Mr. XYZ came to my desk and he had some issues with you.

Or, should I use past perfect tense as I am talking about a completed action?

  b) Mr. XYZ had come to my desk and he had some issues with you.


texts: What does "ability of humans to think for themselves" mean in this context?

texts:
As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the
  ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate.

Above is a text from GRE essay pool. I am having difficulty in relating its parts. I also read some sample essays but I am still unable to grasp the meaning.

The line I am unable to interpret is "ability of humans to think for themselves".

Does this mean that we do not give ourselves enough times? or, we do not bother our needs?

But as per the sample essays, above statement refers to human inability to think of more productive ideas of doing the same things.

Please could anyone help me in understanding the meaning.


texts:
What would be the right form of the auxiliary verb here and why?

  choosing suitable tools are vital

or

  choosing suitable tools is vital


texts: What is the word for Compliance using -tion or city

texts:
I want to know the family of word Compliance. This work I am using show something success.
I have list with product's state, list items are Compliance, Pending, failed.
Now I need label for list. As of now using Compliance. I am thing it should be something like Compliancetion or Compliancity.
Can anyone help me


texts:
I found the sentence below on the Internet.

  Part of the water reaching the ground infiltrates and percolates down
  to form the groundwater.

Can this be rewritten as follows:?

  Part of the water that has reached the ground infiltrates and
  percolates down to form the groundwater.

In my language, the latter sounds more natural.


texts:
I think it strange that there is no one on the street at this time of
  the day.

In the above sentence, I think, a verb is missing; and should be corrected as;

  I think it is strange that there is no one on the street at this time of
  the day.

or,

  I think it to be strange that there is no one on the street at this time of
  the day.

At the same time, I think, it could be correct as it is.

"I think it strange that .." -- is the phrase correct or does it miss a verb before 'it'?


texts: I am a 26-year-old who hasn’t or haven’t?

texts:
I’m a 26 year old guy who hasn’t watched X...
I’m a 26 year old guy who haven’t watched X...
Which one would be accurate?


texts: Examination of a very long sentence and classification of its component

texts:
I've got a really complicated sentence to me. If someone could figure out what it imply, please explain me. First of all these modifying clauses in the sentence below ("in which" , " by that" and "where") refers to which word(s) ? And in addition to that what is the predicate and subject of this sentence. Thank you in advance.

Here is the sentence:

  The conflict between royalists and parliamentarians unleashed a torrent of radical thinking in which the traditional image of society as a rigid hierarchy was displaced by that of a structure of equal rights where individuals exercise autonomy in crucial areas of their lives.


texts: Turn (rotate) it that way, this way (toward you,toward me)

texts:
My friend and I are standing across from each other (with a stool in the middle and a clamp stand on top of it, with a pendulum suspended from it; not in the image though....)

Me can move the part that hold on to things like a burette. It can be done by loosening the screw. My friend was rotating it toward my direction (clockwise)  and I told her to rotate it in her direction.  Is it okay to use:

  Turn (or rotate)it that way.  (While talking and moving my hand to tell her)

Or should it be:

  Turn it your way.

  Turn it toward you. (And should it be rotate or turn?)

And for example,  if the screw had to be turned clockwise, (I.e my direction)

  Turn it this way. (Will it sound okay while talking?)

Or

  Turn it my way.

  Turn it toward me.


texts: Which is correct? "...watch her is talking...", "...watch her was talking...", or "...watched her was talking..."?

texts:
I have three sentences. Is there anybody who can tell me which would be correct?

a) How could he watch his girlfriend is talking with him (another guy)?

b) How could he watch that his girlfriend was talking with him (another guy)?

c) How could he watched  his girlfriend was talking with him (another guy)?


texts: What is the proper use of the present progressive form, especially of "to have"?

texts:
When I read @ctype.h's question 'Is "I am having a code" grammatically correct?', I thought that @Mark Beadles brought up a good point:

