texts:
Matters such as standards on setting forth the aforementioned plans and disposal guidelines shall be expressly established by the central government authorities of different industries.

Is the phrase "on setting forth" grammatically correct in the sentence?


texts: Why would one use the german word "ersatz" in english

texts:
I just read a  article in a british newspaper and stumbled upon a article where they used the (usually) german word "ersatz" (engl: replacement) without a translation as if it would be normal vocabulary.

Why would one use this word without translation? do british people know this word or would they have to google it ?!


texts: Shanghai - a city of China & fraud, Is it a coincidence?

texts:
According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

  to trick or force sb into doing sth that they do not really want to do

Also according to Wikipedia:

  Shanghaiing or crimping is the practice of kidnapping people to serve as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as crimps.

I find it funny and curiousity at the same time when Shanghai is also a city of China, according to Wikipedia:

  Shanghai (Chinese: 上海; Mandarin: [ʂâŋ.xài] (About this sound listen); About this sound Wu pronunciation) is one of the four direct-controlled municipalities of China

So Shanghai means a city of China & fraud, Is it a coincidence?


texts: Understanding "holed up in the GPO" and "led the charge out of the GPO"

texts:
The text from The Ferryman, page 59.

When the fighting started, Michael found himself with all the others holed up in the GPO with Patrick Pearce. On the Thursday, Michael and O'Rahilly led the charge out of the GPO, into the maw of English machine guns.

My questions are: Were they hiding? Not to be captured by the police? (OR were they hold by the police in the GPO?) And when they "led the charge", does it mean that they were taking the control out of the building - GPO? (OR did they decide to lead and clear the accounts with the English before they become the victims of the machine guns?)


texts: Sharp expectancy - what does "sharp" express here?

texts:
Trying to understand the following sentence from H.P. Lovecraft's Tree:

Many months passed, yet in the sour face of Musides came nothing of
the sharp expectancy which the situation should arouse.

There are so many meanings in the dictionary so that I cannot infer the right one here. THanks a lot!


texts: What does "do" mean in "What do I do?" I think it means "What do I usually do?", but I don't know why anyone would ask what they usually do. Does it mean something else?


texts:
Source

  And he took control of the wine list and ordered a bottle of wine that was more than (what) I earned in a week.

I feel that it latter part should be like

  That was more than what I was earning in a week.

  That was more than what I used to earn in a week.

Why should the person go with simple past in the first sentence?


texts: Collective Nouns and their possessive pronouns

texts:
The crowd is clapping their hands.
The crowd are clapping their hands.
The crowd is clapping its hands.

Which one of the above is a correct sentence?
The word 'crowd', being a collective noun, can take a singular verb when the members of the group are doing the same thing at the same time.
Then, what about its possessive pronoun? Should it be its or their ?
This site (dummies.com) says "Body parts always belong to individuals, not to groups." It means that "their" is correct. But the site does not say about the verb whether it should be singular or plural in a sentence like the ones shown above.


texts:
I was solving an astronomy problem which said "south of due west." This could be interpreted in two different ways and I don't know which one is correct. Is 'south of' in that phrase an idiom? Or does it mean southwest?

Here is the full sentence:

  The Sun rises north of due east and sets south of due west.

And the question is:

  Which statement best describes the position of the Sun at sunrise and sunset as seen by an observer in northern hemisphere on June 21?

  A. The Sun rises north of due east and sets north of due west.
  B. The Sun rises south of due east and sets south of due west.
  C. The Sun rises north of due east and sets south of due west.
  D. The Sun rises south of due east and sets north of due west.
  E. The Sun rises due east and sets due west.


texts:
English seems to have several similar-sounding words that have related meanings. Personally, I am having a bit of a problem / difficulty understanding the difference between a clue and a cue (apart from "snooker cues"). My intuition tells me that while the former is more general, the latter is more specific and is limited to gestures or sounds.

I want to know whether the word "cue" always carries the connotation of a forceful, coercive, interaction mode, or whether the imperativeness associated with a cue's call to action is always based upon a preestablished agreement between the person or device issuing the cue and the person responding to such cues.

As an reasonable example, I would like to ask about the exact meaning of the word "cue" in Cued Speech for the Deaf. Why is the speech cued, and not clued?

Take also the audible cues provided by screen readers for the blind such as TalkBack on Android with Explore By Touch enabled. I guess the word here means prompt, but I am not sure about whether it carries any other specific connotations.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary carries the following definitions 2.1.b and 3.1, and I am interested in their direct comparison:

  something serving a comparable purpose : hint

and

  to give a cue to : prompt

In response to Andrew's answer:

  Similarly, anything can be a cue, as long as it signals meaningful information to someone.

