texts: What is the correct punctuation Of the following statement

texts:
Is ; rightly placed in the following sentence or not?

  He is a nice boy; however, he had been rude last evening


texts: How to describe a person who is good at his job and therefore everybody needs him

texts:
I am looking for a word to describe a person who is good at his job and therefore everybody needs him.

Is it needed or needful? What about indispensable?


texts:
I read the below text and can "sheep" really be used for verb?

  Thank you for the great answer, and of course the obsessive compulsive drones who work for free to keep the owners of Stack Exchange paid good money will comment about any answer that doesn't fall in with protocol. It's really a sad system. People without a life working for more "privileges" just a way for the owner to get more money. Top business model, that's for sure. But does SE really give a flying two cents about either the asker or answerers? Does SE really make the Internet a better place? Not when moderators and other unpaid drones are more worried about the SE protocol rather than normal human relations. SE is driven by advertisement, so all this crap about building a great site is just a distraction from its real purpose... putting money into the pockets of a few, on the sweat and labour of people sheeped into its privileges system


texts:
I was doing an exercise and there was a sentence --

  I ___________ Rahim at the zoo.

And I had to choose the correct verb form. Options were

 saw , have seen, had seen
I think all the three options are correct. They only change the meaning of the sentence. Am I right?


texts: Can 'make' have 'having fluttered' as its objective complement?

texts:
Even though grammar books says ‘make’ don’t have present participle as its objective complement; this sentence “The potion makes the moths having fluttered and all dead” seems to be not ungrammatical.
Because ‘having’ in this sentence is not a present participle but an auxiliary. Is the sentence grammatical or not?


texts: Is there a single word that means "not many people"?

texts:
I am writing about beaches.

  There are sandy, notManyPeoply beaches.

notManyPeoply beaches are beaches with only a few people on them.

How do I say it in one word?

I'm looking for a positive adjective to describe that the beaches are not overcrowded.

In Russian it is "немноголюдно".


texts:
Is it fine to use recently with the past simple tense in the following sentence?

  Did you read any books recently?

Is it grammatically correct?

Or do I have to use:

  Have you read any books recently?


texts: Definite/indefinite article usage in literature

texts:
Could you please help to understand the following sentence's grammar:

Now, I'll fetch the wood and the coals, and you get a duster, Mole —
you'll find one in the drawer of the kitchen table

(Kenneth Grahame: The Wind in the Willows, ch. 5)
Why 'a duster' but 'the wood' and 'the coals'?
Many thanks!


texts:
Are correct both examples? If it is so, what is the difference? If it is not correct, why?

Ann turned on the television to watch the evening news.

vs

Ann turned on the television to watch evening news.


texts:
The following sentence is what I am going to write into my thesis,

  Considering the limitation of the problem, for example, a central
  robot is necessary to do something and it has to be aware of a number,
  we introduce the concept of mobility.

I just wonder if there are any grammatical errors here. Is it correct to use "for example" here as a conjunction and add a sentence after it as an example?


texts: It makes up for flaws in him vs flaws in his characteristic

texts:
So basically I have no idea if these two sentences have any difference

So it makes up for flaws in him
So it makes up for flaws in his
characteristic

If these are saying the same thing I'm happy cause I really don't know what the differences they have in meaning


texts:
I want to use a beautiful word in my story that will mean: "to add attributes to a thing".

What word could I use? So far I have found only "imbue". I like the way it sounds but am unsure whether it fits in.

  A blacksmith has made a titanium staff that he gives to a magician so that he adds magic attributes to it in order to make it a magic staff. So the magician reads a special spell and magical energy wraps the entire staff and then he reads a second spell (which identifies the magic) and the energy soaks into the staff. With that the staff becomes a magic one and inherits the power of the second spell (fire, ice, wind, water, pulse, electricity, plasma, e.t.c)


texts: Which one is correct? why? if they both are correct, what's the difference in terms of meaning?

texts:
1- Once you reach the top, perhaps no one seeing you, you’ll be able to
  see top of the world. Occasionally, life means hardworking for a dream
  not seen by anyone other than you.

Or

  2-Once you reach the top, perhaps no one sees you, you’ll be able to see top of the world. Occasionally, life means hardworking for a dream not seen by anyone other than you.

P.S. Suppose that italic one is adverbial phrase. I consider the first one to be correct because of Absolute clause being used there. But I am not sure about its relevance.


texts: What is a difference between "too adj to do" VS "so adj that ..."?

texts:
The mailman was too lazy to finish his route everyday.

Focused on a Action (couldn't finish his route everyday)

The mailman was so lazy that he couldn't finish his route everyday.

Focused on a State (lazy)
I've know the first sentence is focused on a result, and the second sentence is focused on a state.
Is it right that I've known the difference?


texts: How to express "Please don't put the clean stuff where the dirty stuff is put"?

texts:
I have a clothes rack that is used to hang dirty cleaning cloth (see the picture)

Today my child hung my Tshirt on / from the rack (not sure "on or from").

What should I say to him?

"Please don't put the clean stuff where the dirty stuff is put"?


texts: If we are talking about last night which one is correct to say

texts:
I haven't slept much today or I haven't slept much yesterday.

When we are reffering to the night that was between today and yesterday.

Thank you!


texts: Can "A game a few would play" be a valid structure?

texts:
This is a line in a "poem", but I have changed two words to "game" and "play" with preserving the sentence exact structure.

  Indeed, a game a few would play.

I have searched for this structure which would be (if it is written in general): [noun] + [quantifier] + [verb]. But found nothing similar.

Also, I want to know if it should take a certain punctuation mark between the noun and the quantifier. I think it may be a period as it appeared that there's no structure like that. However, it is only a small pause between the two.


texts:
What are the combinations of "there-is" or "there-are" called in English grammar terms?

  For example: There is an apple on the table.

I am looking for a specific term for these expressions (as well as for the same in past tense such as "there was" and "there were").

Normally in many of languages, unlike in English these two combinations are expressed in one specific word.


texts: "dumb as soup" what does it mean and why?

texts:
I've met this phrase in The Big Bang Theory TV-series, it was a phrase of Sheldon's mother after she forced him to go to apologize to the boss to get his job back:

  Leonard, the Lord never gives us more than we can handle. Thankfully,
  he blessed me with two other children who are dumb as soup.

From the context, it's clearly that it means very stupid. But why? Word soup doesn't associate with any kind of stupidity to me. Also, I haven't found any additional meaning or idioms with this word fitted the situation. Is here some play on word involved? I have found other discussions in the internet about this subject but with no real answer.

btw: I can't force myself to hear soup in that moment. I always hear something like soum, though subtitles say that it is definitely soup word.


texts: Omission of definite article in Indian English

texts:
Prompted by comments against a previous ELL question about an Indian English usage, I found myself reading an article in The Times of India with the title Kidnapped doctor couple returns home, which ends with...

  The IMA Secretary profusely thanked different organisations for showing solidarity with doctor and his wife in their hour of crisis. [emphasis mine]

I've no idea what status that publication has, either with the general public in India or more specifically with those in the educated classes who speak "good, fluent, native or near-native speaker" English.

My reason for looking at the publication in the first place was to satisfy myself that IE does indeed use the semi-archaic form thrice where most mainstream Anglophone countries now use three times. Many features of IE are similar, in that they preserve usages which have long since been abandoned in their country of origin (normally, Britain).

The native Anglophones who influence[d] uptake of English in India are almost exclusively drawn from the middle/upper classes (who once did use forms like thrice, do the needful, etc.). But the missing article (...solidarity with the doctor...) would only ever have occurred in dialectal/uneducated speech in Britain, so it seems likely to me this usage arose independently in India.

I realise this question risks being Primarily Opinion-based, but I'm kinda hoping there will be at least some native speakers of IE here on ELL (brought up speaking English as a mother-tongue, not just fluent, well-educated in English). What I'd like to know is whether they would consider the usage cited above "correct/acceptable" in the (relatively formal?) context of such a publication.


texts:
How should I differentiate "in hindsight" from "come to think of it"? For me, both mean identical as it sounds like "now that I'm looking back"?

For instance, how the following sentences semantically differ from each other:

  It was a good opportunity and I lost it! In hindsight, I should have taken the job!
  It was a good opportunity and I lost it! Come to think of it, I should have taken the job.


texts: "What does the weather look like" or "what is the weather like"?

texts:
My classmate asked me "What does the weather look like". This question is very difficult for me to answer, because my English teachers used to teach us "What is the weather like".
So, which of these two is right?

  What does the weather look like?

or

  What is the weather like?


texts: Is "have a lock on something" same as "having something on lock"?

texts: And from what I understand they're informal; am I right?


texts:
I wonder why “for” is not used after cost as is the case with “buy” and “sell”. I mean would it be wrong to say:

  It will cost us for $1500.


texts: when to use didn't and when to say don't

texts:
During my school days, my English teacher taught us that there is something called
double past. For example - you don't say -

I didn't went to school yesterday.
-> He said with didn't you don't use another past verb form.

So, he corrected us

I didn't go to school yesterday.

#

Now, I am a bit confused here.

Incorrect Sentence -
1. She would hold my bicycle from the back to ensure that I don't fell down.

Correct One-

She would hold my bicycle from the back to ensure that I didn't fell down.

    I am confused here - didn't + fell -> isn't a double past?

What am I missing here? I have seen that I do this mistake a lot.  Please help.


texts: Can the words "demonstrate intelligence" convey my initial meaning?

texts:
I wrote the sentence as follows. In this sentence, I want to express that people can train the neural network by using the calculation of matrix (belonging to linear algebra). After training, the neural network will have the ability to predict or behave like humans, i.e. Artificial Intelligence.

“The professor talked about the idea that numerical calculations of linear algebra could demonstrate intelligence.”

