texts:
When scale is used figuratively, which preposition is right: on or at?

Example:

  On/at this inter-national scale, your bank is so small that it is virtually invisible. If large banks go bust, so will yours.


texts: What difference: "Do I have it?" or "Have I it"?

texts:
What difference is between these phrases:

  "Do I have it?" and "Have I it?"

  "Do I have to do it?" and "Have I to do it?"


texts: Can I put a possessive pronoun between "as much...as"?

texts:
I am wondering if it's published or fluent or common to apply a pronoun there?

For example:

  We want to make the blog as much yours as possible, but there are some guidelines...


texts: What is the difference between these conditionals?

texts:
If the party hadn't stopped, I would not have felt so awake.

  If the party hadn't stopped, I would not feel so awake.

Can I use the first sentence as a reference to the present time?Or the second would be better?


texts:
I wondered which is correct one-

Not look dangerously
Not look dangerous

As look is verb, so adverb dangerously should be used
But somewhere I saw Not look dangerous is correct


texts: Using "I fell in love with .." in everyday communication

texts:
Can someone please explain to me which is the correct statement.
If I communicate with a friend and want to tell him that I fell in love with a  girl.
I think that "I fell in love with .." is more often used in books.
Or is this expression appropriate for modern colloquial speech?


texts: What does the expression or slang "Bootstrap" means and which expressions contain it in Australian Slang?

texts:
I have seen "bootstrap" in a few sentences. What does it mean or which expressions contain this word?

  "We ended up in a right bootstrap last night"

  "Bootstrap you horney bugger"


texts:
I commonly see lite version, lite cream, etc. When is it acceptable to replace light with lite?

Is Lite already accepted as correct English or is it just an informal/incorrect spelling? Are there any differences in meaning between the two, or is one just a more informal variant of the other?


texts:
It’s an article from NY Times predicting people’s life after the coronavirus.
Below is a paragraph:

Thousands of stores and companies that were vulnerable before the virus arrived have disappeared. Dozens of colleges are shutting down, in the first wave of closures in the history of American higher education. People have also changed long-held patterns of behavior: Outdoor socializing is in, business trips are out.

What does “dozens of colleges” mean here? Plus, I don’t understand the last sentence: “Outdoor socializing is in, business trips are out.” Specifically, what do “in” and “out” mean here? Could someone help explain the sentence?


texts:
I was reading a website where common English sentence errors are written -

  INCORRECT - He doesn't know to swim.

  CORRECT - He doesn't know how to swim.

I know He doesn't know how to swim is a correct sentence. But why is the other one wrong, is my question?

I know that know is a transitive verb. So, the following are correct -

i) He knows swimming.

Swimming is a gerund. We can also use the infinitive form here - to swim

ii) He knows to swim.


texts: When should I use "caution" instead of "warning" and vice versa?

texts:
Can you tell me in which context I should use caution and warning?

Caution seems more formal, and more serious than warning. Caution can imply fatal, while warning refers to errors or mistakes.


texts: with a bill of particulars that stretches right to the rug in front of Putin’s desk - what does this mean?

texts:
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-what-kremlin-panic-looks-like-2014-7

  That would all work if it were 1975. But it’s not. I suspect the investigation, the tick-tock of the moments before the BUK fire, are already clear enough and widely distributed enough that we have the complete case against the “separatists” with a bill of particulars that stretches right to the rug in front of Putin’s desk.

I can't make sense of it. What is a bill of particulars and why does it stretch right to the rug that's in front of Putin's desk?


texts:
What I had forgotten was that I had a test today
I know that ‘What I had forgotten’ is a noun clause that is acting as the subject but what about the rest of the sentence?


texts:
In this quotation:

  Theseus was a great hero to the people of Athens. When he returned home after a war, the ship that had carried him and his men was so treasured that the townspeople preserved it for years and years, replacing its old, rotten planks with new pieces of wood. The question Plutarch asks philosophers is this: is the repaired ship still the same ship that Theseus had sailed? Removing one plank and replacing it might not make a difference, but can that still be true once all the planks have been replaced? Some philosophers argue that the ship must be the sum of all its parts. But if this is true, then as the ship got pushed around during its journey and lost small pieces, it would already have stopped being the ship of Theseus.

Question:   In the last sentence,

  it would already have stopped being the ship of Theseus.

Why did the writer use the grammar form "would have [stopped]"?

Is it just the expression of indicating "guess" or a part of "subjunctive mood"?


texts: I am not sure about the meaning of the part in bold

texts:
The origins of the Gaults in Ireland had centuries ago misted over.
Previously of Norfolk – so it was believed within the family, although
without much certainty – they had settled first of all in the far western
reaches of County Cork. A soldier of fortune had established their modest
dynasty, lying low there for reasons that were not known.

Does "misted over" is written figuratively or just mean: covered with mist? it does not seem to me logical because mist covers many cities and then the weather become clear again but the mist does not stay for ever.
And I have never seen "previously" come with "of"! Does it mean: before than Norfolk?
So Dose the whole part mean: even before than Norfolk The origins of the Gaults in Ireland centuries ago was covered with mist?
Source: The Story Of Lucy Gault by William Trevor.


texts: Avoding repeating a word in pocessive constructions

texts:
I have the following sentence:

  Then a dialogue box opens in which the user can specify some distinguishing properties for the anchor using its text value or a pattern in the text

How can I avoid repeating "text"in the sentence above?

"... a pattern in it" could be an option, is it the only option?!


texts: What's the difference between "to be" and "is" in this sentence?

texts:
I met a sentence in a dictionary yesterday.

The whole family has signed affidavits stating that they believed the will to be valid.

I though about it and I realized that if I was asked to express the same meaning, I may use:

The whole family has signed affidavits stating that they believed the will is valid.

Is my translation correct? If so, what's the difference between them?


texts: "What is it like?" Vs. "What does it look like?"

texts:
Is there any difference between "What is it like?" and "What does it look like?"

I'm asking about cases where we describe things that are not people.

For example:

  What is Canada like?

  What does Canada look like?

Are those two sentences the same?


texts:
I was in the hospital the other day. A doctor prescribed me serum. How could I say this? Can I use "shot"? Like "I got a shot yesterday"?

And what can a nurse say when they do this to you? "I (the nurse) give him (a patient) a shot/serum"?

I don't know if you use serum in this situation so this picture is also attached to prevent any ambiguity about what I meant by serum.


texts:
In AE, that would usually mean "I would like to order the same thing that she has just ordered." In these days of COVID-19 diner separation, but to some extent also in earlier times with more crowding, it can be unlikely to see someone at another table who happens to be eating exactly what you want.
Source: https://forum.wordreference.com/conversations/i-have-a-question-about-your-reply.1629437/#convMessage-1935882

I'd like to know what exactly the bold word means in that context.
Thank you very much.


texts: "Hoping his contempt was not too clearly marked for politeness. " - meaning?

texts:
In the following sentence:

hoping his contempt was not too clearly marked for politeness.

I could not find a suitable meaning of "mark for" so I am unsure about the meaning. I could guess that he did not want to pass his contempt off as politeness?


texts: I've scheduled a meeting with him on Monday

texts:
Let's suppose my manager asks (via email) me to talk to our vendor representative and sort out some issues:

Please, contact him and try to sort the issues out.

After scheduling a meeting with the vendor representative, I want to make my manager informed about this:

OK, I have scheduled a meeting with him on Monday.

I'm using the present perfect here because I want to demonstrate that this agreement about the meeting is valid, it isn't cancelled - I planned it and it is an active, scheduled event.
Is it correct to use the present perfect tense here, or should I use the simple past? Could you explain why?
I also know there's a difference in usage of the present perfect in AE (American English) and BE (British English). Could you please explain which tense is correct in AE and in BE?


texts: These kind of/ this kind of/those kind of

texts:
Which one is the most suitable option for the following sentence and why?

I do not like these kind of novels.

This kind
Those kind
This kinds
None of the above

Please let me know the grammatical rule for this type of sentence.


texts: Unsure about the tense of “My passport was stamped by a man”

texts:
I have an uncertainty with this sentence:

  My passport was stamped by a man etc.

Would "Was stamped" be a present perfect or a past simple tense? Or something else?


texts: "According to the answer we provide of this question, we will offer radically different approaches to this problem"

texts:
The scenario I want to describe: for instance, if you believe that human nature is like so, you will solve this social tension in a particular way, but if you see human nature in another way you will provide a completely different solution to this social tension.

To rephrase, I'm talking about the opinion we have in regard to the answer. Depending on your opinion about human nature, you will propose a specific answer to solve this specific social issue. If you had a completely different perception of human nature you would have proposed a completely different answer to this same social issue.

Here is what I have so far:

  According to the answer(answer A) we provide of this question (A), we will offer radically different approaches to this problem (B).

According to our opinion (answer A) about human nature (question A), we will bring this or this answer (answer B) to solve this this specific social issues (question B)


texts:
Which one is correct?
You is the indirect object here. We usually use indirect object after verb (without  preposition) when we use the direct object after indirect object or when we don't use direct object in a sentence.

E.g,

"Give me your pencil." (Me is the indirect object and pencil is the direct object.)

So what should I say?

  1) I will confirm you tomorrow.

  Or

  2) I will confirm that to you tomorrow.

I think both are correct.
I hope so you will understand what I said.


texts: Should 'can' or 'could' be used in 'No one ____ decide...?'

texts:
No one can decide how long a day or a year should be.
No one could decide how long a day or a year should be.

I'd like to know which modal auxiliary, can or could,  should be used in these sentences in which situation or context.


texts:
Let's say there is a traveler who wanted to book a bus trip to go a tourist spot.

  Customer: Hello, I want to book a trip to go to XYZ tourist spot.

  Agent: Sure, what date do you want to book this for?

My question is, why do you have to include the preposition "for" at the end when it is relatively ok to not include that?


texts: does the following sentence mean that economic aspect of decision making is not so important?

texts:
does this sentence mean that economic aspect of decision making is not so important?

