texts: Problem about sentence construction from LoTR passage

texts:
It was the pride and wonder of the Northern Line that, though their power departed and their people dwindled, through all the many generations the succession was unbroken from father to son.

Also, though the length of the lives of the Dunedain grew ever less in Middle-earth, after the ending of their kings the waning was swifter in Gondor; and many of the Chieftains of the North still lived to twice the age of Men, and far beyond the days of even the oldest amongst us.

I cannot understand the construction of the lower part of the text (from LoTR appendix).

I tried some ways to divide chunks but they didn't read smoothly within the context.

I assumed its meaning may be as following

Also, though the length of the lives of the Dunedain grew ever less in Middle-earth and after the ending of their kings the waning was swifter in Gondor, many of the Chieftains of the North still lived to twice the age of Men....

but I can't understand the funtion of the commas and semicolon and determine whether it's two sentence or one. And how much portion the 'though' include under its effect?

Please help! Thanks in advance:)


texts: Can "walk away" be used in the situation where the person does not actually walk?

texts:
From NPR

  Then Underwood started the car, closed the garage door, and walked away.

I thought walk away usually meant a person move away using his/her feet, but here doesn't. Underwood used the car to walk away, why? Can walk away be used in such situation where a person uses the bicycle, car, or something alike?


texts: '~ and many more.' vs. '~and much more.'

texts:
We have a grammar rule here. 'many more + a countable noun' and 'much more + an uncountable noun,' Right?

But how about '~ and much more.' in the following sentence? Is it grammatically correct to use it at the end of a sentence?

How about using '~ and many more.'? I think '~ and many more (ethnic goods)' is better.

  The Little Penang Street Market is known as the best place to see local crafts, and it really was full of beautiful ethnic goods, including clothes, shoes, wood carvings, woven baskets, and much more.


texts:
Gregory Porter stands for a portrait at the North Sea Jazz Festival in
  Rotterdam, Netherlands on July 6, 2012.

I'm struggling with this sentence. What does 'stand for a portrait' mean?


texts: Where should the apostrophe go in "Cas's Cookies"?

texts:
My name is Cas and I make cookies to sell. I call my little enterprise Cas's Cookies. Is this the proper use of an apostrophe?

If I put the apostrophe after the second s then it changes my name to Cass (which I am not)


texts: When you are going to show your respect and tell somebody that meeting with them has been an honor for you

texts:
Imagine you as a representative of a popular party are going to talk to your country's vice president and as a sign of your respect towards him, you want to express your feelings. I was wondering if someone could let me know which one of the following choices work better in my self-made example:

  -...................to have this opportunity to hold this discussion with you.

  a) It was a great honor for me

  b) It was a big source of pride for me

For me, they both work here properly though the first one seems to be more common. I guess one can exchange them together without any specific change in meaning.

If you confirm my taking, then please let me knew if they both sound natural in this question.


texts:
I use data to describe plurals (Xs or Ys). Is it correct to use whether it be in the following description?

  The data, whether it be Xs or Ys, are collected from users.

Or shall I use whether they are?


texts: Dilemma: Present Perfect Or Perfect Continuous?

texts:
I am very much confused with two aspects which are perfect aspect and present perfect continuous.

From the sentences below I am not sure what to use..

Perfect aspect:

  I've lived here for ten years.

Perfect Continuous aspect:

  I've been living here for ten years.


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "please always close the door behind you"?

texts:
my sister's bedroom is face to my bedroom and she play music loudly, which is disturbing me. So, I said to her, please always close the door behind you. I would like to have her remember this, and close the door next time without my reminder, close our own doors to avoid disturbing each other.

Is it an idiomatic expression?


texts:
Actually, I cannot find a good answer about where the relative clause is used.

1) There are a lot of people who do not like science-fiction movies in the world.

2) There are a lot of people in the world who do not like science-fiction movies.

Which one is true or convenient ?


texts:
I am actually looking for a phrase which means"don't fool yourself "

For example : The phrase "get over yourself" is used for someone who thinks that they are more important than other people.

In the same way please let me know if there is any phrase that is used to say someone to stop fooling themselves?


texts:
Look at the following sentence:

Her family was happy when she returned home

It is clear that "when she returned home" is a dependent clause because it starts with "when" and has a subject and a verb. But I am doubtful if it is an adverbial clause or a noun clause. As far as I know, it could be both of them if you think of it from different views:

First, We could consider it an adverbial clause as it starts with conjunction "when" and describes the verb "was". It gives information about the time when they were happy so it is basically an adverb.

On the other hand, It looks as if "when she returned home" is a noun clause which acts as an adjective complement.

I don't know which one is correct. Or may be both of them are correct at the same time?


texts:
I know the first part means that "no ethnic is inherently easier to form a gang than another ethnic, but being marginalized makes some ethnic groups have more gangs". I also know "account for" might be "to constitute the governing or primary factor in". But I don't know what the this in boldface refer to, and be account for what here? What does "be accounted for" mean?

No ethnic group is more disposed to gang involvement than another, rather it is the status of being marginalized, alienated or rejected that makes some groups more vulnerable to gang formation, and this would also be accounted for in the effect of social exclusion, especially in terms of recruitment and retention.
-- Wikipedia: Organized_crime


texts:
These figures have the same shape.
  These figures have the same shapes.

According to the google search, it seems that "the same shape" has a majority.

  These figures have an identical shape.
  These figures have identical shapes.

According to the google search, it seems that "identical shapes" has a majority.

I would like to know whether singular or plural is correct.


texts: Having trouble to understand sentences which contain "against"

texts:
Here are two sentences I have extracted from Google dictionary, both containing the word against, under the meaning of offset.

First usage sentence is under noun offset, sense 1:

  "widow's bereavement allowance is an offset against income"

What does offset against income mean?

My interpretations:

Widow's bereavement allowance is given because they don't get income.
Widow's bereavement allowance is given in addition to income because of their deprived situation.

Second sentence is given under verb offset, sense 1:

  "donations to charities can be offset against tax"

What does offset against tax mean?

I don't get any interpretation at all.


texts: Is correct to use the indefinite article before the word "reeducation" in this context?

texts:
Here it goes:

  Out attidute towards nutrition has been wrong in the past, so we need (a) reeducation on it.

Is the use of the article necessary in that context, if not, then why?


texts: How do I understand (In Which) in the beginning of sentences?

texts:
In which it is proved that, notwithstanding their names’ ending in OS
and IS, the heroes of the story which we are about to have the honor
to relate to our readers have nothing mythological about them.

The three musketeers

1: in which Sophie talks to hats. 2: in which Sophie is compelled to
seek her fortune. 17: In which the moving castle moves house.

Howel's moving castle chapters titles
I can't understand what (In which) means at the beginning of the sentence even after looking for it on the internet. The closest thing I found was this:

“In which” is a combination of a preposition (in) and a relative
pronoun (which). You can use “in which” as a precise way to introduce
a relative clause after a noun that refers to a place or to a time.

In this case there is no relative clause to introduce. I know it can mean (Where) when talking about physical things but here it seems so ambiguous. It is not just (even though our heroes' names end with OS and IS there is nothing magical about them), like if (In Which) adds another meaning to this that I can't grasp.
The same goes for (in which Sophie talks to hats), Sophie is talking to hats and I don't understand what role (In which) is playing in the sentence here. As if it alters the simple meaning I draw out.


texts: How should I interpret the latter part of this sentence?

texts:
You agree that all information you provide to us is true, accurate and
  complete, and you will maintain and update such information regularly. (https://americanmary.com/terms/)

The latter part of this sentence is not clear. Does this mean:

  You agree that all information you provide to us is true, accurate and
  complete. And you agree that you will maintain and update such
  information regularly.

or

  You agree that all information you provide to us is true, accurate and
  complete. And you will maintain and update such information
  regularly.


texts:
a. She knows the place her cousin works.
b. She knows the place where her cousin works.
Do these mean

She knows where that place is located.

She knows where the place is located and what it looks like.

She knows what kind of environment her cousin works in.
?

Many thanks.


texts: “To solve” vs “For solving”: what is the difference?

texts:
What are the differences between:

An algorithm to solve optimization problems

and

An algorithm for solving optimization problems

I think only the second one is correct but I can’t explain why the first one is wrong.


texts: I have read for the first time the expression "Monday next". I believe that it belongs to a high register of speech and possibly it is outdated. Is that right? Is it usual somewhere ?


texts: Does the reply "Take care, you too." to "Take care." makes sense?


texts: What's the difference between "the second" and "a second"?

texts:
Here the "second" means 2nd, not 1/60 minutes.

I'd appreciate it if someone gives examples and detailed explanations.

Sorry for lack of context.

Here's an example:

"Ottawa police have apparently discovered a second suspicious package at the Canada Post sorting facility in Ottawa. The Ottawa Citizen’s Meghan Hurley is reporting that package contained a hand."

Why do they use "a second package", not "the second package"?


texts: What kind of structure is "think us going"?

texts:
What grammatical rule does the following structure in bold refer to?

"I don't think us going to visit this Caesare Aldanto fellow is a good idea."
From "The Shadow of the Lion"


texts: "A patients guide" or "A patient's guide"?

texts: I am working on one of my employer's websites, and we have a video guide up for patients of how a particular procedure works. The guide was previously titled "A patients guide to [X]", but I have corrected it to "A patient's guide to [X]" as I initially felt that that was correct, and Grammarly also agreed. However, now I'm not so sure. Which do I go for?


texts:
But having lived in England for the past 3 years I’ve come to realize that this may be one of the reasons people call me ‘crazy’

what does ''having lived'' mean in the sentence?

because I have lived ,
after I have lived
or etc?


texts:
Is there any dichotomy among the following three sentences?

The mold on the plants proved to be benign.
The mold on the plants proved being benign.
The mold which is benign on the plants proved.

If yes, could you explain, especially 1 and 2?
Does the first sentence include infinitive form?


texts: What does "taking the motion out of something" mean?

texts:
In Jia Jiang's book "Rejection Proof", I encountered the following sentence:

  Self-improvement: By taking the motion out of rejection, one can use it as an effective
  way to improve an idea or product.