I want to ask that can “demonstrate intelligence” in this sentence convey my initial meaning? I think “demonstrate intelligence” may sound like a little strange in this sentence. If it is not suitable, what are other reasonable words to express my meaning? How about using “realize intelligence” or “realize artificial intelligence” or “demonstrate artificial intelligence” to replace “demonstrate intelligence”? Or how about using "numerical calculations of linear algebra in artificial intelligence could demonstrate intelligence"?


texts:
What is the difference between because, in that, inasmuch?

Here are a few examples to build an explanation upon:

  1) I don't like him because he stole my bike.
  2) I don't like him in that he stole my bike.
  3) I don't like him inasmuch he stole my bike.


texts: Is the comma (separating two independent clauses) necessary here?

texts:
Our head office is in London{,} and we have offices across England, Scotland & Wales.

Is this comma necessary? I searched in google and saw many cases where they omit it in this particular place. For instance:

Our head office is in London and we have a regional branch in Dubai.

So, should the comma be there or not?


texts: Does the term "home" also mean "family"?

texts:
A young black American soldier leaves his home and family to cross
  the ocean to put an end to the German nightmare.

I have just translated this sentence into English and I would like to know if in this context it is necessary to write the word "family" also, or if I can just write "the soldier leaves his home to cross etc." is understandable too, or even make a difference by writing "he leaves his house and family".


texts:
I am having confusion over "over":

  1a The mouse pointer was moved over the Internet Explorer icon.
  1b The mouse pointer was moved to over the Internet Explorer icon.
  2a An airplane moved over the city.
  2b An airplane moved to over the city.
  3a A dark cloud moved over the city.
  3b A dark cloud moved to over the city.

Are the b-sentences, formed by adding "to" between "moved" and "over", more clear than the a-sentences, because there is some confusion over the preposition "over" in another thread?


texts:
My daughter is in Grade 4 and there's a 'fill in the blank' in her worksheet.

  Example: The opposite gender of a lion is called lioness.

Now the question...

  The opposite gender of a drone is called ___________.

This forced me to look up on the Internet and strange, I did not get it!


texts:
Tom is looking for his key. He can't find it.

First part is definitely present continuous.
But what about the second part. It is present simple, Right? How do you connect it with present simple definitions,like:

  to talk about general things, things that happen repeatedly or often
  or things that are true in general.

I don't think Can is related to these. or even figures like this:

It is something around now, but not present continuous.

OR "She is here" OR "He is in the bank right now".
They don't look like present simple to me,considering definitions, although they are.


texts: What does mean by Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch ? I found this word as largest word in the world


texts: "Early in something" vs. "early on something"

texts: It seems that both expressions are used for "early in the process". Is it right?


texts:
Could someone please help me to describe this way of sitting?

Is there a single word for it?


texts: Difference between "A flea bit Dog on his ear" and "A flea bit the ear of Dog"?

texts:
What is the exact difference between "A flea bit Dog on his ear" and "A flea bit the ear of Dog"?
Every time I saw the sentence "A flea bit Dog on his ear," I have often thought it as "Dog is on his ear and a flea bit Dog". Is this wrong?


texts: "Had I better go (or gone) with you?" -- which verb to use there?

texts:
I just came across the following sentence (which can be found here);

  Had I better go with you?

I think, that is correct; I just don't know what the context/meaning would be!

Amazingly, Google-ngrams found the frequencies of only the original one.

Should there be a past-participle used, eg;

  Had I better gone with you? (This one makes no sense to me either!)

Is there any other (better) way of expressing the POV of the actual sentence?


texts: Is “add fourteen days and subtract two years to and from the current datetime” correct?

texts:
I have the following sentence:

  We add fourteen days and subtract two years to and from the current datetime.

I am not sure about the to and from part.

How can this sentence be rephrased if not correct?


texts: Are there verbs that means "emitting a sound"?

texts:
I am not sure if there are slang verbs that allows you to say "emit a sound" in a shorter and more conversational way. A verb like that would be useful when you tell jokes or want to have some form of informal conversation. Is there any such word?

For example:

  The guy started running with a pack of biscuits so that his dogs ___
  "woof woof" in the backyward.


texts: What does the “rocket science” refer to in this question about a startup?

texts:
Typical Y Combinator Interview Questions says:

  Where is the rocket science here?

The question might be simple for Americans, but I am outside USA, and I haven't found a reliable answer. I need clarification because I plan to translate it into Chinese for knowledge-sharing.

I guess from posts containing rocket science that it may mean silver bullet (a term used in saying "no silver bullet" from a book named The Mythical Man-Month).

Can I say that rocket science means something over-complicated that still makes people feel like it's magical, although it is a step-by-step science?

Note: one commenter has pointed out that "silver bullet" is not "a complicated implementation". so my guess is misleading.


texts: "It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him." meaning in this context?

texts:
There was a tap on the dark window.

  “It's Hedwig!” said Harry, hurrying to let her in. “She'll have
  Charlie's answer!”

  The three of them put their heads together to read the note.

  Dear Ron,

  How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian
  Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best
  thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are
  coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen
  carrying an illegal dragon.

  Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest
  tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him
  away while it's still dark.

  Send me an answer as soon as possible.

  Love,
  Charlie

  They looked at each other.

  “We've got the invisibility cloak,” said Harry. “It shouldn't be too
  difficult - I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and
  Norbert.”

  It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two
  agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy.

I don't quite understand the last two sentences in bold above, especially the first one. The sentence seems to be saying: it was a mark that the other two agreed with him. But I don't get what it is trying to convey and what "a mark" really is? What's the correct way to understand them?

--Excerpted from Harry Potter.


texts:
I went to the barber earlier today and asked for a haircut with my hair to be left longer than usual.

Then, when I am talking to someone else, can I say:

  I asked the barber to leave my hair longer.

  I asked the barber not to cut my hair very short.

  I left (or kept) my hair longer than usual.


texts: Need help with expressions like "It is going to be like this..."

texts:
Consider this expression:

  If you don't make an effort for this, It is going to be very difficult

Instead of the expression "it is going be difficult", I want to elaborate what the repercussions will be:

  If you don't make an effort for this, it is going like this, that even if you have a decent profile and resume, no one will consider you.

The second sounds wrong to me. Specifically, the like this that part sounds odd to me.  Can anyone help with this expression and point out what the correct version is?


texts: Can you paraphrase "digital flair" here, so I may understand what it means?

texts:
What is "digital flair"?
The sentence I need to understand in context:

Uniqlo sister GU gives in-store experience digital flair,
The bargain brand of Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing, is bringing some of the more convenient aspects of online shopping into its real-world stores. Starting this September, customers venturing into a new store in Yokohama, Japan, will find carts equipped with tablets. Toss in an item, and the tablet will present a range of outfit options, along with the availability of different sizes and colors. (Source)

I looked up "flair" in the dictionaries and it all say something like "a natural ability". So does thesaurus. I notice the dictionary presents the second meaning, which possibly exactly mean the "flair" in question, but I don't know what it's talking about. So, my question is "can you paraphrase "digital flair" in the sentence above-mentioned?
Thank you.


texts:
In a series of adjectives about fields of study such as physical, mathematical, historical, philosophical etc. how would the field of engineering fit in?

I looked it up in one of my Danish-English dictionaries (Ordbogen.com) by translating a Danish equivalent word and found this translation:

  ingeniørmæssig <-t, -e>
  - engineerical: adjektiv - It is an engineerical wonder

Apparently, the word engineerical exists. But I am unable to find the description of that word in any native English dictionary online, such as Lexico by Oxford, Vocabulary or Dictionary. So, it doesn't seem officially recognised.

A Google search shows - apart from some Twitter and Youtube accounts - some results that do define it:

In "Build your own dictionary" by Meriam-Webster Word Central, a user defines it like this:

  engineerical
  Function: adjective
  Definition: having great talent as an engineer: showing great skill in engineering
  Example Sentence: That engineerical construction worker built an amazing tower.

The Urban Dictionary and Definithing define it like this:

  Engineerical
  Desription of a person who applies mathematical and scientific solutions to fix a problem.
  I can not fix that machine. I am not engineerical.

This all indicates to me that this might be some "slang" word, if it exists at all. And frankly, the two shown definitions above are no entirely equivalent.

So, does this word not exist? My Danish-English dictionary is wrong? Is there an alternative I could use in the series mentioned, something that would make a sentence like the following sound proper:

  The questions on the test can be physical, mathematical, historical or engineerical in nature.


texts:
When I am joking about something told me, which is not correct, in Italian I often reply with Ora mi dirai che […] (literally, "now you will tell me that […]").

Is it correct to use now in a sentence using the future tense?

  A: Roma is not the capital of Italy.
  B: Now you will tell me Roma is not even in Italy.


texts: How do you ask: "What's/are the cookies like?"

texts:
We can ask about the weather as in: what's the weather like? And food as in: what's the food like?

If you've bought some cookies and you want to ask your children whether they found them tasty or not, how do you ask them using the word like? Do you informally say: What 's the cookies like? OR what are the cookies like?

I could say did you find the cookies yummy? But I want to check whether like is used or could be used.

One more thing, informally I could say there's people at the door. Using is with plural in informal speech is okay. Is it the same here with cookies!?


texts:
What is the difference between the following statements?

How is your son?
How is your son getting on?
How is your son doing?


texts: The difference between get + pp and be + pp

texts: I was talking about what happened to me a few years ago.   When I said, "I got surprised to find out ....., or "The plant got damaged because of the typhoon." my sentences were corrected by a native speaker of English like "I was surprised" or "The plant was damaged."  I was told that the first two sentences wouldn't sound natural.  I'd like to know why they don't sound natural.  Could you explain that, please? I wonder if it has someting to do with the time.


texts:
I was working while I was studying at college, is it correct?