This is two questions, though you may not realize it. The first is the proper use of "I am having a NNN", the present progressive of have.  [1]
...
The present progressive and the indefinite article are two of the more troublesome aspects of learning English, especially coming from languages that have neither. 2

As I (a native English speaker) thought about this, I don't think I could properly explain the present progressive to an ELL, even in the seemingly straightforward example @ctype.h gave:

I’m having a code which (does such and such, followed by a fragment of code)

So, really, what is the proper use of the present progressive form, in terms an ELL could understand?


texts: what does the "logged" mean in this context?

texts:
I recently read a passage which has a sentence

  The fire was located in the basement and the four-story building was heavily smoke logged, he said.

I understand all words except the "logged". It seems that no meaning in the dictionary fits it. struggle on it.


texts: I was never there instead of I have never been there

texts: Is it grammatically correct to say "I was never there" instead of "I have never been there"? I have read in Michael Swan's English grammar book that AmE speakers use the simple past more often. Would my sentence be correct in BrE? If it is possible at all.


texts: How do you used to feel / How did you use to feel

texts:
How do you used to feel before?
How did you use to feel before?

Do both questions ask about the past?
Do they mean the same?
Are they both correct?


texts: Verbs and Verbals -- Why can't I write "(the) expense to make (someone do something)"?

texts:
The hope is that the sheer expense to make producers pay for the disposal of their computer equipment wherever it is sold or being used across the world, will spur the industry towards making "greener" machines.

Well, my textbook says that the phrase "to make" should be replaced by "of making" and "being" should be added before the word "sold". Can anyone provide an explanation?


texts: What's the meaning of "indicate" in this context?

texts:
This is a passage from an article on the idiom call it a day:

  The phrase "call it a day" is a fairly commonly used idiom that means to leave or stop doing the current activity. Usually, it is used at the end of a workday or an otherwise strenuous activity to indicate that the day of hard work or play is finished and it is time to go home and relax for the evening, although this is not always the case

What does indicate mean mentioned in the passage? I've looked it up on Dictionary.com and there are two definitions that seems to fit the context, but I'm not sure which is the most appropriate or maybe neither of the definitions fit the context at all. They are:

  to be a sign of; betoken; evidence; show: His hesitation really indicates his doubt about the venture.
  to state or express, especially briefly or in a general way; signal: He indicated his disapproval but did not go into detail.


texts:
Please check both sentences and let me know, which one is correct and why?

She compares me with her boyfriend.

She compares me to her boyfriend.


texts: How would one punctuate a sentence which began as a question but ended with a statement?

texts: The sentence is "Can I ride with you because the other car is already full"


texts:
That's from the article on 'The Boss Baby' cartoon I've just read:
"... that newborn girl sits up and reveals that she's wearing her own Boss Baby-esque suit and tie..."

What do you think about such derivation - is it correct?
And how would you pronounce this?


texts:
In English crime series I often hear mom or mam or mum. I don't know...

What does it mean? When is an appropriate time to use it?

See this trailer from the BBC's Bodyguard crime series.


texts:
you Back at the school, the police have started escorting the detained protesters to the restroom, one at a time.

Will using "escorting" sound like the police takes the protesters to the restroom to keep them there or only so that they can pee and then put them back where they were?


texts:
Is the sentence "She's been shopping for how long?" grammatically correct? I'm concerned that it sounds too awkward.

In context, it is obvious that I am asking how long Thora went to the shop for (it's not just an exclamation):

Where's Thora and how long has she been away?
Thora went shopping ages ago.
She's been shopping for how long?


texts: Does it have to be "to lend the money" when say "someone borrowed me money"?

texts:
For example, someone asked me to borrow my money. But I refused.
Then I talked it with another people, Can I say

  "Yesterday, XX borrowed me money."

