texts:
I guess I am aware the meaning of "come across"

  appear or sound in a specified way; give a specified impression.

This post focuses on the usage of "come across" with that meaning.

An ELL post uses "come across" this way

  You could say that without breaking grammar rules, but no one expresses that feeling in that way, and if they did, it would come across fairly rude.

There are two questions about that use.

First of all, the subject would usually be someone, e.g. a personal pronoun. "It" would probably be inappropriate. Is my understanding right?

Secondly, I see the examples on Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Dictionary put "as" after the phrase

  After all, I appeared to be a bookworm sort of fellow trying to come across as tough.

  I didn't want to come across as patronizing, but I did.

  He comes across as a bit of a bore.

Is the word "as" required, optional or unnecessary there?


texts: Protective + noun+ing vs protecting + noun + ing

texts:
Is it protective or protecting covering that provides protection?

And why is it a protected area, not protecting or protective?

When should we use -ive or -ing?


texts: Can other adjectives be substituted in "Left you awed"?

texts:
In awe is an idiom that means:

  Having a great amount of respect or admiration for someone, sometimes to the point of feeling nervous or fearful around them.

It can take other forms and means the same thing, like:

It left you [in awe / awed].
That always leaves you [in awe / awed].

As "awed" is a participle adjective, can I substitute other synonyms to it with preserving the indicated meaning of its origin, such as:

  It left you stupefied.

and

  It left you alarmed.

?

I'm aware that those two, even if they are considered synonyms to "awed" according to Thesaurus, mean different things.


texts: "The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts..."

texts:
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts:
  therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no
  notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.”

  [Marcus Aurelius]

Guard what? "the happiness" or "the quality of your thoughts"?

Is nature reasonable????

"Take care that you entertain no notions" = "Take care that you don't entertain notions"?


texts: What is the meaning of "maintain the balance between good and evil"?

texts:
In Comedy movie "Little Nicky (2000)" film, In hell, Dad declares that he going to rule next 10,000 years
without giving throne to his three sons.

  I've decided that the ruler for the next 10,000 years is going to have
  to be me. The important thing for the stability of our rule is to
  maintain the balance between good and evil


texts: Can you tell me about the comma in appositives?

texts:
Source

  Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player who charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.

By using the same concept, I could also write it as:

  Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered the man, a hot-tempered tennis player , who charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.

My concept is that the phrase who charged becomes essential as among million men whom are we talking about. So the phrase who charged becomes , who charged. How far am I correct?

Also, my grammar checker says that I should have used who in lace of whom in the phrase million men who are. Why is that so?


texts: Could you teach me how attributive nouns modify nouns?

texts: For example, there’s ‘apple juice.’ Does it mean juice relating to, constituting, or of apple? I mean, is there a contextual meaning without any words between two nouns? I think a literal noun doesn’t modify a noun.


texts: When can/should a subject be omitted in Passive Voice?

texts:
I am not sure when to omit and when to retain the subject of an active sentence when using passive voice. The following examples illustrate my dilemma.

Can we solve this problem?

can this problem be solved by us?
can this problem be solved?

According to my book second sentence is the passive voice for the given statement (omitting the subject)

Have you shut the door?

Has the door been shut by you?
Has the door been shut?

Whereas for this question my book gave '1' as the correct passive construction (retaining the subject).

Is my book correct with both these sentences? When should we omit the subject in general? Please explain with suitable examples.


texts:
Which one  is more appropriate?( only the most appropriate is the right answer)

Who informed you about the matter ?
Who informed you of the matter?

which preposition is more proper than other to use after "inform" in the exam?


texts: if the output were executed (conditional sentences)

texts:
In the sentence below, I'd like to see if "were executed" is correct in the context and if it sounds acceptable to the native ear.

  What would the output be, e.g. on the computer screen, if the code
  fragment below were executed?

 a=5
 b=2
 c=a+b
 print c

The reason I'm asking is that it didn't sound as good as

  What would the output be, e.g. on the computer screen, if the code
  fragment below were to be executed?


texts: Which is correct: "I am male" or "I am a male"?

texts:
When asked a question like, "What is your gender," or, "Are you male," which is correct:

I am male
I am a male

Or are both acceptable? Or does it depend on the question?


texts:
I thought I was supposed to.
  He was  served.

The above two sentences are correct .
Please explain me why the below sentence is wrong.

  What was happened to him?


texts: Are "call a taxi (a cab)" and "call for a taxi (a cab)" the same?

texts:
I want to make a question sentence like below:

  "Is calling a taxi the only way to take a taxi here? (Or from here?)"

I'm wondering if 'calling for a taxi" would mean the same thing as "calling a taxi". Also, would it have any slight difference if I used 'from here' instead of just 'here' at the end of the sentence?


texts:
So, if you are thinking of a particular context, you should specify it. In its current form, the question is way too broad, and way too general-reference.

Since, after having consulted some dictionaries, I'm not able to find a definition that fits, can anyone explain how "way" is used in that passage?


texts: How to describe the difference in number?

texts:
There are 15 boys and 10 girls in a class.
Is it grammatically correct to say "there are 5 more boys than girls in the class" or "the boys are more than the girls by 5" or "there are 5 boys more than girls"?
How to say?


texts:
I read current news on Wikipedia and one headline for August 31, 2016 said:

  Mother Teresa of Calcutta is to be canonized into sainthood after "proof" of two miracles.

For me it has two meanings. I know the first meaning is the correct one, but am I right to understand the second one? Here goes:

1) Recently there was a proof of 2 miracles and Mother Teresa is sure to be canonized.

2) Mother Teresa should be canonized, but it's required to have proof of two miracles (perhaps this condition is new).


texts: "In the meantime" vs. "for the meantime"

texts:
"In the meantime" and "for the meantime" are both listed in dictionaries. I'd lke to know which should be used in the following. If either is okay, is there a scenario where one but not the other can be used?

The power supply should be back soon. In/For the meantime we’ll have to use candles.


texts: What type of mood is this main clause in this sentence: “If he comes to apologize, I will forgive him."?

texts:
If he comes to apologize, I will forgive him.

When it comes to a conditional type 1 clause, what type of mood is this main clause?
This main clause is a Future indicative?
Or
I had better consider this one just as an only sentence of possible result from If clause with hypothetical condition rather than categorize whether it can be a certain type of mood, am I right?


texts:
Consider (Source)

  It was to remove the ignominious portrayal of the Native American as savage and wild that historians adopted 1992 as the year to depict them in their true light as members of civilizations worthy of study and respect.

Q1: What does in their true light mean here?

Q2: I cannot justify the role of as the year in the sentence.

Q3: I can guess, in their true light means what they are actually and indeed. In this regard, can we construct sentences like:

  This documentary shows the ancient people in their true light

or, depict something in its true light is a idiom in which depict must be included.


texts:
Someone wrote the following sentence:

He fell off a tall tree, his leg broken.

a native speaker said that this sentence was not idiomatic because "one event followed the other"
and if "both conditions exist at the same time" one can say:

They found him at the base of the tree, his leg broken.

Does this sentence sound natural?


texts: "Washing" and "laundry" are synonyms or a matter of UK and US English differences?

texts:
What are the cloths that gonna be washed or just right after washing called?
Based on my naive dictionary there are 2 terms: "laundry" and "washing".

But I would like to know if they are synonyms or matter of differences between the UK English and the US English, or maybe one of them is less common.


texts: Is the Do insertion missing in this headline?

texts:
What Democrats really think about presidential tax returns

or

  What do Democrats really think about presidential tax returns


texts: The definite article with the intangible nouns

texts:
Why it is right to use "the rain" and "the lottery" in the following sentences?

If you stand in the rain, you get wet.
If I won the lottery, I would travel a lot.

Can I use "a" instead of first or second "the"?
(It becomes hard, when a noun means an abstract object.)


texts: Do I always have to use an object in English conversations?

texts:
I'm learning English without natives' help so it is kind of hard for me to confirm my English is grammatically correct or not.

One of my friend is from France and likes to point out my English mistake.

However, with all my heart, I do not like to accept it since both of us are not native English speakers.

Do I need to mention "an object" in every single sentence in a conversation?

For example:

  "do you like football?"

  "no~ not at all I dont like"

  "do you believe you teacher?"

  "nope I dont believe"

Of course if I write an essay, I will put an object every single time but in conversations, do I have to mention it every single time?


texts:
I have a question about the verb phrase "put on".  The sentence:

  He put on sunscreen.

seems to be standard English.  Would it okay to write "he put on anti-itch cream"?


texts:
What is the correct option of these following two?

  skull's bones

or

  skull bones

Please, explain me the answer, because it's something that I have often.

The context:
"22 skull bones (or skull's bone) + 34 vertebrae are equal to 56 bones."


texts: Making a compliment: how to say "this dress suits your eyes"?

texts:
How to say, that some dress matches with person's eyes. I would think of this:

  This dress suits your eyes.

But haven't found such a phrase while searhing the Internet. Please, advise.


texts: How to determine which opposing meaning of 'circumstantial'?

texts:
1. Pointing indirectly towards someone’s guilt but not conclusively proving it:

(Of a description) containing full details:

Doesn't 1 contradict 2? How to conciliate them? There are 'full details' about something should point DIRECTLY to someone's guilt, and vice versa? How can you determine which definition applies? Please explain the steps or thought processes; I’d like to resolve by myself in the future?


texts: Help understanding "didn't" and "doesn't" with the past tense

texts:
Which is the correct sentence in the examples below?

He didn't mentioned anything?
or He doesn't mentioned anything?
He didn't told me?
or He didn't tell me?  (Since, I believe we should not use two past tenses in the same sentence)


texts: loved? or beloved? (what is the difference?)

texts:
I don't know the exact meaning of 'beloved'.
Could you tell me the meaning of 'beloved'?
please, tell me the exact difference of the words.


texts:
Is Below sentence construction is correct?

Input was not flowed into the system (By admin) when he called me. So I asked him to wait*

this is because "to flow" is an intransitive verb so it cannot have a direct object. so we cannot form a passive with an intransitive verb.