To get a little more context, here is the corresponding text section (cited from here):

  For example, in a job search, if you applied one hundred times with the same résumé and were rejected for an interview each time, instead of seeing the rejections as a sign that you are not qualified for the job and should lower your expectations, you could improve your résumé, write a new cover letter, or use other channels such as networking to try again and see if there is any change in the percentage of callbacks.

Could you please explain, what "taking the motion out of" mean? More specifically:

Is this meant in a figurative sense?
For which other situation could I use as well? Could you please give me an example?

Thank you!


texts:
I know that would has different usages, for requests, conditionals, Habitual actions in the past, Talking about the future in the past, Willingness in the past, Being less direct....

which usages of 'would' is used in the sentence below for the two bold 'would'?

  our volition isn't the focus of our hope in that scenario. Compare:
  (7a) I hope they award us the prize.
  (7b) I hope they will award us the prize.
  Supposing we had won, we probably wouldn't use (7a), for their awarding us the prize would be expected..


texts:
gent‧ly /ˈdʒentli/ ●●○ W3 adverb     1 in a gentle way

  ‘You go back to bed now, ’ he said gently.

  She kissed me gently on the cheek.

  Gently cook the peppers for 10–15 minutes.

  Rain pattered gently on the roof above.

  The road curved gently upwards.

Is "Harshly" the opposite of "Gently"?

Is it okay to say "Please don't type harshly on the keyboard" instead of "Please type gently on the Keyboard"?


texts: What article should be used when talking about a job/profession in general?

texts: For example, "The most difficult job is a/the/_ doctor". What article (if any) should be used here?


texts: Are there execeptions to the rule that we always use singular forms to refer to singular objects and vice versa?

texts:
If that was the case, those movies would not have been successful.

If that was the case, those movies would not have been a success.

If that was the case, those movies would not have been successes.

Do the third and second sentence mean the same thing as the first one?
When we refer to soemthing that's more than one, we use plurals. But are there exceptions? Like could I say all people live in a house, and mean all people live in separate houses?


texts: Is the use of "both" is correct in this sentence?

texts:
Requesting someone's help,

In recent times, the vast advancement in digital technology has led to dramatic improvements in both how people interact with each other and maintain and build relationships.

I searched through google to find use of both in similar sentences, but didn't find anything. I doubt if the use of "both" and use of "how" just after "both" is correct in this way. Also, Is there any punctuation required in this case. Source: trying to write about what digital technology has improved in communication and connections between people.

I really appreciate your help.


texts:
I wrote this: Read about the work that the researchers and curators do every day.

In retrospect, shouldn't it be does as "work" here is singular?

"Read about the works that the researchers and curators do" doesn't aound natural.


texts: Are there recommendations on when to use relative clause vs. infinitive?

texts:
Here are examples:

  Johann Gutenberg printed the famous Gutenberg Bible, the first book to be printed in movable type in Europe.
  Johann Gutenberg printed the famous Gutenberg Bible, the first book printed in movable type in Europe.
  Johann Gutenberg printed the famous Gutenberg Bible, the first book that was printed in movable type in Europe.


texts:
Is the present tense "are" properly used in the following?
Why wasn't "were" used instead?

  "And it makes sense, up to a point, to debate ending remedies for discrimination that are more appropriate to mid-20th century America, where nearly 90 percent of the population was white and racism kept blacks, Latinos and Jews from advancing in the workplace."

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Is it correct to say "May I get the reason"

texts: Can we say "May I get the reason"? Does it give correct message to user? please reply.


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "from the first cuss" in this context?

texts:
It is from Crash Course Anatomy & Phisiology. It is at around 1 minute and 30 second to 2 minute. Here it goes:

Because, as unpleasant as a stick in the eye or tack in the foot may be, pain actually is a great example of where everything we have talked about over the last few weeks all come together. As we trace a pain signal through the nervous system, from the first cuss to the Hello Kitty band aid.

Dictionaries say that cuss is the same as curse, but I still cannot understand what it means there.


texts:
I am confusing when using “almost” in a sentence.

  This figure was almost half (45%) for part-time student

I feel something wrong in this sentence but cannot understand clearly.


texts: If a person remains absent in any occasion frequently , can they be termed as 'regularly irregular'?

texts:
If someone remains absent in any occasion frequently can they be termed as' regularly irregular' ?
Mainly we use 'irregular' but if I use 'regularly irregular' then it will break any rules?


texts: What does "simplifying rigors" mean in this sentence?

texts:
The following sentence is from The Economist, October 30th 1993.

  Unlike his eight immediate predecessors, Mr Clinton became president
  at a time when the simplifying rigors of the cold war had evaporated.

I am wondering what simplifying rigors means in the above. My understanding is that it is not an idiomatic phrase, but it means that during the era of the cold war, foreign affairs were simple because it was all about the conflict of two superpowers. Binary relationships are simple. But I may be wrong. Maybe simplifying rigors is a set phrase.

Therefore I am asking what simplifying rigors means.


texts: When speaking about something that usually moves but now cannot, which word is better: Immobile or Stationary?


texts:
We use COULD to talk about things we are able to do generally. We
  don't normally use COULD for something that happens on a particular
  occasion in the past.We use was able to or managed to do"

Source: Oxford Practice Grammar

Now, in the same book, in the PRACTICE section, there was an example below:

  Last year Robert COULD beat his brother at chess. But he can't beat him now.

I have a question: Why does the writer use 'COULD' instead of 'was able to' or 'managed to do something', because the example above is not general situation it is a particular occasion.

My analysis:
I feel that although that situation happened last year, it wasn't happening during a whole year. For example, every week, every month or every day. Playing chess and beating her brother just happened on a specific day of the year or a specific month of the year, not the entire year. That is why I think it is not a general situation.


texts:
I am new here. My question is

I think he go or goes to school?

Is "think" a subjunctive?


texts: "contribution to the reaction of micro silica" or "micro silica contribution reaction"

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  How does contribution to the reaction of micro silica change by increasing the amount of water in SCC?

or

  How does micro silica contribution reaction, change by increasing the amount of water in SCC?

"micro silica is a powder react by water"


texts: What does this sentence mean "it is hardly to tear"?

texts:
The paper is hard to tear.

Is it correct to say, "The paper is hardly to tear"  with the same meaning as above?


texts:
From Cambridge Dictionary

A/an and the are articles. They are a type of determiner and they go before a noun.

According to which, I could say

Articles go before a noun.

From a tutorial

Articles are a challenging part of speaking English but they're a really
important part. They give information about the noun that they come before.

So, I could also say

Articles come before a noun.

I completely understand the meaning of those sentences. I would just like to figure out the situations where "come before" and "go before" are interchangeable.
"come before" and "go before" are interchangeable in this situation, right? Is there any other situations where "come" and "go" are interchangeable?


texts: Is it right to use were only with he she it?

texts:
I am trying to learn some basic's of English , I want to know when we always use Was , Were , we always use were with he,she,it and was with you or whatever , Am I assuming it right ?

For example :

He was to come here today
She was doing her home work

You were to go to USA

In above examples we use were with He , She , It , so I am assuming that we always use Were only with He she it.


texts: What is the meaning of "being on the low side"?

texts:
For example :

  Going freelance nowadays is a path many designers and developers take, not only because of job vacancies being on the low side, but also because there are some clear advantages to it.

So what is the meaning of being on the low side?


texts: A broader and possibly implied meaning of "free radical"

texts:
I've heard the expression free radical and I got the sense that it meant something more intricate than a radical (i.e. not moderate nor balanced entity) that is free (i.e. not associated nor constrained).

Googling leads to a bunch of chemical and medical results but that's not the domain I've heard the expression in. I don't want to mention in what field that's been used because I fear that it'll mislead us on the wrong path. Also, since I was gravely confused by the speaker, I can't provide any guesses.

I believe the interlocutor used the expression metaphorically, anyway.


texts: Can I use "friend" instead of "befriend"?

texts:
Is it ok to say

  I want to friend you.

instead of

  I want to befriend you.

?


texts:
I have a problem with "must" in indirect speech.

( I must leave now )

He said that he must now ( Answer in the book )

Can anyone explain why this answer ( adding must without a verb ?)  or Is there a mistake?


texts: Should I use the definitive article and capitalization for the word "Earth's" in the following sentence?

texts:
I am having a trouble with correct usage of the definitive article and capitalization in the following sentence:

  Both Earth's and human health are the topics I love.

Is this sentence correct ↑ or should I use one of these? ↓

  Both the Earth's and the human health are the topics I love.

  Both the Earth's and human health are the topics I love.


texts:
A grammatical analysis of the title for the movie "12 Years A Slave" has baffled me. Particularly the fact that possibly some kind of inversion (A Slave for 12 Years ⟶ 12 Years A Slave) has taken place.

What's the role of "A Slave" in this phrase?

Some other examples:

  I know the meaning of those nineteen years a slave of the law! – Jean Valjean

  All things considered, then, it came as no great surprise when Mrs. LaPointe, two years a widow, stepped out to retrieve her newspaper one morning and spotted a dead doe in the middle of Shady Dell Lane. – “Bonny Oaks,” Michael Knight, The Saturday Evening Post, July, 2012


texts: When something is good / not good for someone to be done

texts:
Please imagine someone's parents are giving some advice to their son. The father wants to say something that feels it would be very beneficial for his son. (For instance: continue his education.)
Which one of the sentences below would work in natural English:

  1) Do it; it is to your profit.
  2) Do it; it is to your benefit.
  3) Do it; it is to your own good.

Added: What the son would say in reply when he thinks contrary to his father?

  1) It has no profit for me.
  2) It has no benefit for me.
  3) It is not in my own good.

I wonder if you could let me know about a better option, if you think that there is something wrong with my made-up sentences and if you think that there is a better/more common alternative in natural English that can make a better sense.