  Whether aid giving as it has been practiced to date should continue or be augmented is a vital question. The weight of evidence, however, seems not to convince, or possibly the economic case does not count for much in the scales of decision making.

Development Economics through the
 Decades : A Critical Look at 30 Years of the World
 Development Report (2008), by Shahid Yusuf,p 83.


texts: How should we use simple past after present perfect?

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  I have called him but he did not answer.

Is there any other way to say it?

What about these two?

  I am calling him but he will not answer.

  I am calling him but he is not answering.


texts: What the usage and role of "to be" in below sentence?

texts:
What the usage and grammatical role of "to be" in below sentence?

It rained this morning but it has turned out to be a lovely day.

What's the difference between the above sentence and below sentence when we delete it.

It rained this morning but it has turned out to a lovely day.

Do this adjustment change the meaning of the sentence?


texts: can we say "All in a day's disappointment"?

texts:
What does the phrase "all in a day's disappointment" mean?

  Look, Lacy has forgot to put her toys in the box after playing again! All in a day's disappointment, I guess.

Would it be wrong to modify a set phrase this way?


texts: "He is in the horizontal position", "supine", which expression is more clear and idiomatic?

texts:
This post is derived from this one.

Consider the guy pointed out by red circle the following image (img_1),

which expression in the following is more clear and idiomatic?

He is in the horizontal position.
He's supine.


texts: Why are these words capitalized in Collins Dictionary?

texts:
Was reading about the word 'salvation' and came across this example in the Collins English Dictionary:

  salvation - the realization that Life, Truth, and Love are supreme and that they can destroy such illusions as sin, death, etc

The word is in context of Christian Science.

Why are those words capitalized? And if they wanted to emphasize them why not capitalize 'Sin' and 'Death' as well?


texts: What is a table/list/overview/... of an edge or thumb index?

texts: There is the "Table of Contents" and the "List of Figures (Tables, Symbols, Abbreviations,...)". What is the denomination for a table/list/overview/... of an edge index? Is it the same phrase for a thumb index? Two examples for such a table/list/overview/...:


texts: "Expect" usage and subjunctive in English

texts:
Can I write

  "We expect from you that by the end of the program you would have learned to…"

or

  "We expect from you that by the end of the program you will learn to…"

Thanks everybody. It seems that keeping the infinitive in the best By the end of the program we expect you to have learned _______ and then infinitive, Practical English Usage Michael Swan


texts: "we used baseline from a study" vs. "we used the baseline from a study"

texts:
I understand the rules about the usage of "the" in English Grammar Today on Cambridge Dictionary.

From a post

  For this longitudinal cohort study, we used baseline and 2-year follow-up data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) and the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons (NESDO) cohorts.

"Baseline" is not general, should "the" be used here? If yes, how about "2-year follow-up data"?

  For this longitudinal cohort study, we used the baseline ...


texts:
Are all of the following sentences correct? Is there any difference in their meaning?

Most birds can fly.
The most of birds can fly.
Most of birds can fly.


texts:
Suppose an athlete commits a bad foul on one of the opposite team's players during a football match. He injures that player's leg severely. You know that he did it deliberately! Then I was wondering if the following adjective fits the sentence:

  I didn't like his unsportsmanly conduct during the competition.

Can the above adjective convey this meaning that what he did was not what a real sportsman does?


texts: What is it? An order, a request or a declaration?

texts:
The famous line from Mission Impossible film:

  Your mission should you choose to accept it.

The problem is this structure does not seem natural; I think it wants to convey:

  You should choose to accept your mission.

From the usage, it seems it's an order(!), but I am still in doubt which mood it is in. If it is an order, why is "should" used? Using "must" would have sounded more natural!


texts: Is learning English with the Bible a good idea for ESL people?

texts:
I have a KJV Bible and considering to use it to improve my English vocabulary, reading and writing skills. But, I'm not a Christian and also not so familiar with Western culture. I'm afraid that there may be some issues during learning, such as the difficulty in understanding its content and the some Bible vocabulary words or sentences may be ancient English.

Any suggestions for me to take advantage of the Bible when learning English?


texts:
In the following sentence which form of the adjective should be used?

There were three four rooms in the hotel, the smallest/the smaller of which served as the gym.

I think it should be the smallest because the comparison is being made between more than two things.


texts: Is there a word to refer to the result of worldbuilding?

texts:
Worldbuilding means putting details into a fictional world. The result, which is a bunch of details of the said fictional world, don't seem to have a specific word for it, or does it?

How would you refer to it if you can't think of a word?

For example:

  In order to have a really imaginative ___, you need to put a lot of
  work into your worldbuilding.


texts: What preposition should I use here "Can you change a $20 note _____ two $10 notes"?

texts:
What preposition should I use in the blank?

Can you change a twenty-dollar ($20) note _____ two ten-dollar ($10) notes?


texts: What is the abbreviation for elder when used as a title for the clergy?

texts: I was wondering what abbreviation is used in religious publications or writings when giving titles for the clergy.  We have pastors, ministers, evangelists, elders, bishop, etc.  What abbreviation can be used for these as title.  i.e.  Min. Peters  Evan. Joseph Evans, Eld. Bob Jones, Bis. Phillip Coleman, etc.


texts: Can "don't mention it" be used after "No. Thank you"?

texts: I had a discussion with my friend. When I offered to help somebody he replied " No. Thank you" and I replied "Don't mention it" and I think it was true to say that. But my friend believes that isn't true cause I didn't do anything for him. I searched about that but I couldn't find anything about this. I found some facts about "don't mention it" but they were not helpful.


texts: 'The dog ran out / of the office' or 'The dog ran / out of the office.' what is your choice?

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker. We have some discussion about spoken English.

A. (The dog ran out) / (of the office).
B. (The dog ran) / (out of the office).

I know A and B have the same meaning, but I wonder where you native speakers would make a break when saying the sentence: like A. or B.?. What is your choice?

Situation is
A building was on fire and a dog ran out of the building.

In this sentence, is it
A. The dog ran out / of the office.
→ ran(verb), out(adverb), of the office (prepositional phrase)

or
B. The dog ran / out of the office.
→ ran(verb), out of the office (complex preposition)

Which is right?


texts: IN your previous module vs ON your previous module

texts:
Is it correct to use the preposition ON when referring to a printed module or text?
Here's the complete sentence:

On your previous module, you learned about the basics of Algebra.

I feel like IN is more appropriate here. I just can't point out exactly why.


texts: Who loves every being / every human being

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct ?

  Jessica is a spiritually centred person who loves every being she comes in contact with.

Is it correct to say being instead of human being ?


texts: Is "worth it" used correctly in the following sentence?

texts:
She marveled at snowy cherry blossoms, simultaneously seeing herself
  as not worth it of them.

I often confuse worth, worthwhile, and worth it. Is worth it the right option in this case?


texts: Meaning of "life kind of got in the way for a little while"

texts:
I asked an online  friend "I haven't see you for  a while".

He replied

  Yeah, life kind of got in the way for a little while.

What doe's it mean? And what's its structure?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to use prepositions as in the example?

texts:
Is it correct or does it sound natural? If not, how would a native speaker rephrase it?

  This is the sea in which we are going to swim on a holiday we are going to go on next year


texts: there are two verb but I can't find conjunction between two verb. in "his ratings are higher the more dangerous his exploits appear to be"

texts:
I understood this sentence's context. but I can't understand which is correct verb.

in this part, "and his rating are higher the more dangerous his exploits appear to be".

I thought are and appear are both verb. but there is no conjunction between them. what am I suppose to do here?

please tell me how to understand this sentence.

  A television journalist often travels to dangerous countries all over the world because he is contractually obligated to do so, and his ratings are higher the more dangerous his exploits appear to be.


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct or not? I need help

texts:
I don't know if I will have anything to write about.

Is this sentence grammatically correct?


texts:
The birds also get nutrients by picking at sores on the rhinos’ bodies. Plotz suspected that the rhinos put up with this indignity because the oxpeckers make loud alarm calls whenever they see humans approach—giving the rhinos an early warning to flee.

I don't understand why use indignity here, does rhinos felt shame when the birds picking at his sores? What does the sentence mean？

article link : https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/birds-on-rhinos-back-help-them-avoid-poachers/


texts:
After kissing her out of impulse, then I sniffed her.

I checked it in dictionary but I really did not find.
Sorry if it looks immoral. Actually I changed it but it still looks bad.  The original text actually had a fetish content. Really sorry.

This is actual context:

  I took another whiff, longer this time. Ahh how great it smelled. Out of impulse, I then sniffed the outside parts of the boots, they too were very good.


texts:
We can say:

  1) I am seeing you

By

  2) I see you

Then can we make a passive form out of it?

  3) It is being seen by me

Or anyway it would be:

  4) It is seen by me


texts:
What is the meaning of "what you say you will" in the following
sentences?

  1) When you have a solution that both of you agree on, take
  responsibility for doing what you say you will (Source: CAN WE GET
  ALONG? BY Crabtree Publishing Company)

  2) 5 Reasons to do what you say you will do

Does 1)sentence mean "take responsibility for doing what you say, and take responsibility for doing what you will" ?

Does 2)sentence mean "5 Reasons to do what you say, and what you will do" ?


texts: Are these roughly interchangeable: "you don't touch the ball with your lips", "you don't touch your lips to / onto the ball"?

texts:
The word "touch" is very flexible

  touch 1 FEEL [transitive] to put your hand, finger etc. on someone or something

  She reached out to touch his arm.

  If your house has been burgled, you shouldn’t touch anything until
  the police arrive.

  ‘Don’t touch me!’ she yelled.

  touch somebody on the arm/leg etc

  A hand touched her on the shoulder.

  touch something to something

  literary to move something so that it reaches something else with no
  space between the two things

  She touched the handkerchief to her nose.

  He touched his lips to her hair.

The Ngram says

It found "touch it with your lips", but not "touch your lips to it"

Are these roughly interchangeable?: "You don't touch the ball with your lips", "you don't touch your lips to / onto the ball"?


texts:
At 2:57 into the movie clip, the actor says this line:

  You want me to ________________________ see if I got a hacky sack for you to throw and do absolutely nothing with?

