texts: Is it correct the use of "of" in "Something is instance of another thing, of another thing, and of another thing"

texts:
I'm writing a technical report about a software.

This is my sentence

  The instances of rs:Rating class, of its sub classes, illustrated in section 3, and of the Likes class, illustrated in section 4, with their predicates are defined during the Configuration process and they answer the competency question number 10.

The words class and instance are software engineering terminologies.

I'm not sure if of is correct in that sentence. What I'm trying to say is: the instances of rs:Rating class, the instances of its sub classes, and the instances of the Likes class are together being defined during the configuration process. the its in that sentence is referred to the rs:Rating class.

Could you help please?


texts: What is the meaning of "spend it living" in this sentence?

texts:
Sam: My mom left when I was little. My dad raised me and he died last
  year.

  Cathy: Oh, my. So you cared for him as well?

  Sam: I would have. I just thought I had more time.

  Cathy: You think too much about the time you have left. you don't
  spend it living.

I don't get it, what Cathy is speaking here about it?


texts: VT choice: past continuous vs. past perfect continuous

texts:
I am trying to describe a working state in a period of time.

  A few years ago, I was running my own business. At that time, I was working 15 hours a day for around 10 months.

  ... I had been working 18 hour long days over a period of around 10 month.

  ... I had worked 18 hours a day for about 10 months.

Are those all grammatically correct? Which one is better?


texts: Present perfect and past simple with if and when

texts:
I have trouble understanding when to use present perfect and past simple in situations like these.

It's possibile to use this tense if /when you have taken/took some time ,days for example to complete that action.

What would you say? Could you also explain to me why you would use which ?


texts: Which one is correct : 'does it worth all the trouble ?' or 'is it worth all the trouble ?'

texts:
I am currently confused between the use of these two:

  Does it worth all the trouble?

or

  Is it worth all the trouble?

Can some one suggest which one is correct?


texts: Right preposition for: Evaluation of a function at 0 "in/at" its first argument

texts:
Consider a function f(x,y) defined on X x Y.

One says that f(0,y) is the evaluation of f at 0 ...

... in its first argument
...at its first argument
(none of these)

My problem using searching engines is that  usual occurrence of evaluation is evaluation at certain point, but if the function in question has multiple arguments, then which preposition helps to specify the argument it is evaluated in/at?


texts: Verbs that can have the subject right after them

texts:
I saw this phrase: "to look the horse in the mouth" and remembered that there are many more such phrases out there.

What are such constructions called and how do they function?


texts:
Carla: I thought you ... a healthy guy!

  A: were

  B: are

I encountered this question on an online quiz. I choose A, but the answer key is B. I'm wondering why A is incorrect?


texts: Proper use of the definite article in "competitive advantage through the use of technology"

texts:
I am not a native speaker of English and I really struggle with proper use of word "the". I have done quite a bit of research and I always seem to get it wrong. Anyway, I would appreciate if someone can help me with this sentence:

  I work with leading organizations globally to help them gain competitive advantage through the use of technology and through embarkment of cultural transformations.

Do I need to add "the" in front of "use"?
Do I need to add "the" in front of "embarkment"?

Thanks!
Dan


texts:
If you'll pick up some snacks, I'll get the beer.

In this sentence there is used the volitive "will" as I was thought by StoneyB in his exhaustive reply to my latest question here ("Would" in a backshifted reported context). This sentence can be paraphrased in this way: "If you are willing to take care of getting snacks, I am willing to reciprocate by providing the beer". But I am not able to see the difference between this sentence and the standard conditional clause, i.e. "If you pick up some snacks, I'll get the beer". Every conditional clause after all includes a reciprocal aspect. Can you please give me some other examples ot the volitive "will" in the sentence.


texts: Past perfect or past perfect continuous?

texts:
What is the correct answer to this sentence-
" I ____________(look) for a job for two years before I got this one."
Should it be "I had been looking for a job for two years before I got this one." Or "I had looked for a job for two years before I got this one"?


texts: "And it goes without saying" is referring back or indicating the following sentence?

texts:
I mean as it flies all the way across the Gulf of Mexico, it uses up almost none of its body fat. But that doesn't mean it doesn't need to eat! So hummingbirds have to rely on plants in their natural habitat. And it goes without saying, but... well, the opposite is true as well. Plants depend on hummingbirds too. (A script from TOEFL LISTENING)

Since it is audio, how do I identify whether the bold sentence is referring to what comes before it, "So hummingbirds have to rely on plants in their natural habitat," being pretty self-evident or what comes after, "Plants depend on hummingbirds too"?


texts: Smack someone from behind with your crotch

texts:
What is this called in English I describe the situation as follows:

When a boy goes behind a girl, front-to-back position, especially when the girl is distracted because it makes it funnier to him, hits (kind of smack) her butt using his crotch including the part where his genitals are and then runs away.

Occassionally boys who are close friends do that, too, just to tease eachother. Sometimes that strong that the other one bends backwards somehow or is pushed forward.

Actually it's a kind of sexual harrassment thing if the girl/boy is not OK with that.

The word that I'm looking for doesn't need to include running away, or being funny although if it does that'd be even better. I was thinking of bang someone but I think that's too strong. They're not having sex or anything! Maybe this happens in a disco, too, and the girl either slaps the boy or becomes a date.


texts:
When we say, "The car could have climbed to the top of the hill," we
  mean the car had enough power to reach the top of the hill if someone
  drove it there. We don't mean that on an occasion when it was parked
  at the bottom of the hill, the car could have just taken off and
  climbed to the top, instead of continuing to sit there. Some thing
  else would have had to happen differently first, like a person getting
  in and starting the motor. But when it comes to people, we seem to
  think that they can do various things they don't actually do, just
  like that, without anything else happening differently first. What
  does this mean?

  Thomas Nagel - What does it all mean?

What does "just like that" mean?

  But when it comes to people, we seem to think that they can do various
  things they don't actually do, just like that, without anything else
  happening differently first.

I don't understand what the author mean in the sentense above? Could you explain it for me?

Thanks


texts: what's the difference between mind and brain?

texts:
—Is Mr. Black a successful businessman?
—Yes, he is a _mind__ and he set up his own company by himself. A. brain B. helpful man C. smart person

I think both A and C can replace "mind". they can both mean "intelligent person"


texts:
I told my friend about a person that died and he corrected me and told me that using the word 'died' about person isn't frequent although it isn't a mistake, instead, he added, it's more natural to say 'passed away'.

This friend isn't a native English speaker and he told me that someone else told him the same, so I am not sure whether it's correct info or not.


texts: Is it possible to add an article after the preposition "next to"?

texts:
Is it possible to add an article after the preposition "next to" (in case that I want to specify a noun)  or it's idiom which includes already definite article such as the idiom "at home")?

For example:
"The rice is in the kitchen, in the cupboard next to (the?) sink."


texts: The meaning of the phrase 'send over to someone'

texts:
I got an example:

  A nice chap has asked me to send over to you a fee proposal for...

The dictionaries 'Longman Phrasal Verbs' (App for iPhone), 'Macmillan Phrasal Verbs Plus' (2008) and 'Oxford Dictionary of English' (App for iPhone) do not provide the meaning of this phrase.

Because of 'over', the phrase gives me a feeling that the proposal will be given directly to me without any intermediary (or some sort of internal approval) in between.  But, of course, and as usual, I may be wrong.

I am anxious for any explanation you may give.


texts: There was a farmer had a dog, but which one was named Bingo?

texts:
There was a farmer had a dog,
  and Bingo was his name-o.

From these words alone (so, without appealing to different versions, translations, likelihoods of names, etc.), is there some way to decide whether the name Bingo applies to the farmer or the dog?

I've actually met an Irish farmer (nick)named Bingo and a Kiwi dog named Bingo. I guess my other question is: am I the only one who wonders about this when hearing this rhyme?


texts: What are words to express your nose, ears, eyes' ability?

texts:
What are words to express your nose, ears and eyes' ability?
Can we use "clear", "sharp", "delicate", "keen" to express our eyes and ears' ability?, for example,

"my eyes are so clear that I can see better than anyone"

"my ears are so sharp that I can hear better than anyone"

"my ears are so delicate that I can hear better than anyone"

"I have such keen eyes/ears/nose that I can see/hear/smell better than anyone"


texts: Who have vs. With (What's the difference?)

texts:
Someone who has something.

  Someone with something.

What is the difference between the two sentences?

Here is the question I got in GMAT:

  In 1776 Adam Smith wrote that it is young people who have “the
  contempt of risk and the presumptuous hope of success” needed to found
  new businesses.

Can I replace "who have" with "with"?

It is so confusing... Would really appreciate, if someone could help!


texts: BackEnd side is on Java or in Java language?

texts:
FrontEnd in Angular
BackEnd side of the project is on Java?

ON, IN or WITH
How to say properly?


texts:
I've just seen the sentence below in my grammar book:

  You still have a lot of paint, so why not paint the bedroom too?

and I thought it should have been:

  "You still have a lot of paint, so why don't you paint the bedroom too?"

Am I wrong?


texts:
I have always wondered how to classify this kind of clause:

  He is fifty-four years old

How should it be classified?

Either as:

He (Subject)
is (Linking Verb)
fifty-four (Cardinal number, adjective)
years (countable noun)
old (adjective, post-modifier)

Or as:

...
...
Fifty-four (Cardinal number, determiner)
...
...


texts: Difference find something difficult to do and find something difficult for me to do

texts:
(1). I find it difficult to get a A grade in the cooking exam.
(2). I find it difficult for me to get a A grade in the cooking exam.

I have seen someone write sentences in #2 style somewhere on the Internet, and the sentences confuse me.
Are they both correct?


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "throw off" in context

texts:
It was in this video. It is at around 1 minute and 51 second. Here is the context:

  Others, like the drops used to dilate pupils for eye exams, are targeted and don't throw your whole body off.

Does that mean that the drops do not change the whole body?


texts: Confused to use Present Simple Tense or Present Perfect Tense

texts:
Today Bangladesh has won any tri nation series very firstly. The Daily Star has wrote, " Bangladesh win tri-nation series final. "

My question is, Shouldn’t it be like Bangladesh has won tri-nation series final?