Thank you in advance.


texts:
I've got these two examples:

  However, use of these drugs is discouraged by pregnant women or women trying to conceive and should be thoroughly discussed with your health care provider and dermatologist.

https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/acne-during-pregnancy/

  The use of safety belts is mandatory.

https://english.stackexchange.com/a/34714/43581

Are both correct? Is there a reason why the definite article is used or not in these cases?


texts: What is the word for "dividing into two unequal parts"?

texts:
Halving is the action of dividing something to two halves, i.e., they are assumed to be of equal sizes.

What is the word for the action of dividing something into two parts, that are not necessarily identical?


texts: When I should use "into", "in", "by" and "through"?

texts:
I never know when to use the terms "into", "in", "by" and "through".

For example:

Context one: "Run this command __ Windows prompt"
Context two: "Execute the command __ the menu option 'File -> Preferences' "

In this cases I should use "into", "in", "by" or "through"?
So when I should use each one of this terms?

Thanks!


texts: What do you call the sums of money a university department gets each year for different purposes?

texts:
Update!
I just found the word appropriation, which seems to capture exactly what I'm after. However, I'm confused that no-one suggested this word when I first asked the question, so perhaps I've completely misunderstood the use of this word?
Each year each department at a university is allocated a sum of money for educating students, a sum of money for research, a sum of money for professional development and so on, right? But what do you call such sums of money? Do you call them allocations? Or grants? Or... what? And also, what do you call the specific sum allocated for educating students – education allocation?? For instance, if I want to say in a more concise way that we need a larger sum of money to fund education, do I say that we need a larger education allocation? (I'm pretty sure I can't say this – so what can I say?)
And just to be clear: I'm not talking about external funding here, but about the money that the university dishes out each year to its various departments.


texts:
1- The funeral is at 3.00, followed by a reception at Shawn's bar.

I saw this sentence in a tv-series. Can I say that this sentence is a reduced form of the sentences below?

  2- The funeral is at 3.00, which is followed by a reception at Shawn's
  bar.

  3- The funeral is at 3.00, which will be followed by a reception
  at Shawn's bar.


texts:
I would like to know if there is an explanation for presence of "b" in the word "debt" in the contemporary English. Google says that in Middle English this word was written as "dette". Why then "b" reappeared later again?

Link to Google search


texts:
What verbs collocate with policy?
Make a policy? Develop a policy?

  The government should make a a policy to reduce the number of cars.

Does this sound correct?


texts: How to understand "survive contact with" in this context?

texts:
As the closest bead of light moved nearer to Harry's wand tip, the wood beneath his fingers grew so hot he feared it would burst into flame. The closer that bead moved, the harder Harry's wand vibrated; he was sure his wand would not survive contact with it; it felt as though it was about to shatter under his fingers -

I guess "survive contact with" here means his wand would be broken/shattered once contacting with the bead. I'm wondering if "survive contact with" is a set phrase? The closest one I got: no plan survives contact with the enemy. It might be slightly different. I'd also like to know what part of speech "contact" is, noun or verb?


texts: Can I use "aging" to describe a thing that has deteriorated from long use?

texts:
The feeding bottle has been used for a long time. It started aging. The plastic is melting and became sticky.

  The bottle is old and aging.

Does the verb "aging" describe well the quality decreasing because of using for a long time?


texts: What is the difference between: "being+adjective" and "being+past participle"?

texts:
I've been told that being+past participle is tenseless.

Even if it's tenseless, there must be some rules for it too. Does it convey the reason for an action, or does it mean that one action is followed by another?

Being helped by Ram, I did my homework.
(Meaning: I was helped by Ram and I did my homework. Or, because I was helped by Ram, I did my homework. Which meaning does it convey?)

I have also been told that being+adjective is used to show the reason for the action in the main clause.

Being employed in teachings at a school, I hardly managed time for painting.
(does it show the 'reason'?)

Does "being+past participle" also show the reason?

Being + past participle ---> Being + helped/employed


texts: One Noun, Two Adjectives, Connected with "and"

texts:
When two things having the same noun but different adjectives are connected with the word "and", should the noun appear twice, written seperately (as in example 1), or is it okay to write the noun only once while the adjectives twice (as in example 2 and 3)? Also, if only one noun appears, should it, having two adjectives, be singular or plural?

Examples:

  A Comparison between the Top-Down Approach and the Bottom-Up Approach
  A Comparison between the Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches
  A Comparison between the Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approach


texts: Is there a rule of thumb for simplifications like "it looks like rain today"

texts:
I am wondering if there's any rule to know when or where we can simplify sentences like

  It looks like rain again today

Which I think it's the short version of

  It looks like that it's gonna rain today.

Can we do this to all "that is going to + verb" structures?

If not, would you give me few more similar sentences?


texts: What is the meaning of "while away"? The meaning and usage

texts:
The meaning and usage of the phrase

  while away my old age

.


texts: "Visitors to the zoo are asked not to... the lions." (tease or nag?)

texts:
I'm solving now tests in English and one of the sentences is:

  "Visitors to the zoo are asked not to... the lions."

The options for the missed part are:

a) bite

b) fret

c) nag

d) tease

And according to the key of the book the correct answer is d (tease). I don't understand why it can not be c (nag) as well. What makes option d more accurate than option c?

In addition, I don't understand the usage of the preposition "to" in this sentence. Should it not be "Visitors in the zoo are asked not to tease the lions"?


texts: Question about obligatory separation of phrasal verbs

texts:
I have seen a couple of phrasal verbs that must be separated. One of them is "ask in" verb. My question is how I can separate and put my long phrase between verb and particle. For example:
I 'asked' the woman that stays in front of the door 'in' but she didn't accept.
(I think this version is wrong but the site page says we must separate the verb.)
https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/ask.html#Ask-in


texts: What is the difference between "I put a picture on/in/at the front/back of the box"?

texts:
I have done some research and it seems that "the front/back" refers to either the front or back surface/space of something respectively.
So, "put the picture on the front/back of the box" means to stick it on the front/back surface of the box

"put the picture in the front/back of the box" means to put it in the front/back space of the box

It seems like we can say "put the picture in/at the front/back of the box" as "in/at" can be interchanged in this case.
So, we can not say "sit on the front/back of the horse" because it is impossible to do that right?
But we say "sit on the horse" and "sit on horseback".
In this case, do we say "sit in the front/back of the horse"?
But my thinking might be wrong.


texts: Doubt in the usage of was in two sentences

texts:
I was making complex sentences in the class today. There I got stuck in two sentences similar to these:

  The percentage of car accidents – which was recorded at 30% – was high.

  The percentage of bus accidents – which accounted for 30% of all accidents – was high.

Why is was recorded used in the first sentence and why was is not used with accounted in the second sentence? Grammatically, both seems correct to me.


texts: meaning of "just" in "people that actually are working and just can't afford housing"

texts:
I would like to know what just means in the following piece of remark.

  "I’ve got economically zero unemployment in my city, and I’ve got thousands of homeless people that actually are working and just can’t afford housing," said Seattle City Councilman Mike O’Brien. "There’s nowhere for these folks to move to."

In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the definitions of just are listed as follows. To pick one as just an assumption, the 10th meaning I made bold looks the most appropriate but I am not sure.

exactly
at the same moment as
no less than; equally
by a small amount
used to say that you/somebody did something very recently
at this/that moment; now
going to do something only a few moments from now or then
simply
only
(informal) really; completely


texts:
Is there a word for 'items not in a set'?

Here is the desired usage: when I organize things into boxes by source (could be brand, author, sender... any logical way to group items) I have a box for source X, a box for source Y, etc. I can use X, Y as the labels for the boxes. Now all the rest goes into a box, what should I label it with?

In my mother tongue there is a word for that, literally 'scattered' in English. I don't believe 'scattered' is the right word here.

In English, the closest word I could think of is 'miscellaneous', which may work for the label of the box, but the meaning isn't the same as what I want. Other options include 'ungrouped' and 'uncategorized', which aren't exactly true because the items in that box are indeed categorized. They are categorized as 'not in a collection'.

What is the right word?


texts: Causative have: does the subject always initiate the actions?

texts:
Yesterday, I posted a question (in an another website) asking how the Causative Verb Have works. What I posted was like:

  I had my dog lick my hand

And I got a good answer explaining that that the subject initiated the action and the object obliged. But still, I couldn't grasp the idea. Whenever I see examples like as follows:

  Do you know what it's like to have a gun held to your head?

I can't possibly consider that as the subject let the criminal point the gun at him.


texts: How can I intuitively know that the "in" in "in 3 days" means "after"?

texts:
I learn from answers of this and this question that:

"in 3 days" implies after 3 days or approximately after 3 days.

It seems very counterintuitive, to a Chinese at least. How can I intuit that the "in" in "in 3 days", which seems equivalent to "*_day"(indicating "first_day" or "second_day" or "third_day") in ["first_day", "second_day", "third_day"], means (approximately) "not in"(precisely "after") that set?

This question may seem naive and trivial to most of the native speakers, but maybe someone(especially those kids who are learning English as a foreign language like me years ago) also wants to raise this kind of questions.


texts: what word class is the 'follow' in 'as follows'?

texts:
I am curious about this sentence,

  The list is as follows.

Can I take it as original form for ?

  a) The list is as it follows.

  b) The list is as (many) follows.

That is, I'd like to know if 'follow' is a verb or  a noun.


texts:
The moment the head of the State will cease to direct war, the soldier to fight, the minister to prepare means for war, the journalist to incite thereto--then, without any new institutions, adaptations, balance of power, tribunals, there will of itself be destroyed that hopeless position in which men have placed themselves, not only in relation to war, but also to all other calamities which they themselves inflict upon themselves.

In the paragraph above, I do not understand the highlighted part, especially "destroyed that hopeless."

-- From Leo Tolstoy, Bethink Yourselves
https://tinyurl.com/y8ysh7as


texts: Is it ok to say "we have to wait for someone to get in so that we can have a free entry"?

texts:
Your're living in a building.
The building has a main door, and each household in the building has a same key to get through that door.
One day, you forgot to bring the key.
Is it correct to say "we have to wait for someone to get in so that we can have a free entry" or "we have to wait for someone to get in so that we can have a chance to get in" (but we repeat "get in" twice)


texts:
When do we add a hyphen (-) to a complex adjective word?