Or it should be

Input did not flow into the system when he called me. So I asked him to wait*

Also,

Input was not flowed into the system*

Can we use above sentence as an information / Stative? Also can we use "flowed" as verb to be ?

Window was not opened.
He was not killed in accident.


texts: Sentence started with Verb+ing, but it's a really different structure

texts:
In the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, I came across this confusing sentence:

Facing the square is the Palazzo Marchesale, the palace of the Saggese family, once the great landowner of those parts.

I couldn't understand the sentence in terms of grammar because it seems to be reduced. But in reduced sentences, there are generally two sentences. Only one of them is reduced, because both sentences have the same subject. In my quoted sentence there is just one sentence? Could you explain this to me please?


texts:
When "standard" means the level of quality of something, it can be followed by "of", "for" or "on".

I understand that "a standard for something" emphasizes the purposefulness of the standard, and it usually means someone is making the standard "for" someone else, whereas "a standard of something" means an acceptable quality of something.

What I have trouble with is distinguishing between "standards of" and "standards on".

In a news article from the Guardian, both usages can be found: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/08/uk-could-put-tariffs-on-food-from-countries-with-lower-standards

  "We put in our manifesto our commitment to our standards of food
  safety and food security, animal welfare and the environment."

  "For a country such as the UK to insist on being able to maintain its
  own high standards on environmental protections would be legal under
  WTO rules."

Are these two usages interchangeable, or are there any nuances that I am missing?


texts: "All X but Y including W did Z" -> did W do Z?

texts:
In a the construction "All X but Y including W did Z", is it understood as W did Z, or W didn't do Z?

Example: "All kids but 2 including Bob got a candy". Did Bob get a candy?


texts: What is the structure of the following sentence? Is it right to use more than one clause is a sentence without adding linking word?

texts:
“A scene of almost unspeakable beauty presented itself, lights of every imaginable colour were issuing from the southern heavens,” he would later recall.

I see here three clauses are added in a one single sentence without even adding no linkers.
How is it possible?


texts: Difference between "it would later be" and "it was later to be"

texts:
It feels like "it would later be" is ungrammatical

while "it was later to be" or "it later became" sounds fine.

Can anyone clarify this for me?

Thank you!


texts:
My texbook give next sentence:

  I take the underground from Kings Cross Station.

I have 2 questions:

1) Am I correct that I think we use from here because Kings Cross Station is the first staion of the underground line?

2) Can I say for stations which are not the first

  I take the underground at 'particular station'

when this particular station is not the first staion of the underground line?


texts: The following of a piece of writing seems a dangling modifier!

texts:
nytimes

  Besieged in court, routed in eight states, accused of favoring blacks and Latinos at the expense of Asians and whites, affirmative action — a major legacy of the civil rights era — is once again the subject of uncomfortable scrutiny.

I think “besieged” is a dangling modifier. So i am asking myself where is the subject being modified by “besieged”?


texts: Comb vs Braid (or any specific hairstyle.)

texts:
We usually have to braid our hair to school.

What sounds a better out of the two options below:

  Do you comb your hair on your own? (Like anything, can be a braid, a ponytail etc, nothing too fancy)

  Do you braid your hair on your own?

And if the hairstyle if fancy (not for school, of course)

  Do you style your hair on your own?


texts:
1.Many biologists have attempted to simulate the conditions on earth before life evolved in order to answer questions about the origin of biological molecules.

I found the above sentence but It seems wrong to me . I perfer to say-

  Either 2. Many biologists have attempted to simulate the conditions on earth before life evolves in order to answer questions about the origin of biological molecules.

  Or 3. Many biologists had attempted to simulate the conditions on earth before life evolved in order to answer questions about the origin of biological molecules.

Actually which one is right?


texts:
Drivers who talk on their phone while driving pose a significant risk to pedestrians and other motorists and should therefore be punished.

  Drivers who talk on their phone with driving pose a significant risk to pedestrians and other motorists and should therefore be punished.

  Drivers who talk on their phone in driving pose a significant risk to pedestrians and other motorists and should therefore be punished.

  Drivers who talk on their phone driving pose a significant risk to pedestrians and other motorists and should therefore be punished.

I want to know how they are different in meaning semantically, or if needed logically.
And if there is something which does not make sense, please explain it why it does if you can.


texts:
As we use the word just for recent past:

  I've just arrived.

  They just completed their task when the manager called.

Now,

Can I use just for recent future that is going to happen shortly? As in:

  A: How far are you from the top of the hill?

  B: I'm just getting to the top.

  M: We are running late, you must complete it as soon as possible.

  N: I'm just completing it.

  X: When will the mechanic come?

  Y: He is just arriving.

Are these sentences fine and idiomatic?

How do native speakers say these?

Thanks in advance.


texts: "a clothing style to suit everyone", how do I make it less like an Ad?

texts:
Consider this conversation

  question: Why do you think jeans are popular in your country?

  answer: they come in many different styles, so there is a style to suit everyone.

In clothing, there is no such thing as "a style to suit everyone", is that expression illogical? If yes, how do I fix it?

Is this sentence clear and natural?

  ... so there is a style to suit you.

which means some style suits her, another style suits him.

Does it sound like an Ad?

How about this one? Does it sound less like an Ad?

  Most people I know like wearing jeans even at work, because it can match many kinds of styles.

Is it sentence clear and natural?


texts:
I am having a hard time deciding "will" or "would": Which one I should use in the contexts?

1- "I would/will definitely love to move into a decent place."

2- "I would/will definitely like to visit Paris next year."

I always use would with these words. But the problem is with the word "definitely". Should I use "would" or "will" definitely? I think "will definitely love" and "will definitely like" sound unnatural. Isn't it? And one more questions, Could someone please suggest some more words that can mostly be used with "would"?


texts: Origin of pronunciation of man/men and woman/women

texts: Is there is some explanation why the plural form of man and woman is pronounced in such a way?


texts:
Given the sentence:
Helen pulled everything out of her suitcase.

If I change this sentence to:

Helen took everything  out of her suitcase.
Helen took everything from her suitcase.

Which one has the same meaning as the original sentence?

took out of, or
took from.


texts:
I was wondering what is the difference between the following sentences:

  1- This building is near here and that building is far from here.

  2- This building is near here and that building is far away.

To me they both mean the same.


texts: What tense to use for an event that was no longer valid?

texts:
You know how I say I told my friend what had happened before she came to class.

Above is a time line in red. Time goes to the right. Its arrow is the present. "came" is in the past, a little back in time. I told my friend what had happned. "what had happned" is whatever happned up to the point my friend "came".

NOW. I want to say what's similar but in the present tense.

In this book, Jeremy tells his friend what has happned before she came to class

Is this grammatical?


texts: Difference between cold-hearted and hard-hearted

texts:
According to Google, cold-hearted is "lacking affection or warmth" while hard-hearted is "incapable of being moved to pity or tenderness" but I'm unable to differentiate between these meanings. Also, both have "unfeeling" as a synonym.

Can someone explain the subtle difference between the usage these words?


texts: What does the phrase "notch your arrows" mean here?

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of "notch your arrows" mentioned here.

I found the lexical meanings of the word notch here, but they don't seem to fit in the given context.

Thank you for your time.


texts:
When you are preparing baby formula to your baby. Can we say,

  Just wait a minute, I am making up a bottle for you.

For coffee, we say make a cup of coffee.

How about formula milk, what vocabulary to say you are making the milk?


texts: Which one is the correct sentence using prepositions?

texts:
I am a bit confused here. Help me clear out.

Which of the following sentences is correct?

1) We were discussing about the matter.

2) We were discussing about the whole matter.

3) We were discussing the matter.

4) We were discussing totally about the matter.

This is a job entry exam question. Hoping to get the answer soon.

Thanks in advanced.
Imran


texts: Which one is correct: Will be far from 'healed' or 'heal'?

texts:
Last week Sisi himself called for an 80 percent turnout. The actual figure – only 44 percent – was barely half that, and also less than the 52 percent who voted when Mohammed Mursi was elected two years ago.
Even some of the winner’s supporters fear Egypt’s divisions will be far from healed. “What about the half of the electorate who didn’t want Sisi?” asked one.

Source: http://euronews.com/2014/05/29/sisi-secures-crushing-win-in-egypt-presidential-vote/
Based on my intuition, the meaning of the word healed has to do with cure or heal, in such a way that one day people have stopped arguing and fighting.
My concern is whether the form of the word " heal" in passive here is perfect English or not.
Couldn't it be something like this: Even some of the winner’s supporters fear Egypt’s divisions will be far from heal or be healed. “What about the half of the electorate who didn’t want Sisi?” asked one.


texts: Definite article or not in "after (the) deformation"?

texts:
Is the word the, that sometimes is put after the word after, optional?

For example, what sentence is more appropriate? (A) or (B)?

  (A) After deformation, a point in the plane takes other position.
  (B) After the deformation, a point in the plane takes other position.


texts: What's the meaning of "that" in 'They came, in such great numbers that before night he had only twopence left for himself.'?

texts:
The prince said 'Go bury the dead, and let his creditors come to my
  lodging, and there their debts shall be paid.' They came, in such
  great numbers that before night he had only twopence left for himself.

This is from English fairy tales. I can't understand the meaning of "that". Does this "that" mean "their debts"? If so, I wonder it needs "of" like "in such great numbers of that". Or is it other meaning?


texts:
I’d like to sort through the hype and hoopla and figure out what the evidence has to say.

If this phrase is mentioning something happened in the past, why to is there, because due to the presence of to, i feel this phrase is mentioning an future action.


texts: An increasing number of patients...(has or have?)

texts:
This is taken from an exercise book, but I don't quite get it why the answer is ''have'' on this.

  An increasing number of patients seem to be dissatisfied with conventional medicine and has/have turned to alternative therapies.

Which one is the subject here, the ''an increasing number'' or the ''patients''?


texts:
is the "of" clause used correctly in the 2nd sentence? If so, what is the difference between the 1st and 2nd.

she is pretty
she is of pretty


texts:
This is from Stalin's Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan:

  Nadya left Svetlana's nanny strict instructions never to let her
  charge be idle. Svetlana remembered her nanny taking her to preschool
  for music lessons with twenty other children. Svetlana sang in a
  children's chorus and was soon taught to read and transcribe music and
  play the piano.