I am not too good at English. Forgive me and help me to correct anything if I make any mistake here. Thanks.


texts:
I would like to convey discount available for the single product. which of the below one is right?

Discounts available   OR  Discount available.


texts: Verb + preposition + noun, with vs without the preposition

texts:
She doesn't have any experience in loving someone.

Both with and without the preposition are fine here. My question is, what kind of "verb + preposition + noun" combinations can ignore the preposition?


texts: Adjective complement before or after the noun

texts:
Consider:

  We are seeking (looking for) people skilled in mathematics.

  A different life from this one.

How we should place the adjective complements correctly, I mean how to distinguish that we should use pattern 1 or 2?

I know that below structures are wrong:

  We are seeking (looking for) skilled people in mathematics .

  We are seeking (looking for) skilled in mathematics people .

  A different from this one life .

Q1 : Is there any specific rule that can help me categorize these sentences; For example, I say: " Ok, I want to be understood and discerned in this way  so, I must use pattern 1(2) " or "Since there is Past participle I must do like what has been done in 1"

Q2 : If the answer of the Q1 is No, then I must memorize how many phrases ? It is annoying for an English learner.

Thanks


texts:
Which is the correct way to mention the idea of jokes played in a comedy serial:

  I enjoy watching my family members laughing at the jokes cracked in the soap opera.

or:

  I enjoy watching my family members laughing at the jokes played in the soap opera.

I was just describing the reason why I like to watch TV with my family members: So I had to choose any one of the above two sentences. The complete description that I used is as follows: I like to watch serial along with my family members as in this case we are able to relish it more. For instance, if we are watching a comedy serial then we enjoy by repeating the funny lines. I especially enjoy watching my family members laughing at the jokes cracked in the soap opera.

So, I know what the word means. I just need to know how to use it so it sounds natural.


texts: One word for not being a hundred percent transparent

texts:
I want to say something like "In our team, we are talking the word I am looking for ly".
What I want to express is that the communication we are doing is kinda hunk dory , not really talking about the issues that are bothering us. So the communication is not deep enough.


texts:
What's the difference between both the sentences:-

I am going to show you something.
I am going to be showing you something.
I will be showing you something.
I am going to send.
I am going to be sending.
I believe ex 2 and 3 has the same meaning.


texts:
I have read the following paragraph from Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3:

  Ever since Mom assigned the dishes to me and Rodrick, Dad's been going
  down to the furnace room after dinner to work on this miniature
  Civil War battlefield of his.

I am confused about the meaning of "furnace room". I have looked it up in the dictionary.In the dictionary, it means:"a large container for a very hot fire, used to produce power, heat, or liquid metal."

How can he build a furnace room at home. I think it means "basement",but I can't find this meaning in the dictionary.


texts:
Although I have already raised a somewhat similar question, I still need to know more about the following:

What is the difference between these sentences? Or, could you show me the point by using another example?

He does all that he can to assure my health and safety on the job.
He does what he can to assure my health and safety on the job.

Any comment or feed-back would greatly be appreciated.


texts: What does "I don't think so especially that + clause" mean here?

texts:
I was reading an excerpt of tennis player Agnieszka Radwanska's recent interview in which she talks about fellow athlete Maria Sharapova's return from drug suspension. The following are the exchanges between Agnieszka and the interviewer:

  Q: Maria Sharapova will return from her doping suspension in less than
  two months. Do you think she’ll be welcomed back to the tour?

  A: To be honest, I don’t know. And for me it doesn’t really matter. I
  think you have to ask people how they’re going to react, but I don’t
  know.

  Q: So for you nothing changes when she comes back?

  A: I don’t think so especially that she can really play great tennis
  after a year break. That’s what she did the last time with her
  shoulder (injury). I don’t think she’s going to lose the match rhythm.
  I think she’s going to be a dangerous opponent from the first round.
  You can play her in the first round, it’s going to be an interesting
  draw with her not being seeded. But yes, for sure it’s not going to be
  a good draw.

My friend and I hold opposite opinions as to the meaning of "I don’t think so especially that she can really play great tennis after a year break". She insists that Agnieszka does not believe Maria would play great tennis when she comes back and I disagree. Which one of us is correct? Thank you in advance.


texts: Thank you for "the" comment. or Thank you for "your" comment

texts:
A question. In spoken American English, do you feel different if I say as below?

Thank you for "the" comment.
Thank you for "your" comment.

If I say your, does that sound repetitious?


texts: Way + (complete sentence / incomplete sentence)

texts:
way + complete sentence

  I make a decision in the way I think I should make a decision, not in the way others think I should.

way + incomplete sentence.

  2 .I make a decision in the way that I think is right.

Here, the way is a subject of right.

So, I'd like to know if I can use both of them: way + complete / incomplete


texts: Thomas Hardy's Tess (use of the word 'recommend')

texts:
In Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles (chapter 16, 5th paragraph):

  Tess did not stop at Weatherbury, after this long drive, further than to make a slight nondescript meal at noon at a cottage to which the farmer recommended her.

The phrase 'at a cottage to which the farmer recommended her' seems a bit strange. Does it pass for standard English? Shouldn't it be rewritten as 'at a cottage that the farmer recommended to her'?


texts: How to frame a question, where speaker knows the answer still asking for it?

texts:
The Pin knows Brendan's location but still asking Brendan for it.

I want to phrase the sentence in question format, asking why The Pin still asking it?


texts:
I'm sure I'm on the right track of understanding how the adverb "plenty" works with other words but from example such as "She had plenty more work to do" I'm assuming we can use "plenty" with pretty much anything to 'emphasize the degree of something'. Thus arises the question, "In which case is it natural to use 'plenty' and in which not?"

There's plenty much information about it on the net.
The job was done plenty easy/easily today.
It took you plenty long to get here.

What do you think friends?


texts: Adequately and satisfying and satisfactory- usage

texts:
The evening has been adequately satisfying.

The evening has been adequately satisfactory.

What does adequately mean here? Does, in the first sentence, it mean- the evening has been satisfying enough? Or the evening has been moderately or fairly satisfying?
What's the difference between satisfying and satisfactory? Are they interchangeable?
Can we use satisfying or satisfactory to describe people? Like, he's a satisfying person, or satisfactory person?
And are the given sentences grammatically correct?


texts:
Can I advise someone by saying:

  Practice it as much as you could

Instead of:

  Practice it as much as you can

And what about:

  I'll try it as much as I could

Whatever it may refer to. Sorry for not giving more context. It's been a while since I thought about the situation where I could have used those phrases. However, you can always think of any popular situations where you can use them.


texts:
Is the tense of the verbs correct?

  Great white sharks, along with tiger sharks, appear in the western coasts frequently in summers, but now, in July, the water was cold and the sharks were less.

I wonder if the past tense can be used with "now"?


texts: Any problems in saying `good to know (about) that`?

texts:
Are there any problems in saying the following when responding to one answer in the comment?

good to know (about) that?

How do I refine that?

well to know that?
nice to know that?


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "get all X on" in context

texts:
I have come across it in Crash Course World History. It is at around 2 minute and 32 second. Here it goes:

  And not to get like all Great Man History on you or anything, but the reason the Mongols came to dominate the world, really started with one guy, Genghis Khun.

I cannot understand whether it means present or impose there because the Machmillan, Longman and other online dictionaries do not give the definitions.


texts:
What is the difference between:

  The package will be delivered in two days' time.

And

  The package will be delivered within two days.

Are they the same or different?


texts: What are the differences between "I don't mind", "I don't care" and "It doesn't matter"?

texts:
I think those expressions are quite similar. Some examples:

I don't mind if you sit beside me.
You can't go out dressed like that. I don't care.
I didn't have time to call Peter. Doesn't matter. I'll probably see him this evening anyway.

Could anybody explain what are the subtle differences between them?


texts:
I am translating my math game to english and I am struggling with a translation of one word. Translation tools offer me "complexity" but I feel it does not match my context well. It holds options like "Easy", "Normal" or "Hard". Is it really the complexity?

Other context: "First solved task with normal or easier complexity"


texts:
What's the verb of "desperate", I think it's not "despair", because in this case when you are desperate, you are willing to do anything to get out of the bad situation. And with despair----it's when you have no hope.

If there's not a verb, what constructions can work like it?

Willing to do anything.

Desperation-----NOUN.
Desperate----ADJECTIVE.
? ¿-------VERB
EDIT
Cambridge dictionary says:
Desperation(NOUN) the feeling that you have when you are in such a bad situation that you are willing to take risks in order to change it:
Desperate(Adjective): feeling that you have no hope and are ready to do anything to change the bad situation you are in:

No hope

despair----NOUN.

Despair-----VERB

Despairing---ADJECTIVE.

EDIT

Cambridge dictionary says:

Despair(noun): the feeling that there is no hope and that you can do nothing to improve a difficult or worrying situation:
Despair(Verb): to feel despair(noun) about something or someone:
Despairing(adjective): showing or feeling that there is no hope and that you can do nothing to improve a difficult or worrying situation:
Thereby, as we can see, the nouns and adjectives are related because they imply the state of having no hope, but they also imply different reactions.


texts: How to say an animal (tiger, cat..) or poultry (chicken, duck) are saying?

texts:
what is the general word that expresses that an animal (tiger, cat..) or poultry (chicken, duck) are saying.

We say "human talks" and what about other animals and poultry?

Example, "a cat meows", "a tiger .....", "a chicken ....", "a duck ....".

So:
Is there any general word that expresses that an animal (tiger, cat..) or poultry (chicken, duck) are saying?


texts: "the black colour" or "the colour black"?

texts:
Tell me please what is the most natural way to say the following.

  The colour black is my favourite of all colours.

  The black colour is my favourite colour.

Is the use of the definite article correct in the sentences, if it is not, then why?


texts: What is the meaning of 'as likely to be female as male' in the following sentence?

texts:
Today, the average video game player will be thirty something, as
  likely to be female as male, will play on multiple devices and can
  come from anywhere in the world.