Here are a few examples:

  This is an Xbox-compatible game.

  This is a Creation-Kit-compatible 3d asset.

  This is a SkyRe-compatible Skyrim mod.

More often than not all these examples are used without a hyphen or hyphens. Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?


texts:
Do English/American people use the term "pour into words" to express the act of describing a feeling, a story or anything else what was not in written form before.

So I can't "pour into words" a summary of an article (because it was already written down) but I can "pour into words" my holiday stories (I am the first one who will write it down).


texts:
I was wondering which choice is correct in each example below:
First case:

I spilled a glass of water on the table last night, but Candy came by and we left the home immediately  so I didn't clean the table. Today, when I came back I saw that it had ..... on its own.
a. dried
b. dried out
c. dried off
d. dried up

Second case:

Put the cap back on the marker or its tip will...
a. dry.
b. dry out.
c. dry off.
d. dry up.

As you can see, the dictionary definitions do not let a learner to choose between the prepositions. I would appreciate it if you kindly could give me a hand with them.


texts:
which preposition is correct to use? On graduation day or at graduation day?

Thanks.


texts: The present perfect when talking about the future

texts:
Here is a piece from a video game. A writer is planning to start a book series called The Paths of the Doomstones. A correspondent of the local newspaper, the Courier, is interviewing her.

  She assured the Courier that she will fill the Doomstones series with the lusty and colorful characters we've come to know and love.

We are talking about a future event, but why is the present perfect used here?


texts:
So I guess I wasn't much of a friend to him, when it came down to it, or at least had misrepresented the friend I was (From ACT)

What does the two "it" refer? I think the first "it" might be a dummy subject, but then I think it still has to represent a "real" subject, which I cannot identify.


texts: should I use “experience” or “experiences”?

texts:
Which one is proper?

  One of the most beautiful experience

or

  One of the most beautiful experiences


texts:
While praying for traveling in order to promote religious education if we want God to give us ability and feasibility, if we say:
May we be enable to travel in God's path!
May we be enable to travel on God's path!
Are these two right?


texts: An hour break vs a break of an hour vs an hour of break

texts:
Which sounds more natural? Can they be used interchangeably?

I have an hour of break.
I have an hour break.
I have a break of an hour.

If I can add another one here.

He has suffered years of torture.
He has suffered torture for years.


texts: Should I write "see THE attached invoices" or just "see attached invoices"?

texts:
Please see the attached invoices and revised laytime.

I wonder if it should be:

  Please see the attached invoices and revised laytime.
  or
  Please see attached invoices and revised laytime.


texts:
I don’t know why they use this expression.
It’s a text about “We Are the World” from an English textbook.

  They recorded a song called “We Are the World 25 for Haiti” to aid people who were suffering from the disaster. As the title of the song shows, its roots date back 25 years.

Date back to is often found but date back isn’t, it seems to me. I did look up the expression in a dictionary. I found a lot more examples of “date back to.” The language textbook should prefer more-often-used expressions. But here date back is used. So I think that means the writer must have felt that “date back” is more appropriate here in the context. But I don’t know why. I want to know native speakers’ opinions. Is there any difference between date back and date back to? Is there any preference?

I’m waiting for you to “lend a helping hand.”


texts: Zero article before emperor in "You will not be emperor"

texts:
Emperor is a countable noun according to the Cambridge dictionary. Why the zero article is used in the following sentence?

You will not be emperor. (Gladiator)

Comparing to the similar construction in which the definite article is used

You will be a god-king. (300 Rise of Empire)


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "pull out" in context

texts:
Could you tell me what pull out means in this context?

Michael: That’s crazy. That’s crazy talk! Meredith! The Merenator, sleepin’ with suppliers! Hoo-ooh! Wow! What time we got? [checks watch] You know what? That’s a good place to end it. Right there. This, I think, was a great ethics seminar. She has given us a lot of wonderful things to think about. Right… what is wrong. Who’s to say? Really. In the end. I mean because it is… unknowable. But, let’s give her a round of applause. Holly, everybody. Holly! Get back to work. [everyone applauds, then leaves] [to Holly] Great job. I am truly impressed. That, uh, you really pulled that one out. Classic. Classic meeting. We should celebrate.

It's from the second episode of the fifth episode of The Office.


texts: Baby Talk on warning toddlers against touching, say, objects too hot to touch

texts:
I am curious about baby talk people use to warn toddlers not to touch dangerous things such as objects too hot to touch.

Think of a coffee cup, too hot for them to touch, what would you say? Would you say, for example: Noooo?

Looking for set phrases, sounds, and words or anything used in this situation.


texts:
Which sentences are acceptable when you order tea at a cafe/restaurant?

I'd like tea.

I'd like a tea.

I'd like the tea.

I'd like some tea.

I'd like a cup of tea.

I'd like coffee.

I'd like a coffee.

I'd like the coffee.

I'd like some coffee.

I'd like a cup of coffee.


texts: A term for a situation when something illegal, unjust, immoral and socially unacceptable becomes a standard pattern of an individual's behavior

texts:
When I was a teen, in a summer camp we enjoyed a sort of game that we played during so-called naptime after the midday meal. Split into pairs, the boys decided who would be horses and who horsemen, then the latter, blindfolded and having a pillow in their hands, mounted their companions and the fight in an absolutely indiscriminate way began. Actually, there were no established rules of that game, just chaotic pillow fight and a lot of fun.

Someone suggested calling it "беспредел" (bespredel), which hit the bull's eye, being a Russian choice word,  prison lingo though, for the situation when something not only illegal but also utterly unjust, immoral, socially unacceptable becomes a standard pattern of individual behavior. And it is the English word for the Russian one I'm trying to find, so far fruitlessly. Any suggestions, especially of something informal, slangy will be highly appreciated.

P.S. Trying to clarify my request, I think I should add that technically, the Russian word беспредел is formed by the prefix бес- meaning without and the root -предел- meaning limit, margin. When we talk broadly about беспредел, we mean unlimited and barely if any controlled wrongdoing in different scopes of application. For example, in law it may appear as the travesty of justice, in the army as vicious hazing of young soldiers by older ones, in governance as red tape and bribery, in policing as unjustified cruelty and neglecting the law, and so on. In my example with the game, its name was chosen because of the absence of any rules: you have a pillow and heads to beat with it, what comes next is a total беспредел on the level of the game—one for himself and against everyone else. So lawlessness it may be but only partially because what illegal is done by беспредел is the lower, unseen part of the iceberg which top may look just alright.


texts: is there any difference between 'enroll in' 'enroll on' and 'enroll for'?

texts:
When I'm going to say that I will attend some class or some event.

as for the word 'enroll', what is the best preposition to be used after it? 'in', 'on' or 'for'?


texts: First of all, I would like to know if there is such a word composition as "real story". If there is, I would like to know the difference between "real story" and "true story."


texts: How should I mention to this specific location in writing my address

texts:
I am going to write an address. I don't know how should I write it properly!

  Address: Forth Floor, No 10, at the Corner of the x Alley, Fifth street, Stockholm, Sweden.

I doubt about the bold part. Does it sound natural to you?


texts: What's the countable word for "the act of having sex"?

texts:
I can only think of the vulgar version. I wonder if there is a formal/non-vulgar one.

Example:

  They had sex at night, in the wee hours, and then they had one last __ in the morning.


texts:
But it seems that only the more eccentric or popular artists are viewed as true artists when working with items normally discarded in the trash pile. Why can’t average people be considered artists when they pull the same items out and mold them into some form of personal art of their own creating? Maybe it’s because we all have our own pre-set ideas of what art is and isn’t, or who artists are or should be.

(Source: Jack C. Richards, Samuela Eckstut-Didier, Strategic Reading Level 3 Student's Book)

I've already raised another question from the same text.

I am wondering if pull out in this context means:

After some process done on trash or just taking them out?


texts: Whether using the past perfect is necessary when conveying events chronologically?

texts:
I was reading a short story named "The Pleasant Surprise" by Barry King ; the first three sentences read

"I had got the money by work done at home, out of office hours. It came to four pounds altogether. At first I thought I would use it to pay back part of our debt to Eliza's mother."

My question is, is the past perfect really necessary here?
If the writer hadn't used the past perfect where he did, would it make a difference meaning wise?
And I say this because the events are conveyed chronologically here.


texts: definition of "the object of the exercise"

texts:
Staying late at the office to discuss shorter working hours rather defeats the object of the exercise.
Would anyone please in a more vivd or detailed way explain what the sentence means?
What is more I am wondering what the bold part could mean? Or, I think it is worth using a synonym for the bold part so that I could get it better.
Thanks in advance


texts: Does "probably" sound natural in this context?

texts:
When he was put in a coma, was it clear from the beginning that he
  probably wouldn’t make it? Or what did the doctors tell you?

Is "probably" natural to use here? Is it placed correctly?


texts: An equivalent for "Carrying coal to Newcastle" widespread in both AmE and BrE

texts:
What is the Americans equivalent for the following proverbial sayng which means: "to supply something to a place or person that already has a lot of that particular thing":

  Carrying coal to Newcastle.

I know two other sayings, but I have no idea about their prevalence geographically:

  Carrying pepper to Malabar.
  Bringing sand to the beach.