I can't figure out what he said in the blank. (Not that the rest is 100% correct, so you might want to check the entire sentence and correct anything wrong even outside the blank.)

What did he say?


texts: What does ""the factors that make a given person"" means?

texts:
Let me ask you this, when you bring up, you know, the different economic parts of the reason why people have kids, or maybe explain after the fact why they’ve had kids, what do we know generally about the factors that make a given person or family more or less likely to have kids.

Can anybody explain after "the factors that make a given person" part and general meaning because I couldn't get the meaning of that sentence? What does "make a given person" mean and how we tie this sentences with "more or less likely to have kids". Thanks in advance.


texts:
Articles can't be used with proper nouns right? So,

An oak tree grows to huge size (here, oak is a proper noun so why 'an' is used with it?)

A cow has two horns (does article “a” represent a whole class here? As we use: the dog is a faithful animal)


texts: Should I use "have" or "had" in the following sentence?

texts:
She stared at me with eyes that seemed to had/have found something
  they had once deemed as unreal.

What's the correct option and why?


texts: Effective way to teach English for non-native high school students

texts:
I am from India. I have been assigned to teach English for an academic outreach program for high school students in rural areas, mostly children of illiterate farmers. We have a 40 minutes session per week with 4 months to go. They have had English as a subject for almost 3 years but from the gathered information, their vocabulary seems to be poor and so is their grammar. Our aim is to equip them with essential tools that would enable them to understand the material and also enable them to translate their ideas to English. My co-instructor has the opinion of stressing on their school curriculum. We have a rough plan:

Teach useful and frequently used words.
Teach mnemonic tools to memorize the vocabulary.
Ask students to speak on a subject and correct grammar afterwards.

The 3rd point received a lot of criticism taking into account of their shyness but I personally feel it a good exercise. There is also a general opinion that mnemonic tools would render any help in writing essay on a random topic. What would be an effective way to teach English language to students who have a little exposure to the language? Considering the limited time, how can we teach them to express their ideas in English?

Update

I was only able to contribute for roughly 2 months since I had to move to another country. The group of students were a broad mix with varying levels of proficiency. Some were at an intermediate level whereas some were absolute beginners. I cannot say for sure that the sessions were a success but I could feel honest enthusiasm on all of their faces, increasing session by session. Funny thing, help came from all over the IIT; students volunteering, researchers giving small talks, even the dean of sciences asking his PA to assist us whenever needed :). I thank all of you for your contribution to our humble effort.


texts:
I want to email my boss that I am still waiting for/to results from users - they need to fill out some form. I am not sure which sentence is correct:

  I am still waiting for results

OR:

  I am still waiting to results

Thank you!


texts: What does the phrase "would have it" mean in the following sentence?

texts:
What does have mean in this sentence?

  It does not, as a popular myth would have it, convey 50% of the actual message.


texts: A possibility or The possibility in this sentence

texts:
What difference does 'a' and 'the' make to the two sentence below?

There is a possibility that the source of water will be polluted
There is the possibility that the source of water will be polluted


texts: I'm new to English. I wonder whether neither / either will go with plural or singular verbs?


texts: exact differences between so that such that

texts:
He was disappeared such that

He was disappeared so that

Would you complete those sentences in such a way that they would be meaningful?

In addition, I think the more appreciate phrase for either of the sentences would be the following instead of such that or so that, wouldn't it?

in a way that

Thanks in advance


texts:
As early as can be used to mean at a time that is sooner than people expect.

  We may announce the winners as early as tomorrow.

  The DRDO announced it as early as in 2011.

 But if I say

  The DRDO announced it as early as 2011.

Would it be grammatical and also what is the difference between the above two constructions?


texts: How to describe the following that I want, naturally?

texts:
What's the correct way to describe cutting a hose but not completely but half (=the hose is 50% cut off)?

Is it natural to say:

  I cut the hose halfway?

I'm looking for a way to describe what I want, naturally.


texts: "not to know A from B" VS "not to know a B from a bull's foot"?

texts: I've been doing some research and I came across the idioms "not to know A from B" and "not to know a B from a bull's foot". As far as I know they seem to have the same meaning "to be ignorant" or "to know nothing". But I believe that somehow the 2nd one is more emphatic than the 1st one, but this is just my personal feeling. I'd like to know what do you think about this. Are they the same?


texts: How can I relate or combine these two sentences?

texts:
I have the following sentences.

As it was already discussed, we avoid using absolute paths to locate an anchor node.
We rely on stable attributes such as the content, id, class, etc.

How can I relate or combine them? I thought to say:

As it was already discussed, we avoid using absolute paths to locate an anchor node. We, instead, rely on stable attributes such as the content, id, class, etc.

My questions:

Is it "instead" a proper or common word for such relation? Do you know other alternative words?
Can it be in the beginning of the sentence? for example "Instead, we rely on ..."
Is my usage of comma before and after of the adverb "instead" correct? When it is used?


texts: "Now that we got to know each other" vs "now that we know each other"

texts:
Let's say I got a new group of students, I told them who I am, my name, and they did the same. Would it be appropriate to say the following?

  Now that we know each other, let's get started with class.

  Now that we get to know each other, let's get started with class.

Is there any difference between the sentences? By the way, would be better to say let's get started with the lesson?


texts: What makes the phrase "to be continued." so idiomatic?

texts:
The phrase "to be continued" is a kind of set phrase we often see at the end of part of a story, a television show etc., and I believe it is an abbreviation for "The story (or the show etc.) is to be continued." In this case, I can think of some other variations of this sentence like the following:

The story is to continue.
The story is going to continue.
The story is going to be continued.
The story will continue.
The story will be continued.

If the five sentences are all correct, then is there any difference in meaning or implied nuance between "to be continued" and the other alternatives above? I wonder what makes the phrase "to be continued." so idiomatic?


texts: It's the first time he has driven or been driving a car

texts:
I had always known that we generally use the present perfect simple for things that we do for the first time. Here is a classic example from the English Grammar in Use self-study book by Cambridge University Press:

  We say: lt's the (first) time something has happened. For example:

    Don is having a driving lesson. It's his first one.
    It's the first time he has driven a car.

But now I found the following in a supplementary exercises book:

  Tick (✓) the sentence which means the same as the first sentence.

    This is the first time I've been skiing.

    I've been skiing once before.
    I haven't been skiing for a long time.
    I've never been skiing before. ✓

This suggests that we can use the present perfect continuous in some cases for things that we do for the first time but it seems like both of the examples are about an ongoing activity which makes both of them look very similar even though tenses used are different.

When do we prefer the present perfect continuous to present perfect simple and vice versa for things that we do for the first time?


texts: “Language has no independent existence apart from the people who use it.'' What does this mean?

texts:
Somehow I don't seem to understand this quote.

  “Language has no independent existence apart from the people who use it. It is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end of understanding who you are and what society is like.” — David Crystal

I specifically don't understand the first line. It makes no sense to me. I'm thinking that it means that 'language doesn't exist independently, it is dependent except to the people who use it.'
I know I am wrong. I got the gist of the next lines. I searched the web but it only shows the quote itself or doesn't explain enough to me.
Can anyone please thoroughly explain the first line? I wouldn't mind the complete explaination, though.


texts:
Phrase: I thought I heard a sound there.

How do you transition from the word sound to there? I find it hard to go from the d sound to the th sound. When speaking fast, do you just ignore the d from sound?


texts: He 'used to' call me beast -How to make it a question?

texts:
A normal sentence:

  He made a wonderful doll.

We shift a verb to ask a question.

  What did he make?

That is because the base verb is 'make'

But what about this sentence?

  He used to call me 'the beast.'

The base verb is not 'use,' instead we have a phrasal verb 'used to.'

So the question....

  What did he used to call you? OR  What did he use to call you?


texts: I would be a writer vs I would have been a writer

texts:
I want to know what is the difference between these two examples below.

.1 If I had studied English grammar very hard, I would have been a good writer.

.2 If I had studied English grammar very hard, I would  be a good writer.


texts: How to comprehend an analogy between "a little slack or a lot of slack" and "a dog walking along on leash"

texts:
[From NPR Planetmoney, starting at 8:15:][1]

MALONE: Back in 2010, there was a lot of what economists call slack in the labor market. Slack basically just means it's easy for employers to go find someone else to fill your job. Now, of course, unemployment has been dropping for years now. And Scott says everyone's been looking for signs that this slack has gone away.
HORSLEY: And the thing about slack is if there's a little slack or a lot of slack, it's kind of the same result. I mean, if you think about your dog walking along on a leash, if there's a foot of leash dragging on the ground or 3 inches of leash dragging on the ground, as long as there's a little bit of slack, it feels the same to you and the dog.

Horsley is making an analogy between "a little slack or a lot of slack" and "a foot of leash dragging on the ground or 3 inches of leash dragging on the ground."
I don't really understand it here. What does he mean by "as long as there's a little bit of slack, it feels the same to you and the dog." From the analogy I still can't grab the idea of "a little slack or a lot of slack."
[1]: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/728723289


texts: When to use past tense to describe someone?

texts: I know that when I say "someone was a great" means he is deceased and "someone used to be great" means the one was a great once but no more. But what if I wanted to described an actor's or an athlete's performance?


texts: What does the poet mean here by the verb "wing"?

texts:
Here's the poem, i've been discussing the meaning with friends.

  Good-night? ah! no; the hour is ill
  Which severs those it should unite;
  Let us remain together still,
  Then it will be good night.

  How can I call the lone night good,
  Though thy sweet wishes wing its flight?
  Be it not said, thought, understood —
  Then it will be--good night.