My understanding of this is the number of female game players is equal to the number of male players, but I am not sure. I have another understanding about this, which is females also play video games just as males do. Which one is correct?


texts: Can you use "nauseous sensation" and "drop anchor" in a similar context to this passage so that the meaning become clear?

texts:
My first concern is that I am not sure what he means when he says "nauseous sensation" , is that just an expression the writer came up with, I mean something typical that may happen to any tired person, or is that an expression used every day by anybody? I mean is there any other interpetation for that? I mean is there any chance that it means general anxiety?
Secondly, can you use "nauseous senation" and "drop anchor in somebody" in a similar text, and somehow similar context. If so that would be a great help to me to understand it. Thank you.

  But my grandparents were fine, my father reported now. They missed me and sent their love, he said, and then he told me about Chitra. She had lost her spouse two years ago, not to cancer but to encephalitis. Chitra was a schoolteacher and, at thirty-five, nearly twenty years younger than my father. Her daughters were seven and ten. He offered these details as if responding diligently to questions I was not asking. “I don’t ask you to care for her, even to like her,” my father said. “You are a grown man, you have no need for her in your life as I do. I only ask, eventually, that you understand my decision.” It was clear to me that he had prepared himself for my outrage—harsh words, accusations, the slamming down of the phone. But no turbulent emotion passed through me as he spoke, only a diluted version of the nauseous sensation that had taken hold the day that I learned my mother was dying, a sensation that had dropped anchor in me and never fully left.


texts:
What is the difference between "shiver" and "shudder"?

Oxford dictionary gives quite similar meaning:

shiver - shake slightly and uncontrollably as a result of being cold,
frightened, or excited
shudder - tremble convulsively, typically as a result of fear or revulsion

So seems like both can be used to describe the situation when a person is frightened. Is it right?


texts: Is it right or wrong to say "I am still living in my old place"?

texts:
Is it right or wrong to use the present continuous in the example below?

  I am still living in my old place.

For some reason "I still live in my old place" sounds so much better to me but two people told me the first construction is OK.


texts: Why wasn't "have" used here? "Since then, things had been pretty tame."

texts:
If we Oregonians were famous for anything, it was an old, old trail we'd had to blaze to get here. Since then, things had been pretty tame.

In this sentence, why did the writer not use "have" instead of "had"?
I found it in the book whose title is "Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight.


texts:
I will come and collect it once the lockdown is retreated.

Should I replace the bold text with "has retreated" or " gets retreated"? Also, how do I know when to use "get" in such sentences?


texts: "His graduation to dictator took years" — wny no article in front of "dictator"?

texts:
From an LA Times article:

  His graduation to dictator took years. In that time, he dismantled Russia's electoral system, took over its media, saw many of his opponents killed, jailed or forced into exile, created one of the most ruthlessly corrupt government systems in history, made peaceful protest punishable by jail time, waged a long and brutal war on his own country's territory and a short one against a neighboring country, Georgia, a piece of which Russia bit off in 2008.

Why isn't there an indefinite article in front of dictator?


texts: meaning of "realized" in "the full implications of Darwin’s revolution have yet to be widely realized."

texts:
so I understand "realize" means "to become aware" or "comprehend", but I don't understand how this meaning fits into the sentence below.
"but the full implications of Darwin’s revolution have yet to be widely realized.
Does this mean the implicit meaning of Darwin's revolution/theory is yet to be fully UNDERSTOOD OR indications of Darwin's revolution'theory is yet to be SHOWN or MANIFEST ?
Thank you


texts:
When I use had in the beginning of a sentence, can I use was/were as well?
for instance:
Had I were at home, I would...
Had it was someone else, he was...

for some reason it doesn't sound quite right, but english isn't my native tongue so...


texts: Interpretation of "She didn't come home because it was raining."

texts:
How do native speakers interpret the setence if you hear (not read) it? If my understanding is correct, it can be interpreted in two ways as below.

She didn't come home, because it was raining.
She came home, but it is not because it was raining.

If it is written, then punctuation (with or without a comma before "because") is a key to figure out, but what if it is spoken? I understand the meaning can vary depending on the context, but what if the context does not give you any clear clues?


texts: Difference between "I'm in the school" and "I'm in school"

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences??

  I'm in the school.
  I'm in school.

Do they have the same meaning or not?


texts: So a Comma Separates Non Essentials Within A Sentence?

texts:
I've always had trouble with commas and semicolons. My understanding is that upon division of a sentence there is an essential part called a clause, and additional parts are then separated with commas, unless they are capable of being an essential part of a sentence, in which case a semicolon is used. The additional parts that are incapable of acting as an essential part are divided based on whether they are part of the same thought, because when spoken aloud these locations should bear a natural pause.
Is my understanding of how to use the comma and semicolon correct? If not, what is the correct way? Here are some examples of the way I think it should be done:
Semicolons:

Bob headed down to the market for groceries; the market was out of everything.
The off-ramp led on; the off-ramp designer was fired.

Commas:

Bob headed down to the market for groceries, but the market was out of everything.
Bob wanted to buy groceries, the market was out of everything, and so he decided to buy hardware supplies instead.
Please don't send me anymore potatoes Mary, Tom.

Both:

The tiny bees had knees, the knees were the-bees-knees, and everyone knew it except the bees; the big bees also had knees though theirs' were not the-bees-knees.
Bob wanted to buy groceries, but the market was out of everything; Bob bought hardware supplies instead of groceries.


texts:
He transferred the Camels from his overcoat to a jacket pocket. He wondered, as he did so, if they did not represent an unnecessary note of strain. Mrs. Barrows smoked only Luckies. It was his idea to puff a few puffs on a Camel (after the rubbing-out), stub it out in the ashtray holding her lipstick-stained Luckies, and thus drag a small red herring across the trail.

What does "note of strain" mean?

What's more, may we say "drag a small red herring across the trail" equals "mislead others"?
Context


texts:
Is the application of the word "custody" in the following sentence correct?

  He is under the custody of his father.


texts: Data loss. How is it used in different ways

texts:
When a harddisk fails there can be data loss.
Which I understand.

But when the network gets hacked and hackers obtain creditcard details they also say it's a data loss.

But in the last case the data is not lost, only duplicated and in the wrong hands, why is it also called a loss?


texts: Is this a correct expression of amounts and percentages?

texts:
There is a sentence I am trying to write in which I have to say 72 percent of women were able to imagine spatially to a very high extent, 41 percent were able to do so to a high extent, and so forth. Is the following composition correct grammatically, with specific emphasis on the way level is used?

  With respect to the question concerning women’s imagination of architectural space via expressing or retelling memories, results showed that 50 percent in a very high level, 72 percent in a high level, 41 percent in a medium level, 11 percent in a low level, and 4 percent in a very low level were capable of imagining space via hearing about visual characteristics


texts: Do you use a definite article or zero article followed by a prepositional phrase

texts:
In the following two (similar) sentences the definite article is used in one, but not the other.
1 Capital letters are used for the names of people,places and languages.
2.Capital letters are used for names of people,places and languages.
Both sound natural to me. I would be grateful if someone could tell me if one is more technically correct than the other and if so, why? i.e would you use the for a specific meaning Vs no article.


texts: "a" or "an" in front of a word beginning with a vowel

texts:
I was writing a text when I came to say 'a union', then it struck me that I need to change the 'a' to 'an'. But for some reason, 'an union' didn't sound right.

Why doesn't it work? Is it because its a mass noun, instead of a regular noun?


texts:
Is there a word in English to express one or multiple inhales(?) of a cigarette?

Seems like "inhale" is not the proper word for it. I want a word to use in such a situation

  "Dude, don't finish(?) your cigarette, leave me something for two [inhales] at least."

Also, "don't finish your cigarette" sounds awkward to me, is there a more specific word in terms of smoking?


texts:
They walked through the gloomy gray afternoon to a restaurant and bar
  over on Broadway near West 76th. Before they entered, Allie noticed
  that the lighted time-and-temperature sign on the Apple Bank said it
  was one o’clock, but she wasn’t at all in need of lunch. The bedroom
  encounter with Hedra seemed to have killed her appetite. Intense
  emotion did that to her, be it anger or pity.

I'm reading Single White Female by John Lutz.

I don't know what kind of restaurant and bar would have a bedroom.
I think "encounter" would be "somebody encounter with somebody/something". I don't understand how a bedroom encounter with a people.


texts:
A lottery seller said to me:

  If you win the round, a TV set will be the prize you will be winning.

My mother said to me:

  If you had stayed in England, it would be the fifth year you were learning English.

Are these darkened auxiliary verbs correct?


texts:
This is a comment made by an author who used to be a porn store clerk:

  I have to say that I thought it was pretty messed up when they stopped providing us with hand sanitizer. I'm not a prude by any means, but working around bodily fluids really isn't the safest thing in the world.

What does messed up mean here?


texts: I don't understand the meaning of 'profess'. in this sentence

texts:
Never before had statesmen and philosophers laid so much stress
  on the importance of any and all men. Never before had they professed to
  take so little account of.

A Longman dictionary says that 'profess' means you say
something when it is not true.
But it does not make sense to me.

This comes from the book 'The Modern Views of Man' written by J.W. Krutch.


texts:
What does it mean "patient K"? I googled it to find an answer, but I found a lot of results without explanation to this term. What is "patient K"?

  Clinical Example: Patient K., 54 years old, during 15 years has
  been suffering from type II DM (Diabetes Mellitus) with periodic
  phenomena of decompensation... (Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus - Book)

Another one:
"Fig. 1. Patient K. with arteriovenous macrofistulous dysplasia of facial soft tissues before surgery." (researchgate)

Now, I don't think it is just an ordinal letter as (A,B,C,....K etc.) since it appears in places in which there are 3-4 questions only without referring to other letters at all.


texts: An expression for challenging someone to prove their worth

texts:
A proverb that is common enough here and whose origin I'm not aware of, literally goes like:

  If you are a cock, crow aloud at daybreak; and if you are a hen, then lay your egg and shut up!

I would use it, for example, on an arrogant person who promises to destroy me. It goes along the lines of "if you are a real man, show us what you can do, or else shut up." How can I express this idea, preferably with an idiom or proverb, in English?


texts:
And here comes another of my question from chat discussions :P

We were discussing some tv series, and I recommended a particular series which ended with just two seasons in 2011. Now, his next question was:

  How many episodes was it?

