texts: Use of to-infinitives/present participles that describe a noun

texts:
My colleague at work keeps using to-infinitives and present participles that describe a noun in ways that I think are wrong. But I am not 100% sure if they are wrong and why.

He says, "PFC converting AC into DC voltage" to mean "PFC that converts AC into DC voltage".
He also says  "A function to change user password" to mean "a user password change function".

What I think is:

if you say "PFC converting AC into DC voltage", it means "PFC which is converting AC in to DC voltage," and
"A function to change user password" just doesn't make sense and it should be corrected to "a function of changing user password" or "a user password change function."

How I understand the to-infinitive is, that the noun described should be the direct object of the verb. So, if you say 'a book to read', 'a book' is the direct object of the verb 'read'. But you say 'a song to listen to' because you listen to a song but not 'listen a song' and 'a song' is not a direct object of 'listen'. If you say 'a function to change' doesn't that mean that 'you change a function.'?

Can someone help me please.


texts: What is difference in using gerund and infinitive?

texts:
What is the difference between sentences below?

  The government ceased providing free health care.

and

  The government ceased to provide free health care.


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "back up on" in context

texts:
I've come across it in the 8th episode of the 3rd season of Rick and Morty. Here is the context:

Rick: Oh, [BLEEP]! Oh, [BLEEP]! [Bleep] me! [Bleep] me! Rick! Ah, [BLEEP], Morty, what did you do? All right, Morty, pack your shit! That’s only gonna keep ‘em down for a little bit, Morty! You [BLEEP] with squirrels, Morty! We got a good five minutes before they’re backing up on our ass, Morty! We have to pack up and move to a new reality.


texts: trying to write a parallel and correct sentence

texts:
I am trying to form a parallel sentence.  My first attempt is this:
"Good health requires right eating and regular exercising."
But I am not sure if this is grammatically correct.  The other way I can write it is:
"Good health requires right diet and regular exercise."
Which of these options is more suitable?


texts:
I'm trying to name a function in a software package. Let's start with some backgrounds. The package provides supplemental functions to multiple upstream packages that train random forests. To avoid duplicated code, I use a function A to convert random forest objects from different upstream vendors into an intermediate object, and then have other functions B1, B2, ... operate on it. The name for Bs have been decided, i.e. featureContrib, trainsetBias. However, I'm struggling to give A a good name.

I have come up with intermediateRF/transtionalRF/transtionRF ("RF" is a widely understood abbr. for "random forest", but them fail to capture A's functionality to take objects of different types, and then convert them to something of a common structure. I would like to emphasis its Polymorphism nature in the name.

Other candidates include middlewareRF/adapterRF, but it seems to implies the resultant object is itself a middleware/adapter that can act on something else, instead of the output of a middleware/adapter. If I were to use this name, then Bs need to be featureContribCalculator and trainsetBiasCalculator for consistency, which would be too verbose.

To sum up, what do you call the output of a middleware/adapter that takes different objects, and then convert them to intermediate objects with the same structure? It's fine to answer with a phrase, but please keep it no longer than 15 characters.


texts: How do I describe this pattern: B-R-G-B-R-G-B.... (In the same sense as "B-R-B-R-B..." is "alternating")?

texts:
Consider the following patterns of colored squares:

 Courtesy: MS Paint application

I can't seem to find a word (phrase?) to describe the pattern observed in the third row.

The first row has consecutive blue squares.
The second row has alternating blue  squares.
The third row has _______________ blue squares.

Does such a word describing the third pattern (preferably, in terms of "blue") exist?

Or should I use some phrase instead? And what phrase?


texts:
I don't know how to solve the agreement in this sentence:

  Minimum and maximum weight / weights is/are indicative only.

Edit:

It's from an article about peaches. The text says that the minimum weight is 100 g and the maximum weight is 130 g (but the minimum and maximum weight/weights is/are indicative only)


texts: with or without THE in “vexation of spirit”

texts:
What are the differences:

vexation of spirit

the vexation of spirit

Consider this special context:

“Better is one handful of rest than two handfuls of toil and vexation of spirit.”
My understanding:
1, Because “rest” and “toil” do not have THE, vexation should not have THE so as to make it read better.

2, There might be something about the word “vexation” historically. But modern English would only say “the vexation of spirit”, because of the “the...of...” pattern.

(Or can you provide a modern English sentence where it is better to use “vexation of spirit”?)


texts: Is "to satisfy a connection" idiomatic in the mentioned text?

texts:
We need a process in which A and B are properly connected. The process
  X satisfies such connection.

Is "to satisfy a connection" used in the above sense idiomatic? Other similar option is "meet".


texts:
Once upon she's laugh, that times I hurt.

Is that sentence right for describe: "I hurt when she is laugh" ?


texts: What is the difference between "Wherein" and "Whereas"?

texts: The meaning of the two words seems very much opposite to each other. I am confused how and where to use them.


texts: "Since first grade" versus "Since the first grade"

texts:
Is "the" used in the following, and why?

  I've been learning Latin since [the / no "the"] first grade.

I think that "I've been learning Latin since first grade" and "I've been learning Latin since the first grade of high school" both sound more natural than their alternatives "I've been learning Latin since the first grade" or "I've been learning Latin since first grade of high school", but I'm not certain why.

I suspect that it depends on whether the main focus of the sentence is the learning of Latin, or whether the main focus is the year of school. Is it kind of like saying "I've been learning Latin since 2011" versus "I've been learning Latin since the year 2011"?

The post With or without 'the' in "in (the) present participle form"? doesn't seem relevant, and this one is about "after" rather than "since".


texts: What is wrong in "It's quite often to hear such rumors these days."?

texts:
In this question, which asks for transforming a sentence from passive voice to active, I left a comment as

  It's quite often to hear such rumors these days.

However, @Brillig told me that sentence is not grammatically correct.

I want to know which part of this sentence is at odds with grammar. I am saying that because I asked them if my sentence is unidiomatic or ungrammatical and they said it's ungrammatical.


texts: Is the word "crossroads" used when it's outside of the country? If yes, does country refer to "a nation" or "small settlements outside large towns"?

texts:
Is she saying (https://youtu.be/WCfV7OkNCDo?t=461) "we do actually use crossroads when it's outside of the country"?

if yes, does country refer to "a nation" or "small settlements outside large towns"?


texts: What should I call a supermarket's sales person?

texts:
I wonder which choice is the natural one among the options below?

  A: Did you buy all the items within the list?
  B: Yea, just I was short on cash, so I (became indebted to / owed) the .............. 30 dollars.
  A: No worries, you can repay him tomorrow.

a. supermarket's sales person
b. supermarket's clerk

Please let me know if there is a better and more natural way to say that.


texts: The usage of bare infinitive in an article

texts:
I came across this article. The first sentence is

One Direction plan on celebrating their 10th anniversary on July 23rd with a trove of new content for their passionate fans.

and the whole article can be seen in this link
My question is, Why the verb should've taken a bare infinitive form instead of normal forms like "plans" or "planed"?


texts: Live honestly to a higher note. Life is too short. So, do the best you can and live your life to a higher note.


texts: Adjectives or Verbs in phrase "He has been .. "

texts:
Are these all adjectives tired, selected, hired?

He has been tired to study.
He has been selected as an entertainer at the party.
The job I had been hired to do was no longer needed.

Or, these are verbs?


texts:
One of my friends wrote the following sentence on his wechat moment(like facebook):

  The problem with being competitive and running with a friend is that
  you may find yourself at their mercy as to when to stop.

I could not understand the meaning and structure of the sentence.

1, what is the subject of the sentence? Is it 'The problem'?

2, What does the pronoun 'their' represent?

I looked up the dictionary and found the meaning of 'at someone's mercy' is  under the control of someone and without defense against someone. But I still could not understand the meaning of the whole sentence.

3, What is the actual meaning that my friend wants to express?

4, what is the structure of 'The problem with being competitive and running with a friend' in the sentence?


texts:
What does "points of friction" mean in this sentence?

  Q: Are any of the points of friction which you read about in the Introduction & The Origins of the Cold War: U.S. Choices After WW2 mentioned in any of these sources? what are they? which sources mention them?


texts:
Come across with difficulties

Is it grammatically correct?

We usually come across with difficulties.

But according to Oxford advanced learners "come across somebody / something" is correct (no "with").


texts: Meaning of "virtually" in the following sentence?

texts:
The list of things I believe,though I have no evidence for the truth
  of them, is, if not infinite, virtually endless.

I found two main relevant senses:

virtually:

  1 : almost entirely : NEARLY

  2 : for all practical purposes

Which one is the meaning in the above sentence? Generally, how to find out which of these meaning is the case, as the context does not always help?


texts: Exam questions where both options looked acceptable

texts:
(If/Suppose) I hadn't done well in the exam I wouldn't have passed the course.
  If she was fed, she (would have been / would be) calm.
  There (is said / was said) to be a better turnout at the staff meetings than last year.

I felt like these three questions could have been answered in either way.


texts: What does "where" refer to in this relative clause

texts:
This sentence is from "Travel in Southeast Asia".

  Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and is regarded as a shopper's paradise. Some of its restaurants stage cultural
  shows where one can enjoy the twin pleasures of Thai
  cuisine and classical dance.

What does where refer in this sentence?

1. at cultural shows.

2. at some of its restaurants.

3. at some of its restaurants  and cultural shows.

I like #1 as where refers to the nearest place before it.


texts:
You put your mattress on the bed but it is not flat or level
Is it correct to say "the mattress is bulging, get it flat"?


texts: Is my interpretation of the sentence right?

texts:
I'll talk to you in thirty minutes, be here then.

Does the above sentence mean The speaker wants to talk to someone in thirty minutes, and wants them to be present where the talk is supposed to take place?

And is the given sentence grammatically correct?


texts: How do I state the amount of money I have in a legal paper? And what word should I use instead of 'money'?? Like: I have 10000 $ which equals 2000 £.


texts: "improved strictly" or "strictly improved "?

texts:
I recent wrote a sentence (see below) to reply to the editor of a journal, I am not sure if I correctly placed strictly  in the right place, that is, improved strictly or strictly improved? Which one is better?