Please let me know which one of my mentioned or presumably your new offers work in both BrE/AmE every day speech?


texts: I don't know who {had stolen/stole/has stolen} your book

texts:
I gave my students a test with the following task:

I don't know who ___ your book.

and 3 response options:

a) had stolen
b) stole
c) has stolen

The key states that c) is correct, but I have a feeling that b) is correct.


texts:
“Anthropomorphism is inevitable if the question of the how of predication of the attribute is raised in the expectation of an answer similar to that analyzing the relation of the predicate to the subject in the empirical world. Since the subject and predicate are transcendent, the question itself is invalid. Once the lexicographic meaning of the predicate is known and
acknowledged and understood and then denied, it acts as a springboard for the mind to create a new modality for the predication in question, other than the empirical. But no new modality is possible. Therefore the mind perceives the impossibility of empirical predication while the understanding is still anchored to the lexicographical meaning of the term.
The imagination is thus compelled to produce the needed modality once
the denial of empirical predication and transcendence are both upheld. In
this suspense, an intuition of transcendence is obtained, not unlike that of infinity and sensory inexpressibility engendered by the arabesque. The
lexicographic meaning serves as an anchor while theimagination soars in
search of a modality of the meaning in question, a modality that is impossible to reach."

What does this paragraph means? I tried my best but could not understand. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks


texts: Use of prepositions — "shocked with/by/for his death"

texts:
As a Spanish speaker English prepositions are most of the time a nightmare; this is due to the fact that they do not have an accurate translation and also they have different aplications and meaning.

What preposition is correct in the following sentence?

  People were shocked [ with | by | for ] his death.


texts:
I have learned infinitive has meaning of possibility. but I think it has meaning of present and past

For example, 1. nice to meet you  2. I remember to go to school

in this example, infinitive has past meaning I am nice because I met you.

but example 2 is like to go to school doesn't happen and it will happen.

I want to know how you guys got it when you guys studied it.


texts: "gerund + and/while + gerund + is"; which is more common, 'and' or 'while'?

texts:
Drinking and driving is dangerous.[1]

  Texting and driving is dangerous.[2]

  Yes, texting while driving is criminal.[2]

Both styles are common, are both grammatical too? And which is more common and preferred?


texts:
What does "in official capacity" mean? I was thinking it meant "officially" or "publicly", but it seems to mean "representing the government officially". So it might be wrong to say the following:

  The military accepted the deal in an official capacity.

  The government accepted the deal in an official capacity.

  The country accepted the deal in an official capacity.

I am unsure if we can use the phrase in such a variety of ways. It seems technically wrong. Also, I am unsure what "capacity" exactly means. There's the legal definition and there's the more general definition of it, so I am still unsure how to use the phrase correctly.


texts:
Can I say "What are there to think about?" instead of "What's there to think about?"?

In this sentence, can I say what's even though I'm referring to answers, which is plural?

  "Hey, I've noticed that some of the answers on your answer sheet are wrong. Do you mind if I use what's on hers instead?"


texts:
I put that there so she see it.
  I put that in her ---- .

I mean 2 to say the same as 1. So how to complete 2? Any of the blow, or something else?

I put that in her eyesight.

I put that in her eyesight direction.
...


texts:
I don’t understand how a quality qualifies the same quality (even though my native language does).
For example, small size, yellow color, hot weather.
I think size is small, color is yellow and weather is hot seems strange to me.
Could you let me understand how they works?


texts: I want to express the fact that a form needs to use two fields, one date field and one time field, to allow the user to enter a date and a time for a task. Should I say "Use separate fields" or "Use discrete fields"?


texts: What does this example sentence "He shocked so easily" mean?

texts:
It's an example sentence under the entry word "shock".

  verb
  1 [with object] cause (someone) to feel surprised and upset:
    [no object] experience outrage:
     he shocked so easily

What does "so easily" mean here?


texts: In this song, who is the fondue talking to?

texts:
I'm not good in English, so this can be awkward – I'm sorry.

  "I've been searching my whole life to find my own place / and maybe it is the party talking or the chocolate fondue / but with you I found myself"

This passage is coming from one of the film Frozen's OST called 'Love Is an Open Door'.

What I want to ask you is whether "and maybe it is the party talking or the chocolate fondue" is linked with former sentence or latter sentence

If it is linked with former sentence, it might be meaning: I said, "I've been searching my whole life to find my own place" – which I didn't say in a normal mood because I'm so happy right now.

If it is linked with latter sentence, it might be meaning: I'm so happy right now so I have to say "I found my place."


texts:
How a native speaker would ask the following sentence:

  What is your field of working?

The second person would possibly say: "Accountancy" or "Nursing" or "Medicine" or "Engineering" etc.

For me, all of the following sentences work:

  What is your field of working?
  What is your occupation?
  What is your career?


texts: How to choose the right pronouns in elliptical clauses?

texts:
I'm having some difficulties to understand how to use the right pronoun in a elliptical clause.
For example:

Ronaldo is a better football player than (I/me).
I am a better teacher than (he/him)

Is there anyone who can explain me clearly how to use the right pronoun in a elliptical clause?


texts: How to respond when someone says “give me an example” or “like what” but nothing comes to mind at that moment

texts: Has it ever happened to you that you are explaining something you know and then someone asks you for examples but nothing comes to mind and you have to reply in a way that doesn’t sound like you actually don’t know but that you do know but can't recall at that moment.


texts: How is it possible to ask about who he/she said this word?

texts:
I want to ask this question:

Suppose I know that Tom said something about Lisa, but I don't know who he said it to. So now I want to ask who Tom was talking to when he said this thing. Which one is correct?

  Who Tom said this word about?
  Who did Tom say this word?
  Whom Tom said this word?
  or may any other correct option ...

Edited version to more clarifications as @FumbleFingers suggested:

Suppose we have persons A, B, and C that I know them:

Person A has told a thing to Person B (I was not there). I know the thing that person A has told but to who I don't know. Now I am going to find the person who person A told her/him a thing. So I question from the person C (= who knows the person that person A has told her/him a thing). With included the thing that was told.


texts:
To an English learner, how to use articles (a, an, the) is one of the most difficult things.

Today, I heard an reporter on the radio told about an carnival in New Orleans.
He said:

  "The little Rascals parade is the largest of the kid parades with nearly 20 floats, marching bands, dancing groups, and Cajun Indians on horseback".

Can I use on the horseback instead of on horseback?


texts: Usage of "follow" followed by verb/without verb

texts:
I have taken a test and it was as follows:

In mid-March, several European countries paused the distribution of
the COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca, ------- that some people
had developed blood-clotting disorders after receiving the jab.

and the options were:

following reports
following reports said
followed by the reports said
followed saying report

I had chosen the first one and that seems to be correct but I can not figure out Why are the second, third and fourth options are wrong?


texts: Should I use 'the' in 'Leaving this page will discard {the} unsaved changes'?

texts:
In my software, if user edits some content of a document and clicks close icon without saving the changes he made (i.e. without clicking the save icon first), the text of message that I display to the user is as follows:

  Leaving this page will discard unsaved changes.

Should I use ‘the unsaved changes’ instead of simple ‘unsaved changes’? Does this sentence look correct?


texts: What does beyonce means by spun gold out of this hard life

texts:
[From Beyoncé's Lemonade: album transcript by Bustle]

  Grandmother, the alchemist, you spun gold out of this hard life, conjured beauty from the things left behind. Found healing where it did not live. Discovered the antidote in your own kit. Broke the curse with your own two hands. You passed these instructions down to your daughter who then passed it down to her daughter

So I’ve been surfing on the internet trying to find what does spin out mean to make sense out of what Beyoncé said but I don’t seem to find it.  Is it an idiom, can you help out thanks


texts:
There seeming to be no hopes of their being taken off.

Do you consider this as a correct sentence? If it is correct, where is the main verb? And why has to be been used in this case?

Sorry, no context is available. You may add other words as your wish to make it a complete sentence.


texts: The structure of "so ...that..." and the meaning of "be to do"

texts:
But man's capacities have never been measured; nor are we to judge of what he can do by any precedents, so little has been tried. Source

Does this "be to do" mean "should"?

And is the structure of this "so... that...?" like in "This is so much fun we can't resist it?" Except in this case, because of the "nor" structure, the "so" part comes afterward?


texts: Difference between "inform of" and "inform that"

texts:
Is it incorrect to say that "I will inform students that tomorrow class will be cancelled?"

Does the sentence mean same as this sentence "I will inform students of that tomorrow class will be cancelled?"


texts:
I'm addicted to watch movies.
I'm addicted watching movies.
Which one is correct? And if they're both wrong, can someone explain how to properly use " I'm addicted" and "I'm addicted to" in a sentence.


texts: Which one is correct between these two sentences

texts:
Which one is correct

  Students are more interested to study.

  Students are more interested in studying.

Please explain


texts:
I am writing an email requesting not to dedudct loss of pay for the leave I have not taken.

Is my below sentence construction is correct ?

a) Please do not deduct My loss of pay as I did not bring my attendance card..

Or

b) Please do not deduct My loss of pay as I had not brought my attendance card.


texts: A term for someone who can keep a lot of secrets

texts:
There are big mouth people, and now I'm searching for the term that describes a person who can keep secret with them. Such people don't reveal what all they have in their minds. They are silent, deep, and master in hiding things within them.

I want a term for a neutral person. In other words, that person could be bad or good to you.

Note: this person has nothing to do with country's secrets.


texts: Is there a name for an earring connected to a nose ring with a chain?

texts: Does this type of jewelry have a particular name? I am wondering if you would just call it "chain earrings". It seems too generic. Moreover, it's not just a earring, it's a nose ring too.


texts: Any one of you should use plural verb or singular verb?

texts: Anyone one of you has or have? Anyone should be using has, but you should be using have. What about anyone of you?


texts:
What is that mean in the following conversation (Inception movie):

  Arthur: You couldn't have peed before you went under?

  Yusuf: Sorry.

  Eames: A bit too much free champagne before take off, Yusuf?

  Yusuf: Ha ha, bloody ha.

It looks contradictory to me, because "bit" usually means a small amount of something, but "too much" has the opposite meaning. Could you explain that?


texts: What have we done that you should be so angry with us? - "that" clause of result？

texts:
Can "that" introduce an adverbial clause of result？
Do the following sentences sound natural to you?

1a: What have we done that you should be so angry with us?

1b: “Are you starving that you must steal?” said John to his son.