  To hearts which near each other move
  From evening close to morning light,
  The night is good; because, my love,
  They never say good-night.

the line though thy sweet wishes wing its flight?
what do you think is the meaning and reference of the verb "wing" here?
I thought at first that she wished the lone night to come, to speed up the approach of it, because she said good night in the first place, Shelley rejects this separation and explains that how a night can be good instead. but wing also has another meaning which is to shoot down a bird from its wings. so, if this nights is lone and bad her wishes might want to shoot the approaching night and slow it down. but this second meaning concludes that she wants to stay together, which i do not think is true for this context. poet clearly heard her say goodnight and responded with this poem. anyway, this is my thought, what do you think about this verb? i think its the key to this poem.


texts:
You may or may not know about Family Guy. But in this youtube video of Family guy animated series, around 3:30, Stewie [son] was accidentally beaten by his father, Peter. Then he yell his father like following,

  You can beat me but I am who I am.

What does "I am who I am" mean? Is it idiom?


texts: She has been diagnosed vs she was diagnosed

texts: What is the difference between she has been diagnosed with cancer vs she was diagnosed with cancer


texts:
When he is later let know about it, he will act quickly.

or

When he is later let known about it, he will act quickly.


texts:
When I want to refer to something (which has the least amount of something), is it correct to say "with less"? For example:

  The house with less windows in the town.


texts:
Why do I need to place the preposition "of" before the possessive pronoun "mine" in this sentence?

  A friend of mine.

What would happen if I didn't place it like in the sentence "a friend mine". Is this an attributive case? Are there any other cases like this but using other prepositions?


texts: What is the meaning of the word "have" in this context?

texts:
What does the word "have" in this context mean? (I know the meanings of this word but this sentence really sound difficult to me how to understand it correctly. I saw a lot definitions for this word on Cambridge so I don't really know to which meaning the writer means).

  What to Do Have your child complete the problems on each page. Point
  out that they can check their answers by adding the answer to the
  second number. If that answer matches the ﬁrst number, they know the
  answer is correct. For example 6 − 2 = 4/4 + 2 = 6.

  Some of the pages have a quilt pattern on them. After your child has
  completed the problems, have him or her color the quilt according to the directions at the bottom of the page.


texts:
In 20 years of studying psychological safety, my colleagues and I have amassed a solid body of evidence that organizations that explicitly value and make paths for speaking up happen are more effective in dealing with challenges of every kind. A handful of case studies in my 2019 book, The Fearless Organization, tell compelling stories about the kinds of learning and progress set in motion when problems were placed firmly in bright sunlight — and the catastrophes that ensued when they were not.

What does it mean?


texts: What is the meaning of "As death embraces"

texts:
What do you understand in this phrase?, what is the function of as?
EDIT: As death embraces is the title of a song.

Here is the lyrics:

  Forgive my daily sins
  Seal them under my skin
  For once I watched you fly
  Leaving your wings behind
  The path of fate has gone astray
  The brightest skies have turned to grey


texts: GRE - Help allay my confusion between two options

texts:
Fill the blank with the most appropriate of the options

  Pundits do not believe that the sporadic calls for her ouster-outcries spurred by both her unusual life style and social policies-have compelled the monarch to seriously consider ____________.

a) abnegation

b) vacillation

c) castigation

d) asceticism

e) misanthropy

Please guess the answer and then see my argument and my friends argument below

My Answer
As from the sentence I am getting a sense that 'her' someone else . so I felt that 'castigation' is right . Another argument which I put keeping in mind it is a competitive exam (where we should logically eliminate irrelevant answers). If I choose castigation mainly because of the word 'ouster'. ousting someone is a serious punishment , so castigation fits in here .

My friends answer
As from the sentence he assumes the 'her' refers to monarch and so he says that answer is abnegation .

Please help us find the right answer between the two . If you find that any other answer seems fit please tell that also , but with the reasoning behind it .


texts: What does "The regime was not legitimated by popular support." mean?

texts:
The regime was not legitimated by popular support.

I have two understandings of this sentence:

Many people did not accept the regime (=authoritarian government) to be their government.
The regime (=a system or policy) was not legally accepted by many people.

Which one is the correct interpretation? If both are wrong, please give me a correct meaning of the sentence.


texts:
Chris was walking down the hall when suddenly a man ran out of / through a door.

Are out of and through the options I have here?

Are they equally common?

Would came running out of/through also be natural?


texts:
What does "occasional bursts of blind" in this example mean?

  Rosseau, too, must have reinforced the coarse-grained, rough peasant in Tolstoy with his strongly moralistic, puritanical strain, his suspicion of, and antipathy to the rich, the powerful, the happy as such, his streak of genuine vandalism, and occasional bursts of blind, very Russian rage against Western sophistication and refinement, and that adulation of 'virtue' and simple tastes, of the 'healthy' moral life, the militant, anti-liberal barbarism, which is one of Rousseau's specific contributions to the stock of Jacobin ideas.

I've searched that in many dictionaries and haven't found a clear answer.

Is this a phrase or expression?


texts: Is "about" an adverb 100% of the time if it follows a verb?

texts:
I thought about was a preposition, but I was told it's an adverb.

  The bridles were lashing about the horses

I hadn't put much thought about it, but now I am confused about how to distinguish the two. So does a preposition modify the preceding noun, and cannot modify anything else? And is "about" an adverb 100% of the time when it follows a verb immediately?


texts:
She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the kitchen table.

What is the difference between containing the word 'ever' and deleting it?


texts: What is the right expression to say: "doing an activity"?

texts:
What is the correct expression in order to say:  "you do different activities in the classroom"
Is the verb to do correct here?
What verb do I use with the noun activity?

The sentence I need is a question for a questionnaire.
Here it is:

  "What kind of activities do you do in the classroom as a teacher of writing?"


texts: Do I need an article if the proper name already contains an article?

texts:
Please look at this phrase:

the book by H.G. Wells “The Time Machine”

Is it OK to use the definite article with "book" if the book title already contains an article? Are the any rules for such cases?
Thanks in advance!


texts:
The family name may appear on the left side or the right side of the door, depends on which floor you are on.
A careful driver watches the road and goes slowly or quickly depending upon the condition of the road.

In 1 sentence it uses depends while in 2 depending. why? Is there any rule regarding uses of  depending on or depend on?


texts:
Someone asked me about the weather and I said:
"There's a storm going on over here."

I was talking about a green house and said:
"There were flowers from all over the world inside of the green house."

Are these sentences correct? Why do we say 'there?' What does it imply?


texts: "How a foolish boy he is!" vs. "How foolish a boy he is!"

texts:
How a foolish boy he is!
How foolish a boy he is!
Which one is more correct?
Actually I think it's the first one but I am not sure.


texts:
Consider the following dialogue:

  A: Have you ever had a car accident?

  B: I had a serious accident only last year.

Question 1. What does only convey here? Does it imply that B has been involved in a number of accidents, the most recent of which was last year? Or maybe B has had only one accident and it happened last year?

Question 2. Suppose we want to say something like "I have involved in many accidents and the one that happened last year is just one of them". Is there any equivalent sentence without using the words "just" or "only" (e.g., idiomatic expressions, etc)?


texts: Present perfect continuous for a short action?

texts:
This is from a novel:
The police is called because a man has urinated in a parking lot. When the police arrive 5 minutes later they ask the man: "Have you been urinating in the parking lot, sir?"
My question is: why is the continuous used? It only happened once and urinating is a short action. Is it used to express criticism?
Could the policeman have asked: "Have you urinated in the parking lot, sir?"


texts: Is this description that 'she is not as mean as the way she looks.' right?

texts:
she is not as mean as the way she looks.
she is not as mean as how she looks.
she is not as mean as what she looks like.

Which one do you guys describe generally?
or I would be happy, if you teach me another expressions.


texts:
...when due allowance is made for the wear of existing
  specimens, they might well be thought to have been struck al pezzo
  rather than al marco. (Macdowall, David W., 1965. The Dynasty of
  the Later Indo-Parthians, p140)

What is the meaning of "due allowance"?


texts:
The following is from a Telegraph article "Here's why I'll be giving the no make-up selfie a miss".

  More than that, why should anyone dictate that looking as stripped as Shaker furniture is the predetermined lot of the cancer patient? As it happens, my friend and I share a firm belief in the alchemical properties of quality maquillage. Chanel Rouge lipstick and Clinique foundation have proved as important for her morale as chemo has been for her recovery. Only yesterday her radiographer told her she couldn't possibly be old enough to have a daughter in her twenties.

As I understand it, the last sentence means that never before yesterday did her radiographer tell her she couldn't possibly be old enough to have a daughter in her twenties.

If my understanding is correct, "only yesterday" has a negative meaning that affects the following clause. And I wonder why the reporter didn't invert the order and say "Only yesterday did her radiographer tell her she couldn't possibly be old enough to have a daughter in her twenties."?

Is the inversion allowed here?

If so, is the inversion optional as opposed to mandatory?


texts: Definite article in "He played a role in founding (the) Moscow State University, considered today the country’s top institution of higher education"

texts:
A part of my essay was edited by a native speaker, with the definite article before "Moscow State University" deleted:

  Mikhail Lomonosov (1711–1765) is famous for his spectacular rise from a simple peasant to a well-known scientist. He played a role in founding (the) Moscow State University, considered today the country’s top institution of higher education.

Would it be okay to retain the article, or is "Moscow State University" the only grammatical way to put it?

Could it be that the phrase is okay either with or without the article?


texts:
How to change the following direct sentence into indirect?
He said, "I can not help you."
The problem I face is that there is no object in the reporting sentence.


texts: How do you call an action when a teacher makes final marks?

texts:
An action when a teacher in a high school makes final marks for students.

How is this action called in Standard English?

I came up with a few phrases, but have no idea if any of them is correct.

finalizing marks
finalizing grades
concluding marks/grades


texts: What is the preposition right here? He reached ___ his house at night

texts:
I am not sure what preposition I should put here. I am thinking of maybe at/to but i am not sure.

He reached ___ his house at night


texts: Could you please explain the meaning of "skyline" in this context

texts:
Of the parks 1466 Acres Memorial Park has a 18 hole golf course, bike or walking trails and other things to occupy your entertainment style. It's often hosts  annual events which are seen in the video and also features a few views of Uptown Houston's Skyline.