  Meanwhile, we have polished our English throughout the paper and the reference format is improved strictly according to the IEEE standard.


texts: What does "number is within 2 of a multiple of 10" mean?

texts: I am not sure what this sentence means? It is like there is a number which is within 2 but also as a multiple of 10? Sorry, this must be incorrect. Thanks!


texts: What's the subject: 'is the extent to which is a possibility...' ? (2014 US, Justice JP Stevens)

texts:
Source: Starting from the 20-second mark of the 2nd audio clip entitled 'Justice [John Paul] Stevens Talks about Gay Marriage',  2014 April 24 (I transcribed this myself so please correct any errors.)

  …and that illustrates to me a broader point that’s sort of in the background in some of your questioning, is the extent to which is a possibility of dramatic change in public opinion on issues as profound as the ones I discuss in this case, and the fact that the general public’s reaction same-sex marriage has changed so drastically within the last decade, makes me confident that in due course, when people actually think through the issues, they will be willing to accept some of the merits of my arguments.

What's the subject of the bolded independent clause? Something just sounds missing?
I am guessing that the predicate of a broader point is: is the extent to which.

Obiter dictum: I'd relish  the entire interview. That website claims 'We'll add the as-aired interview to the top of this post on Saturday' but I don't see it on that very webpage.


texts: What is the rationale for inserting 'a' before the noun 'value'?

texts:
Please kindly read the example:

  The Company shall not submit tender for new business having a value of less than some specific amount.

However, when the noun 'value' is used to mean how much something is worth in money for which it can be exchanged, it has both countable and uncountable meaning.  I always use 'a value of' without understanding the reason for that.

Would you please be so kind explain me the rationale of 'a' in this example?  For example, why cannot zero article be used instead?

I would be grateful if you could explain me the general rule and the exception from that rule, if any, applicable to such an example.  Would you please also state any other similar examples that follow such rules.


texts: "Had hosted" vs "had been hosting": What's the difference?

texts:
Steve Irwin was the host of various nature shows on TV before he was killed in an accident.

  Steve had hosted nature shows for a long time before he had his accident.

What's the difference between that sentence and

  Steve had been hosting nature shows for a long time before he had his accident.

Which is more correct?


texts: What are the right words for this sentence?

texts:
My job was to shelve books correctly and to keep the library clean that was hectic and bustling with large volume of visitors.

Now the sentence above is what I just wrote to ask this question regarding the nuance of two words: hectic and bustling. I wonder the two words are right words for this sentence. I somehow feel the two words are too much to describe what's going on in the library; especailly word bustling sounds like it is associated with loud sounds (am I right)?

What I wanted to describe was something like a library with many people seating in chairs, people roaming around the shelves, people lining up in front of the library counter for book rental services, etc, but with no loud sounds.

What will be the words suited for such environment?

Plus, if I want to say that library was getting chaotic day by days, how should I say it?

Will the following sentence be perfectly fine?

  My job was to shelve books correctly and to keep the library clean that was kepy getting hectic and bustling with large volume of visitors.

Any revision or paraphrase will be appreciated.
Thank you!


texts:
But plenty have come to him when they haven't been able to heal
  through traditional means.

As far as I know, past simple or past perfect are tend to be used with "when", because they are more specific.
Why there is "have come" instead of "But plenty came to him when..."?

Does it work similarly to present simple, but for the past?

  But plenty come to him when they are not able to heal through traditional means.

So, here it still happens, people still visit him when they need.

In the first example it was the case - people have come to him. It could last weeks, months, years - we don't know, and we don't know if they still come?


texts: Meaning of Sentence with unusual construction?

texts:
I came across this sentence:

  The consensus was that here was a drama truly reflecting an early stage in die evolution of tragedy out of choral lyric.

Adding context:

  Modern archaeological finds can still contribute much to the study of ancient literature. For example, forty years ago a survey of the early Greek dramatist Aeschylus’ plays would have started with The Suppliant Women. Many factors internal to the play, but perhaps most especially the prominence of the chorus (which in this play has the main role), led scholars to consider it one of Aeschylus’ earlier works. The consensus was that here was a drama truly reflecting an early stage in die evolution of tragedy out of choral lyric. The play was dated as early as the 490’s B.C., in any event, well before Aeschylus’ play The Persians of 472 B.C.

Several constructs in sentence are confusing to me.
Could someone explain what this sentence means? (or was it misprinted and I am wasting my time trying to over-analyze it?)

(In particular, "die evolution", "tragedy out of choral lyric" etc. are confusing to me)

Based on comments, I now believe that "die evolution" was misprinted/ had typo and referred to "the evolution".


texts: John's and Tom's sugar IS different or ARE different?

texts:
When I say "John's sugar and Tom's sugar are different", I know it must be plural because there are two items in the subjective.

However, in "John's and Tom's sugar", there's only one item, so I should use "is"? But it's referring to two things, and telling people they are different, so it seems that "are" is more logical, right?

Or should I say "John's and Tom's sugars are different"? I know sugar is uncountable, but sometimes uncountable nouns also have plural forms, like "We'd like two coffees". But I'm not sure whether that's correct in formal writing.


texts:
I have two questions.

Should I use 'with the profession' or 'in the profession' in this text?
Is this sentence gramatically correct?

Completed his education at the company-affiliated Basic Vocational School for working people WZE in Berlin with the profession of turner.

WZE - name of school


texts:
Which one is correct  “in drugs” or “on drugs”? And whats the difference between both.

I am not sure which one is right to use.


texts: Is "mom laughed and called" grammatically wrong here?

texts:
Just then, he heard his mom laughed and called, "Come here!"

I think ..laughed and called... is incorrect.

Would it be better changing it to ...laughing and calling...?

Thanks.


texts: tense sequencing - I had forgotten ... what I learned

texts:
I saw the following sentence at http://www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/-Come-Back-and-Get-Back- :

I had forgotten a lot of what I learned about music, but it's all coming back to me now.

The past perfect is supposed to describe events that happened prior to those described by the simple past, so I'm wondering whether the simple past "forgot" should be used in place of "had forgotten" and the past perfect "had learned" instead of "learned."

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: An idiomatic meaning of "call" in "-How about a club? -...call."

texts:
There will be not much context since I don't remember the exact novel it came from.

Two characters are talking after a hard day. The setting is close to the current time.

  -How about a club?
  -...call.

After that, the conversation has ended.

In the informal setting, is it widespread to use call in such a minimized form to mean it's your call, i.e. you decide?


texts:
Which forms of verb can I use here?

  The client must ensure that accurate records be/are/will be kept.

I don't know why Google translate example uses "be" here.


texts: Should I say "my dog and my cat have very different personality" or "my dog and my cat have very differnet animality"?

texts: I think "animality" sounds right as dogs and cats are animals, not person. However, I heard some native speaker use "personality" here. Which one is correct?


texts: ……………we have traveled 500 miles - Fill in the blank

texts:
Could someone please tell me which choice fits the best in the following example:

……………we have traveled 500 miles.
a) so far   b) up to here  c) until here  d) by here

I think only “a” and “b” work in this context.


texts: Is it correct to say "Thanks for keep encouraging me ..." ?

texts:
I want to say thanks to someone that keep doing something to encourage me. How can I say that?

Keep encouraging doesn't seem correct? Google said encouraging is an adjective. But after keep we must use a gerunds, and the gerunds of encourage is it plus ing, right?


texts: What is the difference between the sentences?

texts:
I'm wondering the difference in meaning between these sentences. Or do they have the same meaning? Please explain to me.

  Jurong Bird Park is larger than any other bird park in Southeast Asia.
  No other bird park in Southeast Asia is as large as Jurong Bird Park.
  No bird park in Southeast Asia is as large as Jurong Bird Park.
  There is no other bird park in Southeast Asia as large as Jurong Bird Park.
  There is no bird park in Southeast Asia as large as Jurong Bird Park.


texts: I am looking for an adjective to describe a pillow that is 'too high / too big /too uncomfortable' to sleep on. Could I use 'bloated'? On the Internet, I saw some people using 'fluffy' (too fluffy) in similar context (but I don't mean a pillow covered in fluff). Do you have any suggestions?


texts:
1) In the first few weeks, when I was new to the project, I made a lot of mistakes.

  2) In the first few weeks, when I was new to computer (or computers?), I made a lot of mistakes.

Is the second example with "new to computer" correct? if yes can I say:

  3) In the first few weeks, when I was new to project, I made a lot of mistakes.

if not, why the second example is correct but the third is not, is there a general rule?


texts: Is saying "...no matter whether ..." OK or a redundancy or grammatically wrong?

texts:
I look up the examples of "no matter" in some web dictionary and don't find a sentence containing "no matter whether". But in the examples of "whether" and "irrespective" I do see sentences "He's going to buy a house whether he gets married or not." and "He was one of those men to whom a girl's left hand is simply a girl's left hand, irrespective of whether it wears rings on its third finger or not." So is "no matter whether" OK or a redundancy or grammatically wrong? But if it's a redundancy, doesn't "irrespective of whether" (in the aforementioned sentence) sound like a redundancy, too (because using "whether" suffices to convey the idea) ? Should I just use "no matter" or "whether", instead of "no matter whether", in sentences of this type? Or either way is OK?

For example, is saying "The conclusion holds true no matter whether the proof is carried out through this formulation or that formulation." a redundancy or grammatically wrong? Should I just say "The conclusion holds true whether the proof is carried out through this formulation or that formulation." or "The conclusion holds true no matter the proof is carried out through this formulation or that formulation."? Or either of the three ways is OK?


texts: What does the phrase "keep it locked it in" mean?

texts:
Here is the context:

  As always keep it locked in here on my videos and I will see you in the next one.

Does it just mean watch my videos? If it does, then where does this phrase originate from?


texts: Herbal teas have been used for medication before pills were invented

texts:
I am confused if I should use past perfect tense or present perfect tense in this sentence.

  Herbal teas have been used for medication (for centuries) before pills were invented.

  Herbal teas had been used for medication (for centuries) before pills were invented.

1.I can use present perfect tense because some people still use herbs for medication..But they are not prescribed anymore I think.