I think 'her' indicates Svetlana's nanny, if so what is the meaning of 'charge' here? Is it 'an assigned duty' or 'one that is entrusted to another's care'?


texts:
I'm not sure about differences in these two sentences.

I hear a noise.
I hear noise.

Is noise something you can count? What is the difference between the two?


texts: The meaning of "stand down" in this sentence

texts:
I saw this in the Oxford Online Dictionary:

  This shattering statistic crashed into Downing Street, where brows were being mopped and arrangements stood down.

This is a usage of the phrase "stand down" that I have never seen/heard before. I looked up The Free Dictionary and none of its definitions explains this usage. What does "stand down" mean here? And are there other examples of this usage that can be found in dictionaries?


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

texts:
The singing grew louder as they approached the church. It made Harry's throat constrict, it reminded him so forcefully of Hogwarts, of Peeves bellowing rude versions of carols from inside suits of armour, of the Great Hall's twelve Christmas trees, of Dumbledore wearing a bonnet he had won in a cracker, of Ron in a hand-knitted sweater ...

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I've looked up the word cracker, but I don't know which definition fits. What does it really mean here?


texts:
What  does  the  idiom  seas  the day   mean?

An Indian  cricketor  tweets  that  he  seas  the  day. What  part  of  speech  is   seas  in  the  phrase?  Is  it   a verb? How  did  the  phrase  come  into  use?

I tried  to  find  the  meaning  of  seas  and  it  is  shown as the  plural  of  sea. I  could  not  find  its  meaning  as  a verb.  The  links  could  not  help me  arrive  at  the  meaning  of  seas  the  day. I  am  at  a loss to  know  whether  seas  is  a  verb  or  a  noun  and  what  the  phrase  actually  means.

Here  are  the  two  links  which  show  seas  both  as  a noun  and  a verb

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/seas

https://www.verbix.com/webverbix/go.php?D1=30&T1=seas
Here is the link:
Jasprit Bumrah Enjoys Leisure Time Amidst Sea Water, Picturesque Sky


texts: Meaning: 'usurpations of morality perpetrated upon the law'

texts:
[Source:] Morality Has No Place in the Law, By Sarah Braasch JD (Fordham) MA in Philosophy

  ... They espouse the NOMA position, i.e. they hold to the stance that descriptive/analytic legal theory (legal positivism) and normativity are Non-Overlapping MAgisteria [Wikipedia], except for when they don’t, but they fail to acknowledge the usurpations of morality perpetrated upon the law and how the law suffers as a consequence.  ...

Would someone please explain the bolded? Does 'perpetrate an usurpation of morality' just mean 'usurp morality'? But then why UPON the law; should this be AGAINST the law?


texts:
Peter is talking about his old man, who is being taken care of under Kate.

  Peter: The docs figure a month maybe. He's pretty far gone.

  Kate: I understand.

  Peter: His wife's having kind of a rough time with it.

Is Peter saying that "a month" is the time left before the old man's death, or that the old man survived more than one month and is still surviving?
Or does it mean anything else?


texts:
He haven't done eating.

There are 3 more spoons of rice.

  "You got last 3 bites."

  "You got last 3 spoons."

As the context above, can I use bite to imply 1 spoon of rice?


texts:
which one is correct?

  How similes have been translated by different translators in this Text?

or

  How do similes have been translated by different translators in this text?


texts: "Sobbing in pain" OR "sobbing with pain"

texts:
Both sounds correct to me:

  Sobbing in / with pain.

  Screaming in / with excitement.

What would native speakers prefer?


texts:
Is it possible to write "may" only once in a sentence? Which one the sentences above is suitable for writing?

  Android may affect the system in a good way and may help in obtaining new useful features.

Or

  Android may affect the system in a good way and help in obtaining new useful features.

Writing "may" one time makes the second sentence correct meaning like the first one?


texts:
I have used the following sentence. I am not sure whether the use of word "afraid" conveys the correct meaning.

  I am afraid it did not quite answer my question


texts: Is "discover him from another side" idiomatic?

texts:
Is it okay to say "to discover a person from another side" meaning "to find out something new about a person"?
Google returns zero results for "discover him from another side"
Will it be idiomatic in English to say that?
For example,

Had I had one more month, I might have discovered Peter from another
side. But, sadly, as I had only as much time as I had, I am forced to
state here that all I know about him is that he is a rather lukewarm
player on a team showing little-to-zero enthusiasm in the project.


texts: "Why wouldn't you come meet me?" vs. "Why didn't you come meet me?"

texts:
When I was watching a movie, I came across this phrase:

  Why wouldn’t you come meet me yesterday?

What is the difference in the meaning from the other phrase:

  Why didn’t you come meet me yesterday?


texts: Someone said "Ok, talk later" when I said that I wouldn't reply for a while

texts:
So, what the title says. I'm not a native speaker and, although I have been living in the UK for 2 years, some expressions are still new to me.

Context: I met a girl 4 days ago. We went out on a date and, since then, we talked probably twice through texts (I'm away on a work trip, bad timing). Today, I finished a text by saying "I won't reply for a while, I'm going to a meeting". And she replied "Ok, talk later :)".

Now, is this the typical "See you later" or is this literal, like "Ok, talk to me later in the day"? It sounds quite stupid, but I don't know that person that well and I don't want to make any mistakes.


texts:
I don't get what he says most of the time.

I don't get what he is saying most of the time.

Do both the sentences mean the same thing here?


texts: What part of speech is "instructing ..." here?

texts:
This quotation is taken from New Concept English 3 lesson 5.

  "The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which
  surrounds the president's palace.' The editor at once sent the
  journalist a telegram instructing him to find out the exact number of
  steps and the height of the wall."

Is "instructing ..." here an adjective modifying the telegram or an adverb of purpose?

Can I replace "instructing" with "to instruct" without affecting the meaning of the sentence?

What about putting a comma in front of "instructing"? Does it still mean the same thing?


texts: What’s the difference between nervous, anxious and fearful

texts:
All the three words seem to be interchangeable and I have searched Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Dictionaries.
Oxford Dictionaries link:
https://www.lexico.com/definition/nervous
https://www.lexico.com/definition/anxious
https://www.lexico.com/definition/fearful
Cambridge Dictionary Link:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/nervous?q=Nervous
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/anxious
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fearful
When can these three words and other words relating to “fear” used?Are they interchangeable?


texts: Can I use "Who is you" when I ask a robot?

texts: An artificially intelligent robot performs as a human being but it's not a person. If I ask someone else about this robot, I must ask "What is it?" (considering it as an object) but when I ask this question itself, can I use "Who is you?" (considering it as an object who can answer)?


texts: What is the difference between raw food and ingredients?

texts:
What is the difference between Raw foods and Ingredients?
For examples, meats, vegetables, salt or sugar, sauce and so on.
How can I sort those things?

Before I cook, I should wash up X first.
I should wash up X, before I start cooking.

By this, I mean I need to wash some raw foods that are with some dirt like soil, dust or agricultural pesticides or chemicals, but I don't need to wash ingredients like sugar and salt.


texts: "Building of [ noun ]" vs "Building [ noun ]"

texts:
I was asked by one of my coworkers if there is a difference between "Building of human relationships" and "Building human relationships".
I couldn't find any discussion on this topic through google searches or even searching specific sites.
My gut reaction is that "Building of A" puts emphasis on the product, where as "Building A" emphasizes the process, but I don't know if that's correct.
I know that "Building of A" can only be used as a noun, whereas "building A" can be used in verb phrases as well as a noun. Is there any difference beyond that?


texts: What does "sticky" mean in this context?

texts:
Could you please tell what is meant in this context by "sticky"? Does it mean that little girl was irksome as all the little kids use to be? Thanks a lot for help.

"He knew it was dangerous; the Nazis often left a young soldier behind to round up the strays, anyone coming to look for their loved ones. But in this moment Fabrice almost hoped for arrest, to be reunited with his family, even under these circumstances. He was desperate to know what had happened to them, where they had been taken. Would they be sent to a work camp? Or perhaps they would be released—some people were released, after all, and Marc-Antoine had skills that might be useful to the occupying forces. Capucine was nothing but a sticky cherub, barely five years old; surely she would not be seen as any kind of threat. "

J. Blackwell "Lost carousel of Provence"


texts: How to say about waiting time change "waiting time was ..."?

texts:
I want to use some phrase with waiting time and not sure if they are valid and not artificial:

waiting time was reduced by 10 minutes - was 20 minutes and now is 10 minutes
waiting time was extended by 10 minutes - was 10 minutes and now is 20 minutes
waiting time was extended to one month - was something less than and now is month

waiting time - I mean as time to wait for something.

How will native speakers say in the most natural way?


texts:
Source: UFO fanatics spot ancient god on Mars

Example:

  If you squint and let your imagination run wild, then you can see the resemblance to ancient sculptures like you might find in the British Museum. It especially echoes a Neo-Assyrian attendant god dedicated to Nabu, a god of wisdom.

What is an attendant god exactly?


texts: Nowadays many people like streaming to share their life, personality, happiness or excitement of gaming, and a streamer might have many different topics/interest to share. How to describe those things by a word so I can say: "His channel features A, B, C, ..., etc". I have found that the platform Twitch uses "Categories" but I'm not sure whether this is suitable for me, since my need is to create column name for a table of name Streamer, but the interest of different streamer might differ a lot. For example some streamers only stream about IRL(In Real Life, and some just playing game, and maybe some have a lot, and the interest of a streamer is not fixed, it might change in every year. Is there any better choice than "Categories"? My intuition tells me its kind of vague.


texts:
"Whether common ones as to callings and earnings," pursued Joe,
  reflectively, "mightn't be the better of continuing for to keep
  company with common ones, instead of going out to play with oncommon
  ones,—which reminds me to hope that there were a flag, perhaps?"