The usage of was struck me as both odd and correct.

In my opinion the correct usage must have been:

  How many episodes is it?

As the series has ended, the number will be a constant value and you can not change this. While, using was means(this is what I think) that the number still has a probability/tendency to change.

So, my question is which of the two is more correct? They are both correct, of which I am sure.

The best method of asking should've instead been:

  How many episodes does it have?


texts: "depending {on / upon} the qualities" ... Which preposition is preferred?

texts:
It is difficult to predict a revolution. It could go in any direction
  depending on/upon the qualities of the leader and the group. A
  strong leader must stand by the beliefs and ideas of the revolution
  and motivate his team for the same.

Kindly briefly explain why?

  Kindly briefly explain why.

Is usage of "kindly" above right?


texts: Parallel Structure and sequence of tenses

texts:
The resumé I sent to you is the most updated one.

If we talk about parallel structure, why is sent in the past tense and is present tense?


texts: A sentence may contain two nouns back-to-back. How are these nouns written?

texts:
A sentence may contain two nouns back-to-back. How are these nouns written together?

I went to that book store.
I went to that bookstore.
I went to that book-store.

Why can these two nouns be adjacent to each other without being combined or without added punctuation?

  balloon sleeves

Is it acceptable to write the two nouns like either of the following? Why or why not?

balloon-sleeves
balloonsleeves

But what about this:

  ”. . .I am opening the flood-gates myself. . .”?

Which is grammatically correct?

flood-gates
floodgates

Does the correct manner in which "flood gates" is written apply to all pairs of adjacent nouns?


texts: Is there an English equivalent to this Japanese proverb?

texts: My boss asked me if his translation of a Japanese proverb was accurate the other day. Unfortunately, I don't have the Japanese written down with me, but I can describe it. His translation was "better dumplings than flowers". In Japanese, apparently the meaning of the proverb is 'someone who values items with practical use over aesthetic qualities'.  Is there an English proverb equivalent?


texts: Is it ok to use Czechia as the name of the country?

texts: While Slovakia is an acceptable short name for the Slovak Republic, it seems that Czechia should not to be used for the Czech Republic. Why?


texts:
"a man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for [...]"

I understood it until nothing. What does which mean? Why is it there? Can I omit?


texts: 'Big' in "May I ask a big favor of you?"

texts:
May I ask a big favor of you?

I don't remember where I got this expression, but is it normal to ask this question? I mean does it literally mean a 'big' favor? Or is it a way to make it a little more polite or something?


texts: Question : When you say "beverages", does that implicitly mean alcohol? (Alcohol only)

texts:
Thanks to native speaker, to my question.

My question is at the title, when you say only "beverages", would it implicitly mean (only) the alcohol?

Merriam Unabridged says,

  1
  :  liquid for drinking; especially :  such liquid other than water (such as tea, milk, fruit juice, beer) usually prepared (as by flavoring, heating, admixing) before being consumed

  2
  archaic :  any of several prepared drinks: such as
  a :  a drink made by passing water through pressed grapes
  b :  weak beer
  c :  diluted cider

  3
  dialectal, British :  a drink or drink money especially when exacted from someone wearing manifestly new clothes

It includes other than alcohol. Could you kindly enlighten me?

I truly appreciate your support.


texts: "a computer hack with a compulsion", what does this mean?

texts:
we gotta have a secure system. One that can’t be broken into by a
  computer hack with a compulsion for industrial espionage.

I looked up compulsion, I understand it alone. But I can't understand it in the sentence.


texts: translate with (a word) or translate as (a word)?

texts:
This can be translated with words like "any" or "some"

  This can be translated as "any" or "some"

Are both sentences correct ?


texts:
I was reading a sentence and it kept my attention because it's like this.

  Now it’s time you wrote a short composition.

The words that puzzle me here in the part that says "you wrote"

My question is: Is it a conditional?


texts:
I have an error spotting question.

  That summer, elections were (A) held at many a place (B) without any untoward incident. (C) No error. (D)

I think the sentence is free of errors, but according to the book which I have, the error is in part B: held at many a place.

Now in part B, many a place, which means "many places" is correct; held is also correct, so I am left with at, which I think is also correct, but since the book says the error is in B, it is the only part where I have confusion.

What should it be? At many a place, in many a place, or something else?


texts: Putting in the correct form of the verb - go versus have gone

texts:
I'm practicing modals, and in an exercise I had to fill in the correct form of the verb:

  We couldn't _______ (go) to the concert anyway as Jamie wasn't very well.

I put in ‘go’ but the correct answer turns out to be ‘have gone’. The sentence was by itself. What's the intuition for that?


texts: The difference "do you think so?" and "do you think like that(this)"

texts:
I think there seems to be a difference though it'd be very little.

  1.Do you think so?

In my opinion, it means similar to "is this your way of thinking?"

  2.Do you think like that(this)?

Somewhat differently, I guess it means similar to "is that(this) like your thought?"

And I want to know how to use them correctly in answer to a question.


texts:
What or which : which one should be used?

What/which medicine is good for boosting immunity of children?
What/which is the longest river in the world?

I think both are correct. But I am not sure.


texts:
I found a lot of newspapers use "the most strange" instead of strangest. Why is that? Is it an option to use "the most" instead of the superlative form "est"?

  BBC: Elizabeth Jane Howard discusses Falling, one of her most strange
  and dark novels.

  The Economist: From mainly secular UK what we find most strange about
  the US of A is their religion and obsession with contraception and
  abortion


texts: Does the meaning change if I add "which are" in this sentence?

texts:
There are factors considered to be more relevant to a person's success in life.

Does the meaning change if I insert "which are" in the sentence?

  There are factors which are considered to be more relevant to a person's success in life.

If it doesn't change,  which would be better in formal writing?


texts: What does "abstraction" mean in this particular context?

texts:
"A theory aspires to some degree of generality and abstraction." The book where I found this sentence is a book in one of the disciplines of humanities. According to Merriam-Webster, "abstraction" means:

1a: the act or process of abstracting : the state of being abstracted
1b: an abstract idea or term
2: absence of mind or preoccupation
3: abstract quality or character
4a: an abstract composition or creation in art
4b: ABSTRACTIONISM

I have absolutely no idea what to make of "abstraction" here. Please help me select the correct meaning from the above list so that I can correctly understand what the author is trying to say. Thank you in advance. :)


texts:
In “Objective IELTS” by M. Black (Teacher’s book) the word sales is used without articles, e.g.:
“In the first quarter, sales of the new “Flying Boots” were …” “… while sales of “Zed Runners”…” et c. (from a sample essay on trainers sales).
Is it wrong?


texts:
Is there any subtle difference or do they mean exactly the same?

I am going to meet friends.
I am going to see friends.


texts: Which two tenses should be used with each other?

texts:
I'm having trouble figuring out what tenses to use in a question with two verbs. For instance:

  Have you cleaned the mess you made?
  Have you cleaned the mess you have made?
  Have you cleaned the mess you had made?
  Did you clean the mess you made?
  Did you clean the mess you have made?

Which one is correct and why?


texts:
When should we use don't in a sentence and when should we use doesn't?

For example:

  A few rich people doesn't make a country rich.

  A few rich people don't make a country rich.

Which is the appropriate usage?


texts: How does 'could' illustrate a fact? Why not use 'can'?

texts:
[Para 1:] In 1989, when the environment was briefly top of the UK national agenda, a group
  of Chinese planners came to London. Many of the people who met them wanted to
  know how the country had managed to get so many citizens to ride bicycles -
  something the British authorities were unable to do. The Chinese were perplexed.
  “You don’t understand”, said one.

  ♣ “In 20 years time, no more bicycles. All cars.” ♣ [I purposely spaced these sentences]

  That prediction is being realised. Beijing’s roads, once kerb-to-kerb with bikes, are
  now choked with cars. In terms of traffic, noise and air pollution,

  ■  Shanghai could be Lagos or Cairo. ■

I still struggle with interpreting English modal verbs. Here, I'm trying to determine which phrase, either that between the clubs or squares, illustrates China’s actual growth in car usage. I had believed in ODO's Definition 1.1, thus regarded could as a hedge word, and finally picked square.

  1.1. Used to indicate possibility

1. But club is the answer (not square). What did I misread?  If the writer truly wanted the square to be a fact, why not use the more certain can? Is definition 1.1 the right match?

2. Also, doesn't 'that prediction is being realised' support clubs as the answer?


texts: "...than recognize faces" or "... than recognizing faces"

texts:
Our brains are incredibly agile machines, and it’s hard to think of anything they do more efficiently than recognize faces.

In this sentence, is the word "recognize" grammatically correct, or should it be "recognizing"?


texts:
Here, I am describing a small reconstruction process.

I have set of boundary line segments (not connected) relevant to a certain object. I am intersecting adjacent line segments one after the other to connect them and to make a closed polygon. My question is if  I say it with "closed completeness" and then if I summarize my process.

  Successive intersections of adjacent lines form  closed completeness
  of outer bounds,

Does this clearly explain what I did?
Any idea please.


texts:
Is this correct:

  When we heard the news about the landslide we headed over quickly.

Or do I need a comma after "the landslide"? If so why?


texts:
I consulted http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cast%20about and http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/cast-about-or-around-or-round?q=cast+about but still don't understand why there's an indirect object pronoun after cast about? Can her be omitted?

Source: Joanna Trollope, Britannia’s Daughters, The Cresset Library, 1988

  Miss Rye ran a highly
  successful law-copying office for women clerks in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, and because
  she was besieged by the demands of educated women for work, she had cast
  about her for an alternative and suitable occupation and had come up with the idea
  of emigration. There was a rising demand in Australia, New Zealand and Natal for
  superior servants and for governesses and Miss Rye felt that the women who
  begged her for employment would be ideally suited...

Afterword:  I thought to mention that answerer CopperKettle linked to a PDF on dependent prepositions patterns, which doesn't contain cast about, but am I right that the same phenomenon applies here?


texts: Meaning with/without of between noun and gerund

texts:
Their constructing the monument was something of a feat.

  Their constructing of the monument was something of a feat.