Thank you very much!


texts:
Vocal groups include enormously popular bands like The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean whose harmonic voices told stories of days on the surf and nights full of parties and hot rods. (source)

Since "surf" means a mass of foam pushed up by waves, it makes sense that surfers ride on top of the surf. However, Google seems to suggest that "on" is not a commonly used preposition before "surf". Most, if not all, of the results are "in the surf," as in:

  Gathered here are images from the past several months of people (and animals) in the surf, including professional surfers, amateurs, spectators, and more. (source)

  beachgoers romping in the swirling surf (source: Merriam Webster)


texts:
I came across these sentences;

I barely got around to listen to all of them lately.

I didn't get around to posting on instagram.

The second sentence is correct since Get around to takes the prepositional phrase to doing, not infinitive verb to do.
Could someone please tell me why the first sentence uses infinitive (listen) instead of gerund (listening)?


texts: How to report the behavior of the user of the program in a scenario?

texts:
Suppose I want to report the behavior of a user of my program in the comment of code. in this case, the user may be changing his opinion of choosing an action based on something and this behavior effects on something else. Is the following sentence right?

  The user might change the 'Accounting Year name' and 'date period' at the end of the Opening process.


texts:
I wrote this sentence

  However, if the user defines each rule (regarding/according to/in) a specific context, the algorithm will take the context into account before deciding to remove such elements.

Which are applicable and what would be the implication of each?

I myself think "regarding" means "about" and is not proper here, but I doubt between "according to" and "in", because "in" is a collocation for "context".


texts: Is there a verbal expression or idiom that means "to show mock surprise," particularly by touching a part of one's body?


texts: "Animals which lay eggs are called birds." and "Animals that lay eggs are called birds." What is the difference between these two sentences?

texts:
I am confused between "which" and "that". I don't know in above sentences which is correct. According to me, both sentences are right. I have read some posts on the usages of "which" and "that", but I didn't get my answer. Which of these sentences is correct, and why?

1) Animals which lay eggs are called birds.

2) Animals that lay eggs are called birds.


texts:
hello I am not native english speaker  then I saw this  word in a dictionary  abroad
in spanish en el extrangero

a example that I could do is this:

  I a in abroad

  they are in abroad

if this word is more commmon in USA? i listen somtimes more this "in another countires" and not abroad a lot.

my exaple are correct?


texts: "Make up a sentence with the present perfect" or "make up a sentence in the present perfect"?

texts:
Could you tell me which preposition I use in the following sentence: in or with? For example:

Please make up a sentence in the present perfect to let it sink in.
Please make up a sentence with the present perfect to let it sink in.


texts: What does the two "have had it"s mean respectively in this context?

texts:
‘You heard me—OUT!’ Uncle Vernon bellowed, and even Aunt Petunia and Dudley jumped. ‘OUT! OUT! I should've done this years ago! Owls treating the place like a rest home, puddings exploding, half the lounge destroyed, Dudley's tail, Marge bobbing around on the ceiling and that flying Ford Anglia—OUT! OUT! You've had it! You're history! You're not staying here if some loony's after you, you're not endangering my wife and son, you're not bringing trouble down on us, if you're going the same way as your useless parents, I've had it! OUT!’

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

It seems to me that the two "X've had it"s mean differently in this context. I looked up the phrase "have had it". It has many meanings. I'm not quite sure which ones fit for the context. My best try would be: the first one means you have had enough of those stuff like puddings exploding and etc. and the second one probably means I couldn't tolerate any more. But I'm unsure if my understanding is correct?


texts: What is the use of the word "being" in this sentence?

texts:
I have come across the sentence below from this site.

  Now, it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to bring forward one case of
  the hybrid offspring of two animals clearly distinct being themselves
  perfectly fertile.

Is the word "being" used to represent the present progressive tense? Or how can I understand it grammatically?


texts:
determiner (plural determiners)
(grammar) A member of a class of words functioning in a noun phrase to identify or distinguish a referent without describing or modifying it
predeterminer (plural predeterminers)
(grammar) The function of a phrase that precedes a determiner in a noun phrase and modifies the head noun.
Why don't determiners modify nouns but
predeterminer modify nouns?


texts:
I have already heard both

  Thank you so much

and

  Thank you very much

Is it OK to use:

  Thank you so very much


texts: What should follow the word crazy, About, or Over, or both?

texts:
Is going crazy about something the same as going crazy over it?

I mean.

I was crazy about/over it.

What's the difference between going crazy about something, and going crazy over it?


texts: "A Thai youth soccer team were found alive Monday" Why is an adjective "alive" following a verb "found"? or "found alive" is an idiom?

texts:
I have read this sentence in a newspaper of USA Today, "Thai soccer team found alive after 10 days lost in caves":

  A Thai youth soccer team and its coach were found alive Monday in a vast, flooded cave complex where they disappeared more than a week ago, and a photo taken by rescuers showed the smiling faces of several survivors.

I wondered why is an adjective "alive" following a verb " found"? or "found alive" is an idiom?


texts: what does the word "infringing" mean in this context? all i found is somthing about copy rights and that doesnt make sense

texts:
Problems like climate change, marine fisheries, and pollution grow worse, and global environmental surprises become common. Communities slowly realize that they cannot manage their local areas because global problems are infringing, and they begin to develop networks among communities, regions, and even nations to better
manage the global commons.


texts:
The diner was located by a freeway entrance on-ramp.

...by a freeway entrance.

...by a freeway on-ramp.

...by an on-ramp to the freeway.

What is natural for AmE native speakers to say here?


texts: Acceptability of using Present perfect (olympiad task)

texts:
I took part at a English olympiad last week. And while I was doing the following task I faced with interesting question.

  I wonder if Mary has reached home yet? She left too late to catch the bus.

"has reached" is used because period of time isn't finished but could I use Present Perfect ("has left") instead of "left"?


texts:
I (see) ___________ Judy for more than five years and during that time I _______ (see) many changes in her personality.

My solution was

  I have been seeing Judy for more than five years and during that time I saw many changes in her personality.

seeing = meeting

saw = I used the past simple because of "during that time" expression, so am I right?


texts: Can advice (a noun) be used as advices (a verb)?

texts:
As per my opinion (as we all know this) advice is a noun and it does not have any plural form and it also can not be used as a verb (not sure about a verb). As per my daily routine I was reading the news on Yahoo and found out an error, so I think, I should clear my doubt here (as I always do).

On Yahoo:

  Legend has it that site was blessed by Lord Krishna. On this
  knowledge, a holy man advices King Jaiswal to build his fort here,
  where it will remain invisible to his enemies. Named for its golden
  hue, it is known as Jaisalmer's Sonar Quila or Golden Fort.

It should be:

  advices = advises.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I have got a couple of questions about participles. I would like to understand clearly the usage and grammar of participles.

I've been studying participle phrases. And I found a participle phrase can be changed using the adjective clause such as:

  The girl who standing there is my friend (= the girl standing there is my friend )

I wonder if adjective clause can just be changed in continuous tense or not?

I know the participle phrase act as an adjective. I wonder does it stress action in progress when it acts as an adjective?


texts: I have done that before vs I have done that

texts:
Is there a difference between "I have done that before" and "I have done that"?
I'm not sure if these sentences make sense:

A: "Have you ever done this before?"
B: "Yes, I have done that before."

and

C: "Have you ever lived there before?"
D: "Yes, I've lived there before."

If you want to imply that you have done something at some unspecified time in the past, is it correct to use "have done/lived before"? Is this construction possible? If it is possible, is there a difference between "have done/lived" and "have done/lived before"?
Should I just say "I did that before" and "I used to live there"? I want to convey that I have once done something in the past but doesn't necessarily mean that I'm still doing the doing/living. I just can't articulate my thoughts well.


texts:
I encounter the word "redux" in "Vector Class Redux" when reading the book "fluent python",

In redux | Definition of redux in English by Oxford Dictionaries

  redux
  adjective [ after noun ] UK   /ˈriː.dʌks/ US   /ˈriː.dʌks/

  (often used in the titles of films and video games) brought back:
  With "Ashes of Time Redux," Wong has decided to recut and rethink his original material.

The definition helps little to understand it,
google does not helps when searching vector redux

what does it mean here?


texts:
Today i was browsing cambridge dictionary online for grammar and stumbled upon the no vs not usage.
It stated :

Use no with

1/Noun phrase
Ie: no cookies for you
There's no address on the letter
2/ gradable noun
Ie: it's no supprise that the Laker won; they've been practicing so hard

use not with

1/ other phrases and article
Ie: this content is not suitable for children
that's not something we recommend doing.
2/ ungradable noun
Ie: that is not a bird
Potatos are not fruit
That's not my name
There are, however, grey areas like
1/fixed expression
It's not worth
It's no use
2/ article involvement -you don't use no with articles

That's good and all but then a question popped-up
Fruit and address, bird , name are all ungradable nouns( there's nothing truer or less true about them) so why must we  sometimes use no and sometimes not.

P/s: another thing came up sadly
There's a fly in my soup
There's no address on this letter
So both fly and address are count-sig then how come the article magically dissapear with address
So is it a fixed structure if we put negation into our sentences.
Can i write it like?
There's no fly in your soup
There's an address on this letter

Thanks for reading


texts:
What's the meaning of Mushrooms it is? What is this grammar structure and inversion? Please include a grammar source and some more examples.

Arlene: would you like to go to a movie tonight?
Jim: I'd rather stay home and watch T.V.
Arlene: Sounds good. Maybe we could make dinner later.
Jim: I'd rather not cook tonight. Let's order out for some pizza. We haven't done that for a while.
Arlene: OK. Mushrooms or anchovies?
Jim: I'm in the mood for pepperoni. Let's get a pepperoni pizza.
Arlene: I'd rather not. Pepperoni gives me heartburn. I'd rather have mushrooms than pepperoni, if that’s OK with you.
Jim: Mushrooms it is! Now. What should we watch on TV? How about the new Stephen King thriller?

SOURCE


texts:
I'm writing an email and I want to ask them (Career Development Office) if there are any volunteering opportunities for the time being.
But, the way I wrote it in the actual message doesn't really match with saying "for the time being". I'm looking to say that in a more proper and formal way.
The meaning I want to go for is something along the lines of "temporarily" or "for this period" or "currently".
Are there any suggestions?