2.Because  the part "pills were invented" is in the past form   should  the  part "Herbal teas have been used" be past form also


texts: Why is this grammatically correct? - "I would like to cancel the job that I had ordered"

texts:
As the title states, would you mind teaching me why this sentence is grammatically correct?

  "I would like to cancel the job that I had ordered"

The reason I ask is that the below sentence doesn't sound wrong to me, without the "had":

  "I would like to cancel the job that I ordered"

Lastly, does the below sentence have the same meaning as the first example? If so, what is the grammatical difference?

  "I want to cancel that job I ordered"


texts:
If I had two verb forms in a sentence, how should I use the tense?
For example:

  I heard that you were moving to London.

The situation is like this, the event (moving to London) has not taken place yet, but since I started the sentence with past tense (heard) Should I follow the same for the be form (were)? Or should I use "I heard that you are moving to London"? How should one use the tenses in these situations?


texts: "a minimal relationship in which" or "a minimal relationship to which"

texts:
I need some help with the below sentence. Does "in which" sound right? is this grammatically correct?

Psychological contact can be described as a minimal relationship in which there is an acknowledged connection between both parties and their experience of one another.


texts: Is "Opening by the Host" understandable?

texts:
I am writing the itinerary of a conference. At the start, a host comes, says hi and describes what will happen during the day. How can I refer to this? Is "Opening by the Host" a good choice?

By the way, by host I do not mean the chairman. I mean someone like a showman.


texts:
I read a sentence in "The Hindu" which was:

The Narendra Modi government has set much at store by India's improved ranking in terms of the EDB index.

Shouldn't there be "improving" instead of "improved"?


texts: Is there any difference between "change to something" and "change over to something"?

texts:
Is there any difference between change to something and change over to something? For example:

  I changed from the phone to the tablet because it's more convenient.

  I changed from the phone over to the tablet because it's more convenient.

This dictionary basically says they means the same. Why include more over if it adds nothing to the meaning?


texts: Should "Rehabilitation Department" be capitalized?

texts:
Which is the most correct:

  The patient was admitted to the rehabilitation department.

Or

  The patient was admitted to the Rehabilitation Department.


texts: If there are two vehicles on a road, and I want to differentiate them, can I say "the ahead vehicle", using ahead as an adjective?


texts:
https://www.lingq.com/lesson/lesson-21-the-right-to-education-431416/

In ancient Greece from around three thousand to two thousand years ago students were educated in their teachers'' homes.

What is the meaning of the sign  ''  in the above context? isn't that sign redundant?


texts:
May I put the word "that" after the adverbial clause and not right after the object "defects"?

  "The purpose of the inspection is to identify defects on the electrical installation in the area that may represent a risk ..."

How to make clear that the word "that" specifies the object "defects" and not "area"? And please, correct me, if I use incorrect terminology.


texts:
In + year, such as 1908.  How to speak it？
In nineteen and eight or in nineteen eight？
Which is correct？


texts:
I know the general rule: when it's said generally, you don't use 'of'; when it's specific, you do. But again, as with pesky articles, the trouble is figuring out when it's specific enough and when it's not (usually, grammar books assume it's obvious and doesn't need clarification — wrong). Is 'EU members' in this example specific enough? It sounds natural without 'of' to my ear.

  most (of) EU members


texts: I can't understand the structure of "would have ... had"

texts:
His aides reassured him that he still would have won had he been able
  to run for another term and that the next generation had more in
  common with him than with Mr. Trump.

How Trump’s Election Shook Obama: ‘What if We Were Wrong?’

Can Obama run another term (Like Putin) after Trump? Or Just a joke?


texts:
Which one is correct in this sentence? Should it be:

  between Sunday and Wednesday

or:

  on Sunday and Wednesday

The question is from a practice test:

  They decided to study ________ Sunday and Wednesday ________ the morning

  A. between/in
  B. from/to
  C. on/in
  D. by/at

My English teacher says (A) is the right choice, but I picked (C).


texts:
Is it correct to say the first one in the opposite way of the second one?

You got me right.

Don't get me wrong.


texts:
Is there a difference, if any, between as is, as it stands, as it is?

The FreeDictionary states the following:

as it stands: as something is now, without changes to it

  The law as it stands is very unclear.

as is:exactly as something is without any changes or improvements made to it.

  I'll have to hand this report in as is - there's no time to update it.

Obviously, they are interchangeable or the synonymous phrases. Maybe a small difference lies in a style of speech (formal/more informal speech).

As it is looks way synonymous here as well (already, actually), but sometimes it is rather informal or spoken, imho.


texts: Distinguishing between "merely" and "only"

texts:
Dictionaries say merely means only, but doesn't merely have a sense of emphasizing the smallness of what the words after it says more than only?

  Kindness is not merely for the sake of others.
  Kindness is not only for the sake of others.

The above sentences are ambiguous but they continue and actually mean that good deeds without expecting anything in return is the way we should take. If that's the case, then "only" fits it better, doesn't it?


texts: The meaning of "happen to" in "I happen to know"

texts:
What does 'happen to do' mean? For example,

  I happen to know that.
  Did you happen to let him know?
  How did you happen to hear that?

I really want to know the difference between "I know that." and "I happen to know that."

I was taught there exists some  difference between them but usually failed to understand what it means.


texts:
Is it when the comparative form of an adjective is not available?

For example;

•Conjuring 2 is more horrible than The Nun

•Conjuring 2 is creepier than The Nun


texts: How do we express this position: to lie across the rail bars?

texts:
Look at the picture

Do we say "they are lying across the rail bars"?

Also, see this picture

Do we say "the cat is lying across the bar"?

Or what are the idiomatic way of saying that?


texts: In "has only examples of ...", is it reasonable to view "only" as an adjective?

texts:
This post is not a duplicate of "her dog doesn't even want" vs. "even her dog doesn't want", since that post does not explain why "only" could not be used as an adjective in my second example.

I made up a sentence in another post (Did I put focusing adverbs in the correct position?)

  Cambridge Dictionary only has examples about "complete list".

where I used only as adjective, is it still also idiomatic and grammatical if I use only as adjective?

  Cambridge Dictionary has only examples about "complete list".

Cambridge Dictionary defines only as adjective

  used to show that there is a single one or very few of something, or that there are no others

I guess "there are no others" fits with my 2nd example, only "complete list" no "full list".

I used "only" again (What type of adverbs "also" is?)

  I found lots of people using "You can also", more than 1k hits only on ELL. And myself use "also" a lot as well.

and still don't have a clear understanding about its usage.


texts: When should you change 'Facility Manager' to 'Facilities Manager' or should it stay 'Facility Manager'?

texts: In a document I am correcting the manager of the building is referred to as the Facilities Manager. Should it be Facility Manager if they are only the manager of one building? And when would, if ever, the Facility Manager be referred to as the Facilities Manager? My Boss said that it should always be Facilities Manager.


texts:
I'm confused about expressing the degree or extent of something in a sentence. For example, if I want to mock a friend for being single, how will the sentence be? This is what I want to say:

  You're so single that I think you'll reproduce via mitosis.

Is this sentence correct? Does the so in this sentence aptly express the degree of being single? And please share the alternative ways of saying this - the way a native speaker would say.


texts: rules written by (the) existing players: article usage

texts:
A quote from The Economist (Higher education: The attack of the MOOCs):

  “Anyone who thinks the rules of engagement have already been written
  by the existing players is massively underestimating the potential of
  the technology,” he says.

May the definite article be omitted before "existing players", or is the word "existing" a modifier that makes THE obligatory?


texts: What do you call the sucking disks remora fishes have? I have read it as being referred to as sucking disks, but I haven't heard of a generic name for the organ or a specific name for the organ. Sucking disks doesn't seem to be the proper word a scientist would use.


texts: Does the word "decisiveness" exist ? for example "to deliver an issue with decisiveness OR impactfullness "


texts:
That mightn't/can't/mustn't be true.The director is quite talented.

MyApproach:

I am confused between mightn't and can't because:

Mightn't:mightn't  also be used to show possibility.

can't:can  is also used to show possibility that it can't be true.


texts: Singular instead of plural noun in context

texts:
Here is the context:

  During the year after he published the general theory of relativity, Einstein applied it on the grandest of scales: the entire cosmos. You might
  think this a staggering task, but the art of theoretical physics lies in simplifying the horrendously complex so as to preserve essential physical features while making the theoretical analysis tractable.

Is this context talking about a specific "horrendously complex"? If not, why the author haven't used the plural noun, "complexes"?

[The original context]


texts: Can "lick up" be used instead of "lap up"?

texts:
A cat "laps up" milk from a saucer. But can "lick up" be used instead?

  The cat's licking up milk from the saucer.

Can they be used interchangeably in this context? And are they equally likely to be used?


texts: IN vs. WITH: which is correct in the following sentence?

texts:
He has started constructing meaningful sentences which require a lot of correction 'in' grammar and spellings.

or

  He has started constructing meaningful sentences which require a lot of correction 'with' grammar and spellings.


texts: Which verb would be appropriate for the action of pulling the bolt of a bolt action rifle?

texts:
Is there a specific verb that denotes the action of pulling the bolt of a bolt-action firearm to load the cartridge?

My searches so far not yielded in any positive result.


texts:
A lot of sentences which I didn't understand why we don't use "using" instead of "used"? Isn't it past tense? These are examples:

It is actually used now.

When is button used, and when is key used?

These are usually arrested.

The book is used to inform humans.

These sentences are showing as simple present tense on Translate. Is it mistake of Translate or is a rule of grammar? If so when does this rule apply?


texts:
I will be meeting him there on March the 16th. But I'm not really sure if I'll meet him on the 16th March, exactly. So, should I say this:

  I will be there around the middle of March.

?

Is the above sentence correct? Or should it be one of these:

  I will be there around in the middle of March.

  I will be there around at the middle of March.

?


texts:
a. what time do you make it? — I make it six o'clock

Would you show me what this sentence means?

Meanwhile, I am wondering what "it" refers to, as well.


texts:
He opened his great coat,which he held bundled up in his arms.