As a native speaker , what sort of difference in meaning do you sense between the sentences , bearing in mind that the only difference is the adding of "of" to the second sentence ?


texts: Where DID you come from?/Where HAVE you come from?

texts: Is there any difference between these 2 questions or both of them mean the same thing? How one should respond at each of them? Many thanks!


texts: Is "I wonder if I could get a full refund if I want to." correct?

texts:
I would like to come in to get an exchange.
I wonder if I could get a full refund if I want to.
or
I wonder if I could get a full refund if I want.

I don't know the difference between "I want to" and "I want" when I use it at the end of the sentence.
What situation I can speak "I want to" or "I want" to each other?
Would you give me some examples or situations?


texts:
Are the prepositions "through" and "via" interchangeable (meaning "by means of", "by using")?
Oxford Dictionary says that the word "through" has also the meaning "by means of".

Is it okay to use it in the such context?

  If the connection quality is bad during the call, try calling
  through/via backup provider.


texts:
What is first name,last name and middle name?

I have Big confusion..

Eg:   S.Dhanam

Here Dhanam is a girl name

Her father name Suresh.

How to Solve it?


texts: "Somewhere a man must begin, and it had better be just where another man might stop" (Chesterton)

texts:
From Chesterton's Blue Cross, describing a detective's tactic when said detective finds himself without a clue as to the whereabouts of the criminal he's after:

  In such cases he reckoned on the unforeseen. In such cases, when he could not follow the train of the reasonable, he coldly and carefully followed the train of the unreasonable. Instead of going to the right places--banks, police stations, rendezvous-- he systematically went to the wrong places; knocked at every empty house, turned down every cul de sac, went up every lane blocked with rubbish, went round every crescent that led him uselessly out of the way. He defended this crazy course quite logically. He said that if one had a clue this was the worst way; but if one had no clue at all it was the best, because there was just the chance that any oddity that caught the eye of the pursuer might be the same that had caught the eye of the pursued. Somewhere a man must begin, and it had better be just where another man might stop. Something about that flight of steps up to the shop, something about the quietude and quaintness of the restaurant, roused all the detective's rare romantic fancy and made him resolve to strike at random. He went up the steps, and sitting down at a table by the window, asked for a cup of black coffee.

The person described is a French police chief who is on a hunt after a notorious criminal. I get the gist of the passage on the whole, but the bolded phrase puzzles me.


texts:
Is there some hypernym word (or phrase) for "input" and "output"?

Like "sibling" for "brother" and "sister", or "parent" for "mother" and "father"?

In a context of electric schemes.


texts: Choosing the wrong sentence in the following sentences

texts:
Here is an English grammar question from a certain English learning material I bought at the book store.

I am very confused over this.

It is said there is only one answer from the five sentences, however, I think there is no answer. All the sentences below seem grammatically fine to me.

I hope you would carefully check it out and tell me what the answer is and why, please.

  Q. Choose the wrong sentence in the following sentences.

  Deep-sea habitats are as varied as those on land.
  Writing a novel is two times as difficult as I think.
  He looks three times as happy as I had seen.
  I love her as much as you.
  Several excuses are always less convincing than one.

Thank you for reading. Take care of yourself.


texts:
How do you read/say/pronounce this word?

Are the three words interchangeable in the above sentence? The context being my asking someone else about a word I can’t make the sound of. Which of the three is the best fit and why? (Please explain nuances if there are any)

Many thanks in advance.


texts: What is the meaning of If in the following sentence?

texts:
Is the usage of If correct in the following sentence?

If in the past the protests erupted against the continuing military rule, in February, the military usurped power from an elected government after a decade of partial democracy.

If it is correct what is its meaning?
 Click Here To Read Full Article


texts: The grammatical role of "did" in "and so did people’s lungs"

texts:
What is the grammatical role of "did" in the following excerpt of a passage?:

  The smoke just went out the same hatchway that people used for going
  in and out themselves. So there would have been an open fire inside
  the house with only one hole in the roof to let the smoke out. You and
  I would have found it a bit too smoky in there. You can see on the
  walls, which they plastered and decorated with paintings. They ended
  up with a layer of black soot on them, and so did people’s lungs.


texts: Meaning of the participle "being bitten by insects"

texts:
I don't want to stay out here being bitten by insects

What does the above sentence (especially adverbial participle clause) mean?

Does it have a continuous meaning like,

After I am/was being bitten by insects, I don't want stay out here.
because I am being bitten by insects, I don't...
while/when I am being bitten by insects, I don't...


texts:
I have a question about present & future tenses here:

  Hegwood, who taught English at Duncanville High School, was placed on unpaid leave Monday. She apologized in a statement Thursday and submitted her resignation, but the school board rejected a resignation and instead fired her with cause. That doesn't affect a teacher's pension, but it makes him or her ineligible for unemployment benefits, and future employers are told the teacher didn't leave in good standing, school district spokeswoman Lari Barager said.

The act of telling happens only in the future with future employers.  So, the present tense in "future employers are told..." seems off.  Would "future employers will be told ...." be better?


texts: What conditional type is "We could go into it if that's necessary." ? That seems to be not fitting any of them

texts: Is that a mixed or a mistake or just an informal way to say smth? Or may be it's just the 1st with a polite "could" instead of Will?


texts:
Which indefinite article should precede hour — a or an?

  an hour
  a hour

Does the usage of an vs a depend on the pronunciation — a history, a hobby, but an hour, an honor?


texts:
The Obama administration had identified a more direct solution. In its dying weeks it filed a case at the WTO, suing China for its aluminium subsidies.

(The Economist)
Could this(dying weeks) mean the period when his administration had only few days left in office? Since "dying" in this case could also mean "ending"?


texts:
I was learning Korean on Duolingo and found that the following sentence is accepted.

  Everyone jump!

I filled in Everyone jumps and got wrong. The comment section says it must be Everyone jump because in the imperative sentence the conjugation does not happen.

Is this correct? I have never learned it at my school. Does this only apply to pronouns like everybody and anytime or to any nouns?


texts:
In some song (it was like summer party song), they say:

  We'll hit the beach, yeah, we'll hit the beach.

What's the meaning of hit in those sentence?


texts:
When Hurricane Dorian slammed into Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas on September 1, instruments measured the speed of its furious winds at 185 mph—tying the legendary Labor Day hurricane of 1935 for the highest wind speeds recorded as an Atlantic hurricane made landfall

Is it a clause, "as" is a conjuction? or is it a noun phrase, "as" is a preposition? What does it mean?


texts:
Did you notice the view?

This is the example sentence of "notice" in my dictionary.

But I don't know what that means.

"Did you notice the point?" or "Did you see the view?"

Could you give me the exact meaning of it?

Thanks for your help.


texts: What do you call the movement of monkeys from one branch of tree to another?

texts: Oftentimes monkeys move or jump from one tree to another using their hands and feet. I am okay with calling it "jumping" but I wonder if there is a name for the specific kind of movement. Does that have a name?


texts: does plural meaning always be a plural subject

texts:
I dont know why, but suddenly I confused with a simple question.

  Geometrical reconstruction of object corners becomes possible.

I am doubted whether the subject is plural. any hint is welcome.


texts:
I am creating a vocabulary worksheet about the British countryside with its natural and typical features, and I'm stuck on how best to classify the animals living wild in the country.

The list of animals, mostly mammals, include: badgers, beavers,  deer, foxes, hedgehogs, owls, rabbits, sparrows, squirrels,  etc.
Should I call them:

Woodland creatures (or animals)
Forest creatures (or animals)
Country animals
Countryside animals
Animals in the woods/woodland/country/forest
Wood animals (the least convincing of the lot because it sounds as if the animals are made of wood, but I include this option too)

Or do I simply call these animals wildlife? This would cover all the species, but I feel this is too large a group: I am sure lions, vultures, and crocodiles, to name but three,  are also included.

Wildlife

  wildlife
  animals, birds, insects, etc. that are wild and live in a natural environment


texts:
I’d like to know whether it makes more sense to use “after” or “when” in the following sentence:

The two have their first meeting on the highway after Sasha’s car breaks down and John stops to help her.

The two have their first meeting on the highway when Sasha’s car breaks down and John stops to help her.


texts:
As we come to    the end of    what must be the longest retirement since Frank Sinatra Mr.Speaker, I'm sure the whole House will want to join me in thanking you and hoping that you enjoy in your retirement the soothing medicament that you have so often prescribed for the rest of us, he added.

Why do they say "the end of Mr.speaker's retirement"? It's just started.
What's the medicament that he often prescribes to MPs?


texts: Is the comma in this context grammatical

texts:
Russian military officers hacked Democratic servers to steal thousands of emails in 2016, the intelligence community and the special counsel found.

Is the comma above grammatical?

I think it isn't because it is separating the verb found from its object Russian military officers hacked Democratic servers to steal thousands of emails in 2016 with one comma. This construction would be equivalent to

  The intelligence community and the special counsel found, Russian military officers hacked Democratic servers to steal thousands of emails in 2016.

Which I believe is ungrammatical.

Source: this newspaper  article (I recommend using the search function of your web browser.).


texts: term used to denote that code is rewritten?

texts: Is there a term to describe when software programmers rewrite code for better efficiency, more throughput with less space.


texts:
Can you describe someone as luxurious? As in someone who likes luxurious things?

We're pretty sure you can't, but we don't know what word you'd use. It's not hedonistic, that's different. We're just looking for the word that describes specifically a person, not a thing.

It's a bit like how you can't call someone who likes creamy things creamy.


texts:
It is okay to say

  A and B correspond to C and D, respectively.

But, is it okay to say

  They correspond to C and D, respectively?

Here implicitly it is assumed that 'they' represents 'A and B'. The concern is that, it could also be 'B and A'.


texts:
'All he wrote is novels ' or 'All he wrote are novels'?

I understand there is subject-verb agreement in English, but I always feel it should be 'All he wrote are novels'. Then does it become object-verb agreement? Now of course it's probably debatable whether we can call 'novels' the object of 'be' in the sentence since it's a predicate. What do the native speakers think about this? I'm not a native speaker of English.


texts: What do "quite amazing" and "ever got written" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I collected this excerpt from a SAT preparation book. While I was reading this sentence, I was confused as to how to understand the bolded portion.