For the time being = a bit informal
Temporarily = sounds as if you are not serious enough and only looking to volunteer for an hour and then give up
Momentarily = ? sounds like you couldn't come up with a better wording
For the moment = for just ONE MOMENT ???

seems like I cannot come up with the word to describe in a literal and formal, at the same time, way what I am looking for.
I want to say something along the lines of:
I am available now, and in the near future, but after that, not anymore.


texts:
Which one is correct?

  There are high hills on Skye
  There are high hills in Skye
  There are high hills at Skye

And is it the same if I replace "Skye" with "Iceland", "Greenland", or "Antarctica"?  And if I replace "There are high hills" with "Life is good", "He is working", or any other construct?

I've found one forum post and one SE question addressing the issue, but I'm not sure if the answer can be generalised, and I would like a more elaborate answer.


texts: Free Your Positive/Negative Energy - Which one means what?

texts:
How the sentence means when I interchange the words?

"Free your positive energy".

Does it mean "now let your positive energy play a positive role to your life"?

While using the "negative" word, does it means "now let the negativity go from your life"?

Let me know what I'm thinking if it's right?


texts:
I have this list for comparing verbs for their being ergative or not. As you see, bother is not on that list. But I have sentences in which that verb seems to be ergative.
For example:

She may bother to sweep the room just now.
Joseph bothered by the cancellation.
Sally bothered.

My questions are:
1- Is bother an ergative verb?
2- If not, what are the meanings of those immediately above sentences please?

All answers/comments are appreciated but I also want to hear from @StoneyB about this case.


texts:
I had to try, didn't I?

or

I had to try, hadn't I?

Which one is correct? If both sound awkward, could you please tell me the correct answer?
Thank you in advance!


texts: What's the difference between 'bump my head' and 'hit my head'?

texts:
With 'hit my head', I tend to think I hit my head using some object like a stick while I don't move my head. On the other hand, I understand with 'bump my head' as I move my head toward the wall and hit the wall with my head.

But I also feel they are actually the same expressions. Are they different or the same?


texts:
The plane arrives/will arrive at 3:30.

My Approach:

I think the the sentence express a prediction by the person or guess and hence I used will.Though it is not explicitly mentioned to be prediction but can be used in this sense.Hence,I used will arrive

Am I right in my approach?Please correct me if I am wrong?


texts:
It can always heard in movies.

  "I'll never ever see you again."

If I want to say that "I will not choose this forever", can I use never ever?
For example:

  I will never ever choose this.

Is that the right way to say?


texts: I always confuse for using "would". Everywhere write the same things(using with if), but all of them are not clear for me. Logically, would always should be the same meaning. for example if I use "I would play football" this means that "I'm sorry, Actually I play football, but I will not available at that time" or "would be good" means that " it will be good but I will not be ready at that time". is it right? thanks in advance.


texts:
When reading questions and answers on different stack exchange sites related to software, there seems to be a difference between free and gratis.

Could you please elaborate on what the difference between these two terms are?

And is gratis a commonly used term in English?


texts:
In the book "Smoking", author John a famous writer and scientist, and author Kim a statistician and activist, urges smokers to quit smoking.

Is this a comma splice?


texts: Is this correct usage of commas before and?

texts:
There is a quote from local translation bureau website:

  A translation shall be excellent in every respect: style, and formatting, and words, and meaning.

Is this usage of commas correct?

I've checked Wikipedia article Serial Comma and have found a lot of references to different style guides with examples there but it seems that no one supports such usage as above.


texts: What do you call the minutes and seconds displayed on YouTube videos (as an unity)?

texts:
In other words, what do you call this (but as a whole):

Example sentence:

  I made a list of __. Please stop in each of them to describe the scene playing on the screen.


texts:
Visitors can rest by the peaceful palm-shaded central
  courtyard.

What is the usage of 'by' in this sentence?It means
''beside'' or ''showing the way of taking a rest''?


texts: Should I use simple past tense or perfect past tense in the following sentence?

texts:
I stopped and looked up, panting. No, it wasn't my imagination:
  the dog had definitely disappeared into the other side.

  I stopped and looked up, panting: No, it hadn't been my
  imagination.  the dog had definitely disappeared into the other side.

What's the correct form?


texts: Why the present progressive tense is used in "you are coming from"

texts: In a brand's advertising commentary, there is “You don’t have to say a word to let them know where you are coming from”. I am wondering why the present progressive tense is used in "you are coming from".


texts:
She donated all her money to others. I think she was a true example of noblesse oblige

I think i can use is instead of was..
There is any meaning difference between two?


texts: What's the difference of the subject being "one" and "we" in math articles?

texts:
I see both of them used in mathematical articles as subjects, for example:

Examples from book Renormalization and effective field theory of Kevin Costello, who is an Irish mathematician.

  If we do have a continuum quantum field theory (whatever that is!)
  we should, in particular, have a low-energy effective field theory for every
  energy.

  We will assume that we have an action functional of the form ...

  Thus, the Segal axioms for field theory propose that one assigns a Hilbert space of states to a closed Riemannian manifold of dimension d − 1.

  Thus, this theorem allows one to quantize the theory associated to any classical action functional.

Examples from Habilitationsschrift Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism in
topological field theory(pdf file) of P. Mnev, who is a Russian mathematician:

  We should stress that neither quantum Chern-Simon theory, nor quantum Poisson sigma model are constructed by a perturbative path integral on manifolds with boundary...

  We reserve symbol d for the de Rham differential on the
  source.

The followings are in page 6 of the pdf file above:

  The idea of constructing topological quantum field theories via path integrals
  immediately runs into a number of problems:
  (1) ... Instead one can try to define the "perturbative" path integral ...
  (2) To apply the stationary phase formula, one needs the critical points of the action to be isolated...
  (3) ... One has to prove then that the resulting partition functions
  are independent on the chosen geometric structure.
  (4) ... One has to prove fIniteness (convergence) of the Feynman diagrams...
  (5) ... one has to extend the path integral construction of TQFT partition
  functions

Question:

In the sentences above, what do words one and we refer to?

And when should one or we be used?

My ideas motivated by answers:

In abstract or conclusion part of a math article, "we" refers to the author(s).
In statement and proof part, "we" creates an atmosphere as if the reader is participating with the author, and is used for the author(s) to really discuss / prove / make use of / assume / ... something (a theorem, an assumption, a condition, ...) in this article.

On the other hand, "one" is more like "anyone" or "whoever", and is used to just state some general cases without details or explanations.


texts:
I have seen this question:

  ‘I have just been speaking to him.’ In this sentence just is used

  A to describe an unfinished action.

  B to highlight when the action was done.

  C to show a repeated action.

Edit: So what is the correct answer?
I am guessing A or B.

However, I am feeling that it indicates something else like I have been speaking to only one person. So what if I want to highlight this point as well?


texts: So, we don't have "lack (n)" in plural form, do we?

texts:
In this dictionary

  [uncountable, singular] lack (of something) the state of not having
  something or not having enough of something

  a lack of food/money/skills

  The trip was cancelled through lack of (=because there was not enough) interest.

  There was no lack of volunteers.

  She showed a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the idea of becoming a mother.

So, we don't say "We have some lacks of skills" but "We have a lack of skills", do we?

So, "lack (n)" has no plural form but singular one only, is that right?


texts: What's exactly meant here by "on a large scale"?

texts:
In "The Crime of The Communist" by G. K. Chesterton, Blake was talking about a professor who was suspected to kill two men in the college, saying:

‘You mean they found his secret and he silenced them?’ said Blake frowning. ‘But what in hell was his secret? How could a man murder on a large scale in a place like this?’

I found that "on a large scale" means "Involving large numbers or a large area; extensive".
But there were just two murdered men, so does it mean here "more than one person"?


texts: Meaning of the sentence in quotation marks

texts:
This BBC article says:

  A prominent member of the centre-left Social Democrats, Thomas Oppermann, said: "The last German politician under whom refugees were shot at was Erich Honecker" - the leader of Communist East Germany.

The sentence in the quotation marks seems difficult to understand for me. Let me break the sentence into two sentences to comprehend meaning and structure of the sentence.

1.The last German politician was Erich Honecker.

2.Refugees were shot at under Erich Honecker.

So, if the separation of the sentence above is correct, is the politician responsible for arranging armed forces towards refugees?


texts:
I want to learn English expression for conversation,
so I watch videos on the Youtube.

the sentence "I got you a present" show many times in videos.
I search "get" means on dictionary

there are two definitions is suitable that I think

to pay for something
to receive or be given something

Which one is better ?


texts: tag question for sentences including subject "I" and that clause

texts:
Fred claims that mother never let us leave the house without permission when we
were kids, …?
a)did she    b)weren't we   c)didn't she   d)doesn't she
Which on is the answer?
What would be the answer if the subject were "I" (I claim that ...)? Any difference?
If it were "I told you that ...",then what would be the answer?


texts:
Ann must leave Joe and he drove near the embassy.

  "Stop at the next corner, please," said Ann, as they neared the embassy.
  Joe slowed and stopped the car. He could see the embassy gate up
  ahead. "I have to leave you now," said Ann without looking at him. "I
  am going to that corner and turning. You must stay in the car and
  drive away. Promise not to watch me go beyond the corner. Just drive
  away and leave me, as I leave you."

This is from a simplified novel "Roman Holiday". If "turning" is a noun, aren't "corner" and "turning" the same? If "turning" is a gerund、shouldn't it be "I am going to that corner and turn it.". Could you teach me?


texts: Can a singular noun follow zero-article?

texts:
I go to the bank, and ask:

  Which type of account should I open if I want to receive money from my foreign friend?

"Account" is a singular noun; is it correct that a singular noun follows zero-article? Or should I use "accounts"?


texts: By the side of the road vs by a side of the road

texts:
Here's a sentence:

  The Good Samaritan Parable tells a story of how a jew traveling from
  Jerusalem to Jericho was robbed and beaten by criminals who then left
  him to die by THE side of the road.