What would that information be needed for, if not to solve a problem. Thus, while a clue is a cue, it also sends to me, that under this definition, a cue would also be a clue.


texts: If you "visit" a doctor or a hairdresser, does it mean that you come to their houses?

texts:
For example, if I say,

  I visited a barber yesterday.

how would I be understood by a native speaker? That I had my hair cut or that I came to his or her house while he or she wasn't at work? I know that it's not how you usually say it but still (you say, 'go to the barber's/hairdresser's', right?)


texts: How do you call the person working in the local government office?

texts:
If you go to the local government office for some requests, you talk with a person working in the office. How do you call them?
I know some words like a government official, civil servant, office staff, office clerk. I'm not sure how I should designate them.

For example, let's say I make a conversation with a friend.

  I went to a local government office and spoke with _____

What's a suitable word for the blank?


texts: Meaning of "tightness around somebody's mouth"

texts:
What is the meaning of:

  seeing tightness around sb's mouth

It's an expression I've seen in A Song of Ice and Fire. For example:

  Bowen Marsh was angry. Jon could see it in his eyes, the tightness around his mouth, the flush to those round cheeks. That red is not from cold. "Please sit," he said.

More context can be found here.


texts:
“Hey, Blue,” he says as he walks into her outstretched arms and wraps his skinny ones around her hips.
I searched the online dictionaries for blue but I didn't find the meaning that fits with the sentence. Does it simply mean Dear, Honey , etc?
Could you please explain it to me?

Note: The boy, all the time, calls his mother Blue.

The fuller text:

She and Melissa set the sweets on the table that’s been set up for the
celebration, and a moment later, the bell rings. Kids spill from the
second- and third-grade classrooms, and Hadley scans over the heads
for Skipper.
He is the last to leave Mrs. Baxter’s room, ambling behind the others
in the slow, distracted way he has. Her heart swells at the sight of
him, the way it always does when she sees one of her kids after not
seeing them for some time.
“Hey, Blue,” he says as he walks into her outstretched arms and wraps
his skinny ones around her hips.
“Hey, Champ.” She kisses the top of his honey hair. He smells as he
always does, of brown sugar and sweat, the result of eating maple
Cream of Wheat for breakfast and of being an eight-year-old boy.

Hadley & Grace by  Suzanne Redfearn


texts:
This is coming from Charlie and Cardi B on BBC1 radio show:

  Charlie - Would you rather have a night out with me or Offset?
  Cardi B - With my man (Offset)
  Charlie - Come on, man! I know London better than Offset, I can show you all sick spots.

What does “sick spots” mean?


texts: Present perfect tense and present continous tense

texts:
Can we use present perfect tense and present continuous tense in one sentence for example.

I have been tossing and turning all night because I have drunk much coffee.

Thank you


texts: where the suffix indicates the address is part of... -- is this grammatically correct?

texts:
Source: The ABCs of IP Addressing by Gilbert Held (2002)

Example:

  The information to the right of the pair of forward slashes represents what
  is referred to as the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the destination
  computer. That name can be considered to represent a position in an inverted
  tree structured directory where the suffix (.gov) indicates the address is part of the government domain space.

Do you really think that everything is absolutely fine with that clause grammatically? I asked a friend of mine who is a native English speaker living in the U.S. and he told me that there was nothing wrong with that sentence. I don't know about you, but I really want to place a that between suffix and indicates or, as another possible solution, replace indicates with indicating. Otherwise, the grammatical structure just doesn't sound right to my ears. What do you think?


texts:
A similar word has almost the same meaning as baloney. It even sounds
  almost the same. The word is “blarney.” It began in Ireland about
  1600. The lord of Blarney Castle, near Cork, agreed to surrender the castle to British troops. But he kept making excuses for postponing
  the surrender. And he made them sound like very good excuses. “This is
  just more of the same blarney.” The Irish castle now is famous for its
  Blarney stone. Kissing the stone is thought to give a person special
  powers of speech. One who has kissed the Blarney stone, so the story
  goes, can speak words of praise so smoothly and sweetly that you
  believe them, even when you know they are false. A former Roman
  Catholic bishop of New York City, Fulton Sheen, once explained,
  “Baloney is praise so thick it cannot be true. And blarney is praise so thin we like it.”
  Source

How do I parse the two sentences in bold at the end of the paragraph?


texts: Sentence transformation: 'unless' to 'if'

texts:
Unless we have passports, we can't go abroad.

If I rewrite the above sentence in the following ways, is it acceptable or grammatical?

  If we have passports, we can go abroad.
  If we don't have passports, we can't go abroad.