Whenever it comes to the skyline I have a great deal of difficulty understanding the context.


texts: A three-times-betrayed person will have been betrayed four times [complete]

texts:
Does a three-times-betrayed person will have been betrayed four times make sense?
I mean a person has been betrayed three times and will have been betrayed four times.
I think a three-times-betrayed person will have been betrayed four times means a person who will have been betrayed three times at a specific time will have been betrayed four times at the same time and is a bit awkward.
I think I should say: a person betrayed three times “before” will  have been betrayed four times.


texts: Can I get in when I'm already in the subway? Or go further, or go to the center?

texts:
Would anyone help me with this:
If I'm already inside the coach of the subway, standing near the doors.  I think there are some passengers that will get off soon. What should I say to my friends to make way for the alighting passengers. Like

  "lets go inside" or
  "let's go further" or
  "let's go to the center of the coach"

Wonder which sounds correct and normal. Thank you!


texts: Reported speech of "I have no idea where Jim is"

texts:
The original utterance was:

"I have no idea where Jim is."

If we rewrite this sentence above in reported speech form, which ones of the following could be correct:

He said (that) he had no idea where Jim  is.

He said (that) he had no idea where Jim  was.

He said (that) he has no idea where Jim  is.


texts: Can "NO+noun" serve as the subject of a relative pronoun clause?

texts:
The two objects have no contact that causes friction.

I created the sentence above to say that the two objects do not touch each other, so there is no friction between them.

I wonder which of "no contact" and "contact" serves as the subject for the verb "cause".  If "no contact" serves as the subject, my sentence does not say what I mean.


texts: Can we omit auxiliary verb in this case?

texts:
He was fifty years old when his teeth one hundred.

His dentist told him that he was grinding his teeth and the teeth wore down to the extent as if they were 100 years old. How would you say the part after when?

EDIT

His dentist told him that he was grinding his teeth and the teeth wore down to the extent as if they were 100 years old. How would you say the part after when?

I'm trying to make the full sentence as compact as possible. Alternately if I use but instead of when and say it like this:

He was fifty years old but his teeth one hundred.

would it help make sense?


texts: Question of verb agreement with complex subject

texts:
A professional puppeteer could control all the puppet and tell stories on the basis of classic such as Faust. So mastering literature, as well as sculpting, painting puppets and making costumes, ______ essential in running a puppet theater.

（A）were
（B）was
（C）which were
（D）which was

The answer is（B).
 I want to ask that why the answer is "was", and why the others are wrong?


texts: What is the opposite of "breast-feeding"? Is it "milk-feeding"? I read in my book What Do You Think that "Children should be breast-fed instead of milk-fed." But does "milk-feeding" exist in English?


texts: Why "on" is the only preposition for "weekdays"? Why not "in"?

texts:
Everywhere I have read that the correct preposition is on for weekdays.

Would it still be OK to say: "Monday is the hardest in weekdays"?


texts: Is there any difference between ''I didn't think I could'' and ''I thought I couldn't''?

texts:
The real condition is that A already puts B out here , and he thinks he can cover B.

Then A said :

  I wouldn't put him out here if I didn't think I could cover him.

So can I change the sentence like the second one without ''didn't think''?

  I wouldn't put him out here if I thought I couldn't cover him.

And does ''didn't think'' have special meaning here?


texts: When people talk about someone or something everywhere

texts:
I am looking for the most common way to say that people are talking about someone / something everywhere in English. There should be a common idiom which I can not find it. However I have translated several sentences of us. I would appreciate it that after having a look on them, let me know if they are natural and if not what shall I say instead to be quite natural in everyday speech:

  He is the talk of the town.
  He has become quite the hot topic for conversation around town.
  He has become a household subject of conversation.

In our language we say:

  Someone / something has fallen on top of the people's tongue. Meaning that people are talking about him / it and he / it has become the topic of discussions everywhere.

I am looking for an idiom to convey the same thing in English.


texts: What does this sentence mean? "We would do more good doing bad than my mom ever dreamed."

texts:
What does this sentence mean? : "We would do more good doing bad than my mom ever dreamed."

Does it mean that "We would do more good things while do bad things at the same time" ?

I'm waiting for your help.
Thanks!


texts: What parts of word/sentence do native speakers pay attention to when reading/skimming articles?

texts:
Do you pay attention to verb conjugation or singular/plural forms of nouns when skimming articles? I am Chinese. I find that I tend to neglect the changes at the end of words unless I read very slow and force myself to pay special attention to the changes. I think this is mainly due to the fact that in Chinese there are no such changes in words to indicate time or quantity. I want to know when you speed-reading an article, what parts of words or sentences you will definitely not skip.

For instance, for the below sentence, if skimming I would only notice the parts in bold:

  Rosenbaum had joined us to discuss how those ship sounds could affect Arctic wildlife and how the results of the study
  would help scientists track the impacts of climate
  change on Arctic ecosystems.

But in my mind, I don't picture the event was happened in the past and I also don't picture different kinds of "impacts" or "Arctic ecosystems".


texts: recommend you something or recommend it to you

texts:
I am going to make up two similar sentences.

(1) I strongly recommend you this new computer course.

(2) I strongly recommend this new computer course to you.

Which sentence sounds more natural?


texts:
In a math problem it says:
"Twice as many boys as girls remained."
I thought this meant girls = 2 x boys.
But in the solution it says boys = 2 x girls. Who is right?


texts:
The phrase "run a mile" means:

  To try to avoid a situation or a person because you are embarrassed or frightened.

Based on this definition, I wonder if you could let me know whether the following sentence sounds natural and the usage of this verb is correct:

  He's completely against marriage. He runs a mile "from" girls when it comes to marriage.

I have visited many web pages which had lots of examples including the phrase, but never found a preposition "from" in even one sentences to be used along with this phrase. It was why I made up a sentence and brought it up in the forum.


texts: "Wow, I've never seen such a nice cell phone, Mary". Is it naturally for Mary to say: "I agree with you"?

texts:
This question is based on the exercise in my English textbook:

  Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges.

  John: "Wow, I’ve never seen such a nice cell phone, Mary"
  Mary: " ___ "
  A. Thank you. I’m glad you like it.
  B. Oh, I don’t know.
  C. I agree with you.
  D. You’re welcome.

The answer key is option A (Thank you. I’m glad you like it). However, I think this response is suitable only if that cell phone belongs to Mary. If that cell phone doesn't belong to Mary, is it natural for her to say "I agree with you" (option C) when she has the same opinion as John?


texts: Can one say something like "One chooses A to be B."?

texts: I look up the example sentences in some web dictionaries about the vocabulary "choose". It's like I have never seen a sentence like "Someone chooses A to be B." So I wonder if saying in this way is OK. For example, can one say "I choose my dissertation topic to be The tidal effect on Io." or "We choose the parameter to be of order 1/r.", and so on?


texts: What is the natural and native-sounding response to a delivery guy from Doordash/Skipthedishes/Uber Eats

texts:
I order takeouts from these apps a lot e.g.  Doordash, Skipthedishes, Uber Eats.
I wonder what is the most natural/idiomatic way to respond to the delivery guy on the phone to confirm his identity when he arrives?

Is this doordash?

are you from doordash?

do you work for doordash?

And what if I want to confirm he has arrived outside of my apartment, what should I say

Did/have you arrived?

Are you outside of my building?

Then I would like to ask him to use the buzzer, a device which connects to my phone so I can let him in and use the elevator to my floor. He just needs to type in my buzzer code into the device. What are some of the possible ways that I can make my point across?
And I know maybe all of the example sentences I provided above work, and I can just get by with them, but I am really curious about how a native speaker would phrase things in this kind of situation. Also are there any good resources that have these types of modern and close to life conversations so that I can learn from?


texts: Can 'would be able to' replace 'would have been able to' in the passage?

texts:
I think it can't, but I can't explain why.
could have heard can replace would have been able to hear, right?
Thank you, in advance.

A sleeping mother has the ability to identify the particular cry of
her own baby. This is one of the bonding factors that has been
forgotten because of the way in which we live today. Typically, there
is now only one newborn baby in any family house or apartment, so
there is no way to test this ability. In an ancient tribe, however,
living in small huts in a tiny village settlement, a mother would
have been able to hear any of the babies crying in the night. If
she woke up every time one of them screamed for food, she might get no
sleep at all. During the course of evolution she became programmed to
awake only at the sound of her own particular baby. This sensitivity
is still there to this day, even though it is seldom used.


texts:
‘Maybe’ and ‘perhaps’ are interpreted in a Korean dictionary as “(used to ask or suggest something politely) if your situation permits, if it is possible - [my interpretations]” This could be make sense in my own language, and the two words can be interpreted as one Korean word, '가능하시면' (I'm not sure, but this can be equivalent to possibly or if possible) .’

  A: Can you go shopping with me tomorrow?
  B: I’m sorry. I have to visit my aunt.
  A: Okay. Maybe next time.   (From the Korean education radio, EBS)

In this case, does ‘maybe’ have the meaning as interpreted in the dictionary?


texts: What words should I place in those blanks?

texts:
Contrary to his reputation, the admiral was not a (i). He (ii) his order to attack when he saw the white flag raised by the enemy sailors, and was actually relieved that he could bring an end to the (iii).

The options are:

(i) A. bloodthirsty man  B. pacifist  C. pedant
(ii) D. countermanded  E. reiterated  F. commandeered
(iii) G. truce  H. hiatus  I. hostilities

  The answer is A, D, and I. I think B (pacifist) is more plausible than A (bloodthirsty man) because it matches perfectly with the blanks.


texts:
I have a question about the meaning of a sentence.
Please consider the following sentence:

I look fine from the outside, but I am rotting on the inside.