This paragraph except the last sentence is so puzzling to me(especially the bold faced ones). Im assuming the words dont mean what they mean today. Can anyone decipher each sentence in todays words?


texts: Girl calling "Dad" to a friend? What does this mean?

texts:
I'm reading comic books from the 60's, I happen to be in the middle of The Amazing Spiderman. In this particular issue Peter Parker and Mary Jane are having a conversation:

  -Tell me M.J, Don't you ever stop to catch your breath?

  -Like why, Dad?

REAL QUESTION

Why does she call him "dad"? Isn't it weird?

Here's another conversation from another issue where she calls him dad.


texts: Parallelism - "answering" or "would answer"

texts:
Is my correction correct, as there is parallelism error?

  Original: In exchange, he agreed that the ABC would operate under the
  jurisdiction of the Defense and Interior Ministries, rather than answering directly to him.

  corrected: In exchange, he agreed that the ABC would operate under the
  jurisdiction of the Defense and Interior Ministries, rather than directly answer to him.

Reason: I think [ABC would] is common for both the clauses
i.e.

[ABC would] operate under the jurisdiction of the Defense and Interior Ministries, rather than [ABC would] directly answer to him


texts: Do we need two adjectives in a sentence to describe this?

texts:
He is a good person and a good teacher.
  He is a good person and a teacher.

Do both the sentences mean the same? Does second sentence mean that he is a good teacher or simply a teacher?


texts: How to use infinitive after 'to be' verbs?

texts:
I wonder how an infinitive should be used after a to be verbs, i.e. does the infinitive used this way have to use 'to' or not. For example:

  All you have to do is sit (or to sit or sitting??) and wait.
  So, what we did in this lecture was create (to create or creating??) a new style for our  activity ...


texts: When 'but' means 'exception', what if we put 'not'?

texts:
From StoneyB's answer:

  You may clench grass or earth or soil, but the ground.

I know this structure and have read this at many places. It's perfectly fine. But then, is this sentence redundant/incorrect/not preferable? In all cases, why?

  You may clench grass or earth or soil, but not the ground.


texts:
Is it correct to say that "whatever" here suggests a conditional?
"The meaning of a poem is whatever meaning a reader assigns to it."
I am not sure whether the sentence can be reworded as
either
"If a reader assigns a certain meaning to a poem, then the poem has it."
or
"If a poem has a certain meaning, then the meaning is assigned by its readers."
Could someone help explain the difference?
Thank you very much,
Leon


texts:
I’m reading The Greedy Queen by Annie Gray. The author quotes a court lady’s diary entry about the unfailing daily routine at Queen Victoria’s court, such as breakfast at a quarter to ten, tea at five thirty, and dinner at nine. Then the court lady says:

  This routine never varies by a hair’s breadth, as soon a revolution as
  to drive in the morning and walk after lunch, and boiled beef on
  Thursday and ‘mehlspeise mit ananas’ on Friday recur with unfailing
  regularity.

The definition of “as soon as” given by the dictionaries doesn’t seem to fit this context and I’m confused about what “as soon a revolution as to” means. Is she saying that “to drive in the morning and walk after lunch, and boiled beef on Thursday and mehlspeise mit ananas on Friday” are also routines that occur regularly, or quite the contrary, that they seldom do those things?


texts: How to say that you had some memories, but not anymore using "remember"?

texts:
Let's say in the past I knew some information, but now it's forgotten. How to do it with the word "remember"? Can I use "I remembered it when..." for that case?

An example:
-You don't remember the formula.
-I remembered it when I was in a school.
-Whatever, now you don't.


texts:
It is also applicable to a process (as of natural development) in which the events occur in an order contrary to the usual or progressive; thus. an animal that passes from a more complex to a simpler and often degenerate state during development is said to manifest retrograde development.

I would appreciate it very much, if somebody possibly throw a light on this explanation, maybe through another vivid example or simplification, as I am wondering about its concept.

Extracted from Merriam Webster


texts:
I just read the expression "a more senior colleague" in another stackexchange forum. I am not a native speaker but this sounds wrong to me: to my ear "senior" means "older", so "more senior" sounds like "more older" to me.

So which is correct, "a senior colleague" or "a more senior colleague"? Or are both expressions correct?


texts: the present tense that refers to the future and is of noun clauses that is a subject

texts:
He will surely walk on the moon. And that he (makes/will make) his footprint on the moon's surface will move many people.

I made this sentence up.
Which tense must I use, and why? Is the present tense that refers to the future and is of noun clauses that are a subject possible? I would appreciate many opinions.


texts: How to express something that is happening in the future

texts:
If something is being written in the past tense, is it correct to say:

  He was graduating high school in June and entering college in August?

How should it be stated?


texts:
I have an infographic I am creating and we are struggling to design a title that uses some larger words.

The original name was "9 Easy Steps To Buying Nonprofit Fundraising Software" and now after some time on the cutting floor, it has become a tie between:

"9 Step Guide To Buy NonProfit CRM"
"9 Part Guide To Buy NonProfit CRM"
"Roadmap To Buy NonProfit CRM"
"Navigation To Buy NonProfit CRM"

So the one I am having trouble with is the last one, which I have designed as below:

So basically, does this read well to you? Is the grammar of it bad enough to stop you from reading on? If not, how could I change it?


texts: The difference between "so far", "by now", "before" or "before now" in the Present Perfect

texts:
Can I use this adeverbs of time in order to convey my experience which I've got at the moment of speaking? I mean:

  I've done it many times before now.
  I've done it many times by now.
  I've done it many times before.
  I've done it many times so far.

Are they equal and have the same meaning?

Maybe "so far" has some kind of negative implication?

  I haven't heard this legend so far.
  He hasn't done it so far.


texts: position of "Addressing concerns over the impact of the release"

texts:
What's the difference between the following sentences? Suppose the sentence occurs in the third paragraph of a news report, and the first paragraph mentions the decision faces opposition from home and abroad. Which version is more natural?

a. The prime minister pledged that his administration would ensure the safety levels of the wastewater, addressing concerns over the impact of the release.

b. Addressing concerns over the impact of the release, the prime minister pledged that his administration would ensure the safety levels of the wastewater.


texts: The meaning of "find up and down the church"

texts:
And, as the singing began, all the people who were in the pews within
  the wall came out of them and streamed through the archway into the
  nave. They took what places they could find up and down the
  church, and the rest of the congregation looked at them in
  amazement.

This is from "The Great Return" by Arthur Macken.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/35611/35611-h/35611-h.htm

I don't undestand the meaning of the sentence below.
They took what places they could find up and down the church,

I am glad if someone would kindly teach me.


texts:
I wonder, what is the etymology of "pay attention"? Why the word "pay"?

Please, pay attention to what I am telling you.

Other versions sound logical but incorrect:

Please, be attentive to what I am telling you.
Please, keep your attention to what I am telling you.

However, this sound fine:

Please, listen attentively to what I am telling you.

I guess "pay" works in the same way in other combinations, but why and how?

Please, pay your respects to the deceased.


texts:
If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater suggest that he wear a tail. (Author Fran Lebowitz)

How a person could wear a tail?


texts:
I've written this sentence:

  Please make recommendations on how to improve language skills.

Is it a valid/good language construct? I'm confused about which preposition to use. I've found examples with 'on', 'about', 'to' and 'for'.

Which preposition should I use? Is there a better way to phrase it?


texts: How to call a person who teaches people to speed-read (preferrably in Am. E.)? A trainer seems too old-fashioned for me, while the word "coach" doesn't exactly fit this scope of activity and sound more like something belonging to sport. Maybe there is some other suitable word for that? Speed-reading tutor/mentor/or maybe simply teacher?


texts: Does this article have "adverbs" and "conjunctions" mixed up?

texts:
This is what the site says:

  Now used as both an adverb (first example) and a conjunction (second
  example):

  Now I need to pull my pie out of the oven.

  Now, I know it’s a bad
  idea, but I’m going to do it anyway.

This is from Macmillan Dictionary:

  as an adverb:

  Now, what shall we do next?

  as a conjunction, often with ‘that’:

  Now that I’m married, I don’t go out in the evenings so much.

I think the adverb now should be the one without the comma, and the conjunction now the one with a comma? And, therefore, the first site has the adverb and conjunction mixed up?


texts:
Toby Keith said of Obama in 2009:

  I'm giving our commander in chief a chance before I start grabbing. So far, I'm cool with it."

It appears on Toby Keith's Wikipedia page and originally apparently came from a Politico article.

What does the verb "grab" mean in this context? It does sound like to grasp.

Edit:

Courtesy of godel9, the original interview is available in video here.


texts: Why do we use "car + by" in this sentence?

texts:
From The Killing (TV_series) :

  Can I help you, sir?
      Yeah, you can help me.
      My name's Stan Larsen.
      Detective Holder promised to
      send a car by to watch my house

I understand that completely, but my question is why "car by" ? Why do we use by in here ? Why don't we just say car?

other section :

  You said you'd send a car by.
      My kids are terrified.
      What-- what the hell are you
      people doing about it?


texts:
Which question should be asked about one pair of trousers as a plurale tantum noun denoting the single object (with two trouser legs although)?

  What's this? (They're trousers.)

or

  What are these? (They're trousers.)

I sometimes give English lessons and try to find a better approach to explaining the rules. Imagine a situation when a child is given a picture of trousers. The child sees one thing consisting of two parts. And I know that "trousers" is a plural noun. Which question am I supposed to ask?


texts: Is there any difference between" yet " and "and yet"?

texts:
Despite what has just been said:
They are SYNONYMS nevertheless.

It's a small car, yet it's surprisingly spacious.
He has a good job, and yet he never seems to have any money.

Considering the explanations above, would you tell me if there is any difference between the followings?
Yet
And yet


texts: How can I use the word example as an adjective?

texts:
How can I use the word "example" as an adjective?
I want to say something like "Give 5 example words for the letter B".

Is that Ok to use it that way or I have to change something here (because it <=the word "example"> is a noun that can be also plural)?


texts: I have no choice but verb(to / -ing or none)

texts:
Which one is correct?

  I have no choice but to kill you.

  I have no choice but killing you.