What does the word ''bundled up'' modify, "held" or "great coat"?

What type of clause is it?


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

texts:
I found this sentence on the internet:

  Seems like society leveled itself out once again.

What does level out mean here? I have looked up OALD, and it defines level out/off as:

  level off/out
  1 to stop rising or falling and remain horizontal.
   The plane levelled off at 1500 feet.
   After the long hill, the road levelled out.
  2 to stay at a steady level of development or progress after a period of sharp rises or falls.
  Sales have levelled off after a period of rapid growth.

However, I'm not quite sure whether either of them fits the context.


texts: Grab me a/that glass/cup vs. Bring me a/that glass/cup

texts:
Scenario: you are sitting on a chair and using your laptop and want your little daughter to get you a/that cup/glass of something that both you can see it there on the counter.

Which one sounds better:

  Grab me a/that glass/cup or Bring me a/that glass/cup? (of something e.g water)

How do you say that in everyday US English? more than way of saying so is definitely appreciated.


texts: Is "being" a gerund phrase (in my sentence) and how is it then best translated?

texts:
I read this sentence :

"I was wrond about the meeting being today."

I'm wondering what is being today in this sentence?
Is it gerund phrase or because after about we put -ing?
Is it correct to translate it in the meaning of exist or the meeting that's happening today?
I would be happy to help.


texts: context for "Testify", "Justify", "Verify" and "Certify"

texts:
From wordreference

"Verify x is correct" - test and confirm x is correct.
"Justify x is correct" - explain why x is correct.
"Certify x is correct" - issue documentation to say x is correct.
"Testify x is correct" - state that x is correct.

Here is a context for the words above

  Suppose Ronald goes to work at 8 a.m. everyday. Today he is going to host a significantly important meeting, so he leave home at 7:30 a.m.

Christopher testifies that "leave home" in the context refer to "set out for the day".

Thomas gives a link to justify Christopher's understanding is correct.

Anthony verifies Christopher's post and Thomas' link.

Cambridge Dictionary certifies that meaning by issuing it in its online dictionary.

Am I using those words correctly?


texts: Any difference between "travel through" and "travel around"?

texts:
I traveled trough the UK last year.
I traveled around the UK last year.

What's the difference between them?


texts: 15:00 vs 15h00 And how to read them aloud

texts:
Crimea referendum: 64% turnout at 15h00 as tension rises in eastern Ukraine.

Also what does it mean? And how should I read it aloud?

My try is "sixty four percent turnout at fifteen". Am I correct in this interpretation on reading it aloud ?


texts:
John Smith was born in Netherlands, on the 21'st of May 1981.

Is this sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Which one is proper, “room 501” or “Room 501”?

texts: Should the word room be capitalized when followed by a number, such as room 501 or Room 501?


texts:
Please share your thoughts about the following.

I am having trouble understanding why almost everyone here https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/245059/correct-modal-verb chooses "could". One guy has suggested to ask here also.

  It is possible for John to shift to architecture. John (should/could/must/might) shift to architecture.

So there are four options to choose from, please share your thoughts about why the 3 of them are not suitable and why 1 of them is the best answer.

Thanks!

UPDATE
What confuses me is the preference of "could" over "might". A guy from the other forum mentioned that if it still confuses me, I should ask here.


texts: What is the English word for the empty space in a question in an excercise like: "Fill the ___ with..."?

texts:
In many books and sites of English learners there are exercise that require from the learner to put the missing word / article in the 'space' between to words or in the end of the sentence.

What is this place called? ("Fill the ___ with the correct articles in following sentence") For now I didn't find the term in English or in my language.


texts: Phrase choice: "lay/were lying" vs. "were laid (out)"

texts:
We helped ourselves to the snacks that lay on the table.
We helped ourselves to the snacks that were laid (out) on the table.

The first sentence notes the position of the snacks with no mention of how they ended up there. The second sentence notes the position of the snacks and, through the passive construction, implies that a person (or people) put them in that position.
Is there any reason to prefer one over the other when dealing with inanimate objects? Is the choice between these two possible sentences simply a matter of style/emphasis on position vs. placement?


texts:
Use of to after the word focused.

Can you say focused to (something) or do you always have to say focused on (something)?


texts:
which one is correct and why ?

1- I will help you once I understand how it works
or
2- I will help you once I understood how it works


texts: Is "there is free refill on that" idiomatic?

texts:
I am not sure if this is idiomatic.

  The employee pumped petrol into the car and told the driver, who is a regular to the station, "there is
  free refill on that".

Is it ok to say "on that"? The "on" doesn't sound very idiomatic.


texts:
I have come across it in the six episode of the first season of Rick and Morty. Here is the context:

Jerry: Ahhh, well, (gets another jar of sauce out of the cupboard) I remember feeling that way about a young lady named your mom, and that's not an urban diss, your mom was my Jessica. I remember the first time I saw her, I thought...


texts:
climb 1 /klaɪm/ ●●● W2 verb     1 MOVE UP/DOWN [intransitive always +
  adverb/preposition, transitive] to move up, down, or across something
  using your feet and hands, especially when this is difficult to do

  Harry climbed the stairs.

  Boys were climbing trees along the river bank.

  climb up/down/along etc

  The wall is too high to climb over.

  They climbed up into the loft of the old barn.

so, "climb"is both intransitive & transitive.

When we say "the child climbed up the chair", then "up" is an adverb and "the chair" is the direct object of the transitive verb "climb"

When we say "the child climbed up onto the chair", then "up" is an adverb and "the chair" is the direct object of the preposition "onto" while "climb" is an intransitive verb.

are they roughly similar? "the child climbed up the chair" & "the child climbed up onto the chair"?

and Which one sounds better?


texts: Does the question 'the car is arrived' grammatically correct?

texts: Can we use 'is' in the sentence to describe the meaning 'already'?


texts:
I would have appreciated it if my colleagues had done the same for me.
I would have appreciated it if my colleagues would have done the same for me.
Is the second sentence correct?


texts: run on to more than one line -- I'm not sure I understand how "to" is used here

texts:
Example:

  Note that the preceding line of code is an example of a JavaScript statement. Every line of code between the <script> and </script> tags is called a statement, although some statements may run on to more than one line.

This is really tripping me up a little bit. I'm specifically not sure how to is used in this particular situation. Obviously, what this says is that some statements take up or occupy more than one line and are still considered one statement. The preposition to usually means that something is moving in the direction of a particular location, but a statement doesn't really run in the direction of more than one line, it runs ON them—it is ON lines, say, 5 and 8. How can it be or run TO lines 5 and 8? Or is this just the way you typically say it in contexts like this?


texts:
In most cases I see authors write: oak tree, pine tree, palm tree, and etc. But can we just call them an oak, a pine, a palm?

The house was standing next to an oak (instead of an oak tree).
I was climbing a pine (instead of a pine tree).


texts: "50% of people are unintelligent" or "50% of the people are unintelligent"?

texts:
My First Question:

As far as I know, after the phrases like "many of", "some of" and "all of", we can't use a noun without the article. For instance, we cannot say:

  "All of people are unintelligent"

We have to say:

  "All of the people are unintelligent"

to use the phrase "all of" even if we are talking about all people who
are alive. Am I right?

Can I say "All of the people", "Many of the men", "Some of the women", etc, if I am talking about all people in the world, many men among all men in the world and some women among all women in the world etc.?

I know that I can say "All men", "Some people", etc without using the word "of" by the way, but I wonder if I can say those phrases like "all of the" instead.

I also know that I can use those phrases which include the phrase "of the"
when I talk about a specific group of things like in:

  All of the  players of the American team are very athletic.

Here I am referring to the players in the American national basketball team while watching a game.

But, as I said I want to know if can use those phrases which include "of the" for referring to things generally. I mean, when I talk about all basketball players in the world instead of all basketball players in the American team, can I say:

  All of the basketball players are very athletic.

My second question:

What about the sentences where we use percentages? If I am talking about all people in the world generally, can I say:

  50% of people are unintelligent.

Or do I have to say:

  50% of the people are unintelligent


texts:
Should I use the definite article in front of the word snow here?

I remember snow in late October many years ago

Is this sentence grammatically correct?


texts:
Can anyone tell me the difference between

  Here We Are

And

  We Are Here


texts:
In the post there is the text about Trump:

  He claimed powers never envisioned by the Constitution and insisted his "authority is total" to order states and cities to get moving again to break out of the frozen economy. His warning came as two blocs of Eastern and Western hot-spot states banded together in an implied challenge to his vow to get people back to work soon, setting off a brewing confrontation over the power of the federal government.

The full text you can find here

I have 3 questions:

1) Does "powers never envisioned by the Constitution" mean "powers of USA is never set by Constitution"? And why is "power" in plural here?

2) What does "to break out" mean here and why there is "of"? I can find "to break out" in dictionary but not "to break out of".

3) Please, explain me "over" in text. I can guess "brewing confrontation over the power of the federal government" is meaning "brewing confrontation for the power of the federal government" or "brewing confrontation between the power of the federal government".


texts: Can we start sentences with "to clarify"

texts:
To clarify, this means what I think it means, right?

This is a grammatically correct sentence, right? I looked up the ways we use the word clarify but didn't come across many examples of the word being used at the beginning of the sentence, which why I'm confused whether this sentence is correct or not. I don't see any reason why it should be incorrect, but it's good to verify.


texts:
Sentence a )

''If you went swimming this morning, you can’t go swimming again tomorrow.''

The sentence above is mixed conditional if clause, and in the website first part of the sentence is said to refer to past tense .

but in my opinion if I want to refer to past tense in if clause I should use ''had gone swimming''.

Sentence b)

''If you had gone swimming this morning,you can't go swimming again tomorrow.''

if I want to refer to past tense in first part of the if clause, is sentence a or sentence b ok?


texts:
I feel like the word reel occurs often in Irish folk songs. Does it refer to turning around as in dancing? Is there used the same meaning as in There's a reason?