And how to tell about past actions for example:

'In college I had a subject 'Web design' where I was making a static web-page', is it correct?


texts: Why do dictionaries not use capitalization in the beginning of their "sentences"?

texts:
When I look up a dictionary, the example sentences always use small letters at the beginning of the sentence.
For examples:

exacerbate
make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse: the exorbitant cost of land in urban areas only exacerbated the problem | the forest fire was exacerbated by the lack of rain.

Why not using capital letters in the first letter of "make", "the" and "the" above? Isn't it the rule of sentence?
Or it's just how dictionary does, so there is no need for an explanation?


texts:
I saw this sentence in my English training course. I don't understand how it's possible to combine "now" and Past Simple. Is there a mistake in the sentence or not? Could you explain, please? How is this sentence said idiomatically?

I didn’t use to understand my parents, but now when I got older I do.


texts: When you say "What classes is/are the homework for" do you use is or are?

texts:
I'm unsure, in the sentence, since the "to be" verb is applying to homework, but comes after a plural, which is used?

What classes is the homework for?

What classes are the homework for?


texts: A few millions results or a few million result

texts:
I have a few millions results

vs

  I have a few million results

Which one is grammatical?


texts: I don't understand this paragraph from “Scientific Advertising”

texts:
In a large ad agency coupon returns are watched and recorded on hundreds of different lines. In a single line they are sometimes recorded on thousands of separate ads. Thus we test everything pertaining to advertising. We answer nearly every possible question by multitudinous traced returns.

Source: Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins
In this paragraph I want to know what the writer wants to say. I do not understand the meaning of the line or traced returns.
Thank you so much.


texts:
A girl said to me seriously, "I got a paranormal power and I can fly like a bird." Then she started moving her hands up and down and then starting moving her feet along with waving her hands, all as she kept smiling.

I said, "You gave me a wacky move, isn't it?"
The other girl said, "You're wacky."
Then I said, "It seems you're really wacky, aren't you?"

Is it correct use of word wacky?
Could you also tell me one or two real life sentences of using word wacky? (BTW I already got a sentence from dictionary but I need more to enhance my knowledge.)


texts: "Note that passive voice is more prevalent and accepted in some disciplines" - why not "the passive voice"?

texts:
Note that passive voice is more prevalent and accepted in some disciplines (e.g. some sciences, public policy) than others. (Writing Studio (pdf),  Duke University)

Why is it okay not to use the definite article before phrases like "passive voice"? Is it because they turn into a kind of proper noun?

In a recent Economist article it is "the passive voice", the same in a less recent one.


texts:
I wonder whether I could use "see eye to eye" when I agree with someone spontaneously like this,

  " I see eye to eye with you"

or when I disagree with someone

  " I don't see eye to eye with you"


texts:
I wrote:

  The dependents of a head node are enclosed with a Children node and the dependency relations are stored within the child nodes.

It is in fact:

  The dependents of a head node are enclosed with a node labeled with Children and the dependency relations are stored within the child nodes.

where the Children is a label. Can I directly introduce this proper name as an adjective like in the first sentence.


texts:
Browse our dictionary apps today and ensure you are never again lost
   for words.

As a new learner of English,I didn't understand it well. Instead to use "You are never again' in the above sentence, could I use 'you will never again lost for words'?


texts:
Every week, I listen to a radio show called human pleasure , a DJ is playing records for nearly two hours, every four records played , he says "the tunes you were listening to "(that is what I understand)
I don't understand why does he use the continuous form . Is it to say that the show is not finished yet? I would say "the tunes you listened to" because when he says that the songs of the 4 records are finished or "the tunes you have been listening to".


texts:
In the following sentence, I'm confused with the use of 'not for nothing'. No inversion follows 'not for nothing'.

  Not for nothing one face, one character, one fact makes much more impression on him, and another none. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)


texts: I have a secret that I have kept hidden from my circle of friends and family

texts:
When I was browsing internet. I saw this sentence. I have a doubt on the usage of
"have kept hidden"
What tense is it?
Is it Active voice of present perfect? If so why there is a word "hidden" which is the past participle form of hide?

Is it passive voice of present perfect? If so, why they are using "kept" instead of been?


texts:
We usually write:

  Hi, John.

But if I'd like to write simply Hi followed by a Period, ie,

  Hi.

  How are you?

Is it correct?

Thank you.


texts: What does the question: "Any value in this?" mean?

texts: This question was used in the following context: a feature was suggested for implementation in an application; this question was added as a comment. How to interpret it?


texts: How to understand "Much the best way" in this context?

texts:
"The original?" enquired Xenophilius sharply, and when she nodded, he said, "Well then, why don't you read it aloud? Much the best way to make sure we all understand."

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I take "Much the best way" as It's nearly the best way. Is this understanding correct?


texts:
Who knows what to do?

How to make it in a passive form?

Actually, I am confused. I changed it like this.

  What to do is known to whom?

Is correct? What about these?

  What to do is known to by whom?
  What to do is known by whom?

Please correct me.


texts: What is the meaning of this scientific sentence?

texts:
I was reading an article about deep learning and I've encountered this sentence:

Usually, deep learning models use dropout on the fully connected layers, but is also possible to use dropout after the max-pooling layers, creating image noise augmentation.

I don't know the meaning of "creating image noise augmentation" part. Is "creating images noise augmenation" the sequence of using dropout after the max-pooling layers or is it going to come alongside it?


texts:
I have done the work on his agreement.

This sounds good to me, but I am not sure. Online dictionaries didn't helped me much.

Thank you.


texts: The best way to express "somebody chosen something that is also chosen by many others"

texts:
I am looking for the best way to express the meaning of "somebody chosen something that is also chosen by many others because it is the best in the field".

  -The A company chosed this B company as their provider too.

  -The A company have also chosen this B company as their provider.

  -The A company chosen this B company as their provider like many other.

  -The A company just like other companies chosen B company as their provider.

What is the best/correct way to express this?

Anything other than my examples also appriciated.


texts: Are prepositions "of" and "from" interchangeable in this context?

texts: I wonder if it is exactly the same to say "the pupils OF that school" and "the pupils FROM that school".Does precising the name of the school, Woodlane School for example, would make either preposition more likely?


texts:
I come across this phrase several times while reading a book. But I am not completely clear about its usage.

What would be the physical position of the person about whom the following thing is said -

He closed the door behind him.
He closed the door after him.

My understanding is -

In first case the person has come inside the room and closed the door.
In second case the person has left the room and closed the door.

Is it correct ?

And how do we use this same phrase when describing someone getting into a car ?

He got in the car and closed the door after him.
He got out of the car and closed the door behind him.

Is it correct ?


texts:
Like a double-edged knife, the creative mind cuts to the truth of self
  and the humanity of others.

The normal meaning of "cut" fits with the word "knife" but the whole meaning of sentence isn't clear.

So could you please explain it to me?

The fuller text:

  Does being a good storyteller make you a good leader? Not necessarily,
  but if you understand the principles of storytelling, you probably
  have a good understanding of yourself and of human nature, and that
  tilts the odds in your favor. I can teach the formal principles of
  stories, but not to a person who hasn’t really lived. The art of
  storytelling takes intelligence, but it also demands a life experience
  that I’ve noted in gifted fi lm directors: the pain of childhood.
  Childhood trauma forces you into a kind of mild schizophrenia that
  makes you see life simultaneously in two ways: First, it’s direct,
  realtime experience, but at the same moment, your brain records it as
  material—material out of which you will create business ideas,
  science, or art. Like a double-edged knife, the creative mind cuts
  to the truth of self and the humanity of others.

https://hbr.org/2003/06/storytelling-that-moves-people


texts:
What does "in the Knight" mean in the following sentences?
(Source: Princess Petunia's Sweet Apple Pie by Karen Poth)

  At midnight, someone knocked at the door. It was Bump in the
  Knight. What could he want?

Does "It was Bump in the Knight" mean "It was Bump who wears a Knight costume" or "It was Bump who is a Knight"?
What does "in" of "in the Knight" mean?


texts: Educators' slang: "taking people from where they are"

texts:
Imagine somebody organising an educational event (e.g. a conference) and trying to set up the programme in a way that everybody attending is being "taken from where they are", meaning: the programme has offers both for beginners, advanced and experts, and nobody would feel left out or not considered, and everybody has a chance to join and contribute.

In German there is a common expression for this:

  Alle wurden abgeholt

which translates to "everybody was picked up", but I am not sure if this English sentence can be used in this metaphorical way, and I suppose there are other expressions used in English for a situation like this.

What good ways are there in English to express this concept?


texts: How to split this long sentence and interpret it?

texts:
When reading The Go Programming Language, I come across the following sentence:

  With sufficient effort, a good change can be accommodated without compromising
  what Fred Brooks called the ‘‘conceptual integrity’’ of the design but a bad change cannot, and a pernicious change trades simplicity for its shallow cousin, convenience.

I can't understand (...) but a bad change cannot, and a pernicious change (...)。 How  to split this long sentence to make it more understandable?


texts: Can "across" be used instead of "astride"?

texts:
The lake is located across the border between the two cities.
  The lake is located astride the border between the two cities.

I am trying to describe a certain lake that has a portion in one city and the remaining portion in the other city. I first created the first sentence but after googled, I am afraid that "across" in the first sentence may be misinterpreted as  "on the opposite side of".  According to my dictionaries, it seems that "astride" can be used in this case, but "astride" is unfamiliar to me, so I want to use a  simpler word like "across" if possible.


texts:
Buck, said in the movie to Captain America: (when Captain America tries to save his friend despite some costs)

  ''I dont know if I'm worth all of these Steve...''

I know the meaning, but did I get the phrase correctly? Can't find any result thru Google by the way


texts: phrases like on my own, by myself, and alone

texts:
I have collected the followings from various sources as your site.

I would like to study them accurately. so, would you tell me, if they are right, if so, would you add them what you think of I should learn?

You would say, 'I want to find out about it on my own.' But you wouldn't say 'by myself' because 'on my own' means for myself, and not just 'by myself.'