  According to poet John Berryman, there were so many ways to ruin a
  poem that it was quite amazing good ones
  ever got written

Does it mean that there were so many ways to ruin a poem though it was beautifully written? Could anyone help me to understand the whole sentence clearly?


texts: In formal writing, what are alternatives forms of "I look forward to talking/hearing with/from you"?

texts:
The question's title says pretty much it.

What alternatives do we have to these classics?

  I look forward to talking with you.
  I look forward to hearing from you.

(without considering similar forms like I'm looking forward..)

This questions arose in me when replying to an email which contains this phrase so I wanted to reply with the same intention but without using the same words.


texts:
Jacob is sleeping in bed. His phone, which is on silent mode, is ringing silently on the nightstand. He instinctively wakes up, sees it's ringing, and picks up.

Hi, everyone. Is "instinctively" the best word here or would "intuitively" be better?

Also, would you write it "He instinctively wakes up" or "He wakes up instinctively"?


texts:
...If we bet on the existence of God and win, then we gain eternal
life. However, if we choose to bet on the option that God doesn’t
exist, and we win, then we live a life without illusion (at least in
this respect), and feel free to indulge in the pleasures of this life
without fear of divine punishment. But if we bet on this option and
lose, then we at least miss the chance of eternal life, and may even
run the risk of eternal damnation. Pascal argued that, as gamblers
faced with these options, the most rational course of action for us is
to believe that God does exist. Source

What does "as" mean in the context? I think it means "like". Is it correct?


texts:
What's the meaning of "did out of no great quantity of matter"?

This kind of degenerate learning did chiefly reign amongst the schoolmen, who having sharp and strong wits, and abundance of leisure, and small variety of reading, but their wits being shut up in the cells of a few authors (chiefly Aristotle their dictator) as their persons were shut up in the cells of monasteries and colleges, and knowing little history, either of nature or time, did out of no great quantity of matter and infinite agitation of wit spin out unto us those laborious webs of learning which are extant in their books.


texts: At the third stroke the time will be 13:14

texts:
Are you familiar with the phrase "At the third stroke the time will be.."?
I just don't get it.

Many thanks!


texts: "What is expecting you" as not a question

texts:
I'm going to print a poster for my colleagues co-workerswith two pictures on it. The first picture will go with caption "What you are expecting" and the second with "What is expecting you". However I'm not sure whether "what is expecting you" is good on the place, it looks like a question for me.

Is it okay or is it better to write "What you expect" and "What expects you"?

Context:  It's about what you will see arriving to a certain place. For example, going to a beach you hope to see there sun and blue sea ("what you are expecting"-part) but coming to the place you see rain and wind ("what is expecting you"-part).


texts: What does it mean "a fork stuck in the road"?

texts:
The first sentence from Green Day's "Good Riddance" song:

  Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

It's been baffling me for more than ten years, first I thought maybe I was so not good at English to figure out its meaning, and now I've finished my masters degree taught in English and I find myself still not able to understand it.

Why there's a fork stuck in the road? is it some metaphor?
I know a fork can also mean

  the point where something, especially a road or (North American) river, divides into two parts.

Is that the right interpretation?

I've looked up the Urban Dictionary and found

  Any exceptionally stupid or illiterate phrase found in a pop song.

It says the right phrase to use is "a fork in the road", and it also makes reference to the "Good Is Good" song to show it is just another mistake made by the songwriter.

  "Hey, somebody should tell Alanis that every time you hear the rolling thunder, it means the lightning already missed you. And read her a definition of ironic."

It makes sense to me, but it got three times more down votes than up votes.

So what does it mean "a fork stuck in the road"?


texts: In the second sentence, what difference does the way "On it" has been used make? Or is it just a matter of sentence choice?

texts:
I came across a picture with a weird caption on facebook the other day.

I came across a picture with a weird caption on it on facebook the other day.

Are both the sentences grammatically correct?

Is there a difference in their meaning?

Or is it just a matter of sentence choice?


texts: "has yet been reached " VS "has been reached yet"

texts:
Is second phrase correct?
The main sentence is : No agreement has yet been reached and the negotiations are still ongoing.


texts: Usage of "specifically" for "We specifically define..."

texts:
I wrote:

  We specifically define an anchor as a textual element that marks the start or end of a data region, or as a keyword or pattern within a data record that distinguishes it from the rest of the page.

I want to mean that we have a specific definition for anchor and pay attention especially to textual anchors.

What is the meaning and usage of "specifically", especially for definitions? In a dictionary I found a close definition for it as "in detailed and exact way" and the example is "I specifically asked you not to do that".


texts: Is it possible to say "my most illegal software yet"?

texts:
Is saying

  My heart pounded as I clicked the “build application” button, not realizing that I had created my most illegal software yet...

a grammatically correct sentence? I'm having doubts about the "my most illegal" part.


texts: What can "to scratch the itch" in different meanings?

texts:
Having a song, tune, or commercial jingle stuck in one's head is a phenomenon
  known as having an earworm. Most people have had an earworm at one time. The experience is harmless and unrelated to both obsessive-compulsive disorder and endomusia, the hearing of music that is not really there. Certain songs – simple, repetitive, or oddly incongruous – have properties that act as mental mosquito bites in that they produce a cognitive "itch." The condition also arises when people struggle to remember forgotten lyrics or how a song ends.

What does the next phrase (in bold) mean in other words?

  To scratch a cognitive itch, the brain repeats the song, which then traps the hapless victim in a repeated cycle of itching and scratching. Everyone has his or her own list of demon tunes that haunt.

Source: Discover Magazine


texts:
When someone says something bad to us that we don't like, we in return react calling that person with the same word. How do we say this?
Suppose that someone has said to me, "You are a fool."
Now I am angry and want to say that: It's not me who's a fool but it's you who is a fool.
How should I say this in a dialogue?
A:Hey,you fool.
B: Rather you than me!
A: Hey, you fool.
B: It's you who's a fool.
Is this the right way? If not, how would we say this?


texts: Make it so (that) someone can do something, something does something etc

texts:
Naturally, I understand what this means: make it possible for someone to do something, or find a way to do something.

But how does it make sense? Can you explain in so that I get my head around it?

A few examples:

"Tommy made it so we can watch the lobby from upstairs (he modified a few cameras and now they can watch it from upstairs, without having to stand guard)
" she made it so that nobody could see her profile on Facebook. "
" Make it so we can choose a side in every game."
"Can you make it so we can infuse any kind of gun into any kind of of gun again?"
"Can you make it so we can watch our friends' highlights?"
" They made it so that the river changed its course and flew over the ruins of the city"


texts:
When I was learning English, I came across the
sentence below.

A typhoon is a tropical cyclone.

This usage of the singular noun doesn't fit me because there are no necessities to use singular or plural nouns explicitly to give general explanations in my language.

However, I can understand this.

Typhoons are tropical cyclones.

I think using plural nouns is more frequent than using singular nouns when explaining something general due to intuitiveness of considering and determining the whole group.
Plural noun is a collective of components and it is
easily combined with the concept of normalization therefore it is persuasive that plural nouns are used in general expressions.

My questions are, after all,

Is the usage of singular noun in normalized explanation a common expression?
If it is common, what is the diferrence between the case of using singular nouns and plural nouns
to express a general expression?

I appreciate you watching my lengthy and poor post.


texts: What does 'the devil knows what" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I am translating a story but I couldn't find the right words for "the devil knows what” in these sentences.

Can anyone explain this a little? Maybe that can give me some ideas. This is the full paragraph:

  And what a liberty on your part, Ivan Ivanovich, offering the devil knows what for my rifle. A pig!

  And why is my pig the devil knows what ?


texts: "I understand where you're coming from" What does it imply

texts:
"Thanks so much for getting back to me with your feedback regarding implementing a disclaimer to clearly outline our textbook solutions limits. I definitely understand where you are coming from, and I will gladly pass your feedback over to the XXXXXX Study team so we can work on making your experience as user-friendly as possible in the future. "

Here in this sentence does "I understand where you're coming from" means an agreement or disagreement ?


texts: Is it normal to feel rude if someone tells me “you might appreciate” in certain context?

texts:
There was a meeting that I did not attend due to my schedule. I made prior notification to my colleagues and they have accepted it.
My colleague said he will give me a “full” update of the work and later provided three lines of comments to me. I made my feedbacks accordingly.
Then this colleague told me

...That being the case, would you not agree that it would be rather unprofessional to make premature judgements as to our lines of investigation.

and then added

...you might appreciate and also welcome the fact that...

Then again

.... you might also appreciate that...

He wants to say there has been more going on than I realized so that I should appreciate them instead.
In this context, I firstly felt I am being pushed/forced to appreciate something from them and felt uncomfortable. But not sure whether this is a right feeling
Is this something that I should feel upset or rude? Or is it a neutral tone?


texts: Can a "person" be "heartening" or "disheartening"?

texts: On Collins Dictionary, the definition of "disheartening" is, "If something is disheartening, it makes you feel disappointed and less confident or less hopeful." I wonder if people also can be called "heartening" or "disheartening". Can we for example say, "My boss is a heartening/disheartening person"? I couldn't find any example sentences or definitions on dictionaries that answer this question of mine.


texts: Persuasive Technique when describing something large with a small adjective

texts:
I'm practicing an English Language Analysis Essay (from VCAA 2014 English Exam) and the author of a response states:

  But no, let's spend a few trillions more on the illusion that we can solve our problems by leaving Earth and finding somewhere better.

I have identified the sarcastic tone and the negative connotation of "illusion" but here's my question:

What is the persuasive technique used in "few trillions"? Describing a large object/amount in a small scale?


texts:
It is grammatical to use plural verb with police or the police. But when we say Delhi Police, London Police, California Police, etc., why do we use singular verb? I've seen this so many times in news.

Delhi Police asks motorists to avoid Connaught Place...
Delhi Police has registered two cases...

Also the initial letter of Police is capitalized in this case. Why?


texts: Intrigued at the idea of putting a general in charge,...?

texts:
Intrigued at the idea of putting a general in charge, Mr. Trump offered the job to Mr. Kelly a few days ago.