Does this sentence mean that I look okay from others' perspectives but I'm actually not okay at all?


texts: What does "coherence" means in this context?

texts:
These two types of democracy represent coherent and therefore ideal
polities maximising the basic ideas of either majoritarian or
power-sharing politics. It is easy to identify Switzerland and the UK
as two polities that correspond to most criteria of one of the models.
The UK systematically favours the logic of majority rule: Competitive
elections between two main parties based on one major political
division (left-right) lead to clear parliamentary majorities. The
winner-takes-all rule makes parliamentary majorities sensitive to even
small changes in the electorate’s preferences; the losing party
becomes Her Majesty’s Official Opposition. Because of its
parliamentary majority, the executive cabinet is empowered to realise
its policy programme, as long as there is no successful vote of no
confidence, which may necessitate resignation and an early election.
Power is concentrated among the parliamentary majority and the
cabinet. The House of Lords has few competencies; almost all
legislative power belongs to the House of Commons. The latter may
change constitutional documents in the same way as any other laws,
with very few judicial constraints. One may speak of a nearly
‘sovereign’ parliament, with the main exceptions of devolution of
power to Scotland and, Wales and Northern Ireland, and of more some
independence given to the Bank of England. A similar coherence of
elements, but with the opposite goal of power-sharing and negotiating
politics, is found in the consensus model of Switzerland. Lately, both
Switzerland and the UK have somewhat moved away from the ideal models
in becoming less consensual, the first, and less majoritarian, the
latter.
-Swiss Democracy by Wolf Linder

I do not understand what does "coherence of elements" refer to here.
According to Cambridge dictionary coherence means:

the situation when the parts of something fit together in a natural or reasonable way:

And According to Merriam-Webster

systematic or logical connection or consistency

I interpret this as: the author refers to the consistemcy of elements in the politics of United Kingdom. Such as the connection between authorities, the cabinet and parliament and etc.


texts: If "to make larger" is "enlarge", what is the term "to make complete"?

texts: I was almost incorrectly using the word "encomplete", but then I tried to search and found out that that word is non-existent. Is there perhaps any term for "to make complete" similar with "enlarge" is for "to make larger"?


texts:
Recently I was haunted by Tranquil Eye from Cocteau Twins. I couldn't figure out what lyrics the singer sang. Did she sing in English, or are there no lyrics at all? (I couldn't find any on the Internet.)

The music can be listened here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oa9aV9aqc0.


texts: In Russian, there's an expression that literally translates as "to step on the same rake". What do you call it when someone makes the same mistake again? I wonder whether English has its own phrase for it


texts: My favorite place was/is Gardens by the bay. (back shifting)

texts:
I was asked to talk about a beautiful place I visited. I said:
I went to Singapore last January..... (this is where I got and get confused all the time)

It was a very beautiful place. - I back shifted even though it's still a beautiful place.
In fact it's one of the most beautiful countries in the world. - I didn't back shift here because it's a fact but I got confused because I had back shifted (was a beautiful place) right before this sentence.
My favorite place was Gardens by the bay. - It's still my favorite but since I was talking about the past and the question asked me to describe a past event I though back shifting would be correct.
It had three gigantic greenhouses. - again the same problem as 3. It still has three greenhouses.

Please let me know if all my sentences were correct given the context.


texts:
I encounter such a sentence in a homework assignment:

  It seems that the burn-in is adequate, that they are all converging to
  the same-ish posteriour value, and that there is good mixing.

I don't know if the -ish is appended here just to reduce the extent of sameness? Is it just a synonym of similar or alike and etc?

And can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?


texts: The use of the definite article before the name of a language in context

texts:
Tell me please if it is necessary to use the before English in the following sentence.

  (The) English spoken in Australia is slightly different than (the) English spoken in America in terms of vocabulary and pronunciation.

I think that the is necessary there because it is clearly specified what type of English in what country.


texts: Can I write "answers", "asks", and "says" like so?

texts:
"Oh that's just great," says Ron.

  "It's in the box," answers Ron.

  "Where is my lion?" asks Ron.

I don't know if this is or isn't the right way to use it.


texts:
I have seen the word "essential" used in a phrase such as:

  The essential Shakespeare.

Is it also common to use the word "essential" in the following way?

  The essential for any artists

to mean "a must-have for artists" in order to advertise a product for artists?


texts: She still isn't feeling very well / still doesn't feel very well

texts:
I came across the following sentences:

  Amanda broke her leg last week. She still isn't feeling very well.

  Amanda broke her leg last week. She still doesn't feel very well.

Can you tell which one is correct? Or are both of them correct, just with a difference in meaning?

Thanks!


texts:
If I were to spell something out for someone, say a student, I would say:

  Think about it this way, ...

Is this correct? If so,
Can this way be replaced with like this? If yes,
Are they interchangeable for this very context?


texts:
Glasgow post-punk six-piece Kaputt aren’t strangers to directing their explosive energy.

Why directing and not to direct?
Is it because it is an expression such as to be opposed to verbing or to be addicted to verbing  (be + adjective + to + verbing) but strangers is a name not an adjective?


texts: What is the polite way to show your appreciation when someone waits for you to enter an entrance before they do?They usually say "after you"? What I am supposed to answer?


texts:
if i want to convert :

  She said, "I don't remember which is mine"

to reported speech ,
which one of these is correct ?

  She couldn't remember which was hers.

OR

  She couldn't remember which hers was.

In case both are correct , which one is more suitable?


texts: Which kind of books should be read for learning spoken English?

texts:
Should I prefer plays or composition? Is there some benefit of one over the other for learning spoken English?

I live in India and will be talking to only Indians. It is supposed to be a daily conversation about day to day life.

Update --__-----------_------------

I am 32 years old and do have a fluency in written English.


texts:
I know that we can say someone is "harsh on someone," but I wonder if we can call someone harsh without specifying on whom.In dictionaries, I couldn't find definitions or examples of "harsh" in which it says it can be used that way. So I have the need to ask you guys. For example, is it fine to say sentences like the ones below:

He is a harsh person.

He is harsh.

You are being harsh.

Contexts:
Sentence 1: I mean he is generally a mean person.
Sentence 2: I  mean he is generally a mean person.
Sentence 3: I mean he is being mean.


texts: Difference between 'has done wrong' and 'has been wronged'

texts:
Recently I came across the below statement in a quote.

  "In a crisis when one has done wrong, wrong repentance is required. When one has been wronged, a vigorous defense must be mounted"

What is the difference between "has done wrong" and "has been wronged"?


texts: "To have " vs "Having " as perfect infinitive and gerund

texts:
Paceman Rubel Hossain was also recalled to the side
  after an injury-plagued season, as was left-arm spinner
  Taijul Islam having last played an ODI against New
  Zealand in the World Cup last year. ( this sentence is collected from an Australian cricket website)

I think it could be correct too if I write -

  Paceman Rubel Hossain was also recalled to the side
  after an injury-plagued season, as was left-arm spinner
  Taijul Islam to have last played an ODI against New
  Zealand in the World Cup last year.

If both are correct, then what's the problem with  the following sentence of my last post which is wrong according to a commenter?

  Jones is the latest player having signed with
  Barcelona.


texts: Adults department or adults' department?

texts:
Should it be adults department or adults' department?

  The Older Adults Department at CCSF offers non-credit classes specially designed for those 55 plus, but all are welcome to attend.

Source: Older Adults


texts:
What is the meaning of ''one block into'' in the below sentences? Which grammar rule ?

You own a house one block into the ward.


texts: What is the meaning of "front" in "Left Front" or "Right Front"?

texts:
Generally "front" is a word that refers to standing in the first position.
What is meant by "Front" in situations like "Left Front" and "Right Front", or all these coalition governments that come to power?


texts: How to know myself whether it is Idiom or not?

texts:
I posted a question here, Which is Idiom, but google showed nothing about it.

So how to know myself whether it is Idiom or not?


texts: "the involved discrimination" or "the discrimination involved"?

texts:
In doing so she discriminates against Alan, while keeping from him the
  discrimination involved.
  In doing so she discriminates against Alan, while keeping from him the
  involved discrimination.

Which of the above sentences are more idiomatic?


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

texts:
This is why fighting is allowed in pro hockey

  (2:26) A player involved in a fight automatically gets what's known as a "major penalty" and must sit out at least 5 minutes of play. Additional penalties can be tacked on.
  The game has evolved such that there's minimum fighting as there is. I mean, it's greatly reduced.

Ice hockey has evolved to the extent that there's minimum fighting as there is?

I kind of understand what this sentence means but I'm not sure about the role and the exact meaning of "as there is", especially as in this sentence. "There is minimum fighting as there is" seems weird to me. Can anyone help me with this?


texts:
I'm reading a book and the author wants to explain why he is writing the book since there are numerous books in the same field. The author started mentioning the reasons as follows

  The first reason is one of brevity.

and he stated the third reason similar to the first one which is

  The third reason is one of content.

I'm not able to comprehend the necessity for using one in the aforementioned reasons.


texts: When can you use "as soon as something will"?

texts:
I used to think that you can't use will with "as soon as", however, in a NY times article I've encountered the following text:

  Asked what she wants to do now, Gul Meena says that all she wants is to return to her family. “I will go as soon as you will take me,” she said to Ms. Naderi.


texts: What does "put someone back into something" mean here?

texts:
This was one of the moments that turned it around and put her(Hillary Clinton) back
  into the race against Obama in 2008.

I found the meaning below for put your back into something:

to use a lot of physical effort to try to do something

But still I cann't understand meaning of the sentence.And I don't know if "putting back into the race" is a handicap or an advantage for her(Hillary
Clinton).

So could you please explain it to me?

The fuller text:

  SGC: In that moment, President Obama crying— would that moment have
  been different if he were a female president? Is there something
  different about when you see a man break down that way and a female
  leader of that stature break down that way?

  GM: I mean, surely, without a doubt. The criticism that someone is too
  emotional is one of the classic gendered tropes that are used to go
  after female leaders. It’s worth noting that when Hillary Clinton
  cried a little bit in 2008 in New Hampshire it was highlighted as one
  of the high points of her campaign. This was one of the moments that
  turned it around and put her back into the race against Obama in
  2008. But it’s illustrative that one of the criticisms of Hillary is that she’s robotic. Right? So that was a breakthrough of that facade.


texts: What does "one" refer to and what does this sentence mean?

texts:
I wonder if the word "one" in the following sentence refers to "face"?