You could say 'I went swimming by myself', and that would mean that there was no one there swimming with you. But if you said that you went swimming on my own, that could mean that you didn't ask anyone to go swimming with you, that you wanted no company with you.

So by myself indicates that you were alone by chance and on my own means that it was a decision you made to be alone.

' alone' and 'by myself' are more or less interchangeable although, 'alone' is more emotive (it is an adjective after all~).
' by my own' has a similar meaning to 'alone' and 'by myself' but it is not the same. 'by my own' is usually part of phrases such as 'by my own means' which means that you will use your own resources (like money) to acheive something.
For example 'I can do it by my own means'
Another way to say 'by myself' or 'alone' is 'on my own'. They all mean the same thing

•   If you want to say that you and your friends are okay doing something by yourselves you would say;
'We are fine by ourselves/on our own'

If you are doing it alone then you say;
I can do it by myself/on my own/alone'

I can do it' and 'I am fine' are more or less interchangeable


texts: Should we have to repeat the possessive determiner in a list?

texts:
Is it better to put:

  Snow white was so pretty with her blood-red lips, her fair skin and her black hair.

or

  Snow White was so pretty with her blood-red lips, fair skin and black hair.


texts:
(1.1)She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. (1.2)No
  way could I have sent her away.(1.3)No way, not me anyway. (1.4)Maybe
  someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. (1.5)"We're
  moving house." (1.6)"No space for her any more with the baby coming."
  (1.7)"We never really wanted her, but what could we have done?
  (1.8)She was a present." (1.9) People find all sorts of excuses for
  abandoning an animal. (1.10)And she was one of the most beautiful dogs
  I had ever seen.
  (2.1)I called her Goldie. (2.2)If I had known what
  was going to happen I would have given her a more creative name.
  (2.3)She was so unsettled during those first few days. (2.4)She hardly
  ate anything and had such an air of sadness about her. (2.5)There was
  nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. (2.6)Heaven knows
  what had happened to her at her previous owner ' s. (2.7)But
  eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. (2.8)Always
  by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by
  the fire.
  (3.1)That 's why it was such a shock when she pulled away
  from me one day when we were out for a walk. (3.2)We were a long way
  from home, when she started barking and getting very restless.
  (3.3)Eventually I couldn't hold her any longer and she raced off down
  the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
  (4.1)By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with
  Goldie. (4.2)But when I saw her licking the four puppies I started to
  feel sympathy towards them. (4.3)"We didn't know what had happened to
  her," said the woman at the door. (4.4)"I took her for a walk one day,
  soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared. (4.5)"She
  must have tried to come back to them and got lost," added a boy from
  behind her.
   (5.1)I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I've got Nugget
  now, and she looks just like her mother. (5.2)And I've learnt a good
  lesson: not to judge people.

My question is :
How to parse the tense of the sentence in bold? If I were the author, I would write the sentence like this: We never really want her, but what could we do ?


texts: Differences between "would" and "used to" when we are talking about habit

texts:
What is the differences between use "would" vs "used to"

I used to play football when I was a child.

I would play football when I was a child.


texts: Sentence in a poem - The penalty by Neil Rollinson

texts:
I'm not quite sure the meaning of a sentence:

  "You take a run, you are running all day and night"

in a poem - The Penalty by Neil Rollinson.


texts:
According to Google Ngram, “mankind” and “humankind” are much more popular than “the mankind” or “the humankind”; however, the popularity of “the mankind” seems to be on the increase (it tripled since 1950-s).

Since there is but one mankind, shouldn’t one expect “the mankind” to be more popular?

What difference is there between these usages?


texts: "I am to blame for not getting the project" vs "I am to blame to not get the project"?

texts:
The question is about a situation where I was wrong and made a mistake when a meeting happened, and thus we couldn't get the project.

  "I am to blame for not getting the project"

Is that the correct way to say this?

All I want to know is get through between "I am to blame, I am to be blamed, I blame myself." or "I blame on me" I just want to get same meaning with "It's my fault."
"For not getting, not for getting, to not get, not to get."
What's the difference those phrases?


texts:
I have collected a such sentence:

  It's not what you do once in a while, it's what you do day in and day
  out that makes the difference.

Well,I know what the sentence say,but It have two subject???


texts:
Which of the first two letters on the word 'scent' is silent?

if 's' is silent, the word cent is pronounced like we pronounce 'scent'
if the 'c' is silent, the word is still pronounced the same, right?

So, which one of the letters is silent?


texts: What do you call these platform or large support building that sports a huge cannon?

texts: What do you call these platforms or large support buildings supporting a huge cannon? I heard the words base and turret being used, but I am not sure if it specifically refers to the base building. In the picture it's made of concrete, and the cannon sits on top of it. Is there a name for such buildings?


texts:
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:

  KMD was another editor with 30 years of experience on me, and when I would casually flip through an issue of Time that she had marked after I had, I would marvel at the things she found.

What does "experience on someone" mean here?


texts: word meaning: were more likely to have died

texts:
A colleague of mine wrote a sentence of the following sort. I'd like to know if more likely to have died is used properly.
The use of likely here does not seem to indicate uncertainty. How many of the respondents died should be verifiable by the researchers as a black-and-white matter. Also. from the way the sentence is written, it does not seem to be a general statement referring to drug takers in general. So why is "likely" used here at all?

  Following up twenty years later, the team learned that among the original 5,500 interviewees, those who had said they took drugs in their teens were 25 percent more likely to have died. Many of them died of cancer.


texts: Meaning of "You ought to be thankful, a whole heaping lot, for the place and people you're lucky you're not!"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "a whole heaping lot" ?

What is the meaning of "You ought to be thankful, a whole heaping lot, for the place and people you're lucky you're not!" in the following sentence,

  It's a troublesome world. All the people who're in it are troubled
  with troubles almost every minute. You ought to be thankful, a whole
  heaping lot, for the place and people you're lucky you're not!

?


texts:
I think I could have failed this time as well.

Could the above phrase mean two things?

First it means that I could have failed without your help or something. So with help I could have been successful.

Second it means that I have a feeling that I failed. So there's still a chance of success and I'll have to wait a bit more.

Am I right?


texts: Difference between "Selfish" and "Self Centered"

texts:
I have mostly seen the word "Selfish" used in depicting negative attribute of a person, like:-

Don't put Rogers in the Team, he is way too selfish to be of any good for the team!!

And I have also used the term "Self Centered" having sort of similar meaning, but used in a much lighter sense.

So what exactly is the difference between the two? And when should be one used over the other?


texts:
I'm a little confused with the word THEY in (So they improved the product and lowered the price). Does it refer to the buyers or another company which is Costco's competitor?

  In 1996 we (COSTCO) were selling between $150,000 and $200,000 worth of salmon
  fillet every week at $5.99 a pound. Then our buyers were able to get an improved product with belly fat, back fins, and collarbones removed, at a better price. As a result we reduced our retail price to $5.29. So they improved the product and lowered the price. The buyers weren’t finished with the improvements, though. Next our buyers negotiated for a product with the pin bone out and all of the skin removed, and it was at an even better price, which enabled us to lower our price to $4.99 a pound. Then, because we had continued to grow and had increased our sales volume, we were able to buy direct from Canadian and Chilean farms, which resulted in an even lower price of $4.79 (Denning, 2005, p. 137).

Source: https://books.google.com.vn/books?id=ZUePrEPNZq0C&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq


texts: Meaning of "they" in 'Wall-street loves to use confusing terms, to make you think only they can do what they do.'

texts:
I'd like to make sure if I have right idea about this.
These lines are quote from a movie called "The Big Short" (script).

  It's pretty confusing right?

  Doesn't it make you feel bored...
  Or stupid...

  Well... it's supposed to.

  Wall-street loves to use
  confusing terms, to
  make you think only they
  can do what they do.

The they stands for people in general, doesn't it? so in this context you and they are the same.


texts: "refer to something by" or "refer to something as"

texts:
The machine selects a single variable X (we refer to the latter by the
  machine's selected variable)

Or

  The machine selects a single variable X (we refer to the latter as the
  machine's selected variable)

My question:

1) Does the sentence seem correct?

2) Shall I use refer to .. by or refer to .. as ?

3) Can I replace refere to .. as or refer to .. by  by the word aka? Note that I am the one who is giving them these names for use in my paper.


texts: Are "do be", "does be" and "did be" proper questions and negations?

texts:
For example:

  Does he be a hero?

instead of

  Is he a hero?

.

  He doesn't be good as you thought

instead of

  he isn't good as you thought.

.

  The memories don't be real

instead of

  The memories aren't real.

You use do in all questions in simple present and simple past, but why don't you use it for the word 'be'?


texts:
Be strong on

  I'm not too strong on organic chemistry, so I'm going to get a tutor this semester.

Be low on

  We are running low on rice.

Be long on

  He was short on patience, but long on a sense of his own worth.

Be short on

  The president’s speech was long on colorful phrases but short on solutions.

I think that 'on' is used to convey the meaning of "regarding"

But why is it incorrect to say this way?

Be good on

  I'm not very good on predictions


texts: Can "because" be followed by an adjective?

texts:
I was checking the definition for the word gauche on Cambridge, I found this line:

  "awkward and uncomfortable with other people, especially because young and without experience"

My question can we always use this pattern? Or it's like that because it's not a full sentence. Is there any deletion grammar for the conjunction because and the adjectives?


texts: Is this sentence correct? Where has all my energies gone by?

texts:
I've tried using this sentence

  Where has all my energies gone by?

but somehow I guess it's wrong. Could you please explain why this sentence seems to be incorrect English?


texts:
Which one of the following is correct

  Vote who you want
  Vote whoever you want

Is there difference between them?
Does it mean the same or if i add a coma would it change?


texts:
Strike could think of little he wanted to do less. (Original is on P.S. below)

I can guess the meaning in the context, but it’s not clear to me what structure it has. This is the way I think:

  Strike could think [of little [(that) he wanted to do less]].