Is there any change in sense?
Thanks in advance.


texts: How long is it? Vs How long has it been?

texts:
1). How long is it since you were in London?
2). How long has it been since you were in London?
What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?


texts: ... they’ll `finish` in the fiery pits of hell

texts:
I found the following sentence in an online book:

  As my colleague Jan Zrzavý says, science cannot do without animal testing, but those who do that testing, should perhaps know that they’ll finish in the fiery pits of hell.

I want to ask whether the use of word finish is appropriate. I'd personally replace it with end up. If this is indeed better, I am interested in a grammar justification why is it the case.

I am also questioning the last comma in the quoted sentence.


texts:
I knew that 'than' can be relative pronoun in comparing sentence.
but I don't know how to use it.
If the sentence is

It was more expensive computer than I saw yesterday

I don't know it means

I saw more expensive computer that I saw yesterday.

or

I saw cheaper computer yesterday.

.... Originally, I thought like second one... but if it roles relative pronoun, it has to role like first... isn't it?


texts:
I am an English learner. I am stuck with the usage of "could not help but xxx"
What would be a proper time tense used after the "but"?
Should we always use the Original Form or use the respective forms (e.g. did when referring events happened in the past)
So which is correct?

I could not help but laugh at her yesterday.

I could not help but laughed at her yesterday.

Thanks in advance!


texts:
Here are excerpts from New York Post:

  The White Plains CPA’s whining began as soon as he trudged into the lower Manhattan courthouse on July 30, grousing to anyone who would listen how little time he had for public service, a court source said. (New York Post)

  Murphy previously stated he would listen to what Rodgers has to say, but that No. 12 would not be “part of the process.” (New York Post)

Can you add 'to' in the first quote and omit 'to' in the second?

  ...listen to how little time he had for public service...

  ...listen what Rodgers has to say...


texts:
Is "in a whole" used correctly in this sentence?

The tourism industry entails in a balanced whole the restoration and conservation of historical playground, training of local population and establishment of comfortable facilities.

I wanted to express this idea that the tourism industry, as a complete unit, needs some components that are equally important.

Could you please tell me whether the sentence is grammatically correct or not?
Does the sentence convey the mentioned idea correctly?


texts: How to use action of people as a noun in a sentence?

texts:
I want to express my ideas about people's action.

I hate people's painting walls.
Or

I hate walls being painted by people.

how  can I say this in a proper way.

For example, "I hate spitting out of people" . In this case, I want to say that I do not like when people split out to street etc.What is the proper ways of saying these?


texts:
What's the difference between "over this year", "during this year" and "in this year"?

For example,

  Over this year, he's been able to provide a lot of correct answers in
  class.

  During this year, he's been able to provide a lot of correct
  answers in class.

  In this year, he's been able to provide a lot of correct answers in
  class.

What are the different connotations?


texts: Does this person has/have the clearance?

texts:
What should be used in the below sentence?

  Does this person has / have the clearance?

I think we should use have here but I'm not so sure.


texts: The word "Combined" at the beginning of the sentence

texts:
To assess the effects of ocean heat waves, researchers led by ecologist Daniel Smale of Great Britain's Marine Biological Association turned to 116 previously published academic studies. Combined, National Geographic's Sarah Gibbens notes, the papers yielded data from more than 1,000 ecological records.

-

  Combined, the papers in this special issue illustrate the breadth of biomechanics research which ranges from the growth mechanism governing leaf development to the wind resistance of tree architectures.

Hello, Sorry for the long quotation.

I'm curious about the meaning of the "Combined" at the beginning of the sentence and also how it can be used as above.

From what I know, combine can be used as a noun or a verb. However, from the examples above, it looks like combined is used as an adverb.

At first, I thought it is used as a participle phrase. But I wasn't able to figure out how the participle phrase can be formed in that context.

I tried to think of it as an adjective, but that is not a position for the adjective.

I'm guessing it means something like "With all things combined," but I'm not sure and I can't explain how and why it can be shortend for just "Combined".


texts: “I said that I heard the word.” Is the word “that” a relative pronoun here?

texts:
I said the word that I heard.

This is indirect speech and the word ''that'' is a relative pronoun.

But what about the sentence:

  I said that I heard the word.

Is the word ''that'' a relative pronoun here ?

If so then why ? If not then why not ?


texts:
Consider the following two sentences (from this SO answer):

  So the fact that you can now reference pygame.display is an accident
  of implementation details. You may not be able to in future versions
  (if the project no longer needs to import pygame.display to load
  pygame.joystick, for example).