  So let that feeling

  Grap you deep inside

  And send you reeling

  Where your love can't hide

  And then go stealing

  Through the summer nights

  With your lover

Naturally, I would assume it refers to opening to the world (like a string reels off a reel).

https://youtu.be/IDNbvwlRu6I


texts:
I am debating this with a friend, but we couldn't come to an agreement,
so I came here for you to help me on deciding which sentence is correct.


texts:
A headline in The Moscow Times:

Billionaire Rotenberg Wins Tender for Moscow to St. Petersburg
Highway

But tender, per dictionaries, means "a (bidder's) offer to do something".
So I'm curious, is the quoted usage of tender appropriate? Is it passable? If not, how does one go expressing the meaning while retaining some mention of a tender-based selection process? "Wins contract"?
And how does one go about saying in a headline that the Government has announced an international .. tender-process-driven contest (that's a mouthful) to build a plant?
In Russian, the word tender (тендер, a borrowing from English) is never used to denote an offer on part of a bidder to provide goods or services. It always refers to the process of selection among bidders, to the contest. So a translator has to struggle with sentences in the original language that are peppered with tenders thusly employed: "the company has won a tender to build a plant"; "an international tender has been announced" etc.
However, in an Australian source I've met this sentence in which the use of tender is also seemingly unrelated to the bidder's tender:

City of Stonnington , Victoria, has issued a tender for drain
construction in Glen Iris, Melbourne

Is that a shortening of "request for tenders"?
Another Australian source, a couple of unorthodox usages of tender:

How to win contracts and tenders
The prospect of competing for public tenders can be daunting for
up-and-coming SMEs. ...

How could one "compete for public tenders" if a tender is an offer on part of a candidate company to do work, provide services?
To look from another angle, there are many instances of "company wins bid to.." in headlinese. A bid is analogous to tender, so why not "company wins tender to.." ?


texts: Is "MA Graduation in Tourism Management with a concentration on Marketing" right?

texts: I have finished my MA. I would like to add a life-event on my Facebook timeline. Is the title "MA Graduation in Tourism Management with a concentration on Marketing" right?


texts:
... but at last the sailors on Bering's ship saw mountains a short distance across the sea. This proved that North America and Asia were two separate continents.

I am wondering how does what the sailors saw proves the fact stated in the next sentence. What does the part in boldface mean? Does it convey there were two ranges of mountains on the two sides of the sea with a short distance in between facing each other?


texts:
I know the difference between arrive at and arrive in, but where can I use arrive to?

  A car arrived to the gate.

Should I use arrived at?


texts: word combination: "weekday daytime" or "daytime weekdays"

texts:
(1) I have a job during weekday daytime, not weeknights.
(2) I have a job during "daytime weekdays", not weeknights.
Which one is correct?


texts: what does the adverb "newly" modify in this sentence?

texts:
What does the adverb "newly" modify in this sentence?

  Certain Italians who were newly cognizant of Greek and Roman cultural accomplishments initiated a classical cultural rebirth after a long period of stasis.


texts: How to improve understanding of long sentences in prose?

texts:
What are some efficient, methodical, productive ways to improve the skill and speed of interpreting, parsing, and reading long prosaic sentences? I refer not only to legalese or legal language, but also any complx sentence written in modern English prose. For instance, are there basics, fundaments, or prerequisites about sentences that I should  self-learn?

Thus far on ELL, I question anew every long sentence that confuses me, but want to transcend this approach 'by chance', which feels like a wastefully haphazard, torturous crawl of piecemeal creeps that hobble too narrowly to reach, even the rungs towards, the apex of sentential comprehension sought.


texts:
The provincial law or Provincial law.
Sometimes the article is in front of provincial and other times no article.


texts: Is it possible to say: "Some Wikipedia information came into clash with the law." to imply there's been a legal case against some information published?


texts:
On reaching the airport, Tom found that he had left his bag in his
  home.

  When reaching the airport Tom found that he had left his bag in his home.

  Which sentence is correct?

  What is the difference between them?

Edit: It is a question in a text book and I have no idea about the difference.

My guess is that the sentence with “on” equals “on reaching that point” which means immediately when he arrived that he found that he had left his bags.


texts: I asked a native English friend of mine to write all the things she would say in one of her ordinary days, so that I could read them and learn some new useful expressions, but I hesitated whether I should have told her to "set down" or "jot down" or "make note" of them?


texts: Pronunciation of French-derived words in English

texts:
I am always in a predicament when I have to read passages to my students that have words derived from the French language. I have learnt French to a passable level and am particular about their pronunciations. Issues arise when I have to deal with words such as 'renaissance', 'deja vu', 'par excellence', etc. Should I pronounce them in the French way or in the derived English way? Please note that my students are all Indians, and for them French is quite an alien and unpronounceable language.

The same applies when I teach History. I prefer to pronounce Bastille, Robespierre, Mirabeau, Versailles in the French way and I do teach them the same. It would not be correct to pronounce Jacques as Jack I feel. But what about an immensely popular word like Paris? Should I pronounce it as Parh-ee or as Pah-ris, i.e. the French way or the Anglicised way?

Point to note: When pronouncing Les Miserables, we always make a big point about pronouncing it the French way. The same applies for 'reconnaissance' and 'genre'.

It will be a big help if someone can shed light on this.


texts: What do they refer exactly to with "last name"?

texts:
I'm from Spain, and here we have 2 last names; one coming from our mother, and the other one from our father.
In the translation of last name, technically it's like a family name, but in my country we don't work by using family names. To my understanding, a family name is just 1.
So is it adequate if I refer to our 2 last names, as simply "last name"?


texts: Differences between "compel" and "impel" in context

texts:
Would you please help me understand what are the possible differences between these sentences in terms of meaning and connotation?

She felt compelled to resign because of the scandal.
She felt impelled to resign because of the scandal.


texts:
sound example

There are some examples of "what it".

Barely I can hear clearly the connective of the two words.


texts: "He committed a crime killing/by killing a bird"

texts:
Which wording with kill should be used here:

  He committed a crime (killing/by killing) a bird.

My guess is the answer would be by killing. But I am really confused with the answer killing.

My questions relating to this sentence are:

Which one is correct and why? (or are they both correct?)
If one of them is incorrect, why is it incorrect? (or, if both of them are, why?)
If they are both correct, what is the difference in meaning?
If they are both correct, what is the difference in their grammar?


texts: students of the mind -- what exactly does that mean?

texts:
Source: C++ Primer Plus, 6th Edition by Stephen Prata (2012)

Example:

  Life is full of complexities, and one way we cope with complexity is to frame simplifying abstractions.You are a collection of more than an octillion atoms. Some students of the mind would say that your mind is a collection of several semiautonomous agents.

What exactly does that mean?


texts:
I have a problem at using plural or singular after no/any.
These two sentences which is correct?

  I couldn't find any "apple" in the basket.
  I couldn't find any "apples" in the basket.

and these two

  No error needs to be fixed.
  No errors need to be fixed.


texts:
Ok, check this online Toefl test page,

  Question: When did Mary ____ college?

  Answer:

  A) graduate

  B) graduate from (TOEFL thinks B is correct)

  C) graduating

  D) graduating from

I checked Oxford dictionary,

  [intransitive, transitive] to get a degree, especially your first
  degree, from a university or college

  graduate (in something) Only three students graduated in Czech studies
  last year.

  graduate (from…) She graduated from Harvard this year.

  He graduated from York with a degree in Psychology.

  graduate something (North American English) She graduated college last
  year.

According to the dictionary, it seems that we use "graduate from" with specific universities or colleges & we use "graduate college" when we say "to graduate college" generally without knowing the specific one.

So, Why is "When did Mary graduate college?" considered wrong in TOEFL test?


texts: "in that" or "by that" in the mentioned context?

texts:
A is distinguished from B in that / by that, unlike the latter, the
  former is intentional.

Which one is more idiomatic: "distinguished in that" or "distinguished by that"?


texts: How to dissect or parse 'ends to which the actions they command are means'?

texts:
Source: Hypothetical Imperatives, by Associate Prof Richard McCarty (... MA, PhD, University of Missouri) [I found the author's name at the bottom of 'Source']

  Kant introduced a technical term for the imperatives that tell us to take actions as means to ends (goals). He called them “hypothetical” because they presuppose that we have the ends to which the actions they command are means (Kant 1997a, 24-27/4:413-16). Since for most ends it is not necessary that we have them, when we don’t, the hypothetical imperatives presupposing that we do are not true.

I admit that I must improve my reading comprehension, but are the pronouns here (as greyed) used ambiguously? Could anyone please clarify the pronouns? Here's my guess at the syntax:

  we have the ends
    to which the actions
                they command
    are means

Footnote: I originally asked about this at Philosophy SE. This inspired me to indent in my guess.


texts: Word for a question whose answer depends on each person

texts:
Can someone please help me with this:
A word you use to describe some question that got a lot of answer dependent on each person.


texts: Meaning of "so that the weight of destiny no longer bore on the current problems of my life"

texts:
At night I lay awake looking at the darkness, listening to the silence,
prefiguring the future, picking out of the past the scraps I had overlooked,
those rejected events which now came to the foreground, large and
important, so that the weight of destiny no longer bore on the current
problems of my life, whatever they were at the time (for who lives without
problems every day? Why waste the nights on them?).

I looked up the meaning of "bear on" in the dictionary but then again I want be sure about my understanding.
bear on something means: to relate to or possibly influence something
so can we say the sentence in bold means: she no longer believed in destiny and she thought her problems didn't caused by destiny?
source: A Far Cry From kensington by Muriel Spark


texts: Correct way to enumerate ideas in English

texts:
My mother tongue is Spanish and in Spanish the correct way to enumerate ideas is saying something like the following:

I have many ideas, among them we can find: idea A; idea B; idea C ;and finally, idea D.

With this in mind I would like to know how is this done in English and if the following paragraph needs to be modified.

  Among her multiple duties and responsibilities, the following activities, for one of the main natural products that the company was developing, stand out: supply chain (from supplier to end customer) study and design, including the entire production process; time schedule planning, demand and capacity calculation; and finally, personnel, material, informative and financial flow.


texts:
I am reading the instructions of a trimming tool that came with my new espresso machine which say:

  The twist blade that trims down the puck to the right level to keep a consistent extraction.