The embedded bracket is a modifier for previous noun ‘little.’ And the outer bracket is the complement for the verb, I think. Is this right, or do I have to think otherwise?

P.S.
Was it because Anstis had spent most of the previous day Skyping Helen within earshot of Strike, looking at the newborn son he might otherwise never have met? Was that why Strike’s hand had reached without hesitation for the older man, the Territorial Army policeman, and not Red Cap Topley, engaged but childless? Strike did not know. He was not sentimental about children and he disliked the wife he had saved from widowhood. He knew himself to be merely one among millions of soldiers, dead and living, whose split-second actions, prompted by instinct as much as training, had forever altered other men’s fates.
      ‘Do you want to read Tim his bedtime story, Cormy? We’ve got a new book, haven’t we, Timmy?’
          Strike could think of little he wanted to do less, especially if it involved the hyperactive boy sitting on his lap and perhaps kicking his right knee.
          Anstis led the way into the open-plan kitchen and dining area. The walls were cream, the floorboards bare, a long wooden table stood near French windows at the end of the room, surrounded by chairs upholstered in black. Strike had the vague idea that they had been a different colour when he had last been here, with Charlotte. Helly bustled in behind them and thrust a highly coloured picture book into Strike’s hands. He had no choice but to sit down on a dining-room chair, with his godson placed firmly beside him, and to read the story of Kyla the Kangaroo Who Loved to Bounce which was (as he would not usually have noticed) published by Roper Chard. Timothy did not appear remotely interested in Kyla’s antics and played with his lightsaber throughout.
(The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith)


texts: I won first place in/at the contest, which is correct?

texts:
I was writing my resume and personal statement but I don't know whether my sentences are proper:

  I won the first place/prize in the contest.
  I won first prize and first place in the contest.
  I won the Honorable Mention at International Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling.
  I won the 1st prize in Mathematics Competition.
  I won the 3rd Prize at the Smart Car Invitation Tournament.

My questions are:

Q1: Do I need to put the word "the" behind "tournament/competition/contest" in my resume?

Q2: How to choose the right preposition ('in',  'at' or 'of')?

Q3: Do I need to put the word "the" behind "prize/place" in my resume?

Related Questions:

Using "the" in this sentence: "I won the first place at the tournament"

"came in first place in a challenge" vs "came first " vs "won first place"


texts:
I have a tiny rubber toy chick like the above picture.
When I squeeze it, it makes some hissing sound.
When I shake it, it flashes or blinks
Is it natural to say "squeeze the toy chick to make it hiss" and "shake the toy chick to make it flash"?


texts: what is the function of "a foot" in this sentence?

texts:
"Tsunami waves may appear only a foot or so high."
Does "a foot" function as an adverbial phrase or subject complement?


texts:
In a test I had earlier, there was a rewrite section where there was this sentence :

  John told Gary he would wash his car

Here is my rewrite :

  John offered his help in washing the car for Gary

According to my teacher, here is what  it is supposed to be :

  John offered to wash Gary's car

Efficiency and naturalness aside, is my sentence perfectly grammatical and does it retain most of the context ?


texts: "A video of us playing computer games" or "of we playing"?

texts: I am not sure which one is correct. "A video of us playing computer games" or "of we playing computer games"?


texts: Inversion with 'neither...nor' & 'not only...but also': special occasions

texts:
I'm studying inversion and fronting in English and these two questions popped up in my head that I couldn't find an answer to.

Should I use inversion when using neither...nor with imperatives?

Which one is grammatically correct?

a. Neither will you go there nor (will you) give her a call.

b. Neither go there nor call her.

Is inversion grammatically compulsory when we use not only...but (also) structure? If yes, can we use it in spoken English I mean is it common in everyday conversation by native speakers to skip inversion here?

Are both of these sentences correct? I know 1 is correct I'm struggling with 2.

a. Not only are they noisy, but they're rude.

b. Not only they are noisy, but they're rude.

Thanks


texts: "I have a good temper" is equal to "I have a good mood"?

texts: I saw that temper and mood are synonym, but actually I've never heard someone who says "I have a good temper" so I'm not sure about the using of "temper" instead of "mood". It will be beneficial to get an opinion of native English speaker about it.


texts: What do we say when someone hears what has not been spoken?

texts: Imagine a situation when I'm standing with another person. The person hears something and responds back. In fact, I had not spoken anything. It is because of his faulty ears. So, what can I comment on his ears? I'm an Indian. In India, we say tere kaan baj rhe hain (Indian language), which literally means this in English: Your ears are striking/ringing. How do we say this in English when we want to say something about the ears of person which heard something which has not been spoken by anyone?


texts:
Every day we get submissions from people who claim that they have solved one of the problems.

Why it is not the people? These are the exact people who submit their papers.


texts: Rhetoric difference: a more muscular NSF vs. a more powerful NSF

texts:
The word "muscular" in the phrase "a more muscular NSF" appears to mean "powerful." The question of this thread is: Rhetorically, what is the difference between "a more muscular NSF" and "a more powerful NSF"?
"Muscular" hints the use of muscle and thus sounds a bit more informal than "powerful" to me. Plus, it sounds a bit sarcastic because a mission like NSF excels in using its brain or its wisdom rather than its muscle. I am not sure.
Rhetorics is a a hard part for English learners to crack.

First round of hearings by Congress back a more muscular NSF
The U.S. Congress this week got its first chance to weigh in on proposals to expand the mission and massively boost the budget of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the initial response was positive.

Source: Science


texts: Do "smelly cheese", "sour cheese", and "sharp cheese" have the same meaning?

texts:
I noticed that "smelly", "sour", and "sharp" are all used to modify cheese. Are they of the same meaning?

I looked up "sharp" in dictionary and found it can be defined as:

  acidic and intense.

Then the "sharp cheese" is just the "sour cheese" or "smelly cheese", right?

And an off-topic question: Is goats' milk cheese usually sour or "sharp"?


texts:
I need a bit of help with this.

  She is a photographer but that camera is her brother's-in-law

or:

  She is a photographer but that camera is her brother-in-law's

I am aware that I could change the construction to make things easier, like:

  She is a photographer but that camera belongs to her brother-in-law

However, I would really like to find out what's the correct way to write the sentence.


texts: When to use the nominative and the accusative?

texts:
There are five people in my family. My grandparents,
  father, mother and I. My mother is a nurse. My father is
  a teacher. My grandparents were retired many years ago. My
  grandma was a dancer. My grandpa was a driver. But he is
  learning English now. I have a happy family.

I think the sentence above is an elliptical sentence, and the complete sentence should be:
(They are) my grandparents, father, mother and I.

"my grandparents, father, mother and I " is a complement, but "I" is a nominative, how can it be used here?

I wonder when to use the nominative and the accusative.


texts: Asking for talk / speak to a specific person on a phone call

texts:
I wonder whether using each choice can change the meaning of the sentence significantly.

1: Hello,
2: Hello,
1: Excuse me, could I ........ Josh please?
2: He's not available right now—can I take a message?

a. speak to
b. speak with
c. talk to
I think they all can be used interchangeably here, however 'a' and 'b' are more polite / formal.


texts: Does "fasten" mean "make something happen fast"?

texts:
I wonder if it means "make something happen fast" here, like sadden, darken etc.? because if we use this link http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/fasten?q=fasten+
it doesn't help.

  Analysts say high-tensile steel and aluminium will be the more popular alternative for many years to come, considering parts makers would need to overhaul production lines and figure out ways to fasten new materials like cellulose nanofibre onto other car parts.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/14/japanese-auto-parts-could-soon-be-made-out-of-wood.html


texts: "for your information" or "for your notification"?

texts:
Which one we should use when we're sending emails to customers to inform them about news or other information?

any other formal or informal suggestion?


texts:
What do you call a town on top of a hill and/or surrounded by hills, is it  hilly town? Could it be ridgy town or mountain town?
I mean a cold town on top of a hill.
Thanks in advance.


texts: Correct word order of “An article you are a co-writer of”?

texts:
I am having trouble with the wording of a sentence in a formal letter. I came up with this, but, for me, it feels somewhat twisted and incorrect. How would you pharse this?

  During my research, I found the article "Carbon fiber material in
  musical instrument making" at ScienceDirect (link) you are a co-writer of.


texts: "turn something out at 15 degrees" or "turn something 15 degrees"?

texts:
Tell me please the correct sentence. The context is I want a person to point his feet out in the setup to a deadlift.

  Turn your feet out at 15 degrees.

  Turn your feet out 15 degrees.

What about using toes instead, like this one:

  Turn your toes out 15 degrees?

Or should I include "to"? For example:

  Turn your toes out to 15 degrees?


texts: Plurality in "A second set of motors [is/are] attached there"?

texts:
A typographer sent back some corrections:

My sentence: "A second set of motors are attached there".
His correction: "A second set of motors is attached there".

I checked on this site and this site, and both support the typographer's version.
Similarly:

My sentence: "Motions toward the right were restricted".
His correction: "Motions towards the right were restricted".

From my exposure to English, the "is" and the "towards" in these sentences give me a strong feeling that they are wrong. I understand that "a set of motors" is considered one entity, which justifies the "is", but shouldn't we consider the fact that we are talking about a first set of motors and a second set of motors, which makes it two sets, therefore making it plural (and thus justifies the "are")?
Similarly, "motions towards" somehow sounds like butler English, while "motions toward" sounds refined. "Motion towards" would have been ok, but something seems wrong with "Motions towards".
Is my English knowledge bad and do I need to learn some nuances or is my intuition right?


texts:
Could somebody explain me what it means: "They knocked the hard ground into soft, the soft into hard, the rocks into spring wells, and the spring wells into rocks".