The road by the side of which he was left to die had two sides. Why does the author of the sentence uses the definite article before the word side? It could be any side. Shouldn't it be "by a side of the road", instead?


texts: When to say "I need money" as opposed to "I need the money"?

texts:
I learned that if we are referring to money in general, then we don't use "the".

So: "I need money" = I need money in general (any money).

But when watching a movie, I heard people say "I need the money".

Here is the plot - a girl is currently out of job and she came to a job interview:

  Interviewer: "Why do you want this job?"

  Girl: "I need the money."

So, I think maybe her sentence is implied and its complete sentence could be:

  "I need the money to support my lifestyle."

So, when should we use "I need money." and when should we instead use "I need the money."?


texts: What's the meaning of "around" in "it's not so easy the first time around"?

texts: If possible, I'd be very appreciated it if you find and show me which entry that 'around' equals in any dictionary.


texts: What is the difference between "normal" and "regular"?

texts:
We were required to wear uniform on ____ school days.

A. normal
B. regular
C. common
D. ordinary

I think in a way the four options all work.
But the answer is regular.
Why?


texts:
I have found the following definition of the proton:

  the subatomic particle found in the atom's dense central core that has a positive charge

Why is "the" used before "atom"? Would not it be better with an indefinite article?

  the subatomic particle found in an atom's dense central core that has a positive charge

As it is found in any atom (an oxygen atom, a carbon atom etc.)


texts: she/he didn't/doesn't/hasn't/haven't sent it as yet

texts:
I have seen these sentences:

she/he didn't send it as yet.

she/he doesn't send it as yet.

she/he hasn't sent it as yet.

she/he haven't sent it as yet.

Which is correct? Please explain elaborately with grammar.


texts: Can "a bunch of" have a pejorative connotation?

texts:
They are turning us into a bunch of slaves.

What I mean by the above sentence is that "they are turning us into slaves that are all the same and don't have individual value.

Is that sense somehow in "a bunch of"?
Or any other suggestions instead?


texts:
In chapter 14 of The Just Men of Cordova (1917) by Edgar Wallace, the author is describing three good doctors that were working for free

No man ever remembered their going to church, or urging attendance at any place of worship. The religious bodies that laboured in the neighbourhood were themselves astonished. One by one they had nibbled at the sectarian question. Some had asked directly to what religious organization these men were attached. No answer was offered satisfactory to the inquirers.

I searched for the possible meanings of "nibble" here, but none of them I found suitable
So what's meant by "nibble at" in this context?


texts: How to say that sun rays are falling on me?

texts: If am in a car, can I say that it's hot because sunlight is falling on me? Can you please put on car window shades? What is the correct way to express this?


texts: What can "ride straight" possibly mean in this?

texts:
So I've stumbled across the phrase while reading Agatha Christie's Five Little Pigs:

  "Our firm, of course, has known many generations of the Crales. [...]
  Country squires, all of them, thought more about horses than human
  beings. They rode straight, liked women, and had no truck with
  ideas. [...]"

I've looked the word "ride" up but I'm still confused. Does it have something to do with their personality or it's just simply about riding horses (in a straight line)? I'd really appreciate it if you guys could help me figure this out, and yes, English is not my first language.


texts:
In the sentence

  "An ecosystem consists of the living and nonliving things in an area that interact with one another"

what does living things mean? Does the human being fall into this category of "living things"?

Thank you in advance!


texts: equivalent phrases: a sticker and have stickers

texts:
(1) All four sides of the box have a sticker.
(2) All four sides of the box have stickers.
Do both sentences mean each side has one sticker?


texts: What is the difference between a "vicar of bray person" and a "fair weather friend"?

texts: In my language these expressions are quite similar in meaning and I can't really make a difference between them only by checking a  dictionary. Can you please provide some example sentences? Thank you in advance!


texts: meaning of the compound word "low-draw"?

texts:
Here is the context:

  Primary AA batteries use cheaper materials and are great for low-draw devices.

I have looked it up on the internet, but no results came up.


texts: Which order is right: "gift giving" or "giving gifts"?

texts:
Which ones are right, why, and what is this condition called?

  When it comes to

  gift giving or giving gifts
  gift wrapping or wrapping gifts
  hands shaking or shaking hands
  football playing or playing football
  etc.


texts: Is using "ed" (2nd form of verb) with "did" correct in "Did she have us figured out all along?"

texts:
Recently I was watching an anime named Armed Girl's Mischiavellism (DUB). In episode 7 at 2:37 - 2:40 minutes, the guy says:

Did she have us figured out all along?

Is this sentence correct? If so, then why didn't he say "figure" after using "did"? I'm not a native English speaker and I'm confused. I know we use base form (1st form) after "did" but this sentence contradicts that rule (or maybe not, I'm not sure)?


texts: What does "that uniform is a trip" mean?

texts:
trip means weird? It occurs in the movie Forrest Gump. I think Jenny is trying to imply that Forrest has have made some journey to obtain that uniform.

           EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT

           Forrest and Jenny walk past the White House. Protesters hold
           a candlelight vigil behind them.

           They walk in silence. Jenny touches Forrest's uniform.

                                 JENNY
                     That uniform is a trip, Forrest. You
                     look handsome in it. You do.


texts: What's the meaning of "how little he looked forward to his birthdays"?

texts:
Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays. He had never received a birthday card in his life.  ...

What does "how little he looked forward to his birthdays" mean? I don't understand what the word 'little' modifies.

-- From Harry Potter.


texts: Word for "a disk-shaped rubber plate that fits between metal parts to prevent leakage of fluids"

texts:
What is the word for "a disk-shaped rubber plate that fits between metal parts to prevent leakage of fluids"?

Such a plate has a hole in the middle to allow for the passage of a fluid. The plate's function is to prevent sideways leakage that would otherwise happen when two pieces of metal pipes come together.  For example, the plate found in a flush tank that prevents water from leaking down through the hole at the bottom of the tank while the tank button is unpressed.


texts:
I want to know if is right to say the following sentence:

  I just finished to read the book.

If it’s not right, or another way is better, why?


texts: 'not everyone is prepared' : Is 'not' a determiner?

texts:
Despite the overnight detention of Thailand's ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and a number of family members and politicians, there are indications today that not everyone is prepared to obey the commands of the leaders of the military coup. (Aussie ABC)

When I read the bold part: not everyone is prepared, I wonder if I have to take not as a determiner for the next noun, everyone, just as in half of half the season. Or if not is preposed/shifted from everyone is not prepared. Which is it?


texts:
My friend and colleague doesn't have a car but he often uses his dad's car; so when he drives to work he most frequently picks me up and we go together.

Last night he texted me and said: "I don't have the car tomorrow so I can't pick you up. See you at work."

I believe something is wrong with the first sentence and wonder what a native speaker of English says to mean "I don't have the car tomorrow"?


texts: I've been having/I have had a headache since I woke up

texts:
I've been having a headache since I woke up.

vs

  I've had a headache since I woke up.

English Grammar in Use suggests the latter. But what should I do if I want to emphasize the painful feeling rather than just the state?


texts: "I don't like when you do something" or "I don't like when you are doing something"?

texts:
Tell me please which tense I have to use in the following sentence.

  I don't like it when you are sticking out/you stick out your tongue.

I sometimes hear natives use the present continuous, even though the people weren't doing a certain action.


texts: "What does something mean" vs "What do you mean by something"

texts:
I thought only "what does _____ mean?" was grammatically correct but I heard  a lot of Americans saying "what do you mean by _____?"

(For example, 'what does that mean?/what do you mean by that?')

Are both of them correct?

Are there any differences between those two? If so, how can the latter one be grammatically correct?


texts: Why is the W silent in "sword" but not in "swore"?

texts:
The word "sword" is pronounced /sɔːd/ (AmE: /sɔrd/) while "swore" is pronounced /swɔː/ (AmE: /swɔr/). The W in "sword" is silent because of the following round vowel; the lips get round for W as well as the following round vowel so we round only once. I remember this explanation somewhere but I can't seem to find that answer now so I can't link it.
The word "swore" also has a round vowel after the W but the W is still pronounced and not silent like "sword". What's going on here? Why is it silent in "sword" but not in "swore"? Is there a good reason for this?


texts:
When I want someone to keep in touch with me, what is the correct one among this following two options?

  Please, contact me as soon as you can.

  Please, contact with me as soon as you can.


texts: What is the name of words with two or more separate parts

texts: In English language there are words like "the status quo", "per capita", "cul-de-sac" and so on. These words consists of two or more separate parts. I want to search for a list of such words, but I don't know what is the name of those.


texts: Cost (Something) In The Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars

texts:
I have a question about the usage pattern of the verb "cost":

  The repair would cost something in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
  The repair would cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The first sentence is definitely standard English.  The second sentence (dropping "something") is not found in dictionaries, but could be found on google.  But is it standard English?


texts: Is it okay to say “I will be right back with you” to a waiting customer?

texts: Lets assume I am a cashier in a convenient store. I am serving a customer who is buying lots of stuffs. I do not want second customer on the line to get bored. I can say "I will be with you in a moment" to the waiting customer. Is it okay to say "I will be right back with you"? Does the latter sentence mean the same as the former? Thanks!


texts: What do you call a person who handles contractual paperwork?

texts:
As an administrative assistant, one of the jobs I had to perform was keeping track of all contractual employees, writing their schedules, and ensuring that they got their paychecks.
That was not my job; Administrative Assistant was my job. However, it is something that my boss decided I could do instead of him.
In updating my resume, I wanted to write exactly what such a position would be called.


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "do one's work" and "do one's work for them"?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between do one's work and do one's work for them. For example:

If the teacher finds out Kate does your homework, you are in big trouble.
If the teacher finds out Kate does your homework for you, you are in big trouble.


texts:
What is the difference between these questions:

Have the clothes dried?
Have the clothes gotten dry?
Have the clothes gotten dried?