This is not about ice hockey, so I have no idea what puck means here. I tried googling, to no avail.


texts:
I am having a hard time making sense of the word "protuberant" in this sentence from an online article. I have always understood that word to mean something along the lines of "bulging", "protruding," usually describing eyes. I have consulted several dictionaries, but can't seem to find anything beyond that. But it doesn't seem to be the case here. What does protuberant mean when describing a person? Someone with bulging eyes? Is that what it means here?

  Meanwhile, Angela is carrying on with protuberant tennis pro Tony Parker (Andrew Carter), who becomes the object of lust to both Edith and Angela's gay son, Lance (Tom DeTrinis).


texts: When to use "be going to" / present continuous in future?

texts:
In our lesson we have
Be going to

future plans (personal)
prediction based on something we can see or hear

Present continuous

future arrangement
fixed plan

Is this right? Can someone explain this to me with examples?


texts:
He alleges another £1m had gone on material purchases based on projections of Arcadia orders he was told were coming down the line.

I can't understand the meaning of this sentences.This sentence is seems simple sentence because there is no connector. As I know a simple sentence has one clause , that's mean one subject and one finite verb but here I can see more than one clause and more than subject and verb came here.


texts: Comma to end a series and set it off from the rest of a sentence

texts:
The following is a question from the ACT that I answered incorrectly with H. It illustrates an important rule regarding commas in a series that I'm still mixing up. The gray highlighted portion can be changed with any of the answers below:

Salad Greens and herbs, such as arugula, Swiss chard, black kale, rapini, sage, and oregano, shared one large plot, given their similar moisture requirements.

F. NO CHANGE

G. herbs – such as arugula, Swiss chard, black kale, rapini, sage, and oregano

H. herbs, such as arugula, Swiss chard, black kale, rapini, sage, and oregano

J. herbs; such as arugula, Swiss chard, black kale, rapini, sage, and oregano

The ACT always requires the Oxford comma. However, I can't find examples of what to do with the last item in a series if the sentence continues after the last item. In this example, only F sets off the last item (oregano) with a comma from the rest of the sentence. Is this comma always necessary after the last item in a series if the sentence continues or is that not always the case but just happens to be so in this example?


texts: "When is the last time...?" OR "When was the last time...?"

texts:
I usually say "When was the last time...?", but I came across this conversation. So I wonder which one is correct: is, was or either.

Henry: I was on the phone for an hour.
Ron: Who were you talking to for an hour?
Henry: Sam, an old friend from college.
Ron: When is the last time you talked to him?
Henry: At college graduation!
Ron: Wow! That was 30 years ago!
Henry: We had a lot of catching up to do.

Source: http://www.talkenglish.com/conversation/practice/catching-up-with-a-friend


texts: "I and John" vs. "John and myself" vs. "John and I" -- Which is the acceptable way to refer to myself and my friend?

texts:
I need to find out which one of these ways to refer to me and a friend in one sentence is correct?

  I and John...

  John and myself...

  John and I...


texts: What's the difference between 'coil' and 'coil around'?

texts:
There are two sentences like this.

The snake coiled the dog.
The snake coiled around the dog.

What's the difference between 'round' and 'shot at'in meaning?

I think that the sentence is the same. but Why do they use 'around' next coil? Please, tell me the difference.


texts: Have been eating something that was/is unhealthy

texts:
Should the following sentence use a present tense or past tense verb given the condition still exists?

I have been eating something that was/is unhealthy.

Since "have been" is a past perfect tense, I feel like it's appropriate to use "was" but then again the conditions still exist.


texts:
Which one is grammatically correct?

  1.There are two steps to use this system.
  2.There are two steps to using this system.


texts: What is the meaning of brush in this sentence

texts:
I came across a sentence while reading which was:

Not a trace of Wu Daozi's  brush was left - and the artist was never seen again in this world.

I don't think it here means an act or instance of brushing.


texts: "As it could have been" versus "as it could be"

texts:
What is the difference in meaning between these two phrases?

  not as effective as it could have been

  not as effective as it could be


texts: Word for 'go for the worse choice because the better one is unavailable'?

texts:
What words can I use for 'restrict yourself to' or 'limit yourself to' or 'go for the worse choice because the better one is unavailable',

as in 'you can't use this simpler method, so you'll have to __ using a more difficult one'.

What came to mind was 'stick to', but I want to make it clear that the other method is more difficult.

Or you can say 'you can't use this simpler method, so you'll have to refrain from using it', but it doesn't mention anything about the limitation to using the specific harder one and only says you can't use the simple one.

edit: "resort to" (suggested by Jason Patterson's comment) is just what I need.


texts:
This test is not as difficult as that one.
This test is not so difficult as that one.
He wasn't so quick a learner as his brother.
He wasn't as quick a learner as his brother.

Are all these sentences correct? I am not sure if "Not so..as" and "not as...as" interchangeable. (exam point of view)

I search about this than come to know about rules:

"so...as/as....as" is used for negative sentences and "as...as" is used in affirmative sentences.

Can you please clarify if this rules are correct?


texts:
It looks cancelled
  It looks to be cancelled
  It looks like cancelled
  It seems cancelled
  It seems to be cancelled

I'm not sure which one is correct or how I can build sentences like that.


texts: Can't we say "don't/doesn't got" while we can say "I got", "He got", "They got" etc.? (American English)

texts:
I am used to hearing the positive version of "got" when it is used for meaning "have".

For example, I mean we can say "I got a car.", "He got three children.", "I got no money." etc.

But I am not used to hearing "I don't got a car.", "He don't/doesn't got any children.", "I don't got any money." etc.

I think in negative sentences, it is wrong to use "got" instead of "have", am I right?

Update: I know that it can be wrong to use the positive version in formal contexts. It is better to use it in informal environments. So, I wonder if it is wrong or not to use it in negative sentences since I am not used to hearing the negative version unlike the situations when "got" is used in positive sentences.

Update 2: I found this page. At the end of the page, it says "got" is available for plural subjects and first and second person subjects, but not for third person singular. So it seems like we can't say "He got three children" which is a sentence I used in this post.


texts: 'the Egypt's Desert' or 'the Egyptian Desert'?

texts:
"A series of caves are found at a site named Wadi Gawasis in the  [Egypt's/ Egyptian] desert"

I don't find any technical difference in both options but still my book says Egyptian is correct answer. Is there any rule or should questions like this be solved by knowledge conventional terms? It is also interesting to note that we don't say Nepalian mountains or Chinian hill stations.

I guess that there are specific regions where tian should be used. If so, then please share a list where this usage is observed.

EDIT: Original Phrase

"In 2004, a team of archaeologists discovered the remains of shipyard in a  series of caves at a site named Wadi Gawasis in the  [Egypt's/ Egyptian] desert"


texts: Can you say "This has attracted them to aim for the stars"?

texts:
I found

This has attracted them to aim for the stars.

in a text written by a non-native speaker of English, and I haven't been able to find any support for this construction when I've Googled it.
To me, it sounds very odd; is this – X attracts Y to VERB – a common construction in English? It's supposed to mean something along the lines of 'X entices Y to VERB' or 'X encourages Y to VERB', so in this case:

This has enticed/encouraged them to aim for the stars.


texts:
Busy Heart, The by Rupert Brooke

  Now that we've done our best and worst, and parted,

  I would fill my mind with thoughts that will not rend.

  (O heart, I do not dare go empty-hearted)

  I'll think of Love in books, Love without end;

  Women with child, content; and old men sleeping;

  And wet strong ploughlands, scarred for certain grain;

  And babes that weep, and so forget their weeping;

  And the young heavens, forgetful after rain;

  And evening hush, broken by homing wings;

  And Song's nobility, and Wisdom holy,

  That live, we dead. I would think of a thousand things,

  Lovely and durable, and taste them slowly,

  One after one, like tasting a sweet food.

I don't really understand the bolded part, there's just two sets of phrases without verbs, so can someone reword that line. Actually, I don't really understand the 6 lines before it. If someone could reword it without omitting any word and with complete understandable sentences it would be great. Is the author purposely omitting word, and what figure of speech is that?


texts: verb tense shift allowed when "never" or "ever" is used

texts:
(1) I have never been tricked while I was shopping at ABC. (mixed tenses, okay)

(2) I have been tricked a few times while I was shopping at ABC. (a tense mismatch, wrong)

(3) I was tricked a few times while I was shopping at ABC. (a tense agreement, okay)

(4) Have you ever seen a tornado while you were driving to work? (mixed tenses, okay)

(5) Have you ever seen a tornado while you have been driving to work? (sounds awkward)

My friends and I have spent a lot of time discussing whether or not "ever" and "never" allow mixed tenses in the same sentence.

Most of us think "never" and "ever" allow a tense shift because these words indicate an event happening in the past, leading up to the present. So, it is okay to have mixed tenses (present perfect and simple past) in (1) and (4). (3) is certainly correct because the simple past is used in the whole sentence. However, the mismatched tenses in (2) make it grammatically wrong and the present perfect in the dependent clause of (5) "while I have been..." makes it sound odd.

Do you agree with us?


texts: ...furniture, books, "a laptop", paintings, and lamps are flying across the room

texts:
Men's clothes, designer furniture, books, a laptop, paintings, and lamps are flying across the room.

My question is if I can put a laptop among the things when I end the sentence with are? Does are refer to all the things?


texts:
I would like to know when should I use s with a noun I tried to find this out but I couldn't.

85 location
85 locations

and why?


texts:
Source: Sams Teach Yourself C++ in 24 Hours, 5th Edition

  Programmers differ in the conventions they adopt for variable names. Some prefer all lowercase letters for variable names with underscores separating words, such as high_score and player_score . Others prefer lowercase letters except for the first letter of new words, such as highScore and playerScore . (In a bit of programming lore, the latter convention has been dubbed CamelCase because the middle-of-word capitalization looks like a camel’s hump.)