Or, I only can say

  "Yesterday, XX asked me to borrow my money."


texts: Is « even if » + conditional always grammatically correct?

texts:
I’m reading a French novel (No and I) in English and I came upon this sentence:

  I was concentrating so hard that it took me a while to realize that someone was tapping me on the shoulder. A mammoth could trample over my feet at times like
  these and I wouldn’t even notice. I turned round.

If we add « even if » to the second sentence, which tense will we need to use?

Even if a mammoth trampled over my feet, I wouldn’t notice.
Even if a mammoth would trample over my feet, I wouldn’t notice.

The second one sounds wrong to me but I am not a native speaker. For me, it sounds like a hypothesis (in the imaginary case/scenario that…), like "if I were rich," and so should not take "would."
However, looking up online (on The British Newspaper The Guardian) I have found sentences like:

The announcement that scientists think they may have found a planet orbiting the star nearest to our sun is potentially big news – even if it would take 70,000 years to get there

Are there different meanings to « even if » here: hypothesis? Concession?

Thanks


texts: Production of (the) so-called "green tires": is article necessary?

texts:
I am translating this (Russian) news article. The article says that a new rubber plant is slated for construction. The plant itself will produce only rubber, not tires. I have a question about my translation of the final sentence:

  This grade of rubber is used in the production of (the) so-called "green tires".

The sentence is the last in the news report, added to enlighten the reader on the nature of that particular grade of rubber.

Is the definite article necessary here? I guess not, because although the tires are named, this name could relate to a wide variety of environmentally friendly tires (produced in vast amounts).

This is the only mention of any kind of tires in the article. The meaning is: "the plant will produce this grade of rubber, sell the rubber on the market, where those companies that produce green tires could buy it as feedstock".


texts:
Sometimes I don't know the natural position of some phrases because of the mother language inference.

Consider:

  For example, due to their low vapor pressure, these compounds are appropriate replacement for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

In the sentence above, I put "due to" in the front, because I feel if I don't say it there, the reader won't understand why they are appropriate in the rest of the sentence. However, maybe it is more natural to say:

  For example these compounds are appropriate replacement for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to their low vapor pressure.

Which sentence do you think is more normal in English?

Another example is:

  The application of room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) due to their unique properties in a variety of processes, such as solvent extraction, is increasing
  The application of room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) is increasing due to their unique properties in a variety of processes, such as solvent extraction.


texts:
Consider the context - when I am on a video call with someone and the tube got fused so it all
became dark and the other person couldn't see me.
Is saying - The tube is gone correct English. What's the better way to express this at the time


texts:
"I'm so sorry for people who live in lands where there are no Mayflowers," said Anne. "Diana says perhaps they have something better, but there couldn't be anything better than Mayflowers, could there, Marilla? And Diana says if they don't know what they are like they don't miss them. But I think that is the saddest thing of all. I think it would be TRAGIC, Marilla, not to know what Mayflowers are like and NOT to miss them. Do you know what I think Mayflowers are, Marilla? I think they must be the souls of the flowers that died last summer and this is their heaven. But we had a splendid time today, Marilla. We had our lunch down in a big mossy hollow by an old well—such a ROMANTIC spot. Charlie Sloane dared Arty Gillis to jump over it, and Arty did be-cause he wouldn't take a dare. Nobody would in school. It is very FASHIONABLE to dare.  Mr. Phillips gave all the Mayflowers he found to Prissy Andrews and I heard him to say 'sweets to the sweet.’

  –– L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Arty take Charlie’s dare and jumped. Then why is it he wouldn’t take a dare, not he would take a dare? Or does he refer to Charlie?


texts:
As we usually think of dreams, they go on in the minds of people who are actually lying in a real bed in a real house, even if in the dream they are running away from a homicidal lawnmower through the streets of Kansas City. We also assume that normal dreams depend on what is happening in the dreamer's brain while he sleeps."