  I have no choice but kill you.

or do they have different meanings?


texts: What does ‘towards the end of the week’ exactly mean?

texts:
If someone says to me that I can call her towards the end of the week, what does it exactly mean?

Should I...

call her anytime from now until the end of the week?

not call her until nearly the end of the week?

call her anytime but preferably at the end of the week?


texts: A question about the proper usage of articles

texts:
I am working on my paper in English. It concerns the so-called problem of perception. The concept of the problem of perception is part of epistemological literature about perception; some argue that as long as we have illusions, hallucinations etc. our ordinary conception of perception is false. I am trying to show that the argument is incorrect itself. Since perception itself, as a phenomenon, does not 'suffer' from any such problem but, as I argue, the mentioned argument does, I think it would be useful to emphasize this in the title. This seems due for against the background of the 'infallibility' of perception itself the falsity of the argument will become more salient. So far I have had this version as a working one:

Is the "Problem of Perception" a Problem of Perception?

As I understand, article "the" supports there the meaning of a specific epistemological problem the reader is familiar with, and article "a" that of one problem of the possible many of perception itself. Yet am not sure that the articles actually support the meaning I would like to express by the title. So here is my question:

Does the above combination of articles, 'the' and 'a', respectively support the intended meaning?


texts: Do I need to make the following changes when writing an abbreviation?

texts:
In math, there is a concept called random variable, and for convenience people usually just write r.v. I have some questions regarding writing the abbreviation r.v. in a sentence.

Would a native speaker read (in their mind) r.v. as the two letters "R V" or as its original spelling "random variable"? In other words, should I write

  Consider an r.v.

or

  Consider a r.v.

Should the plural form be

  r.v.'s

If not, then what?

I'd also appreciate a general rule not specific to this particular example.


texts: "I don't think there's someone home." vs "I don't think there's anyone home."

texts:
I saw this question on a test:

"I don't think there's _________ home."

One has to put a word in the empty space. So I thought to myself: someone or anyone?
On one hand, my first reaction was to say "I don't think there's anyone home." because negative and question sentences are usually made with "any".
On the other hand, there are two simple sentences in the big one: "I don't think" and "there's ______ home". And usually, the second sentence is in postive form (like in "Tell me where the car is."). So it must be "I don't think there's someone home.". Since the question was on a test, there's only one possible answer but I feel that both are correct (with a slight difference in meaning). The question was independent, there were no surrounding sentences to give context. Which one is the correct choice and why?


texts: What does "from the school, deep into the grounds" mean here?

texts:
I am wondering what "from the school, deep into the grounds" means in the following sentences:

‘Survival?’ Hannah turns to him.
‘This game we used to play at school,’ Femi explains.
Duncan’s wife Georgina chips in: ‘Oh God. Duncan’s told me stories
about it. Really awful stuff. He told me about boys being taken out of
their beds at night, left in the middle of nowhere—’
‘Yeah, that’s what happened,’ Femi says. ‘They’d kidnap a younger boy
from his bed and take him as far as they could away from the school,
deep into the grounds.’
‘And we’re talking big grounds,’ Angus says. ‘And the middle of
nowhere. Pitch-black. No light from anything.’
‘It sounds barbaric,’ Hannah says, her eyes wide.

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 15

The speakers are at the rehearsal dinner the day before the wedding between Jules and Will. The ushers all went to the same public school as Will, and they are now remembering the game they used to play at school, which is called "Survival." (The narrator here is Johnno.)
I looked "grounds" up and found that it means the ground surrounding the school, i.e., the land inside the fence of the school, but I am confused because they took younger boys "from the school" and "deep into the grounds."
I guess I am confused because I am thinking that "grounds" are included in the "school."
Would it be perhaps right to understand that they took the younger boy to a place far "from the school building itself" all the way to the place "deep into the land that the school owns"...? Or, would that perhaps mean they took the boy out of the school entirely and hid the boy somewhere in a nearby region...?


texts: So + adjective + that / so + adjective + (as) + to-infinitive / too + adjective + to-infinitive

texts:
I have two questions that have made me confused since yesterday.

a) Is it possible to use "so+adjective+to-infinitive" form instead of using "so+adjective+as+to-infinitive"? Is it possible to make the meaning remain the same?

b) I saw this explanation in the internet says "This structure(too + adjective + to- infintive) is used to explain why someone can’t do something". But in my example(the fourth sentence), the sentence isn't explain why she can't do something. The sentence explainig why she can do but the thing she do is too idiotic.

  1-She is so stupid that she believed his so-called claims

  2-She is so stupid as to believe his so-called claims

  3-She is so stupid to believe his so-called claims

  4-She is too stupid to believe his so-called claims.


texts: Bags collection, Bag collection or Bag collections

texts:
She is showcasing her designer bags collection.

She is showcasing her knitted bag collection

Are the above sentences grammatically correct?
For the second sentence, I'm thinking if I should use bag instead of bags because they are of the same nature. While the first sentence refer to more than one designer's bags and hence a bags collection.


texts: How to say concisely that something solves a big problem for a small group of people?

texts:
I have a blog post that talks about products and services that solve a big problem for a small group of people. I mean, products that specialize in a segment and solve a problem that is very important for them. I am looking for a way to suggest that idea and express it in a short way.

Is it correct to say "help a lot to a few" or "to help very much to a few people"?

Is "help a lot to a few" correct? I know that is not a complete phrase. I want to be something short for a graphic. So I am looking for a suggestion more than an explanation. Is it correct in that context?


texts:
It is funny how you say that.
  It is amazing what you did.
   It
  is terrible why it happened.

Those sentences have same structure: It is + adjective + wh clause.

My question is, is it always possible to use this sentence structure with ANY adjective? I sometimes find this sentence hard to use with some adjectives like "happy".

Also, please tell me the name of this sentence. It would help me greatly. Thank you.


texts: What do people want to express when they ask "What is it with something?"

texts:
Plot:
An American housewife moved to Westport and people only drank juice rather than alcohol in there. She said,

  What is it with Westport and the juice?

I don't think this is ask the connection between Westport and juice.


texts: What's the name for those who take hitchhikers?

texts: Is there a name for those who take hitchhikers in their cars? (compared with buyer and seller).


texts: I am studying for the Toefl test, I found this sentence in one book, it looks strange to me, is it right?

texts:
Is this sentence right

  Its original justifications outmoded, its operations inscrutable, and its effects at odds with the goals of a democracy, the Electoral College is an institution that some would like to abandon.

from Kaplan Toefl prep.? Why the book did not say

  Its original justifications are outmoded, its operations are inscrutable..."

I don't know the reason, is it a typing error? Or is it still grammatically correct?


texts: Computational budget vs. computing budget vs. computation budget

texts:
I want to talk about how much CPU/GPU time an activity requires. Shall I call it "computational budget", "computing budget", or "computation budget"?

Both terms have around 20k results on Google.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimal_computing_budget_allocation talks about both computational budget and computing budget in a seemingly interchangeable way.


texts: Which of the following is more appropriate?

texts:
Cambridge dictionary says :

  They have three children UNDER the age of five.

While Learners dictionary.com says :

  The game is suitable for children BELOW the age of ten.

I am really confused about UNDER and BELOW in the reference of age.

Please recommend me a site to go for.

Thanks I advance.


texts:
FOR MOST of 2020 shares in GameStop, a struggling seller of video games with more than 4,000 shops across America, fetched a few dollars apiece. The stock languished as the pandemic shuttered malls. But in August Ryan Cohen, the former boss of Chewy, an online pet-food store, started amassing a large stake. In November he wrote an animated letter to the board, urging them to review GameStop's business and invest in e-commerce to boost online sales. Investors seemed to like his plan: by January 11th, when he took a seat on GameStop’s board, his 12.7% stake had doubled in value. The shares were worth around $20.

Can "for most of 2020 shares in GameStop" be the subject of sentence？ Or should I read it as"for most of 2020,  shares in GameStop fetched a few dollars apiece"?
article link ：https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/01/27/day-traders-have-sent-gamestops-share-price-sky-high


texts:
I'm going to Spain tomorrow. The last time I visited Spain it
was great. After that, I will go home.

Why don't English speakers say

I'm going to home.

I have visited to Spain.

"To" would be a preposition, right?

Home ( Adverb as it describes the "going", therefore no need to add the preposition = I'm going home.
What would the rule be here?

No "to" because __________  = I have visited to Spain.

Why would it work to change visited with gone? = I have gone to Spain.

Thanks in advance


texts:
It’s a complicated story, a tale of an uncompromisingly dedicated
  father who transferred his own ambitions onto his talented daughter,
  who monitored and controlled nearly every aspect of her personal and
  professional life from the day she was born, who never let anyone or
  anything get in the way of her perfect success, even after the worst
  tragedy. Everyone has a hot take of the man. Most of them are
  unflattering, if you’re the type of person who cares about that kind
  of thing—which Mr. Quintanilla is not. Everyone who has ever reported
  on Selena has a story about his or her own frightening interaction
  with him. An editor at this magazine has one.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/amor-prohibido/#sthash.wAVluySK.dpuf

What does the bold sentence mean?

Thank you.


texts: What do we call a person who wants to ship his vehicle from one state to another?

texts:
What do we call a person who wants to ship his or her car from one place to another?

I know the person who does it is a trucker or shipper, but I don't know what to call that person who wants to ship his car.


texts: Can we use another word instead of "Might" in Optative Sentence in Narration?

texts:
For example
They said,"long live our democracy!"
They wished that their democracy might live long !
whether the word 'might' in this sentence  is representing possibility?


texts: Which preposition is correct and why? To or For?

texts:
Which one of the following sentence is correct and why?

This letter is very important to your admission.
This letter is very important for your admission.


texts:
The following is from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I'm wondering whether the boldfaced part is likely to have been "would we be":

Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed? It was a bold question, and one which has ever been considered as a mystery; yet with how many things are we upon the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our enquiries.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
I am so confused about the singular and plural forms of observation in academic writing.

Here is an example:

  The improved model showed a better performance than the prior model based on observations.

The context of the example sentence is:
I compared the improved model with the prior model in terms of different variables (e.g., precipitation, temperature, radiation). Due to so, different observational datasets were used.