What synonymous phrase can you think of that means approximately the same thing as in a bit of something? Because I'm not entirely sure if I genuinely comprehend the meaning of this expression.


texts: Hi, I am wondering if this sentence is grammatically correct: future tenses

texts:
I am wondering if this sentence is grammatically correct:
In the year 2200 some people will live on the moon.
Can I also write : In the year 2200 some people will be living on the moon ?


texts:
Yet by the end of the year, for reasons both domestic and foreign, Mrs May will have achieved little of substance.

Does this mean she will achieve nothing significant?


texts: What does "navigate the site: mean here?

texts:
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/navigate?q=navigate
Does it mean "find a good position to place your ad" ?

Advertisers and sellers often cite a lack of data and tools as challenges in advertising on Amazon, which has given rise to a cottage industry of firms that specialize in helping marketers navigate the site. Meanwhile, Amazon has pushed further into programmatic advertising with its OTT arm that sells ads in some Fire TV apps.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-amazons-growing-ad-business-everything-we-know-2019-5


texts:
I am currently learning about commas again. I would like to know if this is correct.

For a while, the situation seems to improve, but shortly after that, Mary decides to finally kill herself.

I chose to do it that way because "For a while" is an adverbial determination, ",but" introduces an independent clause, and "shortly after that" is introducing the independent clause?

I still have the feeling there is something wrong with the 3rd comma....?!


texts:
What is the meaning of:

  "Should there be any interest in discussing this further someone will be in touch with you".

Why does this start with "should"?


texts: What does 'source' mean in this context?

texts:
Can you please tell what 'source' means here? Cambridge dictionary (and a plenty of others) seems to give unsatisfactory definitions.
"Jordan was a three-year-old whose favorite T. rex toy broke. His mom brought him to the local Best Buy where Santa Claus had “sourced” the T. rex and explained the situation to two sales associates. These associates could have directed Jordan’s mom to the toy shelves and let her find a replacement. Instead, they went above and beyond to “save” the T. rex. Playing doctor, they took the broken dinosaur in for “surgery” behind the counter, discreetly exchanging it for a new one while narrating the lifesaving procedure being performed. After a few minutes, they handed over the “cured” dinosaur to a beaming, excited Jordan."


texts:
can i use just past simple in this case "

  Sorry, I'm late because I was in a sauna with Johnny Depp and Angelina
  Jolie all last night

"If I have "all last night is it ok to use just past simple or I better to say:

  Sorry, i'm late because I was being in a sauna with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie all last night"


texts: "do the pair of vertical lines" or "does the pair of vertical lines"?

texts:
this is the title of this post

  do the pair of vertical lines in empirical entropy formula mean L1 norm?

in this case, "do the pair of vertical lines" or "does the pair of vertical lines" which one is grammatical?


texts: What does it mean "being deferred to by"?

texts:
What does it mean "being deferred to by" in the following sentence:

  An officer being deferred to by noncoms and enlisted men.

This is from The Bone Tree, Chapter 44.


texts:
Excerpt from BBC 6 Minute Grammar:

  Catherine
  If the weather gets worse, our plane could take off late. We
  might not take off at all!

  Neil
  Now that’s all fine, but if you say: We couldn’t take off –
  you’re talking about an  impossible situation in the past, not an
  uncertain situation in the future. So you can’t use couldn’t in our
  airport example.

So they say that the following sentence is incorrect:

  If the weather gets worse, our plane could not take off.

But is it true? Perhaps the weather is already bad and if it gets worse I am certain that it would be impossible to take off (i.e. we couldn't take off).

In the same programme they also say:

  CORRECT: The traffic is getting worse, so I may not be home on time.
  WRONG: The traffic is getting worse, so I could not be home on time.

But perhaps I can see the situation and I am certain that it would be impossible to get home on time (i.e. I could not be home on time).

And the last one from the same unit of the course:

  We don’t use couldn’t in the same way as might not/mightn’t/may
  not. ‘Couldn’t’ means that something is impossible.

  WRONG: I think there couldn’t be any trains today, so I’m going by bus.
  CORRECT: I think there mightn’t be any trains today, so I’m going by bus.

Well, probably I can see on the timetable that the last train has already left and there won't be any trains today. So here it's impossible to be any trains today (i.e. there couldn’t be any trains today).

So my general question is: what is wrong with using couldn't for future impossibility in these examples?


texts: Would you please simplifiy these three sentences in simple English

texts:
She hoped that we would not construed her decision to run for office as a thirst for power.
She hoped that we would not construe her decision to run for office as a thirst for power.
She hoped that we would not have construed her decision to run for office as a thirst for power.

Perhaps all of them are grammatically correct, but I cannot digest the difference between them. Could you please simplify them in simple English so that I can get the difference. Please also tell me which one is more used in real English, lexicaly.


texts: Is it ungrammatical to substitute 'incorrect' with 'wrong' in the following sentence?

texts: I dislike people that use 'literally' wrong.


texts:
I read the following joke

  The Hotdog-bun Boy came home from school one day. His mother looked at him and said, “You look so unhappy. Did something go wrong in school today?”
  “Yes,” he answered. “I hate history class.”
  “Why is that?” asked the Hotdog-bun Boy’s mother.
  “Because we read and read, and we listen to the teacher talk, and we have to memorize so many facts, but we never learn anything about Hotdog buns.”
  “Now son,” said the mother, “how many times do I have to tell you? History is written by the wieners.”

Reference to "History is written by the wieners."

Does wiener is scene sarcasm and mean penis here?


texts: Translate (from) something to/into something

texts:
Dictionaries say that when the word translate has its linguistic meaning, we use the preposition into:

  He translates English into Russian.

If my understanding is correct, using to in the example above is wrong.

But I frequently see translate used with the preposition to. I suspect that it is correct to use in the pattern from ... to ..., e.g.,

  He translates from English to Russian.

Am I right? Is the pattern translate from ... into ... also correct?

So, which is correct: "to", "into", "from ... to/into ..."? What sounds more natural for a native speaker?


texts:
She confessed the murder.
  She confessed to the murder.

What is the difference in the meaning between both sentences? If there is not any difference, why is that?


texts: Why is this sentence wrong "He wasn't a stranger because I have met him before"?

texts:
"He wasn't a stranger because I have met him before."

What's wrong with this sentences?


texts: Punctuation in sarcastic question with suggested answer?

texts:
How do you correctly format a sarcastic question that includes a suggested answer?

Like...

  Where did you get your license: the back of a cereal box?

Is that correct? It seems wrong to make it two independent sentences, both ending with question marks, if the suggested answer is a run-on part of the same sarcastic question.


texts:
From the movie Sniper (1993)

A sniper and his spotter need to take a bad guy out at his hacienda.
The sniper explains the situation to the spotter:

  Most logical position would be to take our shots from that treeline
  over there but they're gonna be expecting that so somehow we got to
  get in the clear to make our shots.

What does it mean? My guess is they need to make their shots from an open terrain but that sounds like suicide, not exactly a sniper work.


texts: Preterm baby which was born with (?x?) nails and hair - word request

texts:
I'm looking for a word for the next context.

This is a preterm baby which was born with (?x?) nails and hair.

The word should imply that the nails and hair weren't ready yet, as in normal mature baby. I remember I saw word which describes it. What about undone? Does it fit the context? I think this is the word I saw in past, but I'm not sure.


texts:
I was writting the following sentence yet I was stopped by the way I have to use to present my examples:

  I had to maintain a classroom management and discipline *for
  example by */ by, for example / for example through / through, for example:

  •    Monitoring Student Attendance and Progression.

  •     Delivering scheduled lectures to the assigned classes.

Which way is right or better to introduce my example ?
say my example is:

Thank you


texts:
This is a basic question, but I don't know if it is:

  1) a too much basic question.

or

  2) a much too basic question.

This answer for the difference of usage between too much and much too is awesome.

According to it I am inclined to choose the 2) because what is 'too much' is the basic (adjective) level of the question. But somehow does not sound nice.
What do you think?


texts: Does 'My favorite place, in my bathroom, is hot.' make sense?

texts:
My favorite place, in my bathroom, is hot.'

Does this sentence above make sense?

If it is wrong, how can I rephrase it?


texts:
To enumerate all the pairs of jeans I have, using commas and without repeating "pair", may I put it like this:

  I have a pink, a black, a grey, two dark and a blue pairs of jeans.

Should I replace the determiner "a" by the numeral "one"?
The seems really problematic.


texts: If you plant a tree (it grows VS it will grow)

texts:
I want to ask about these sentences can both be used or there's a mistake?

If you plant a tree it grows.
If you plant a tree it will grow.


texts: How to respond politely when someone tells you something useful?

texts:
How do I respond politely when someone tells me something useful?

I'm thinking of the following but not I'm not sure:

  thanks for letting me know
  thanks for informing me
  thanks for reminding me that
  good to know

It seems thanks for letting me know might sound bitchy according to this answer on Quora.

I know remind can be used when I already knew something before then someone would remind me in case I forget, but can it be used when I know it for the first time?

And good to know seems okay when someone tells me something about themselves. Can I use it when say someone leaves a useful comment under my post?


texts:
There is a task. Put  words in the sentences into correct order.

For /a day/ of/for/ task/ and/ time/ spend/ more/ for/ it/ example/  limit / don't/ some/ set/ one/ hour/ a

My sentence: For example set a limit of one hour a day for this task and don’t spend more time for it

good/ at/  time/ to find/ information/ about/ the / all/ down/ I/ am / didn't/ but/ I /the/ things/ I/ have/ much/ organization/ wrote/ out

are/ and/ both/ develop/ grammar/ important/ vocablary/ skills/ to

(It is - the missing word) to develop both grammar and vocabulary skills.

But in this the sentence is incorrect.

I think in every of these sentences there are some words missed. In the last sentence as I understand there are to things to be compared. But there aren't. T. e. it is impossible to make the correct sentences.

Can you help understand what exactly is wrong about these sentences?


texts: "approach to address" or "approach to addressing"?

texts:
Depending on our point of view, we offer different approaches to address(ing?) a same issue.

Should I use —ing in this context, and if yes, why?


texts:
I have this question about "in the thousands" and "by the thousands" here:

  On Friday night, crowds swelled by the thousands in downtown Hong Kong to listen to speeches from organizers, signaling the pro-democracy movement still has momentum after calls for a big rally.