I don't know the meaning of the word "As" in the first sentence. Could you help me please! I think it means "when". Is it right?


texts: Carrying a heavy pile of books, he caught his foot on a step. (meaning of idiomatic expression: catch one's foot on a step)

texts:
Carrying a heavy pile of books, he caught his foot on a step.

Analysis: He may've carried a heavy pile of books using both of his hands.
Q: How could he catch his foot without his hands? So 'caught' here means he didn't use his hands.
Then, there could be some other things that caught his foot—a step or his the other foot(left or right) or he himself as an owner of his body who can control the movement of each part of his body.
But the subject of 'caught' is "he", so 'a step' is out and, in, he himself, either left or right foot.
What does the expression of "catch one's feet on a step" mean?


texts: Is it "who they think he is" or "that they think he is"

texts:
I am pretty sure that we say "Isn't the X who they think he is", but I also think I have heard "Isn't the X that they think he is" before, but I would choose the former? Is it idiomatic, because I haven't really found an example on Google.

For example:

  She isn't the genius who you think she is.


texts: How sophisticated does the word 'occidental' sound for the average native speaker?

texts:
The word oriental is quite widely used. But its counterpart, occidental is not so popular, at least I don't hear it so often.

What's more, my contact with English is mostly by technical documentation, or documentaries, where many words considered sophisticated are widely used. How would it sound like for an average native speaker, if I would use the term occidental for example in occidental countries?


texts: Is "If I was just counting the number of people" apt in this context?

texts:
Rui: Hey, Momo. Um, do you have plenty of experience being in
  relationships?

  Momo: Did you hear that from someone? I wouldn't call it plenty, but
  If I was just counting the number of people... Thirty people... or so?

  Rui: ...

  Momo: Oh, but not two at the same time, you knw? I do break up
  properly before going out again.

Is that happy in the context? I would hazard a guess that "If I am just counting the number of people" is more apt than "If I was just counting the number of people" in the context.

My thoughts bare on the concept that "past tenses" in If clauses relate to unreal situations, or unlikely situations. But, If clause in the context seems to rest on a common assumption that is likely to be real. In fact, after enunciating the if clause, she, Momo counted and uttered the number of people that she had been on intimate terms with. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. Thank you very much.


texts: That car, to me, is what your house is to you/That car is to me what your house is to you

texts:
That car, to me, is what your house is to you.

That car is to me what your house is to you.

Are both the above sentences grammatically correct?
Do they mean the same thing?


texts: Is it acceptable to pronounce the "T" in "Time" in this specific case?

texts:
My question is that

Does the man pronounce the word "time" wrongly in this video?

It seems that he doesn't aspirate the "T" in "Time".


texts: What does the meme "proof you can be a fruit and a vegetable" mean?

texts:
I saw a rather offensive meme, and for that reason I will not post the picture here. If you want to see it, just google the quote in the title. I'll just explain it here.

It's a picture of one or more persons in a wheelchair, and the hbtq-flag is present. I assume it's from the Pride parade or something.

I understand the connection between vegetable and wheelchair, as explained in this answer: What's "wheelchair" in a vegetable?

But what does fruit mean here? Does that have something to do with hbtq?


texts: Does the phrase "bizarrely specific" carry a negative connotation?

texts:
Does the phrase "bizarrely specific" carry a negative connotation, opposed to really just about any other way of putting it? Also as a side note, would you consider it associated with advertising and spam?

For example, a few tops hits from putting the phrase into google news and google:

  A naked man's bizarre fight with police ended in the fiery destruction of a luxury home Thursday night in Edmonds KOMO News

  Bizarre Stunt at Auschwitz: Group Kills a Sheep, Then Strips New York Times

  ... bizarre hotline that offers sleep-deprived people some weird and surely unhelpful options to get back to sleep.USA Today

  5 Bizarrely Specific Sexist Stereotypes in Modern Ads

  This man suffered from a disorder known as prosopagnosia, which refers to the inability to recognize faces. This bizarrely specific disorder is due to lesions in the ...