Should I use observation or observations?

Thank you so much.


texts:
The greater the intensity of hard work, greater is the success.

  The greater is the intensity of hard work, greater is the success.

Are these sentences grammatical?

Does the first one has verb implied in itself?


texts:
Two sentences which are given below. which sentence should be correct while conversion?

One problem happens, whenever i go to market.

One problem is happened, whenever i go to market.


texts: Using of 'past perfect' in indirect narration

texts:
We know that in indirect narration, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, for the reported verb simple past is changed to past perfect.
For example,

Direct narration: I said to you, "Did you know why I liked you?"

Indirect narration : I asked you whether you had known why I had liked you.

Use of 'had' twice in the above sentence sounds awkward. But is it grammatically correct?


texts: Are "stress" and "distress" interchangable?

texts:
Are the words distress, and stress interchangeable? I have heard them used in the same place, but are they the same?

  He was very (stressed/distressed) about his co-workers thoughts of his idea.


texts: Can we use be in its basic form without any auxiliary verb?

texts:
Be can be used without auxiliary

But for commands. For example

  Be cool
  Be stylish
  Be as you are

But what about this sentence

  Peace be upon you?


texts: "I wish I had never woke up" or "I wish I had never woken up" - which is correct?

texts:
I would like to say in Spanish "desearia nunca haberme depertado" but in Google translator it appears like  "I wish I had never woke up", is that correct? I thought it was "I wish I had never woken up" or something like that.
Which one is correct and why?


texts: "increasingly globalized world" , can it be "increasingly globalizing world" if I were to talk in present continuous manner?

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

there are 280 million French speakers in this increasingly globalizing world

if not, what's wrong?


texts: How is salmon spawn and death 'Shakespearean cruelty'?

texts:
[Source] The chief problem is that some B.C. sockeye species are in trouble. Each year four-year-old sockeye swim up the Fraser River in a spectacular bid to return to the freshwater streams where they hatched four years earlier. There they spawn and die, their bloated corpses testifying to nature’s almost Shakespearean cruelty. The number of returning individuals offers vital clues about the species’ health and helps determine how much fishing will be allowed—and is therefore subject to much scrutiny and speculation ....

I submit that the counterintuitive, inanely wasteful spawn of salmon is ironic, because they suffer and die while trying to return to their origins, which is cruel to them. Yet how is this cruelty Shakespearean?


texts:
In translate I can not see an passive voice. Translation result means:

My eyes closed.

If "My eyes are closed" sentences is passive voice, who was done by?


texts: The use of articles before the proper names of shops

texts:
Let's say I am going to buy a new phone and, say, Apple is the brand of my choice. So which one sounds the most natural?

  I am going to buy a phone at Apple.
  I am going to buy a phone at Apple's
  I am going to buy a phone at an Apple.
  I am going to buy a phone at an Apple's.
  I am going to buy a phone at an Apple store.
  I am going to buy a phone at an Apple's store.

If any of these doesn't sound right, what would a native English speaker say?


texts: "largely transshipping goods produced elsewhere"--participle clause or shortened relative clause?

texts:
A century ago, Carribean, Chinese, and African ports were open for trade and served as flourishing entrepôts, largely transshipping goods produced elsewhere. (
From　https://eml.berkeley.edu/~eichengr/research/brooking.pdf )

Should the bold part considered as a participle clause or a shortened relative clause?
How do I discern each?


texts: "the job of a teacher being to make the facts and rules explicit and convey them to the student."

texts:
This is a sentence from an LSAT:

Behind the hope that computers can replace teachers is the idea that
the student's understanding of the subject being taught consists in
knowing facts and rules, the job of a teacher being to make the facts
and rules explicit and convey them to the student.

Regarding the latter part "the job of a teacher being ...", I am not sure what grammar is used here and why there is no conjunction.
Thank you very much,
Leon


texts: Articles with the names of pop stars and a word "concert" - which sentences are correct?

texts:
Could you help me with a proper use of articles?

  A. I was at a Madonna concert in London last week.

  B. I was at a Madonna's concert in London last week.

  C. I was at Madonna concert in London last week.

  D. I was at a Madonna's concert in London last week.

What about names and surnames?

  E. I was at an Ewa Farna concert in London last week.

  F. I was at an Ewa Farna's concert in London last week.

  G. I was at Ewa Farna concert in London last week.

  H. I was at Ewa Farna's concert in London last week.

And finally what about bands, especially in plural or in foreign language?

Wilki in English means (Wolves)

  I. I was at a Wilki concert in London last week.

  J. I was at Wilki concert in London last week.

  K. I was at Wilki's concert in London last week.

  L. I was at a Scorpions concert in London last week.

  M. I was at Scorpions concert in London last week.

  N. I was at Scorpions' concert in London last week.

  O. I was at Scorpions's concert in London last week.

Which versions are correct? What should I use?

Could you provide a good explanation?


texts: Water / a beverage that contains small gas bubbles

texts:
What is normally called fizzy water that contains many small bubbles of gas?

Carbonated water
Sparkling water
Soda

To me they all mean the same thing, though I think "soda" is a sweet type of (carbonated / sparkling) water, though I'm not quite confident.
The same goes with every other beverage. Does "carbonated" and "sparkling" work the same with any other liquid / beverage except for water?
Please kindly enlighten me.


texts:
"He is knowing him for ten years".

Is the above-mentioned sentence wrong, if yes. Why? Please correct this sentence.

Regards


texts: Is this sentence correct? I got my driving licence so I can go to work also by car

texts:
I want to send an email to the place where I work
Hi....,
I hope you are doing well. Just a quick email to let you know that I got my driving license so I can go to work also by car.


texts:
The breaking of his jug was too natural an accident to excite suspicion.

What does natural function here, in the sentence?

Why is it not written this way: “a too natural accident”

My opinion, I think, is that “too natural” functioning as an adjective, but it is separated from “accident” to show some kind of emphasis.

What us your take on this case?


texts:
https://www.webnovel.com/book/9795095706003005/26751507756023404/Seized-by-the-System/The-System-is-Fighting-for-Justice-

  Fang Ning’s height was comparable to his in a fight, but that body
  size was leagues away.

I don't understand "leagues away". I also think "his in a fight" is strange.


texts: Meanings of "back up" in American English

texts:
The Macmillan Dictionary entry for back up reads

  [intransitive/transitive] if traffic backs up, or if it is backed up, the vehicles are in a long line and waiting to continue moving

    4a. if a toilet, sink, or drain backs up, or if it is backed up, water cannot flow through it because something is blocking it

    4b. if a system backs up, or if it is backed up, it has slowed down or stopped working because there is too much of something for it to deal with

Here are these meanings common in American English? Are they used in daily life conversations?


texts: A comparison between the verbs "To put in order" and "tidy (up)"

texts:
Dictionaries acknowledge that to put (something) in order means: "to clean or tidy something". Also, tidy (up) something means: "to make a place or a collection of things tidy."

Now, I need to know how the following sentences differ in meaning:

  1-1- Help me put the house in order before mom and dad get back.
  1-2- Help me tidy up the house before mom and dad get back.

And

  2-1- Put all these books in order.
  2-2- Tidy up all these books.

And finally:

  3-1-I'm tired of asking you to tidy your room up.
  3-2- I'm tired of asking you to put your room in order.

To me both sentences in each group are interchangeable.


texts:
Look  these below sentences:

  He is angry about the fact

  He is angry for the fact

why I can't say angry for instead of saying angry about?


texts: "BE to VERB" construction in "you are to blame"

texts:
The plane is to take off at 9pm
  You are to blame

1 refer to what will happen in the future as the "be + to +verb" construction is normally used for. In 2, "you" is like the object of "blame". Could you explain this usage to me?


texts:
Cambridge Grammar said:

  We use in to say how long it takes someone to do something:

  He was such a clever musician. He could learn a song in about five minutes.

  We use an apostrophe -s construction (in a year’s time, in two months’
  time) to say when something will happen. We don’t use it to say how
  long someone takes to do something:

  I won’t say goodbye because we’ll be seeing each other again in three days’ time. We can also say in three days, without time, in this
  example.

  He ran the marathon in six hours and 20 minutes.

  Not: He ran the marathon in six hours and 20 minutes’ time.

In oxford dictionary,

  in:- during a period of time

  in 2009

  in the 18th century

  in spring/summer/autumn/winter

  in the fall

  in March

  in the morning/afternoon/evening

  I'm getting forgetful in my old age.

  in:- after a particular length of time

  to return in a few minutes/hours/days/months.

  It will be ready in a week's time (= one week from now).

  She learnt to drive in three weeks (= after three weeks she could
  drive).

so, Does Cambridge Grammar mean?

He could learn a song in about five minutes.=He could learn a song during about five minutes.?

&

we’ll be seeing each other again in three days’ time= we’ll be seeing each other again after three days?

So, "in 5 minutes" means either "during 5 minutes" or "after 5 minutes" right?


texts: Can a nominal phrase (the size of bullets) modify another noun word (Raindrops) as in "Raindrops the size of bullets"?

texts:
Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flowerbeds turned into muddy streams and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds.

My question is how we should take "Raindrops the size of bullets" from the grammar standpoint. Is it a noun phrase "the size of bullets" modifying another noun word 'Raindrops'? Or it's kind of omission for Raindrops which had the size of bullets?

How should we understand it from the grammar standpoint?

-- From Harry Potter.


texts: What does the phrase "absurdly" mean in this contextual setting?

texts: Marriage is an absurdly painful communion.


texts: "...I expected would come" or "...I would have expected to come"?

texts:
Example:

  Of all the people who wanted to join the trip, Jane was the last one I
  expected would come.

  Of all the people who wanted to join the trip, Jane was the last one I would have
  expected to come.

I suspect one of them is grammatically incorrect, though I'm not sure which one.


texts: Second conditional in possible past situations

texts:
If they arrested every dude out there for tipping back a High Life there'd be no other time for any other kind of police work.
(The wire , tv series)

In this example commissioner is talking about an incident that happened before his time which means this conversation is about possible situation in the past and its possible result in the past not about imagined situation and its possible result in present or future.