This phrase I took from the fairy tale Billy Beg and his bull.


texts:
I know some phrases can take clauses as objects:

make sure that-clause/if, whether-clause/wh-clause

  I want to make sure that everything goes well.

bear in mind that-clause/if, whether-clause/wh-clause

  You should bear in mind what they taught you.

But for phrases “make clear／possible／public”

We should say "make it clear/possible/public+that-clause" (normally that-clause, not wh-clause? not sure about if-clause)

  You should make possible what is written on the draft.

Then what is the difference?


texts:
I am very confused. Yesterday I was enjoying memes and I saw a picture of an excited lady. It was quoted

  When you see your food coming.

but I think it should have been

  When you see your food is coming.

I am having trouble deciding which one is correct.


texts: Does writing 'DO' let me know or 'DO' confirm sound rude?

texts:
I wrote to a colleague and wanted the respondent to reconfirm back a detail. My sentence goes.

Do confirm back if the sample used is from ___.

Does writing 'DO' sounds rude. Does it sound like I am instructing them to do something?


texts:
Is there any difference between jump and jump up?

For example;

Bilbo jumped /
Bilbo jumped up


texts: What's this back-and-forth, argumentative writing called?

texts:
To improve my writing and engagement in back-and-forth emails and letters that involve argument, conflict, or dispute, I want to read such writing by conscionable, principled persons (in the past or present).
I seek not diatribes fulminations, or esoterica since I'm lay at history.
What's this kind of writing called? How do I find it? I question the term 'belles lettres'.

♦ I seek not only literary writers, but any person with the above virtues who write well.

♦ I prefer a longer chain of back-and-forth exchanges to see more actions and reactions.

Example 1: letters between US Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Robbins Curtis and the 5th Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, Roger B Taney. They're contentious, but still courteous and tactful.

Example 2: User ColleenV beneficently suggested a mother lode previously unknown to me: Amazon.com > Category: Literature & Fiction > Subcategory: Essays & Correspondence > Subsubcategory: Letters.

Example 3: A friend searched for --Correspondences and found another bonanza.


texts:
Source

I really don't get it by reading weird lines.

  Suddenly the book has legs and Cavendish is rolling in money from
  royalties.

What does it mean by "book has legs"?


texts: How to distinguish countable and uncountable senses?

texts:
The general rule is to use an article for countable nouns (i.e. nouns permitting a plural) and no article for uncountable nouns. However, some nouns may be countable in one sense and uncountable in another sense, cf. the discussion of "truth" in http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/countable-nouns

Sometimes it seems hard for me to distinguish countable and uncountable senses, as the transitions between the meanings can be very subtle.

I recently stumbled upon the following:

  This book is an essential reading. An extensive use is made of illustrations.

I found this incorrect and cut the articles:

  This book is essential reading. Extensive use is made of illustrations.

However, the author objected and I was a bit troubled to explain, as both reading and use appear to appear in countable and uncountable senses.

Are both variants perhaps justifiable, or if the second is wrong, why exactly?

Or put differently, how can one distinguish the countable vs. uncountable meanings of "reading" and "use"?


texts: Does 'a window' close the possibility to be one and only one window in the room?

texts:
Imagine me staying in a room and I have you on the phone and say to you that it has a window. I know that it has only one window but still choose the indefinite article 'a' because I'm not going to emphasize that there is only one window in the room even though it's indeed so. Moreover, I don't even think of the quantity at all.

And so you're not supposed to think about it too. It might be only one window, you do not know. The possibility remains open.

If I were to emphasize the fact that the window is one and only, I would state that out. Like we're not going to rent it, it has only one window.

And saying 'The room has the window' isn't natural, but 'The room has the black window' is fine because then you know that the room contains ONLY one black window but it may also have a white one. There's no restriction on white windows, only on black ones.

All the confusion is because of this: That's a program which I use", we know that this is only one of several programs which they use so I decided that I can't use the indefinite article 'a' to describe a room with only one window saying 'a window' because that would mean one of several windows.


texts: structure and meaning of "it was the most static the city has been since its founding"

texts:
The following is a part of an article about the linguistic diversity of New York City by Ross Perlin:

The great migrations, increasingly diverse till early 20th century, came to a sudden halt with the immigration act of 1924, with its hard cap on immigrants and its racist quotas in favor of Northern and Western Europe. The city's diversity was becoming just a little less radical. By the time the United Nations arrived in New York City in the 1950's, it was a mostly a town of seven particular tribes: Irish, Italian, Jewish, African American, Puerto Rican, West Indian, and Dominican. This is what now many think of as the dynamic "old New York" -- but it was the most static the city has been, linguistically speaking, since its founding.

I don't know how to read the sentence indicated by bold type. I guess that it has the meaning something like "At that time the city was linguistically in the most static period in its entire history". But, I don't understand how it is constructed grammatically.

EDIT 17 OCT
Thanks to the responses to my question, I understand the meaning of the sentence now. But, I still don't understand how it is constructed.

(1) it was the most static the city has been since its founding.

A sentence containing a relative clause usually can be divided into two sentences:

(2) Thursday was appointed as the day the trial would be held.
(3a) Thursday was appointed as the day.
(3b) The trial would be held at the day.

But it seems sentence (1) cannot be divided in this way.
And, a relative clause usually restricts the interpretation of the antecedent. But, in (1) the antecedent (the most static) seems to restrict the meaning of the relative clause (from the entire history of the city to a particular period in it).
I found a sentence which has a similarity to (1) .

(4) He looked me up the last time he was in Tokyo.

I think we can add extra words to make it more usual form (though awkward):

(5) He looked me up the last time of the occasions when he was in Tokyo.

Can we add some words to (1) to make it usual form?
Is this kind of analysis irrelevant?


texts: "It means" + "to [infinitive]" or "[gerund]"?

texts:
In a sentence "Something means X", where X is a verb (i.e. an action), should I use the gerund or the form "to + infinitive"? Is there a difference between them?

Example:

  Helping your mom means to do chores from time to time
  Helping your mom means doing chores from time to time


texts:
This line from an online article strikes me as strange for its use of the phrase much of.

  Owens was known for being a malcontent during his NFL career, which is much of the stated reason why Hall of Fame voters made him wait for his induction into Canton.

I thought much of is only used in negative sentences. The ODO's definition says:

  [as pronoun, with negative] Used to refer disparagingly to someone or something as being a poor specimen.

Merriam Webster has a page on not much of a, and so do other dictionaries. I am quite familiar with the usage listed in the dictionaries. But the online article sentence reads jarring. Is it a correct usage?


texts:
“My copy is terrible!” he writes in a slightly panicked email. “I need copy that converts like crazy and I need it yesterday!”

what does yesterday mean  here?


texts: What is the difference between "what" and "which" in this context?

texts:
If I want to ask my teacher the exercise we are at which of the following sentences should I use?

  1 "which exercise are we at?"

  2 "what exercise are we in?"


texts: What does 'you're not worth staying' mean here?

texts:
In the song 'Sound of Walking Away' by Illenium, comes this verse:

  Now, don't come find me
  I won't be here waiting
  I so can do it alone
  You're not worth staying

My question is staying where?

Does it mean the same as

You're not worth staying with?


texts:
to be/get used to doing something - is a kind of active construction.

to be/get used to something being done - is it the right way to talk about getting used to something that is passive?

I'm used to the announcement being repeated.


texts: Confusion about the use of the present simple in a story

texts:
I am reading a plot summary of "Wuthering Heights", a story written by Emily Brontë.

  One day Mr Earnshaw, father of Catherine and Hindley, goes to Liverpool on business. When he returns, he brings with him a child who has been living on the streets in the worst part of the city. From the moment that Mr Earnshaw takes the child as his son, giving him the name Heathcliff, nothing for the Earnshaw family or the Linton family is ever the same again.

So my confusion is about the verbs in bold. Why did she use the present simple form even she is telling something that had happened in the past?

I'm willing to add more context if needed.


texts: “I heard him sing.” Vs. “I heard him singing.”

texts:
I am looking at the following two sentences:

  I heard him sing.

  I heard him singing.

I think I understand the difference between these two sentences, but I want to make sure I understand.

"I heard him sing" means that you heard someone sing in the past and the action started and completed in the past. To me, this also sounds like you went to some type of performance and heard someone sing.

"I heard him singing" means that you heard someone singing (continuously) in the past. To me, this means it seems like you heard someone singing in passing.

Also, isn't "singing" a gerund here?

Is my description between these two sentences correct?


texts: What's the provenance of the phrase "bob's your uncle"?

texts:
Today I saw in my English class that the phrase "Bob's your uncle" is used to say when the people reach an objective, for example:

  My house is in Mexico City, at Eje Central, you go to the Torre Latinoamericana, turn to the left, straight ahead in that street, pass three streets, turn to the right, straight ahead four streets and Bob's your uncle!

Another example would be:

  To make hotcakes, you should shake two eggs with 15 oz of flour, mix it with milk, cook them on the stove and Bob's your uncle

My question here is, Why the translation of these phrase is too different with the usage? Is there a legend or a story about that phrase?


texts: Can "was to do" denote "the result of the past situation"?

texts:
I've never come across "was to do" that is used to mean "the result of the past situation" as in

  The football team was to win the trophy, defeating the opponent by
  1-0 (meaning "the football team won the trophy, defeating the opponent by 1-0)
  Issac Newton was to have lived his life in England in eighty years until he passed away.(meaning "Isaac Newton had lived his life in England in eighty years until he passed away.)

I think it's grammatically possible to use it like that if context is given enough to make the meaning definite.


texts: What is the difference between "either of" and "either.. or"?

texts:
Can someone please explain me the difference between "either of" and "either..or" What is the difference between "either of" and "either.. or" in the following context? Or do they have same meaning?

There are two light bulbs.

A person can turn on either light bulb 1 or light bulb 2.
A person can turn on either of the light bulbs.