Is the first part of the sentence before the comma called a dangling modifier, and is it describing how Trump is feeling about the idea...?

Is intrigued followed by "by something" or "at something"?


texts: How to correct "With a growing tech sector in Vancouver and a highly transferable skill set, Maisie can easily find a job"?

texts:
With a growing tech sector in Vancouver and a highly transferable skill set, Maisie can reasonably expect to find a suitable job in her field. [The lady is a computer programmer: this is discussed prior to the sentence]

I am wondering if the dependent clause is idiomatically correct. I wrote the sentence, but now I have doubts. So the lady has a skill set, but she does not have the "tech sector in Vancouver".

Let's say

a growing tech sector in Vancouver (noun phrase) = this

a highly transferable skill set (noun phrase) = that

My mindset was to convey "With this and that, Maisie can reasonably expect ..."

However, I have been told (by excellent native speakers) that the two things (this and that) are different. But I don't know how to correct this.

Note that individually these are correct:

  With a growing tech sector in Vancouver, Maisie can reasonably expect ...

  With a highly transferable skill set, Maisie can reasonably expect ...

Together, however, they are wrong.

P.S: What is this issue/problem called?


texts: Is the phrase "human crew" a little bit wordy?

texts:
Definition of "crew" on Lexico

  A group of people working on a ship, aircraft, etc. other than the officers.

Definition of "manned" on Lexico

  (of an aircraft or spacecraft) having a human crew.

The phrase "human crew" is being used in the definition above and lots of posts talking about aircraft and spacecraft.

The word crew means "a group of people", which makes the phrase "human crew" a little bit wordy.

Is my understanding correct?

Why do people use just one word "crew"?

  an aircraft having a crew


texts:
This is a sentence extracted from a book named “Into thin air”:

I’d written more than sixty pieces for Outside over the previous fifteen tears, and seldom had the travel budget for any of these assignments exceeded two or three thousand dollars.

I don’t know why it is exceeded but not exceeding. According to Oxford dictionary exceed something means
to be greater than a particular number or amount and this is the example offered:

The price will not exceed £100

Therefore, in the sentence above, I would expect it is:

[...] seldom had the travel budget for any of these assignments which exceeded two or three thousand dollars.

When a reduced relative clause is used, it should be

[...] assignments exceeding two or three thousand dollars.

I wonder whether that is the causative form “have something done” in the origin sentence but I still can’t make out why they use it.


texts:
What's the meaning of bitch in the following comment?

  I suggest you stand at the nearest intersection with a cardboard sign, since you're too bitch to get a job and too pussy to rob a bank.

Does the writer mean the person complains a lot about getting a job?


texts:
I am confused about using these terms.

1- He came at last night.
2- He came last night.
3- He came at the last night.
4- He came the last night.

1.1- He came at last moment.
1.2- He came last moment.
1.3- He came at the last moment. (Seems ok)
1.4- He came the last moment.

I am confused, because I know #2 is correct but why not #1.2 then?
And if #1 is correct, why not #1.1 ?
Or tell me if they are already so.


texts: Is this strange sentence grammatically correct?

texts:
Perhaps nowadays it is our demure contemplation of the Imperfect that
  the West and the East can meet in mutual consolation.

Source

It doesn't make any sense.


texts: Why is a 'ph' or 'gh' used instead of an 'f' in commonly used English words like Elephant and Enough?

texts: It's pretty silly. But then, this question has been left unanswered since preschool. English clearly defines an alphabet 'F'. So why is a 'Ph' used ? or a 'Gh' in words like 'Enough' or 'Tough' ? It is pretty basic and elementary.


texts: "Manage the summer heat" or "manage with the summer heat"?

texts:
Could you tell me if I have to include with in the following question?

How do you manage (with) the summer heat, especialy when it's scorching hot days on end?

What I am trying to aks is how the person cope with the heat or how they keep themselves cool. Is the use of the verb manage even natural there? If not, could you please provide alternatives?


texts:
I have a doubt in choosing the subject and object form of pronoun in some sentences

I found following examples in "Word Power Made Easy" by Norman Lewis. But there was no explanation covered for the same. Can someone please provide reasons for the answers given in following examples:

Your husband doesn't believe that you are older than (I/me).  (Ans: I)
May we are not as rich as (they/them), but I bet we are a lot happier.
(Ans: they)
I can't remember (who/whom) it was.
(Ans: who)
No one but (she/her) ever made a perfect score in the test.
(Ans: her)
We have just interviewed an applicant (who/whom) the committee believes is best qualified for the position.
(Ans: who)
Was it (she/her) you were talking about?
(Ans: she)


texts: Why is past simple preferred to present perfect in this case for the second action

texts:
I have given the documents another look-over, but still didn't find any glaring errors.

Why is this sentence  possible I don't understand why the past simple is right here?
Past simple corresponds to a precise moment in the past like the first action (to give).
The choice of using present perfect implies that it has a relevance to the present so we can think this action was done recently so if the first action was done recently, the second should be also done recently so the tenses chosen should be the same.
What is wrong with my way of thinking?


texts:
The auxiliary verb can come at the beginning of a sentence and that wasn't a question like this

  It is quite possible that, had they been born into a life of privilege, they wouldn't have committed their crimes.

or we say they had been born.....


texts:
Conditional I Active: Rita    would write a letter.

  Passive:  A letter    would be written    by Rita.

  Conditional II    Active: Rita    would have written  a letter.

  Passive:  A letter    would have been written by Rita.

What's the difference? between would be written and would have written


texts:
We can use the future perfect to say of something that it will have been done by a certain time in the future. Does it make sense to use this tense to tell about something by an undefined time in the future? For instance:

  I will have learnt English.

My understanding:

This means that I will have learnt English in the future. It is not defined when exactly I'll have learnt English. This sentence emphasizes a future achievement, not the learning process.

What exactly is the difference in that sentence from future prediction with simple future:

  I will learn English.


texts: are "header" and "heading" interchangable in the context of "information at the top of something"?

texts:
In the following contexts, are header and heading interchangable or is one preferred/correct over the other ?

the top of a column in an Excel spreadsheet
the top of an email message (To: CC: BC:)
the top of a web browser where the address of a website is shown

According to Merriam-Webster,

header

  5b - information (such as a page number) printed or placed at
  the top of each page of a document (as opposed to footer)

heading

  1a - something that forms or serves as a head especially : an
  inscription, headline, or title standing at the top or beginning (as
  of a letter or chapter)

Unfortunately, most dictionaries do not have a definition, for either word, for these contexts.


texts:
Here's a sentence that I'd like to ask about.

  When you're in emotional pain, treat yourself with the same compassion you would expect from a truly good friend.

Here, can I insert 'as' to make a thorough sentence - "the same ~ as" ?

  When you're in emotional pain, treat yourself with the same compassion as you would expect from a truly good friend.

Or, is there any difference between #1 and #2?


texts: What does "folks got high at a quarter to five" in this song?

texts:
This line is in 'Great DJ' by 'The Ting Tings'.

Fed up with your indigestion.
Swallow words one by one.
Folks got high at a quarter to five.
Don’t you feel your growing up undone.

I can get those three lines above except the one I'm inquiring about.
Is there any specific meaning in 'a quarter to five'?
Like, if there's anything especially happens 'at a quarter to five'?
I cannot find any reference on google.


texts:
"It's as if once you make a significant error, you cant help but make
  a zillion others, like dominoes falling over in succession."

This line is from a novel called "Desperate in Dubai".


texts:
The following sentence with a relative clause is correct:

  I like the girl that lives next door.

Is it possible to substitute a relative clause who/that/which with the clause and a comma? For example:

  I like the girl, she lives next door.


texts: What is the meaning of 'in the most capitalist of ways'?

texts:
From the source Underground Art Collective Strikes Ukrainian Rebel Stronghold (my emphasis):

  On Thursday, the underground artist collective Myrzilka released photographs of their work in Donetsk. Here's that image of Strelkov, being urged toward suicide in the most capitalist of ways.

What does that expression mean?


texts: "I can't see (where the car is parked)." What kind of clause is that one?

texts:
I was reading a grammar book and I came across a practice where you are asked to locate the adjectival clause in a sentence.

I can't see where the car is parked.

was one of the items.
However, I can't see how "where the car is parked" can be an adjectival clause.
From my understanding, it is a noun clause.
So, is "where the car is parked" a noun clause or an adjectival clause?


texts: How to understand the word "back" in this sentence?

texts:
Merry Christmas！And I've got a question to ask on this wonderful holiday.

It's an example sentence under the entry "sink" in New Oxford Dictionary:

  (of a person) lower oneself or drop gently:
  She sank back onto her pillow.

I want to confirm if the word "back" in the sentence is used as an adverb, which means returning to her early lying position. Is it possible that it is a noun which means "her back"? Then the sentence would mean she lay in her bed with her face up.

I would prefer the former explanation, but still can't be very sure to expell the later.


texts: What does "easy time" mean in this context?

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker. I'm reading a news about new HTC smart phone. I don't know what does "easy time" in the following context?

[Snip: Author is talking about new leaked photos about new HTC One M9 smart phone.]

  The One M9 leak extravaganza continues.

  More HTC One M9 photos leak, show the handset in gold this time

  HTC has never had an easy time keeping upcoming devices a secret, and
  that trend seems to be continuing with what is probably the company’s
  most important flagship smartphone in the last few years. The HTC One
  M9 has once again made it to the internet in the form of photos that
  show the back of the gold version of the handset.


texts: What is the meaning of "turns on" in this context?

texts:
This is the context:

Again, the importance
of fine-tuning turns on how narrow or how
broad the tolerances around fundamental constants, while still being consistent with the formation
of stars and planets, and with sufficient time, for the generation
and evolution of life.

What's Fine-Tuning in Cosmology?

What is the meaning of "turns on"? Does it mean "revolve on an axis or hinge"? and does the bold "around" is attached to turns on?
And another question, why in the last part of the sentence there is no verb? does it mean to be "consistent for"?


texts: Can "in noncontact with" be used as an antonym of "in contact with"?

texts:
The magnet force keeps the objects in contact with each other.