The reason why I am confused is that whenever I search about the structure of the second conditionals they express the intent of the second conditional as "We use the second conditional to talk about the possible result of an imagined situation in the present or future" . And in my example second conditional was used for "possible situation in the (past)", like first conditional but this time possible situation and its possible result that we are talking about is in the past .So why do we use second conditional form when the situation is not a hypothetical situation and its results are not in present or future (it is in past)


texts:
If I don’t use a comma before the word who in this sentence below, then would it imply that I have more than one sister (supposing the speaker had only one sister)?

  I received a gift from my sister who just got back from Japan.

If it does, do I have to put a comma before the word who in this case?


texts: Which to use, or/and/vs. in "When should you use X (or/and/vs.) Y"?

texts:
I am writing an article that explains when to use X instead of Y and vice versa (meaning that one can choose either one from X and Y as one's needs fit), that is the relative advantages/disadvantages of using one over the other. Now which one from the three sentences below is a correct title for my article?

When should you use X and when should you use Y?
When should you use X and Y?
When should you use X or Y?
When should you use X vs. Y?

1 seems correct to me, but verbose. I have seen both 2 and 3 in many writings, and 4 only sometimes if I have seen it at all. Which of them suits best as my article title?

I will happily accept any other smarter alternative, even if that completely changes the sentence construct.


texts:
Which form is preferred when we speak about the region in South America and not the Amazon river?

Do we need to use the definite article before Amazon and no article at all before Amazonia?

  "There are snakes in Amazonia."

  "There are snakes in the Amazon."

Are these sentences grammatically correct?


texts: Difference between past simple and present perfect

texts:
How are these two sentences different in meaning?

  1) She looks very familiar; I have seen her somewhere before.

  2) She looks very familiar; I saw her somewhere before.


texts: What is the meaning of "play it razor" in this sentence?

texts:
Context: Sheriff & Doctor Samuel discuss about Michael Myers (serial killer) escapes & wandering into the streets to get his sister Laurie who is adopted by Strodes.

  Doctor: I don't know, Sheriff, but it's not good.

  Sheriff: If I break a promise I made a long time ago, then you must
  promise that you will play it razor, and I mean razor, straight with
  me.

  Sheriff: (Dailing phone to Strodes)


texts: How to convert advice to reported speech?

texts:
On social media, you should only connect to people you know well.

How should the sentence be converted to reported speech? He said that …??

I know very well the rules of reported speech, yet this sentence has really confused me especially the verb "know". Do I have to follow the rules and make it "knew" or can I keep it as it is?? and why?


texts: Did I ever! -- what does this emphatic statement exactly mean when you say it?

texts:
Example:

  — Did you see how Bill came in to work this morning?
  — Did I ever! Boy, was he hot under the collar!
  — What brought that on?
  — He said that he was extremely angry because he got stuck in slow-moving traffic and arrived late for an important business meeting.

What does this emphatic statement exactly mean and how to use it? Please, explain the grammar behind it. And also proving some more examples would be much appreciated. Thank you.


texts:
According to The British Council description, links-verbs are followed by either a noun or an adjective.

In the following sentence, "smiling" is a verb, and as I see it, "is" acts as a linking verb.

  "Jane is smiling."

If my assumption is correct, how does it correlate with the definition above? I mean, if we say that links-verbs are followed by either a noun or an adjective, how come we have a verb (smiling) afterward?


texts: "When I first moved here" -- is it "first" of many times?

texts:
Consider this sentence.

  When I first moved here, there were not many pubs and because of that weekends would be boring.

Is the use of "first moved here" correct? It indicates that I have moved to this place multiple times, while I moved in only once, and after that I never moved out of this place.

Can someone please explain this.


texts:
Aston Villa have released a statement condemning Jack Grealish's
  decision to ignore "the Government's guidance on staying at home
  during the Coronavirus crisis. The midfielder has been fined by the
  club with the proceeds donated to the University Hospitals Charity in
  Birmingham

Please, read the paragraph carefully. I'm confused with "the midfielder has been...." part: the fine has already been donated or will be donated?

Article Link


texts: Are "made it possible that" and "made sure that" synonymous?

texts:
I am not sure why, but I feel that there's something off with the expression "made it possible that". It really sounds ungrammatical, but I am not sure why I think that. It's a weird idiom. Anyway, are "made it possible that" and "made sure that" completely synonymous?

For example:

  God in his wisdom has made it possible that all men may know him.

  God in his wisdom has made sure that all men may know him.


texts: Difference between "other" and "another"

texts:
Why in this sentence "Other" is used?

"I find this shop very expensive. Next time I'll try other shop."

And in this other, another is used

"I'm not happy with this product.  Next time I'll buy another brand."

Is possible use other or another in both sentences?


texts: What is the meaning of 'Almost perpendicular' when I asked about health

texts:
I have asked one of my Manager, how is your health(As he was sick).

He replied almost perpendicular.

So what he wanted to say actually I didn't get. Can anyone tell meaning of this phrase? Thank you.


texts:
The main criticism of non-realism about God is that it is a thinly
disguised kind of atheism. To say that God is simply the sum of human
values is tantamount to saying that God as traditionally conceived
does not exist; religious language just provides a useful way of
talking about values in a godless world. This can appear hypocritical,
since non-realists reject the idea that God has an objective existence
and yet at the same time want to cling to religious language and
ritual. It seems more honest to follow through the consequence of
believing that God doesn’t really exist and become an atheist.

Philosophy: The basics
What does "follow through" in the context mean? Does it mean "accept"?


texts: "As physics know today" or "As physics knows today"?

texts:
What is the correct:

As physics know today or As physics knows today?

I would be inclined to use the first one, but isn't physics the science name, like a single not plural entity?

I am relating to the word semantics. The ending s on that word is not technically, a plural, or is a plural that was incorporated to form a singular word. Isn't it?

So, what do you think?

As physics know today or As physics knows today?


texts: What's the difference between these two sentences? Are they both correct?

texts:
Peter has lived in this city since he was born.

Peter has been living in this city since he was born.


texts: What is the difference between “late” and “lateness"?

texts:
I have searched on internet, but nothing was very clear.
Both have the same definition, utilisation ?
Can we say by the same way :
I’m sorry, I’m late
I’m sorry I’m in lateness
Or
The package got an issue, it will be dispatched surely late.
The package got an issue, it will be dispatched surely lateness.


texts: Why are "LOse" and "LOOse" pronounced differently?

texts:
I know that both the words are pronounced and used differently. I also found another question on this site: "Use of loose and lose [closed]", but that is about the usage of the word. My question is completely different to that one.
The ending 'se' is pronounced 's' in loose and 'z' in lose: respectively, /luːs/ and /luːz/. What caused this change?


texts: I'm not gonna do something. Why would I?

texts:
The following quote is from the Inception movie:

  I'm not gonna throw away my inheritance. Why would I?

What the last question could mean here?


texts:
I was wondering if you could let me know which one of the following sentences of mine is a natural way to say:

That shop sells everything off.
That shop sells everything at discount.
Everything in that shop is on sale.

For me all of these sentences work, but I am not sure if they are natural or not?


texts: What does "you have twitches to-night" mean?

texts:
What does "You have twitches tonight" mean?

I am thinking this is some kind of idioms but i can't guess the meaning.


texts: "I will be thankful TO you" vs. "I will be thankful FOR you"

texts:
What preposition is correct or more accepted when telling someone that if he will bring me a reference for his things then I will be thankful?

  "I will be thankful TO you"

or

  "I will be thankful FOR you"


texts: What is the main verb in this sentence? And is "Several previous deals to end the fighting in Idlib" a noun phrase?

texts:
i still confused about identifying the main verb and distinguish phrase and clause including this sentence: Several previous deals to end the fighting in Idlib have collapsed
What is the main verb in this sentence? Is "Several previous deals to end the fighting in Idlib" a noun phrase?
Thank you for your help


texts: "although being an underdog" or "despite being an underdog"?

texts:
Which of the answers seems most natural – although being or despite being?

  4. Chen Wei Lin, or “tom60229,” was one of the participants in the 2017 Hearthstone World Championship. He wasn't as popular as the other participants. ________ being an unknown underdog, he won the championship.

  a) Instead of
  b) Despite
  c) Although
  d) Because of

This seems like a problem of TEPS, a TOEFL-like test of South Korea. This test says that "Choose the best answer for the blank", so there can be two grammatically correct answers for one problem although there is only one answer considered right.

In this case (Problem 4), both (b) and (c) seem OK to me. They have a similar meaning, (c) looks grammatically OK and appears to be good if we consider it a perfect participle.

Is this problem asking which is more 'natural'? If so, which of them is most natural? If not, what am I missing here?

I googled 'although being' and 'despite being', and I found both of them, so googling didn't help me.


texts:
Is the below sentence construction is correct?

Do you remember, last time we had prepared one file for our work?

Or Simple past tense will do

Do you remember, last time we prepared one file for our work?


texts:
Which one is correct?

  What is the proper size of a grocery store within / in a compound that has 600 apartments.


texts:
I read this sentence from here-

  .... has any the most squeamish immoralist in Vanity Fair a right to cry fie?

What does "cry fie" mean?


texts: "Context Information" or "Contextual Information"?

texts:
I wrote this sentence

  In our approach we try to use different type of features to
  build a logical or conceptual structure for the web page. This
  structure creates a context in which the DOM tree nodes are
  evaluated and classified. To employ context information in the
  extraction rules, we propose a specific formalism, namely contextual
  extraction rules.

should it be the "contextual information"?

In general what could be the difference between context information and contextual information?


texts:
I could stay with her, but didn't.
  I could have stayed with her, but ........

First, Does the meaning differ?
And What are possible words for the blank space?

Another:

  I could have gone to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard.
  I could go to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard.


texts:
My French is not of the quality it might/would be if I lived in France.

Is this sentence correct?
Also do we say:
My French is not of a certain quality.
Or
My French is not  a certain quality.


texts: What does this phrase mean: "for a dominion superior to any visible bond kept him tied to the trunk of the chestnut tree"?

texts:
An excerpt from One Hundred years of Solitude:

He stayed there, exposed to the sun and the rain, as if the thongs were unnecessary, for a dominion superior to any visible bond kept him tied to the trunk of the chestnut tree.