Does the second statement mean that the person can turn on only ONE of the two light bulbs and not both?


texts: What is the general word that describes following relationsip

texts:
I have a problem finding correct English word that describes following situation:

"Opel, car brand in Germany sell identical cars in UK under brand Vauxhall."

I'm interesting in English word that describes this relationship in any context, best I could think of was joint venture needless to say way I ask you for better term.


texts: How is "stopped short of" understood? What are the parts of speech?

texts:
Mr. Hishamuddin, the acting transport minister, said that a statement
  by a previously unknown group describing the disappearance as the
  result of a political act didn't appear to be credible. The statement
  referenced last week's attack by ethnic Uighur separatists in China
  but stopped short of an explicit claim of responsibility.Source: Wall Street Journal — False Leads Plague Search for Plane


texts: What is the difference between would and might?

texts:
Me: Hey damn why isnt he picking the phone up
  Friend: He might be having the lunch / He would be having the lunch

  Me: Looks like it's going to rain today I should take my umbrella with me
  Friend: That might be better / That would be better

  Me: Of our friends who do you think might have attended Chainsmokers concert last week?
  Or: Who you think would have attended Chainsmokers concert last week

The words would and might being a non native speaker sounds alike to me...

To me, I guess they both can be used for guessing. No?


texts: What does "financial leases and receivables are deteriorating" mean in this context?

texts:
I am reading this article:
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4355058-ibm-underwhelming-turnaround-persists-and-gets-worse
I am reading the first points and when I get to "financial leases and receivables are deteriorating"
I am struggling to understand the real meaning of these words.
I guess that means that IBM is not able to take more leases and receive more money from banks, but I am not sure. I am not native speaker so I will happy if someone can explain me the meaning here
the same applies to "Balance sheet weakening on increased goodwill and financial leverage"
How the balance sheet will weaken on increase goodwill and financial leverage.
increase goodwill means that good repution is increased so why the balanace sheet will weaken on increased goodwill?


texts: "Please correct" vs. "Please specify" vs something else - a short phrase to that effect

texts:
From business correspondence:

  Concerning Document D12:
  Paragraph 1.1 fails to mention the mass flow rate value for the hydraulic seal of the high-pressure ammonia pump (0 kg/hour). Please correct.

Would it be better to write "Please specify"? What are the appropriate terse businesslike phrases for the occassion?


texts: 'look along' the edges Vs 'look around' the edges

texts:
I'm staring at a computer screen, looking at the edges of the glass.
I want to say:

  "I looked around the edges and the screen looked fine to me."

Is it correct? The phrase, "looked around the edges", I mean? Or should I say:

  "I looked along the edges and the screen looked fine."

And is there a difference between the two? If so, what is the difference?

Another example would be if I have a book, and I ask someone to find a particular word on a particular page, and I gave them a hint:

  "Look along the edge and you will find it."

Should I say:

  "Look around the edge you will find it."

I think 'look along' sounds correct to me in this context (correct me if I am wrong). But 'look around' sounds correct to me in my first example sentence.

I'm trying to understand the subtle differences between the two: look around Vs look along.


texts:
From the Collins dictionary

  If I give in to him, I will be annoyed with myself.

  He was very annoyed about the whole affair.

I'm aware of the meanings of them and I'd just like to make sure my understanding about the usage is correct.

The phrase "annoyed about" is usually followed by something while "annoyed with" is for someone.

Is my understanding correct?

Besides, are there any other adjectives which work this way, like "disappointed", "excited", "upset"?


texts: is it possible to use the present simple tense with the time marker 'this evening'?

texts:
Recently I have come across the following usage of the present simple tense in the coursebook Cambridge English Key for Schools Result OUP 2013:

  Excuse me. Do you close at 8 o'clock this evening? ~  No. I'm afraid we close at six.

Isn't it supposed to be the present continuous since 'this evening' is mentioned?


texts: Can I join an arbitrary number of nouns to make them act like adjectives?

texts:
I always thought that I can join as many nouns as I want together and in fact make all of them play the role of adjectives except the last one. But the other day I was told that there is no such rule. However I can provide many examples:

a Michael Bay film
repetitive strain injury
blue-collar worker
maternity leave
air pollution
noise pollution
water pollution

These are correct collocations, aren't they? Certainly I can "A film of Michael Bay", but "a Michael Bay film" seems even more natural for me.
Also we have air pollution, noise pollution, water pollution, but not environment pollution. Environmental pollution. Am I right? Can I say environment pollution? If no, why? And yet if there is such a rule that describes why I can say air pollution instead of pollution of air, how does it called?


texts: sorry if I made you rush into {replying / answering} to me back soon

texts:
Are these following sentences are idiomatic and suitable for formal letters ?
If none of them are idiomatic what would you say?

  1.sorry if I made you rush into replying to me back soon but I was in a hurry.

  2.sorry if I made you rush into answering to me back soon but I was in a hurry.

  3.sorry for if I rushed you into answering to me back soon but I was in a hurry.

  4.Sorry for making you rush into replying/ answering to me back soon but I was in a hurry.

  5.Sorry for having you rush into replying/ answering to me back soon but I was in a hurry.

  6.Sorry to rush you into replying/ answering to me back soon but I was in a hurry.


texts: “as essential a part of the weekly shop”

texts:
To the Dutch, milk and cheese are staples, as essential a part of the weekly shop as rice is for a Chinese shopper or teabags are for an Englishman.

This is the sentence from CNN's one article. I don't understand why it is not "an essential part of the weekly shop".

Can you tell me about any rules or grammar in this phrase, please?


texts: Who do you like most to invite vs Who would you most like to invite

texts:
Which of these two is correct or what is the difference between them. The first sounds awkward to me.

1-Who do you like most to invite on your wedding?
This would be answered: -"I most like to invite..."

2-Who would you most like to invite to your wedding?
This would be answered:-"I would most like to invite..."

Maybe "to your wedding" but "on your wedding day"?

[BTW these are from a student's English lesson in China, notorious for confusing distinctions.]

Questions like "What do you like least about your current job?" OR "Who do you like most, of all your teachers?" sound fairly normal. I am having trouble explaining what I do not like about the first sentence.


texts: eye teeth - what do the words mean here?

texts:
The speaker appears to mean "any things that are rotten and useless" by  "their dead granny’s eye teeth."
What does "their dead granny’s eye teeth" mean?

Such political organizations are lower than a snake’s belly, and would all sell their dead granny’s eye teeth.

Source: Online forums


texts: 'ready to measure' or 'ready to be measured'?

texts:
I am writing a scientific paper. I have to talk about some physical quantity which can be easily measured.

The question is,

  The quantity is ready to measure

or

  The quantity is ready to be measured


texts: What does a middle name mean in AmE and where from it is taken (What is the formula for making a middle name)?

texts: I am well aware that people's names in several cultures include one or more additional names placed between the first given name and the surname. It is called a middle name. Like: "Tom r. Tyler"; but the question is that what does it mean and much more important, where it is taken from? (What is the formula for making a middle name for a person?)


texts:
A: Why did she divorce you?
B: I guess she just doesn't feel the same way about me anymore.
Does "the same way" in B's statement refer to how she used to feel about me or does it mean that she doesn't feel the same as I do for her? (hope you understand what I mean) Is the line natural in this context?


texts:
In this sentence why we use comma before that??

  "Eventually, this led to redistribution systems for luxuries and basic commodities, systems that were organized and controlled by Minoan rulers from their palaces"

I think that is restrictive adjective pronoun.


texts: agreed helping him v/s agreed to help him

texts:
Given the following sentence

  When I arrived home I could not stop thinking about why I had agreed helping him.

The correct way of writing it is

  When I arrived home I could not stop thinking about why I had agreed to help him.

Is the first sentence incorrect or carries a different meaning?


texts: propped up on/ propped against - meaning and difference

texts:
I have a few questions regarding the meaning of the verb phrases propped up on/ propped against.

Oxford Dictionary gives the following sentences to illustrate the usage of the verb prop.

  The old man lay propped up on cushions.
  He lay propped against the pillows.

I take the predicates of the two sentences to mean the same thing: They both lay (on their beds, most likely,) their heads somewhat raised at an angle, cushions/the pillows supporting them. Or is there any difference between the two?

  She propped herself up on one elbow.

In this one, the woman being described was lying on her side (on her bed or on the floor, you cannot know,) head resting on her hand, arm bent at the elbow. Or could the sentence be interpreted in different ways? (She was sitting at her desk staring out the window, maybe?)


texts: "He" refers to which one, "one" or tyrant?

texts:
In the end, one can be the slave of a tyrant, but he is just as much
your slave.

Could you please say "he" in the sentence above refers to which one, "One" or "tyrant"?
Is this correct to say:

Helen can be the slave of a tyrant, but Helen is just as much her
slave.

The fuller text is here:

I remembered everything connected with him. People said contradictory
things: some had found him formidable, while others insisted on his
unusual sense of humour. Then both sides would turn their heads to me,
to hear the truth. Any explanation seemed impossible, especially when
the conversation touched on father-son relationships, however
obliquely. Perhaps the only secret I learned from him was how
difficult it is to understand whether tyranny is a real thing or
something one projects oneself. The same goes for enslavement. In
the end, one can be the slave of a tyrant, but he is just as much your
slave.

The Doll by Ismail Kadareh
Translated by John Hodgson


texts:
Of the below sentences, which sentence is grammatically correct.

When do we use which of the below sentence?

  If we can't leave by 4 o clock then our 1 hour is going to waste.
  if we can't leave by 4 o clock then our 1 hour is going to be wasted.
  if we can't leave by 4 o clock then our 1 hour is going to get wasted.

(Edit) From the comments, OP is trying to say that, since "peak hour traffic on the road will increase if we don't leave by certain time", some time is going to be wasted.  Is there a better way to express this in natural, idiomatic English?  Also, is there a way to express it naturally using the passive voice?


texts:
I have learned that adverbs should be at the end of a sentence.