I am trying to rewrite the sentence above I created such that it has an opposite meaning. My examples are as follows:

  The magnet force keeps the objects in non-contact with each other.
  The magnet force keeps the objects apart from each other.

I would like to know which is better. I found a lot of sentences using the expression "in non-contact with" on google, but it seems that most of them are written by non-natives.


texts:
What is the grammatical structure of the bold part? How can it be paraphrase more easily (or understandably) for beginners?
This often involves the search for secular mediator and moderator variables that may influence or determine the relationship between religiosity and mental health. Which operating mechanisms are studied is an issue that dovetails with the discussions of measurement and of methodology presented by Hill (Chapter 3, this volume) and by Hood and Belzen (Chapter 4, this volume).


texts: Is there any difference between "since when did it become..." and "since when has it become..."?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between since when did it become and since when has it become? For example:

Person A: I'm going to the dentist tomorrow. It's such a pleasure.
Person B: Since when did it become a pleasure for you?/Since when has it become a pleasure for you?

Are both perfectly natural in the context?


texts:
Does the bold part below sound redundant to your ears, or is it natural?

  I have a university degree with a major in information technology.
  I have a university degree in information technology.

Does sentence #2 make sense?  Is it grammatically correct?


texts:
Seems that the same thought about future can be expressed in two ways. For instance:

  Are you working tomorrow?

  Will you work tomorrow?

So the question is, are there any difference between them?


texts:
Are these sentences natural?

  Members of my family have their weddings on Saturdays.
  Pete pays a visit to his grandmother once a month. He does it on Saturdays.
  I celebrate my birthday on Saturdays.

It is obvious that 'Saturdays' doesn't mean 'every Saturday' or 'almost every Saturday'. But are the sentences natural? Would you consider them incorrect? Or awkward?


texts:
I'm writing a fantasy story, and I have this sentence edited by different persons in different ways. I want to play with the word 'present' and 'gift', meaning 'the present' (no past, no future) is also a gift we should be conscious about. Thank you for your help!
A) Time is no longer time as I thought; no past, no future, just the present. Yes, that's it, the present like a gift.
B) Time is no longer time as I thought; no past, no future, just the present. Yes, that's it, the present as a gift.


texts: Two different interpretation for the given sentence

texts:
Consider this sentence:

Before they begin the project, the study must be done of its feasibility.

Which, in my book, might be used for two different occasions either suggestion or regular routine.
For more clarity:
Suggestion - Suppose a situation in which the project has been concluded with an unsatisfactory result and an expert utters, as a useful consideration: "Before ... feasibility"
Regular Routine - Now suppose during a process of a project, an engineer tells another about the criteria that the whole group is adhered to, and he states: "Before ... feasibility"
Are these both interpretations are correct about this sentence or I have not noticed something?
And if so, what are the correct possible sentences for two instances mentioned above?


texts:
When an object belongs to three people, how do you write the possessive noun forms? If a house belongs to Jane, Mark, and myself, do I say 'Jane and Mark's and my house?'

Thank you.


texts: Confusion of A/AN in this sentence (or does it even need any article?)

texts:
My friend told me today the following while he was jogging on the park. We crossed each others path while jogging and he said:

  "Yo dude, wish you good morning!"

I think his English is wrong?

Should it not be:

  "Yo dude, wish you a good morning!"

And, which of the following is 100% perfect sentence in relation to English grammar and rules?

  "I wish you good morning!"

OR

  "I wish you a good morning!"


texts:
Do "easy food" and "difficult ingredients"  sound natural? I think "from" is wrong.
"I don't like cooking easy food. I like cooking from difficult ingredients."
Perhaps "I like cooking using difficult ingredients."


texts: Why look at him? Vs 'Why to look at him?

texts:
Check out these sentences:

  He does indecent gestures at me ~ But why look at him? Simply ignore him.   I cannot concentrate on my studies ~ Why think of her?   He scolded me unnecessarily ~ But why talk in between? Keep mum.

In those all answers, no infinitive markers are used i.e. "Why to look"; "Why to think", and so on.

Is it okay to omit IMs while talking that way? Furthermore, if it's okay talking, is it okay writing as well?


texts:
Let's go out now. It isn't raining any more (not It doesn't rain)

(This is from Grammar in Use of Cambridge.)

I thought those two are valid form but the book say it is not.

Is the reason just idiomatic or semantic?


texts: Is there an idiomatic expression for "look at things from the other person's perspective"?

texts:
I am writing a small essay wherein I want to urge the reader to "look at his problem from the other person's perspective" (to understand why the other person is behaving in a particular way).

Example: (just making this up, not from my actual essay, which is somewhat ... uhm, confidential)

  Jane: My husband is always late from work, and he even works weekends. He never seems to have time for me.
  Friend: I have sympathies for you. However, try looking at this from his perspective. Well paying jobs are hard to come by, and he needs the overtime to build a good future for your family.

Is there a more "flowery" or idiomatic expression I could use to replace the italicized phrase?

I used to occasionally use put the boot on the other foot, but I recently realized that it doesn't mean what I thought it meant.


texts: What is the meaning of " There is a noun, + made no less so by...... "

texts:
I have two questions.
It is hard to understand “awkward silence, made no less so by….” in the second sentence below.
Does this mean “There was an awkward silence, and it was made no less so by…” ?

The other question is about the meaning of “no less so.” This means “no less awkward,” perhaps. I can understand the sentences,for example, “She is wise and you are no less so. (= She is no less wise than you are.)” Both are the same in meaning, aren’t they?  But the sentence in question below is hard to understand, because I don’t understand what you compare with what in the sentence.

  We greeted each other stiffly. There was an awkward silence, made no less so by the way Nirar kept looking at me, as if she were fixing every detail of my features in her memory.


texts: What is the meaning of "external recognition in quantity"?

texts:
No wonder that the culture descended to ostentatious displays of wealth, or in the parlance of Marx and Veblen, to commodity fetishism and conspicuous consumption. For a writer or an artist, in fact, external recognition in quantity - fame, to give it a title - could take the place of money or nearly so.

Dose it mean: apparent recognition?

This context is a little unclear to me if you make it more clear to me I would be very Thankful?

Thanks before hand.


texts: Is it ok to say: Peter and John "agree"?

texts:
If I say Peter "agrees", I think that the verb agrees must have the "s" at the end because Peter is a third person.

On the other hand, if I say Peter and John "agrees", it is wrong, because there are two people involved in this phrase, so I must eliminate the "s" at the end of the verb.

Is it ok?

Thanks.


texts:
I'm wondering what prepositions to use after "assist someone." It seems there is a choice between "in" and "with," but I don't know if they are freely interchangeable. If they are interchangeable in particular sentences, is there any subtle difference?

You will be employed to assist in/with the development of new equipment.

Two men are assisting the police in/with their enquiries.

We are looking for people who would be willing to assist in/with the group's work.

Another doctor assisted him in/with the operation.

A senior academic would assist him in/with his work.

The cream assists in/with the prevention of skin cancer.

Could it be that "in" followwed by a noun (phrase) suggests that work of a more general nature is involved, whereas "with" suggests more specificity, tied to a paritcular task?


texts: Can shortly be use in a negative sentence?

texts: The sentence "It won't stop shortly" sounds wrong to me, and I'm inclined to change it to "It won't stop soon," but I'm not sure why, and my best guess is that "shortly" shouldn't be used with a negative sentence. Is this the case?


texts: Singular or plural form before the word set / list

texts:
I have been always confused which is proper to use: singular or plural form before the word set, list, or container of multiple things?

For example:

values set or it should be value set
key list or keys list
integer set or integers set


texts: Is it more appropriate to use WHAT or WHICH in this question?

texts:
I am wanting to know who rules Canada. Should I ask:
"By WHAT monarch is Canada ruled?"
or "By WHICH monarch is Canada ruled?"
(The answer would be: "Canada is ruled by the British monarch Elisabeth the second.")


texts: Is "come down" a phrasal verb meaning "lead" or "cause"?

texts:
Although the majority of people in Crimea are ethnic Russians, the BBC's Mark Lowen in Simferopol says the outcome of a referendum is by no means certain - and may come down to a generational split.

Source: BBC News

Does the verb “come down” in this text mean “lead” or “cause”? I searched for it in Longman, but no definition was matched to the context.


texts: Omission of preposition in a relative clause

texts: How much permissible to say, "I liked the breakfast the hotel we stayed served", omitting a preposition such as "in" after stayed?


texts:
The results showed that a better tip shape produced better torque
  to thrust ratios in both forces and moments is a geometry that has
  the end tip at the pitch axis.

I don't know the meaning of this "produced" and " in both" I know the meaning of each word but I have problem in the meaning of whole sentence.


texts:
I found a sentence:

The photographs will be on exhibition until the end of the month.
Does it meat that the photographs is already on exhibition and is going to stay until mentioned time or they will be delivered and then will stay until mentioned time?

One more question. Is the following sentence correct?

I waited until the app had been installed in my computer.
Please, give short answers to my questions. Thank you guys! (It's me from future).


texts: Why is there no definite article in "The first rule of fight club" before the last noun?

texts:
I've just read Chuck Palahniuk's "Fight Club", and I wonder why there are no definite article in his first rule of fight club definition?

"The first rule of _ fight club is you don't talk about _ fight club."

Are they just skipped by the author or may be there is any rule I don't know?


texts: Whom and who in the same sentence - "with whom John speaks and who ask.."

texts:
Is the following correct?

Those with whom John speaks and who ask him about the new machine, are astounded.

Context: John speaks with random people, and they ask him about a new device.

I am aware of the who (subject, e.g. he/she/it) and whom (object, e.g. him, her, it) grammar rules. I believe that the sentence is correct but still, it looks strange to me.


texts:
These two phrases seem to be similar:

get rid of - take action so as to be free of (a troublesome or unwanted person or thing)
get out of - contrive to avoid or escape a duty or responsibility

Could you explain the difference in meaning and usage of these two phrases?


texts: In one dialogue in a computer game, I've seen a sentence, "I did steal it!" instead of "I stole it!". Why can native speakers use I did + verb instead of verb + ed?