  If you had a trivially mundane, bizarrely specific, almost useless superpower, which one do you think would match your personality?

As a reference about this question Connotation and Denotation

This answer explains some of the meanings of some of the synonyms for the word bizarre, but the word also has synonyms such as: peculiar, curious,  outlandish, outré, grotesque, abnormal, queer, freaky.


texts:
This a brief description of a software project I was involved in:

  Project description:

  Development of market analysts's applications. [These applications allow you to ...]

Is it correct to use Development without any article in this context? What rule is it?


texts: How can I know when a present-tense verb has a future time implication not strictly a present time one?

texts:
When do I know that the present tense has a future implication not a present one?
For instance:

We are making some changes to the speech and we are losing the ‘ocean’
part.

Does the verb losing here in this context imply the future as in any of
“They are going to lose it” or “They will lose it” or “They are to use it”,
or does it imply only the present as in “They are right now this moment already in the process
of losing it”?

Add to that many other scenarios where with the present tense doesn’t seem
to make clear whether it’s by implication referring to the present time or
to some future time like in this second example.

Imagine you are at an airport travelling to the USA and you ask about the
plane you are supposed to board; now which one should you use?

Excuse me, which plane goes to the USA?
Excuse me, which plane is travelling to the USA?
Excuse me, which plane is going to travel to the USA?
Excuse me, which plane is going to be travelling to the USA?

My whole point is that I’m very, ᴠᴇʀʏ confused when it comes to the present
tense (using the continuous aspect) and its possible time implications, so
could someone please point me out to like a fact or something that I can
use so that I’m no longer ᴛʜɪꜱ super-confused about it?

Okay guys last one, what about this example:

I’m placing a new order right now.

I find this sentence in particular even more confusing than the preceding
two because even though it has a time adverbial (right now), it’s not obvious
whether the speaker is saying they are doing it right now as in
they are in the middle of the process, or whether they are going to do it
right now as in the immediate future.


texts:
is the following sentence grammatically correct?

  India has conveyed its strong protest to Pakistan over an order by that country’s supreme court allowing the conduct of general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.

I think it is not.


texts:
I got myself all confused. Can a while-clause be used with a second conditional to talk about a hypothetical situation? If so, then which form of verb does the tense after "while" take?

I was taught that using "will" after will/when is incorrect, but I'm not sure if the past form of "will" works.For e.g:

  Person A : "Person 1 and Person 2 always seem to be engaged in an
  argument. I wonder what would happen if they went to the movies with
  person 3"

  1) Person B: "If that happened, then they (person 1 and 2) would keep
  arguing while person 3 would be watching it alone" (both actions would
  occour at the same time)

  2)Person B: "If that happened, then they would keep arguing while
  person 3 watches it alone"

  3) Person B: "If that happened, then they (person 1 and 2) would keep
  arguing while person 3 watched it alone"

  4) Person B: "If that
  happened, then they (person 1 and 2) would keep arguing while person 3
  would watch it alone"

  5) Person B: "If that happened, then they (person 1 and 2) would keep
  arguing while person 3 is watching it alone"

Another example to make things more clear.

Example 2:

  1)If person 1 and person 2 were here at the party, then person 1 would
  be drinking while person 2 would be eating.( both eating and drinking
  would   happen at the same time)

  2) If person 1 and person 2 were here at the party, then person 1
  would be drinking while person 2 is eating.

  3) If person 1 and person 2 were here at the party, then person 1
  would be drinking while person 2 ate.

  4) If person 1 and person 2 were here at the party, then person 1
  would be drinking while person 2 would eat.

  5) If person 1 and person 2 were here at the party, then person 1
  would be drinking while person 2 eats.

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: What's the opposite word of "aforementioned"

texts: I am writing a paper and want to use a word which has the opposite meaning of "aforementioned", i.e. something will be mentioned in following parts.


texts:
Can the phrase below have subtle nuances of meaning depending on a preposition?