I don't understand the whole sentence in bold.
My analysis of this sentence is that since what is before and after "for" can be viewed as a complete sentence, "for" is a conjunction here, meaning "used to introduce the reason for sth mentioned in the previous statement."  I can't, however, extract any cause-effect relations from the sentence.
Another thing is the comprehension of the sentence "a dominion superior to any visible bond kept him tied to the trunk of the chestnut tree." Specifically, the meaning of the subject "a dominion superior to any visible bond" eludes me, despite understanding the meaning of every word.


texts: Understanding " were Universal embarking on a..."

texts:
Excerpted from theatlantic.com:

  If one were to recast The Rockford Files, as Universal Pictures is intending to do, would the Frat Pack actor Vince Vaughn seem the wisest choice to play Jim Rockford, the character James Garner inhabited with such sly intelligence and bruised suavity? Universal apparently thinks so.

  One can say many things about the talents of Vaughn, and were Universal embarking on a bit of polyester parody—remaking, say, Tony Rome, among the least of the neo-noirs—Vaughn’s gift for sending up low pop would be just so. But to aim low in this case is to miss the deceptive grace that Garner brought to the original, and prompts a bigger question: Whatever happened to male charm—not just our appreciation of it, or our idea of it, but the thing itself?

I can't understand the sentences bolded above:

How can a sentence start with were like that? Besides that, it's overall structure and meaning is unclear to me, like "a bit of polyester parody Vaughn's gift for...", what's that?
Polyester is a kind of synthetic plastic, what is polyester parody?


texts:
Let's say you are one of the contestants in a contest, then the MC just remind you that:

  'They won't make any special consideration to/for your case.''

Which is correct?


texts: Can different languages "have different grammars", or do they "differ in their grammar"?

texts:
I became curious why in English grammar lacks an article in this Wikipedia page:

  The subjunctive mood in English grammar includes particular verb forms
  that are used in certain clauses, chiefly dependent clauses, to
  express necessity, desire, purpose, suggestion and similar ideas, or a
  counterfactual condition.

I've found out that grammar in its "language structure" sense is described as a mass noun in the Oxford Dictionary, and this may be the reason.

But does it follow from this that we shouldn't use sentences like "these 2 languages have different grammars", since in its countable form the word means, according to the OD, "a book on grammar"? Is it necessary to keep grammar in the noncount form to carry this sense, say "these 2 languages differ in grammar" (or "their grammar structure")?


texts: How to express that "you dig your fingers into something soft and then pull a piece off it"?

texts:
How to express "you dig your fingers into something soft (such as styrofoam or a loaf of bread) and then pull a piece off it"?
For example, can we say "I pawed / tore / ripped a piece off the bread"?


texts:
Can a conjunction be the object of the second clause?
Example:
Do it wherever you are

here "wherever" acts as a conjunction and it is the object of the second clause? Am I right?


texts: Do they wish to personify BBC Worldwide? Or it's merely an ordinary mistake?

texts:
A message, on YouTube, popped up before my eyes. It read:

  This video contains content from BBC Worldwide, who has blocked it on copyright grounds.

My concern is about the presence of the pronoun who which is wrongly used in that sentence unless those who wrote it, purposely, would have wished to have personified BBC Worldwide.

So please let me know your thoughts on this, did they want to insert a literary device or it's just a mistake?


texts:
I know the meaning of too many and one too many, but is there any difference in usage? Perhaps, some difference in meaning? I don't feel any difference.

  He lied to me too many times.

  He lied to me one too many times.


texts: Using "could" or "can" when talking about something that does not exist

texts:
When imagining a place, not a specific place that I want to visit, which is more appropriate to use:

  ( high as much it could be )

  or

  ( high as much it can be )


texts:
Does the verb “determine“ have present progressive form?
For example:

Although book reviews  may determine  whether a given book will be extensively sold, many works succeed commercially despite negative reviews.

In this sentence, can we use present progressive form with the verb “to determine“ like “book reviews are determining whether...”?


texts: Is there an idiom that means something is "the best thing or better than other things"? I am looking for a phrase that would look good in the introduction of an essay where I talk about the best marketing strategy used by companies nowadays. Can you think about anything?


texts: Single word or brief phrase for "people started using this product due to my presentation"

texts:
I want to write about the following achievement in my resume: I made presentations on a certain software X, which led to 10 people deciding to start using it.

This is the first draft of my sentence.

  Presented effective use of software X on Y-type projects, leading to 10 people starting to use it.

(X and Y are placeholders, by the way.)

The phrase in bold doesn't seem good. I would like a word or phrase to make it sound more "catchy". The only word I could think of was adopting as in: "... leading to 10 people adopting it."

However, adopting still doesn't sound good enough. While it does get thrown around a lot at my current workplace, I do not know if it would be interpreted in the same way everywhere.

Is there a somewhat more generally understood word or phrase that expresses the above idea?


texts:
Which preposition to use?
On Or In.
Sentence:

I'm working really hard on/in my English.


texts: "when" or "after" + "we had recently started dating"?

texts:
What is the difference between when and after in the following examples?

  I took my girlfriend to Niagara Falls when we had recently started dating.
  I took my girlfriend to Niagara Falls after we had recently started dating.

Which one should I use?


texts: meaning of the phrasal verb "bear out" in context

texts:
Here it goes:

  There are people who are literally terrified of failing at anything, and relationships are just one piece of the puzzle. They give their all to whatever they pursue, and can’t face that their efforts might not bear out in something as important as a love relationship.

I have checked a few online dictionaries and each of them says that bear out means to support or confirm something or someone, besides, it is a transitive phrasal verb, but there, it seems, it was used as an intransitive phrasal verb.


texts:
What does it mean when someone who is distant (maybe in another state) asks you to "fly down" (provided no additional context)?
Are they referring to how you would make it there (by plane) ou are the just urging you to hurry up and get there quickly?
Thanks!


texts: What does "historically suspect" mean in 'Trump's allies dismiss the criticism as politically motivated and historically suspect.'?

texts:
Source:  http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/nation-world/2016/05/28/rise-of-trump-tracks-growing-debate-over-global-fascism/

Please tell me what is meant by historically suspect here

  Trump's allies dismiss the criticism as politically motivated and historically suspect.


texts: The precise meaning of "much the same" in the mentioned context?

texts:
It requires the same treatment, and for much the same reason.

What is the precise meaning of "much the same" in the above sentence? Does it mean "pretty much the same", or "exactly the same", or ... ?


texts:
She could go to school and learn English.
She could have gone to school and learned English.

I think, in the first sentence she had the ability to go to school, but we didn't know whether she went to school or not.
In the second sentence, I think she had the ability to go to school but she didn't go.
Correct me if I am wrong. And show me the difference.


texts: "As frustrating as Mikey’s days were, his experience is pretty typical" -- what does the "as ... as" mean?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a news article:

  As frustrating as Mikey’s days were, his experience is pretty typical. Researchers define bullying as aggressive behavior that happens again and again.

What does the as ... as mean? The closest meaning I can guess from the context is though as it is said on the OALD site, although OALD considers it a different part of speech and uses only one as:

  Happy as they were, there was something missing.


texts: Does the phrase "Get down on your knees and pay your dues" have rude or sexual connotations in America?

texts:
Get down on your knees and pay your dues

I said this, and my mom freaked out, thinking it was a weird sexual reference. I have never heard it that way, and teachers at my school say it frequently.


texts:
Can somebody please explain the different between the following sentences?

"Thank you to all of the people we've met and worked with in 2018."

&

"Thank you to all of the people we met and worked with in 2018."

When I try to look up the grammar rules for the usage of adding "have" in this particular case or not, I just can't figure it out.


texts:
When a left hand has been stenciled, this implies that the artist was right-handed, and vice versa. Even though the paint was often sprayed on by mouth, one can assume that the dominant hand assisted in the operation. One also has to make the assumption that hands were stenciled palm downward—a left hand stenciled palm upward might of course look as if it were a right hand.

Could you please explain the grammar of the bolded sentence? I know 'hands' is the subject and 'were stenciled' is the verb. What does do the rest ('palm downward') of the bolded sentence do?

Also, is this a complex sentence or compound sentence?

Reference: TOEFL


texts:
Seized by the System -
Author: Mu Heng

In the western sky, a shooting star blazed a blood-red arc across the heavens, sending the numerous couples beneath who held spectacle to its descent into bouts of enthusiastic prayer and wish-making.

Those couples expected the star would fall?


texts: "its presence a mystery" ? Where is the predicate?

texts:
There among the wildflowers lay a door, its presence a mystery. (From ACT)

I don't understand the grammatical construction after the comma (the bold text). It seems to me that it lacks a predicate, but even if adding a predicate "is," I think the comma should be adjusted to a period.
Another alternative I can think of is adding a participle "being", turning it into "its presence being a mystery."
Then again, I just do not understand the orginal construction of the sentence.


texts: Which country is the slang "moola" used?

texts:
There is a slang for money called moola. Where do they commonly use it?
I have rarely heard American or British people using this word. And in which situations could we use it?


texts: Difference in the pronunciation of 'c' : 'locus' vs 'loci'

texts:
I had known that locus is pronounced with a hard 'c'; so I simply extrapolated the hard 'c' to its plural [loci]. I can't pinpoint why, but fortunately, I doubted my guess and was shocked that instead, a SOFT 'c' features in loci. (Sorry; I still haven't learned phonetics yet)

1. Are there any reasons for this astounding difference (in a letter`s pronunciation, between the singular and plural of the same noun)? Could I have foreseen the difference?

2. Can anyone please divine why I might have suspected myself? I'm just curious.


texts:
Export earnings are stipulated to grow at 8%, and foreign capital
inflows are assumed to grow at 3.5%. This increase in the rate of
foreign exchange availability.

I usually use grow by 10% as in "China will grow by 10% in 2020.", but is grow at 10% equivalent or not? Why? They seem to be used interchangeably on the Internet.