Shouldn't "by the thousands" be "in the thousands"?  Like, "people came in the thousands"?

If both "by the thousands" and "in the thousands" are valid English, how are they different?


texts:
As far as I understand, in American English there must stand that instead of which in the sentence

"Of these two birds the male is that which is colored brighter"

the clause being restrictive. On the other hand, "that that" is definitely not an option. Does it mean that the sentence is impossible in formal writing and must be reworded?


texts:
England - who desperately missed absent captain and leading World Cup scorer Harry Kane - barely threatened, though Marcus Rashford should have equalised, Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois touching his effort wide after he ran clear.

  (From BBC.com)

This a remark on BBC news after England losing to Belgium. What I can't understand is the last sentence describing the movement from Belgium keeper. I am not able to visualize what 'wide after he ran clear' is.


texts: The relationship implied in the "noun of noun" structure.

texts:
By a strange quirk of fate they had booked into the same hotel.

  an unpredictable quirk of history

Is the relationship between quirk and fate/history the same as that in the following examples:

  the result of the debate; a stroke of luck; a streak of cruelty

Sometimes I get confused by the relationship implied in the "noun of noun" structure.

Help me demystify it.


texts: Word/phrase for the 'battle cry' in sports game

texts: Is there a word/phrase for the 'battle cry' from sports game audience? What about the 'shout' at the end of the scrum?


texts:
If you feel you need to work overtime, then because of your position
  or salary level, you won’t be paid additional overtime.

What does "then because of" mean? I searched dictionaries, but couldn't find any relevant information.


texts:
If you don’t buy it you will soon envy [a] the one who did
  [b]. If you don’t buy it you will soon envy [c] the one who
  does [d]. (The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language)

No doubt, [b] is anterior to [a]. But the relation between [c] and [d] is somewhat ambiguous (The book only says [d] is posterior to deictic time [speech time, I think]): [d] might be simultaneous with [c] or posterior to [c] or vice versa, I suspect. Which one is posterior to the other, or does it depend on the context?


texts: What is a "therapeutic agent" in this case?

texts:
Even though English is not my native language, many phrasal nouns make sense to me. However there is this term I can't find the specific definition online.

So I come around a school guide about the nursing course:

  To be a nurse, students need to learn about the communication skills
  needed to participate as an effective therapeutic agent and collaborative
  member of the healthcare team. Students will learn the skills
  required to be a capable and safe registered nurse. Emotional intelligence,
  mindfulness, and reflective practice will all be emphasised, informing quality and safety in practice and supporting self-care, professional identity formation and emergence of the professional self. Interviewing, interpersonal skill-development and multiple
  communication platforms will be introduced.

So I try to look for the term online. But they refer to "a thing" rather than a person such as "Exercise As A Therapeutic Agent" I think that "Therapeutic Agent" in this case means that "a nurse needs to know about "therapy" in order to grasp other people's psychology ?


texts: What vs That or Which in dependent and independent clauses

texts:
I know this may sound strange but I've heard people use what instead of that or which in dependent and independent clauses a lot of times. I was trying to search for why they do it but couldn't find the right grammar; however, there are plenty of examples. Is it a normal thing or maybe there are cases where that or which can't be used?

I think it's time we close the meeting. If there is anything else what has to be discussed, please tell me.
I think our work here is over. Remember that all what has been done today has a purpose.
Sometimes what I tell you doesn't have to be taken head-on, those are words of advice.


texts: *Nothing* the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you in heaven for

texts:
Roy: I've done questionable things.
Tyrell: Also extraordinary things. Revel in your time!
Roy: Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you in heaven for.

It is from the movie Blade Runner. I repeated the last sentence to a native speaker, and he said that it is not grammatically correct — it should be "There's nothing," or something like this. Just "nothing" does not suffice.


texts:
Are you not planning going to the pub this evening?

Don't you plan going to the pub this evening?

Which sentence would a native speaker use? I am not sure whether the continuous form is possible.


texts:
Of clothes altered to make them fit better,are "loosen" and "tighten" used for that?

Like:

  I tightened my shirt.

  I loosened my shirt

P.S. Edited my typos.


texts: Is it ok to use present tense "don't" in this sentence "I enjoyed all my previous jobs but I don't seem to find satisfaction."?

texts: I'm trying to say something like "I can't seem to find satisfaction" but it sounds wrong. I can't just put it like "I didn't find satisfaction" because I don't mean it that way because up til now I have yet to find satisfaction.


texts:
I have searched all the online dictionaries, and they all say that the word “gameplay” is uncountable. The problem is that they don’t have the up-to-date meaning of the word “gameplay”.
Can we use the word “gameplay” with the indefinite article? For example:

This was a fun gameplay, I killed all the zombies.

In the above example, I intend to say that an instance of it was fun. Do we need the indefinite article there?


texts: has lain on the ground vs has lain down on the ground

texts:
I want to describe a situation in which a man is in a sleeping position (he is actually not asleep) and will remain in this situation forever (it's a sculpture!). I mean, a sculpture in a sleeping position. How should I describe this? (please see this photo)

He has lain on the ground.
He is lying down on the ground.
He has laid down on the ground.


texts: SERVICES RESERVED TO THE STAFF ( kitchen, pantries, washing-up area)

texts: I don't know if "Services reserved to the staff" is correct, or if I should write "STAFF RESERVED SERVICES" or something different :)


texts:
Would you tell me when you say this sentence or what does it mean?

  I dreamt another dream.

Many thanks.


texts: Explanation of "did was [verb]" structure

texts:
All I did was hand someone a bag.

There are three verbs that come together. The tense of the verb hand confuses me. It doesn't fall into any grammar structure I know so far. It would make more sense to me if it were "All I did was handing..." (because handing is a noun form of the verb) or at least "All I did was handed..." (because it might be equal to "All I did was I handed...").


texts:
In a reply to an email, I might say:

  Thank you for sending this email.

Is it wrong? I know that we usually say "that " when refer to something that someone has said before. But as English is not my native language, I don't know whether the sentence above might sound wrong to a native person.


texts: past simple or past perfect in this case

texts:
First, I feel sorry because I thought I had given our phone number, but may be I've forgotten, anyway here it is.

Is it correct or shall I say "gave" and "forgot". I chose past perfect had given because first I was sure I gave my number  and I realised my mistake after two days while I was writing to him.

I use present perfect have forgotten because it has effect on the present I will give you my phone number now


texts:
I was wondering if you could let me know which one of the listed choices fits better in my self-made sentence below:

  CEO to the applicants of achieving a job: In order to get this job, you must first prove your potentials and demonstrate us your good customers service skills. You must be able to effectively communicate over the phone.

  Applicants pass their tests and then the CEO asks the examiner: How was the guy in blue shirt?

  The examiner answers: Awful; I could easily see his _______ with my own eyes even before beginning of the contest.

  incapabilities
  inabilities

For me, both work here properly, but they differ the meaning of the sentence. Do you confirm it?


texts: “A special interest” vs. “special interests”

texts:
I’m writing a short paragraph about myself. I find it hard to determine what article I should use in this following sentence:

I have a special interest in learning languages, computer programming, astronomy, and economy.
I have special interests in learning languages, computer programming, astronomy, and economy.

Should I use a special interest in the singular with the article like in the first version, or should I use special interests in the plural without the article since what comes after it is more than one thing?

Could you guys please help me out here and tell me how to handle this type of sentence?


texts: Why do "thermometer" and "parameter" have different syllables in different dictionaries?

texts:
For example:

  parameter
  See definition in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
  Syllabification: pa·ram·e·ter

  merriam-webster Dictionary
  thermometer
  noun ther·mom·e·ter

  thermometer
  See definition in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
  移行: therm|om¦eter

  parameter
  See definition in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
  移行: par|am¦eter

  Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
  parameter   noun
  pa‧ram‧e‧ter


texts:
I have been debating the usage of these two forms of the word "To Be":

  Is the number and address valid?
  Are the number and address valid?

Which form of the verb is correct for the sentence?


texts: Is formal English the same as written English?

texts:
In some languages there is a difference between written, formal and informal language.
For example, I listened to a US president speak. He was not reading anything, but I think all words were completely formal as is written in a newspaper report.

Is there any difference between written and formal English?


texts: How do I refer to one of my two computer monitors?

texts:
Imagine that, this is my laptop

This is another computer monitor connected to my laptop. How do I refer to it in everyday English? Would I say "an extra monitor", "my second monitor", "the laptop's second monitor" or something else?


texts: Why present perfect and not simple past in this sentence?

texts:
Cold you please help me?
I have tried to find an explanation, but I am stuck.
I watched an interview yesterday. Both people were sitting in a garden and at a certain point the interviewee pointed at a meadow and said: "This tatty patch of unkempt former lawn has given me an enormous joy this spring."
What confuses me is at the moment of the interview it was clearly summer so why is this right? When I say "this morning" and it is afternoon I have to use the simple past, right?
Thank you in advance.


texts: How to correctly punctuate a statement that has a list of questions after a colon?

texts:
Option 1: An unemployed individual asks three essential questions following their loss of employment: Do I qualify for EI benefits? If I qualify, how much will I receive? How long will I receive EI benefits for?

What is the correct way to punctuate the sentence above (which can be seen as a list with 3 items, the items being Questions)? I have been pulling out my hair for a week on this and I still can't find a correct answer. I am following the Chicago Manual of Style. And there is nothing there of the sort.

I cannot use numbers or use a vertical list format. Some say put them in quotes, use commas, and add an "and" before the 3rd question  (See Option 2). Some say write the Qs in italics with no quotations but with commas and "and".

  Option 2: An unemployed individual asks three essential questions following their loss of employment: "Do I qualify for EI benefits?", "If I qualify, how much will I receive?", and "How long will I receive EI benefits for?"

Please note that I have looked at a similar Question in ELU, the answers there do have some errors (such as not writing a grammatically complete sentence before using a colon, which is required for CMoS) and did not solve my query.


texts:
There are four sentences about where to place only:

It can only be used once.

It can be only used once.

It can be used only once.

It can be used once only.

Do these mean the same? If so, which is more usual?