1.Warehouse for raw materials
2.Warehouse of raw materials

Which phrase implies that the warehouse is full of raw materials? Can we somehow infer that the warehouse is empty or overfull  in one or another case?


texts:
Quote from The Anubis Gates:

"At the far end of the walnut-panelled and carpeted room Darrow, looking no more tired than he had last night, was talking to a tall blond man."

Shouldn't this be "..looking no more tired than he was last night.."?


texts: What does "if this is all going somewhere, get to it already" mean?

texts:
Source

  Girl:You grateful you landed a job that pays you to stare at people?

  Boy:I deal with bullshitters all day. But I'm on my own time here, so, if this is all going somewhere, get to it already.

Also what he's saying, "I get to it already or You get to it already"? This is subtitled in the video at 7:43.


texts:
What does this mean?

  Modestly stepping aside can never be recommended as a continual practice in strong enough terms.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/09/robert-walser-disappearing-acts.html

Does this mean that modestly stepping aside is a very good practice, and highly recommended as a continual practice?

Is this usage the same as "I can't thank you enough?"


texts: "Why don't you do that?" -> does it have ambiguity?

texts:
Can it mean either of below depending on the contexts?

It's your own matter. This concerns you most of all! You are the one who should do that!
You are not the exception! You are supposed to do that just like everybody else!

If not, which of them is closer to the title sentence? And could you give me a simpler sentence for the other one please?


texts: "...stinking, petri dish of McDonald's infested filth my step daughter calls her wheels. "

texts:
What does the following sentence mean? ( I know each word's meaning in the sentence)

  James, a self-confessed petrolhead , offered up the car in a post
  titled: 'We’re Giving Away The Most Disgusting Peugeot The World Has
  Ever Seen.' He said: 'Just how badly do you treat your car? 'I bet it
  isn't as bad as this stinking, petri dish of McDonald's infested
  filth my step daughter calls her wheels.'

The article


texts: meaning of plural of plural v.s. singular of plural

texts:
I am confused of the followings:

  The locations of nodes are given.

  The location of nodes is given.

  Node locations are given.

  Nodes' location is given.

  Nodes' locations are given.

Is there any difference among these?


texts: What "to be" (singular or plural) do we use for who (and which)?

texts:
For example this text:

  You can also add guest who's not in the system.

Sometimes I'm confused of whether I should use this instead:

  You can also add guests who are not in the system.

In this kind of example, do we use plural or singular form if we don't know how much guest(s) the user wants to add? Thanks.


texts: What is wrong in the statement "Don’t equate materials with living life. Strike a balance."?

texts:
Don’t equate materials with living life. Strike a balance.

What's wrong in this sentence?  I wrote it as part of an answer on quora. But when seeing today, I think I wrote two contradicting sentences. Because in first part, I wrote not to equate or compare, but in second part, I asked to balance. But without equating, how do you balance?

I am not sure, I dont have good knowledge on grammatical terms. Not sure of which tag to apply too :)


texts: Term for someone who cannot keep something to themselves

texts:
We have them everywhere. And I'm looking for the term to refer to them.

These are the people who cannot keep any matter to themselves. Irrespective of the degree of seriousness of the matter, they'll simply spit it out in front of others. In short, they are not eligible to say the idiom I'll carry this to my grave!

In my school/college days, we had a very informal term for them. We used to call such people 'the BBC'! That's because if you have told anything to them, they'll spread the word for sure.

There could be more than one word. I'll be happy to have the closest term for it though.


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct? "the birth a planet the size of Jupiter"

texts:
Consider:

Scientists recently witnessed the birth a planet the size of Jupiter...

You can find the original article here.
I have two questions:

I think it must be the birth "of" a planet, am I wrong?
I think the sentence needs a preposition before "the size of".