What is the subject of this sentence? Is it Using a comma after and in a list?

Is there any adverb modifying the noun or of which members is this sentence composed?

Which of these sentences is correct?

  Using a comma after "and" in a list is optional.

or

  Using a comma after "and" is optional in a list.


texts:
Does the statement,

  He might very well say that.

close to "He might say that with high probability" or "He might say that with low probability" ?


texts:
I think dareness is not the word, since it doesn't appear in Thesaurus. What the common noun? Example sentence:

  The woman suddenly kissed the man. That put him into a __-induced
  stupor.


texts:
This is the example of ‘nothing’ in the Cambridge dictionary.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/nothing

The score is Yankees three, Red Sox nothing.

What is the kind of function of ‘Yankees’ and ‘Red Sox’?


texts:
Should I use present continuous or present simple tense here to describe an action in a video? says

  At 1:19, he's holding the ball, and then drop it freely down to his foot

Should I read that time point like this?

  one minute and nineteen seconds of the video

or

  first minute and nineteenth second of the video


texts:
I have checked the learner's dictionaries of Cambridge, Longman and Macmillan but never found the sense of movement in the definition of the phrasal verb "back out". I was pretty sure that I heard it used that way in some TV series or anime but I cannot remember. However, not until I checked The Dictionary website did I realize I was right about it.

  back out - Move or retreat backwards without turning; same as
  back away , def. 1.

I would like to know whether:

it is the same as the verb back up as in "I need everyone to
back up about 10 paces"
this sense is out dated or not, and what kinds of situations I could
use it if I wanted to. Two usage examples are good, one will do just
fine.


texts:
I have heard the phrase ‘I am in’ or ‘I am absolutely in’ (and similar variations) several times.

As I understand it, it means I agree with the idea and I will join you in your efforts.

Recently, I wanted to use this phrase in a written form and I thought perhaps my understanding was incorrect. I Googled the phrase to reassure myself that I understood it, but I still wasn't sure of the correct meaning.

I was not able to find a definitive answer. Frequently, the phrase was associated with other word(s) that completely changed the meaning.

For example:

I am in here.
I am in a state of ...
I am in love.

In addition, this I am in seems to have the meaning of being accepted.

So what is the correct usage of the phrase ‘I am in’? Does it have more meanings? Can all of them be used in written (formal) form?


texts: 'flash flood occurred' or 'flash flooding occurred', which is correct?

texts:
A) The flash flood occurred as a result of the downpour at a forest.

or

  B) The flash flooding occurred as a result of the downpour at a forest.

Which one is correct?


texts: Is it mandatory to change the tense of verbs in reported speech?

texts:
If someone told you  '' the guard said we can't play here, so let's move elsewhere " (direct from guard to someone "you can't play here" ) would you understand them?  In other words, is it mandatory to change the tense of verbs to past when saying what someone said  " the guard said we couldn't play here so let's move elsewhere " for you to understand correctly ?.

If so, should all the verbs  be changed ?
Assuming the Direct sentence is   " We will stop the plane before it lands "
Which one is the correct sentence for an indirect sentence:

  They said they would stop the plane before it landed ?

or

  They said they would stop the plane before it lands ?


texts:
Let's say you are in a question and answer portion in a contest. And it goes like this:

  Question: What do you think is the disadvantages of being famous?

  You: I think your privacy. Paparazzi and the fans of a well-recognized person would be a hindrance to enjoyment of vacations, as they would always be the keenest critics of what you do. I think it would always be like that way OR I think it will always be like that way

I've never used the phrase it would always be(hypothetical situation). Is this correct? Because I often use the it will always be like that particularly and grammatically correct if I think is there.


texts:
I'd like to ask you something about a question.

There is the question:

  "Don't complain about the heat. It __________ hotter."

And I thought the answer is could have been and it makes sense.

But the answer is could be.

Could you please tell me why the answer is could be?


texts:
I Want to say for past time things. I was not liking one chocolate when I was in school. but now i like to eat it.

If I Say

"I was not liking this chocolate before but now I like it."
Or should I Say

"I did not like this chocolate before but now I like it"


texts: I have doubts with understanding the following section

texts:
Stack Exchange "How do I write a good answer?" has the following section:

  Pay it forward

  Saying “thanks” is appreciated, but it doesn’t answer the question. Instead, vote up the answers that helped you the most! If these answers were helpful to you, please consider saying thank you in a more constructive way – by contributing your own answers to questions your peers have asked here.

While I understand the meaning of the header and mostly understand the meaning of the whole section, I had a discussion about interpretation of the emphasized "it doesn’t answer the question" phrase with my friend.

My friend treated that as "we should not say 'thank you' in our answers". My original interpretation was like "…but just saying 'thank you', per se, doesn't aid (or aid not so much) in resolving other questions from the question flow". But then I started to doubt: why did they used "the question" (instead of, for example, "a question", "any question", "other questions", "questions in general" or etc), does it mean that they refer some aforementioned/implied question? (That would break my interpretation.)

So:

Is my interpretation correct?
If yes — what are reasonable explanations for using "the" in that case (what aforementioned/implied question does the text refer)? If no — what should be the correct interpretation of the "…but it doesn’t answer the question"?


texts: "How are your first impressions?" vs "What are your first impressions?"

texts:
Can either of these sentences be used?

  "How are your first impressions of this city?"

  "What are your first impressions of this city?"

Also, can I say either of these sentences?

  "My first impressions of this city are good."

  "My first impressions of this city are that this is a good city."

Context: Let's say I visited a city for the first time with a friend of mine.


texts: What's a term that can encompass "check in" and "check out"?

texts: The "check in" and "check out" here is not of a hotel, but like of an hourly work freelance "check in" and "check out" type. So when the user "check in", they are considered show up to work. And when the user "check out", they are considered off from work. I need to make a menu in app that if the user selects it, will show another menu that says "check in" and "check out". But to call the menu "checks" feel a little bit off.


texts:
I was watching a movie (Fences) when I noticed that the actors kept using this phrasal verb "get on to/get on down to" when I searched up the meaning online I couldn't find anything besides what I already knew.

"Get on down to the basement!"

"Why do you wanna get on talking about death?"

"Get on to the kitchen!"


texts: If I do not have a specific target, is my travelling "targetless"?

texts:
I'm writing on an english article in the domain of navigation and geographic routing. I have a use case for targetless navigation but I'm unsure if the term is the correct choise. I see targetless is an existing word in the english language, and it literally means without target.

In my specific use case, and in the oppisite to a traditional A-to-B navigation like you use in your car, I'm looking for a term or phrase that descibres the state that

I'm in a explorative navigation mode
I'm free to go where I want (as long as I can reach it somehow)
Describes something scientists call A-to-N navigation [1]

Is targetless navigation the term I'm looking for?

[1] The correct scientific term is the single source shortest path (SSSP) problem class in case anyone wants to read up on that matter.


texts:
Fail in the election as he did，he became famous for his fiery speech against slavery.

  Dislike him as we may，we must acknowledge his greatness

Are these two sentences correct? Is it normal or idiomatic to use 'as/though inversions'  like that?


texts:
Near-term sentiment has shifted to the euro, amid market expectations that the Federal Reserve will put brakes on raising rates.
  Near-term sentiment has shifted to the euro, amid market expectation that the Federal Reserve will put brakes on raising rates.

Is one of the above sentences more appropriate than the other?


texts:
I did my homework and met an offer.

He felt tired because he had worked a lot.

why I have to use 'had' if I can say that:

He felt tired because he worked a lot.


texts: Is it mean to use the words like "You should learn to moderate your mouth..."

texts:
I heard my coworker, a native English Speaker, next to me talking on the phone.  She said "you should learn to moderate your mouth when you are talking, you just talk anyhow to me about being a liar...."  I knew she is a habitual liar by working with her.  Since we are at our company, she can't really talk loud.  She was quite upset on the phone.
From the words she used in the sentence, 'you should learn to moderate your mouth,' did it sound like she was yelling or being impolite/aggressive/disrespectful to the person on the phone?  In addition, can someone tell me how strong the word, moderate, is used here?


texts:
I am really confused with question number 12. Options A and D both make sense.

Option A because the gardener has a direct reference and is receiving gift, which is also a food. The information thus has to do something with the context.

Option D because eels are mentioned. Gardner is also related to eels.

I chose option A because I thought that "delicacy" has a negative meaning, and why a grandmother will play a prank on Gardner as he doesn't like eels? Maybe, I misunderstood.


texts: Does a code snippet compile? Or does it get compiled?

texts:
I was completely surprised that the following snippet compiled and worked in both Visual Studio 2008 and G++ 4.4.

  The following code does not compile:

  By coding rigidly to the spec, you can be certain that your code will compile and run without modification on any system with a compliant C++ compiler.

Those are excerpts from Stack Overflow. I've been noticing this pattern and I was wondering if it's semantically correct.

What I assume to be correct are expressions like "is/was/has/been compiled", "gets compiled". I rarely see them, though.

  It gets compiled and runs but the output is...

  I need my code to do different things based on the operating system on which it gets compiled.

The definition of compile doesn't back up the sentences I mentioned first.

  to change the language in which a computer program is written into instructions that a computer can use
  convert into a machine code or lower-level form in which the program can be executed.

To me, a code snippet can be compiled (by a compiler), but it can't compile. What would it mean?


texts: What is difference between 'it' and 'this'?

texts:
Please explain to me which are correct/natural:

This is my wife. / It is my wife.
This is my cat. / It is my cat.
This is the worst building. / It is the worst building.
This is beautiful. / It is beautiful.

And why?


texts: Is "there has been outage in my house for the past 8 hours" correct?

texts:
There has been outage in my house for the past 8 hours.

I want to know if there's a better way of saying it or if this is grammatically correct.