  “What did you just say?” Tony’s very angry face was in Peter’s very
  embarrassed one.

  “I take it back.”

And if I were right, what does this whole sentence mean? I am very very confused by the usage of "in" here. Is it even common to say "somebody's face be in somebody's face"? Could any one help please?


texts: Present Perfect Simple or Continuous - negative sentences

texts:
It is written in "English Grammar In Use" (by Raymond Murphy): We use the present perfect simple in negative sentences like these:

I haven't seen Tom since Monday.
Jane hasn't phoned me for two weeks.(unit 11-D)

According to this rule we say:

I haven't worked since my baby was born.

But in another book it is written:

I haven't been working since my baby was born.

I'm confused. Could you explain which is more common for native speakers, Present Perfect simple or Present Perfect continuous. Please explain for these sentences:

George __________ (not/play) tennis for two months.
The children are too tired because they __________ (not/sleep) all night.
Lily __________ (not/speak) to her sister since they had an argument.


texts: What is the one word for "_exact opposite of horrible_"?

texts:
"The older team is being treated horribly by the management"

To this I want to say 'So is the new team' in this way - "The new team is not being treated 'the exact opposite of horrible 'ly either.".

How do I say that?  What word should I use to replace the italic part?

Thank you.


texts:
It was their first summer in boots, and they hated them, so they took
  them off, and slung them round their necks, and paddled joyfully over
  the dripping turf where the shadows lay the wrong way, like evening in
  the East. The sun was well up and warm, but by the brook the last of
  the night mist still fumed off the water.

This is an extract from "Rewards and Fairies" by Rudyard Kipling.

I can not understand the meaning of:

  "the dripping turf where the shadows lay the wrong way, like evening in
  the East."

What does "the shadows lay the wrong way" mean?


texts: The "movie jail": is that idiomatic and how to express this differently?

texts:
A French article claimed the term "movie jail" could not be translated. I found the following sort of sarcastic explanation about the expression on some random website as I can't find it in Collins/Dictionary.com/TFD:

  This is Movie Jail, a unique maximum security prison that houses some
  of the worst writers, directors, actors and producers from Hollywood
  and beyond. Their crimes? The offenses vary from convict to convict
  but most of these inmates have contributed negatively to the film
  world to some capacity* and his or her misdeeds have covered a long
  enough period of time that the authorities had to intervene.

I noted the capital letters "Movie Jail"; is that something coined or a magazine trademark of any kind, or just literal English used figuratively i.e. "the jail of the movie industry". Is that mainly AmE? What is another idiomatic way of expressing the movie jail idea which showcases further the impact on the artist without resorting to the penitentiary system metaphor?


texts: "is appearing in a movie" vs. "appears in a movie"

texts:
I don't know which tense I should choose in this sort of sentences:

Angelina Jolie appears/is appearing in a movie titled Tomb Raider.

Angelina Jolie plays/is playing the part of Christine Collins in Changeling.

Should I understand them in terms of present simple tense and thereby associate with a fact, something what is well known or permanent state.
Will present continuous tense apply here? For what I know, we can use present continuous while taking about situations taking place in the so-called "background of present", not exactly now.
Maybe both forms are correct.

Please, let me know. Thank you very much in advance.


texts: Difference between "across" and "through"

texts:
walk across the tunnel
  walk through the tunnel

Which one is correct? Can anyone explain me the exact difference between the through and across? I am really confused with these 2 prepositions.


texts: What is a good word or phrase that says "work project"?

texts:
I'm preparing my resume and I'm trying to classify the projects that I've worked on as something that was done as a part of my job or those that weren't work releated!

The one's that I've done on my own time could be listed under "Side Projects" or "Other Projects".

"Work Projects" doesn't sound so right to me. (Is it just in my head?)

Is there a good alternative to it?

PS: I'm a programmer, in case it matters.


texts: How do I rewrite “She has just bought a magazine” using “yet”?

texts:
Rewrite the following sentence using the word in brackets.

She has just bought a magazine. (yet)

My attempt (from a comment):

She has yet just bought a magazine.


texts: What does "A small town girl with big city dreams" mean?

texts:
A small town girl with big city dreams

What does a "small town girl" mean? Does it mean she is small in stature or short?  And what does "big city dreams" mean?  Does it mean the dreams are big in some way?

Can you please explain this sentence to me? I can't understand it.


texts: Article usage: "to the speed of 8 km…" vs "to a speed of 8 km…"

texts:
I have to take the TOFEL soon, and encountered a sentence from a textbook which made me think. In the case below, instead of using a as a preposition, is using the wrong?

  Quote: To deliver a satellite into orbit, a rocket has to accelerate the satellite to the (originally it was “a”) speed of 8 kilometers a second more than 30 times than the speed of a jet aircraft.

I am wondering the text is using the preposition "the" when it is talking about the speed of a jet, but it is using the preposition a in succeeding case.

In this case, the succeeding paragraph is talking about the speed in general, so am I wrong?

I encountered another same thing. The phrase of the text is,

  Light travels through a vacuum at a speed of nearly 3*108 m/sec

So a might be a winner with a slight edge.


texts: Can I use "is" twice in the question starting with "Is"?

texts:
I want to ask the below question:

  Is "West Indies" is not a country?

Here, can I use "is" twice? Or the second "is" not required and can I simply ask:

  Is "West Indies" not a country?


texts:
I have this red pen.

Does this mean the red pen is with me at this moment, from last week, from last month, since I was born, or just at this moment?

  I have eaten.

Does this give information about the last time I had food, or about me having had food since my childhood?


texts:
Here is the sentence:

  Tariffs prohibiting the import of East Indian cottons, imposed by the
  Parliament to stimulate the sale of woollen goods, have instead served
  to spur the manufacture of domestic cotton goods.

I know the lexical meaning of "East Indian", but I am not sure if the author is referring to East Asian countries or East Indies.

You will find more information here.


texts: Is there any other word for negative species traits?

texts:
I'm currently trying to describe a few species traits and group them. Here I found that I'm at a loss of correct words for the groupings. After searching a bit I found a good fitting with "beneficial traits" for traits that are enhancing specific races like extra sharp teeth, or the ability to fly.

But on the "other" side I have found no wordings that sounded fitting for negative species traits like a vulnerability to cold (as many snakes have).

So my question here is is there any such word for negative species traits?


texts: The use of phrase "years ago" in context

texts:
Is it natural to say years ago meaning a lot of years ago? For example:

  I was an excellent football player years ago.


texts: What is the meaning of "what's up chucks"?

texts: The guy in the this prank video starts with something like "hey what's up chucks"? Longman's second entry for this word says it is a friendly way of addressing friends in Northern England. However, the clip guys do not seem to have a British accent. Is "chuck" the word in question or did I mishear it?


texts: How do you use a WH-word when is not a question?

texts:
I'm trying to find some examples or documentation about this topic. From time to time, I struggle when I have a How, What, When, Where or Why in a normal sentence, since when you write a question would be like this:

What are you doing?
What is expected of you?
How is this addressed?
Who is the most experienced in your team?
Who has considerable experience?

However, these are questions and generally, the format is: WH-word + auxiliary verb + ...?, but what if you have a regular sentence? I know that you should not follow the WH-word by an auxiliary verb (to do, to be, to have, etc.), would be OK to say?

What you're doing.
What of you is expected.
How this is addressed.
Who the most experienced in your team is.
Who a considerable experience has.

Could you correct me if I'm wrong? Or how should I rephrase them when I'm not asking questions. Thanks.


texts:
Which one is correct to say ?

I have read both the sentence consructions and both seems correct to me . Is there any grammar rule ?

a) Where is the location?

b) Where the location is ?


texts:
In the movie "Men of Honor", Billy say these words to Carl who just came into the bar,

  Hell, I don't know who classes up the joint more the fetching young
  lady in the fur stole or cookie here.

Actually Carl is colored Navy soldier stepped in white man's bar.


texts: Meaning of pulling down shorts in football (soccer)

texts:
What does "pulling down shorts" mean in football/soccer context?
What does "pulling down shorts" mean in football/soccer context?
69 min GOAL! Manchester United 0-3 Manchester City (Aguero)
Aguero from five yards! City are pulling down their shorts and giving United the big old blue moon here! Yaya threads the ball through for Balotelli, who flicks it out right for Milner. The cross comes in from the right, and this time it's Aguero at the back post to convert! For City, this is turning not only into a momentous win, but a ravishing. This is a game City fans will talk about for as long as they follow football.


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "for all someone is concerned"?

texts:
It is from this video. It is at 6 minute and 51 second.

  If you want to talk about an offer at home first, it is never okay for a company to ask who you are talking to. You could talk to your cat for all they are concerned.

I was looking for the phrase's definition on the internet, but I couldn't find anything. Only phrases like as far as one is concerened crop up, which I can understand. What does the for all in the phrase mean?


texts:
I'm wondering if it is true to use "estimation" for determining someones's skill. I mean, if someone says I'm a good designer, which word is best to use for a process to measure if he/she is really a good designer?

Skill estimation/evaluation? Or something else?


texts:
The police had managed to silence the protesters.

The police had managed to quieten the protesters.

I know that "silence" is no sound at all while "quiet" is almost no sound, but apart from that is there any difference between them in the two sentences?


texts: "...right" how should I answer to this kind to question?

texts:
You don't like me, right?-- the question

If I don't like him, should I say "Yes, I don't like you" or "No, I don't like you"? Which one is correct?

  (1)You like me, don't you?
  (2)You don't like me, do you?

When I encounter these kinds of questions, I know I should say "Yes, I like you" or "No, I don't like you." in response to (1) and say "Yes, I like you" or "No, I don't like you." in response to (2).