Would you please shed light on grammatical structure of this sentence?


texts: Can I use "Verb+ing" in the middle of my sentence

texts:
I would like to understand how can I add further information to my sentence using verb+ing. Here is my example,

  Model A extend stage C from, fitting only one dependency relationship, to stage D, estimating different dependency relationships.

I just wonder if my sentence is correct or not? I feet that I should use fitting in both phrases. However, fitting is suitable for the first one and estimating is the main idea of the second one.


texts: What does "Distilled to the essence" mean?

texts:
(I use this link: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/distill)

"Distilled to the essence, people seek meaning in life. Because life is mysterious, symbols arise to sustain hope, belief, and faith"

https://books.google.com.vn/books?id=btooDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT400&dq=Distilled+to+the+essence,+people+seek+meaning+in+life.+Because+life+is+mysterious,+symbols+arise+to+sustain+hope,+belief,+and+faith&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6scuIg8LhAhXJQN4KHdfwBd8Q6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=Distilled%20to%20the%20essence%2C%20people%20seek%20meaning%20in%20life.%20Because%20life%20is%20mysterious%2C%20symbols%20arise%20to%20sustain%20hope%2C%20belief%2C%20and%20faith&f=false


texts: I am wondering if we can add "the" at love in the sentence: "Don't trust the love?" (in a poetic way, like if we personalise love).


texts: Why is "what's what?" always wrong as a question?

texts:
When I talk to somebody, and I miss a certain part(word) of the sentence they said, I have a habit of replacing the unheard part with what and ask the same sentence like this:

  Speaker: Can you please pass the texta(missed)?
  Me: Can you pass what?

  Speaker: Why don't you drink coffee(missed) in the morning?
  Me: Why don't you drink what in the morning(what-in-the-morning is spoken with a special intonation).

  Speaker: What is the time(missed)?
  Me: What is what?

The speaker I was talking to was an English guy, and he said you can't say what's what.

What is grammatically wrong with what's what as a question and why can I replace the unheard word with what in other sentences?

Thank you.


texts:
Could someone please help me with the meaning of the bold part in the text below?

He had been in the office when the accident happened, consulting with
a veneer salesman. Some change in noise registered with him, but it
was more of an increase than a hush. It was nothing that alerted
him—just an irritation. Because it happened in the sawmill, nobody
would know about the accident immediately in the shops or in the kilns
or in the yard, and work in some places continued for several minutes.
In fact Arthur, bending over the veneer samples on his desk, might
have been one of the last people to understand that there had been an
intervention. He asked the salesman a question, and the salesman did
not answer. Arthur looked up and saw the man's mouth open, his face
frightened, his salesman's assurance wiped away.
Carried Away by Alice Munro

The way that register is used in the text is not what I am used to. Would you please tell me if it's a common usage?


texts:
Which option fits best for the following sentence.

  The movement's ideas are not merely absurd; they are ... dangerous.

  1.Formally

  2.Perfectly

  3.Absolutely

  4.Positively

For me 1,2 and 3 work .


texts:
I need to be corrected of my preposition usage, not what the house is made of.(let's say I am describing my house's structure)

  I live in a house. A 2-storey house in a combination of wood and concrete, wood on the second floor and concrete on the lower level.

Are my prepositions here correct?


texts: is the word "lead" used correctly in the below sentence?

texts:
Is that correct to use "lead" in the below sentence that I wrote? Should I use another verb like "cause" or "make" instead?

when a user click on it, a couple lines of code, written by back-end developer, execute that lead to download a file.


texts: What does "actinide" as an adjective means in this phrase:

texts:
The following exerpt from a web-novel:

  A shaft of pure actinide destruction lanced forth from its outthrust palm (...)

source

What does "actnide" means in this context?


texts: What are some idiomatic ways of saying "the rain let up"?

texts: In my understanding, the phrase "the rain let up" means the rain became less severe or stopped, but it doesn't sound very much idiomatic, so what are some alternative ways of saying it?