Thanks for helping.


texts: Meaning of song's chorus "Shudder to think"

texts: I'm trying to understand meaning of chorus of the song "Tegan And Sara - Shudder to think". It goes: "Shudder to think that I'd find my company off on standby". I'm interested in second part of this sentence. I knew what "on standby" means. I tried to google "company off", "off on standby" in case it's some idiom but I found nothing. So please explain me what does "my company off on standby" means.


texts:
I'm writing an essay for school; and as a non-native English speaker I'd like to know which sentence is grammatically correct or which feels "more right", so to speak.

  "a plausible reason for why the firm finds itself in this situation is
  not being able to adapt to the recent changes in consumer behavior"

or

  "a plausible reason for why the firm finds itself in this situation is
  for not being able to adapt to the recent changes in consumer
  behavior"

I'm personally inclined to choose the first one, but I'm not sure.


texts: When do "well" and "good" mean the same?

texts:
I know good normally is an adjective ("[object] is good"), and well is normally an adverb ("[activity] is performed well"). But quite a few times I've seen good used in place of well. For example, you can be feeling good.

When is good applicable as adverb? Is the vice-versa situation possible?


texts: Difference between inside and on the inside

texts:
So I stumbled across these two sentences

  when you are low-key dead on the inside ...

  They look low-key dead inside

What's the difference between inside and on the inside? I don't seem to find the difference at all.


texts:
What is correct, "firstly done", or "first done". For example, in the sentence:

Investigating tropical insects was firstly done by James T. Shaw.

I guess "firstly" is correct, but actually "first done" seem to be used more often... so I am unsure?


texts: What is the difference between "why are you worried" and "why you are worried"?

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences?

  Why are you worried?
  Why you are worried?

Which one is correct?


texts: Is "does" ever required in the following sentence?

texts:
I have the following sentence.

  Why auto sync consumes a lot of Internet data?

Will it be better/ accurate, if I write it as

  Why does auto sync consume a lot of Internet data?


texts:
In which sense the verb to plow through was used in the following sentence?
I know it can be used to do a task figuratively or to run down on people or something but I don't think these meanings are related to this context. For me it was used to imply like he wasted 150 million because of wrong decisions.

  "How a quirky 28-year-old plowed through $150 million and almost destroyed his start-up"

http://businessinsider.com/quirky-ben-kaufman-2015-4


texts: "study a book" VS "study out of(from) a book"

texts:
I'm not sure if 'study a book' is a correct phrasing. "Study out of a book" or "study from a book" looks more correct to me, and they mean to learn from a book.

Will "study a book" mean the same thing if it's a correct phrase? Are there any differences among those phrases?


texts: What's the layperson's term for words like "am", "be", "were"?

texts:
What is the most common way to refer to the group of words like "is", "be", "am", "are", "were", and "was" in English?

When I learned English as my second language, every teacher in my country called them "be-verbs", which is a subclass of verbs in general ("verb" is in my own language, of course). But after that, I noticed that almost no native English speakers call them "be-verbs". Instead, I sometimes see the word copula to refer to these words. Some people seem to use linking verbs, with which I'm not familiar at all.

I know that these words are called copula at least by professional linguists, but currently I'm under the impression that copula may not be widely recognized by the general public. So I'm interested to see the layperson's term which I can use safely.

So here are my questions:

What is the easiest term to refer to these words?
Do ordinary native English speakers have a chance to learn what a copula is, along with other grammar terms such as noun, verb, adjective? If yes, when and how?
Do ordinary native English speakers consider English copulas as a subtype of verbs, or as something independent?


texts:
I am writing about my childhood. Which tense should I use?

I only played outdoor games. My friend once took me to his home and made me play the video game Mario.

A.Before I played Mario, I was under the impression that all video games
were violent.
B.Before I had played Mario, I had been under the impression that
all video games were violent.

But this experience changed my thinking completely.


texts: What are the differences between these two sentences, one with "will" and the other with "would"?

texts:
I would like to ask you what differences are in between the following two sentences.

  Just one hit will turn the game around.
  Just one hit would turn the game around.

I understand the first sentence with "will", fairly well.

But the second one with "would" is confusing to me.
Maybe there are various contexts or manners related to the second sentence.

As a foreigner who struggles to understand "would" well,
I will/would really appreciate all the explanations regarding "would" there. :)


texts:
Does "he should not have known" mean "he must not know"?

There are one or two points about the case which would bear discussion. One is that a man with so remarkable a name as Charles B. Rosma should never have been traced, considering all the publicity which the case acquired. This would certainly at the time have appeared a formidable objection, but with our fuller knowledge we appreciate how very difficult it is to get names correctly across. A name apparently is a purely conventional thing, and as such very different from an idea. Every practising Spiritualist has received messages which were correct coupled with names which were mistaken. It is possible that the real name was Ross, or possibly Rosmer, and that this error prevented identification. Again, it is curious that he should not have known that his body had been moved from the centre of the cellar to the wall, where it was eventually found. We can only record the fact without attempting to explain it.


texts: object-oriented programming took people -- where did it take them? I don't get it

texts:
James Gosling - Thoughts for Students (at the 1 minute mark, the entire video is 1 minute and 26 seconds long):

  And it's pretty easy to explain how object-oriented programming took people who've never programmed before because it's kind of like dealing with objects in the world around you. But if people have already learned how to program COBOL, it's kind of strange and in their head they're trying to map COBOL on Java.

I don't know how to understand took. What does he really mean by OOP took people?


texts: usage of although and yet in the same sentence

texts:
I wrote the following sentence for my IELTS essay and my teacher said that although and yet have similar meanings. My sentences is:

  Although there are many advantages to online education yet I strongly believe that regular courses are much better.

Is it wrong to use yet and although together? What other ways to write the sentence are there?


texts: I was afraid he would offer vs I was afraid he offered

texts:
Are both sentences below grammatically correct and do they mean the same?

I was afraid he would offer me meat.
I was afraid he offered me meat.


texts: "Be done with someone" VS "Be through with somebody"

texts:
I was wondering whether either one of the sentences below:

a. I'm done with you.
b. I'm through with you.

can be used in AmE to imply: "our relationship is over" for the speaker. If no, then I wonder how they differ semantically?

Be done with somebody (especially BrE):
No longer be involved with somebody:
Example: I’m fed up with you lot! I’m done with you for ever!

Be through with someone:
To have ended a relationship:
Example: I’ve told Larry I’m through with him, but he keeps bothering me.

I have read the similar thread What is the difference between “I am done” and “I am through”?, but while it was it was not helpful at all, though I think the poster's question was absolutely clear.


texts: What is the grammatical name and function of this part of the sentence?

texts:
In the sentence

  Conciously postponing a decision is not the same as indecision.

what is the grammatical name and function of the part in italics?


texts:
According to their dictionary definitions the principal meaning (as verbs) would be to ask, to demand.
To requisition is a little bit more complicated (may take an infinitive) which is why I think, it is more likely to be used as a noun next to “make” i.e. “to make a requisition”.
As for the verbs to require and to request they seem to be closer and can be used to ask and demand something as follows:

I require a new car.
I request for a new car.

Which would be the nuance differences between them regarding the colloquial, formal or polite usage?
As a noun I know and can understand the differences:
A product request refers to its demand on the market while the product requirements refer to the conditions that the product must comply with.


texts:
I was thinking that a sound or phoneme might go on, after, or before a word like the sound 'oh' going after the word 'that' or 'game' which might make the words 'thatoh' or 'gameoh'
So I thought or asked
Might a sound or phoneme be an affix?
Show if you understand what I wrote
Or let me know if you understand what I wrote


texts: "How may I help you" or "may I help you"?

texts:
How may I help you?
  May I help you?

Do these two statements have the same meaning or do they differ?  I could find no difference yet wanted to know anyhow.


texts:
Page 68 of Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage reads

AS TO: used after certain preceding passive clauses, e.g. I am not much troubled as to its outward appearance—G. Gissing, 1903;
I am also simultaneously bemused…as to why people should sunbathe indoors.

Can the agents of passives introduced by "as to"?


texts: Sentence structure, As if - "As if + past" vs "As if past perfect"

texts:
Here are two sentences and I'd like to know which is common or you would more likely choose.

  He looked as if he was a beggar.

I'm not sure whether he was a beggar or not, but seeing as his clothes being worn out, it seems that he was a beggar.

  He looked as if he had been a beggar.

It implies that he was probably not a beggar. He could actually be my boss or he brought quite a large amount of money with him. I couldn't understand why he was dressing like that even though he was not a beggar.

Am I right to think this way? The 2nd one is quite complex to use because it implies quit a lot. Is the 2nd sentence common enough?


texts:
Elusive means hard to find or capture. I read a sentence in the newspaper today which was

  They were asked to go to Jhalwar on April 5 to be tested but proved elusive.

I am confused in the meaning of this sentence. To be tested means so that the people can be tested. I am confused in the second part which is but proved elusive.

Does it mean that people ran away before being tested? How to read such a sentence with a structure like this?


texts:
The Welch years at G.E. combined strategic insights with managerial innovations. Mr. Welch early on recognized the rise of Asia, then led by Japan, as a manufacturing powerhouse, and he shed G.E. businesses that he deemed vulnerable, moving into new ones.

Why put the years as a subject? It is Mr Welch combined strategic insights with managerial innovations.


texts: Does "could point out" = "could have pointed out"?

texts:
. . . ,though it [a strange laugh] originated but in one [chamber],
  and I could have pointed out the door whence the accents issued.
  (Jane Eyre)

When I re-write the sentence: - and I could point out the door whence the accents issued, it seems somewhat awkward. Is it strange? If yes, what’s the reason?


texts:
I found some websites use "prejudice" to describe their selling points.

sushi restaurant
tea store
industrial company - Not in content but in URL

Can I use prejudice for such positive stuff?  Or is it just a fault caused by machine translation?

FYI: The equivalent (at least they think so) word in Japanese is "こだわり" (kodawari) and it means some points that one believes it cannot be omitted.  The term can be used in both positive and negative sentences.
Only Google translation associates こだわり with prejudice.  I could not find any dictionaries do so.