The sentence "You may not be able to in future versions" seems incomplete to me. I think it is missing something and "You may not be able to do it in future versions" will be more complete. So, my question, is the first form without do it correct and complete?


texts: Complex sentences with when and until in reported speech – a problem with back-shift

texts:
Could anyone explain to me why, according to the key provided by my teacher, sentences below should be rendered in reported speech with no back-shift of certain verbs:

"When I first came here," Susan said, "I had a hard time with the language, but now that I've been here for five years, I find I can get on very well"

Susan explained that she had had a hard time with the language when she first went there, but since she had been there for five years she found that she could get on very well.

I can't figure out why past simple is maintained here. I would translate it as: " when she first had gone there". Why am I wrong?

"I couldn't believe my ears when I heard they'd split up," she said to me. "Could you phone Jane to see if it's really true?"

She told me that she couldn't believe her ears when she heard that they had split up, and asked me if I could phone Jane to see if it was really true.

Why not: "when she had heard"?

"Shall I pass on the news," I asked him, "or would you prefer I didn't until you've had a chance to see them?"

I asked him if I should pass on the news or if he would prefer I didn't until he had had a chance to see them.

Again, why does "didn't" remain unchanged?

Does it have something to do with words "when" and "until"?

I will be glad for your help.

All examples come from "CPE Use of English. Examination Practice" by Virginia Evans, Express Publishing 1998, p. 84, 85.


texts:
Which is the correct answer?

  The president of Girou Electronics stated that the financial performance of the company was a personal responsibility of ...

  his
  himself
  he
  him


texts:
Where she at?

(The ? actually was used in subtitle, although sounds like an indirect question – a man was searching for a woman in a crowded room.)

  Where is she?

I heard the first one in the movie Against the Ropes.


texts: I wish I met/ I had met/ I could meet her

texts:
I'm having some trouble with this sentence, it would be kind enough if someone could help me...
Let, I never met my mother-in-law coz she had died long before we got married, in this case what should I say...

a. I wish I met her.
b. I wish I had met her.
c. I wish I could meet her.


texts: Using contractions correctly in Grammar like the word "weren't" when asking a question

texts:
Are the two example questions correct or is there a rule that applies when using and not using contraction words?

"weren't you able to log into your online account?"
"were not you able to log into your online account?"


texts: "a little" with a countable noun? An example from a dictionary

texts:
I was looking into the difference between the countable and uncountable versions of the word "sleep" in the Cambridge dictionary online:

  [COUNTABLE] a period of sleeping:

  (UK) You must be tired after all that driving - why don't you have a
  little sleep?

Is this truly correct? I believe the sentence still uses "sleep" as uncountable because there is "a little".


texts:
I grabbed the ringing phone and threw it (out) into the hallway.

(I'm in a hotel room, and the door into my room is open.)

Is it correct include "out"?


texts: Help Object By Gerund Or Help Object To Infinitive

texts:
How has the law helped human workers?

If I answer this question, which of the following is suitable?

  1.The law has helped human worker by limiting the numbers of working hours.

  2.The law has helped human workers limit the numbers of working hours.

I prefer No.2# as I think " help object infinitive"  is suitable.


texts:
In the following paragraph, is it better to use 'had proposed the extended warranty' or 'proposed the extended warranty'?

  If the customer doesn’t want to pay and maliciously blows us off to try and get free service, you may reply to him/her in this way: We’ve asked our salesmen and they said that although the customer had proposed the extended warranty, he/she didn’t agree ultimately. Nevertheless, we also tried to ask our supervisor to make an exception for you, but our supervisor didn’t approve, considering that this exception may affect other customers’ rights.


texts: present simple or present perfect or simple past

texts:
I have been confused about using these three tenses for a long time, especially  with some kinds of words. So I will share my understanding about these three tense by an example. Could you confirm whether I'm right or wrong?
Context: I go to a bar alone and then I see a girl there alone too. I want to make friend, so I come in and ask her: "Are you here alone?".
A: "Are you here alone?" is simple present tense about present state. If I want to change the sentence to " Do you come here alone?" Is it still correct?
Or the sentence should be:
B: Did you come here alone?
C: Have you come here alone?
Following is my understanding:
B1: I think B is wrong because simple past refer to things happened and finished in the past. Therefore, if I use simple past, It means that she is not alone now. Am i right?
C1: I think this one is possibly correct. Because the action: "come" happened in the past but the time it happened is not important, so we can use present perfect here. Moreover, It has caused the result relevant to the present( she is alone now)
Could you confirm to me, which ones are correct?
A: Are you here alone/ Do you come here alone?
B: Did you come here alone?
C: Have you come here alone?
Thank you so much


texts: Is "The motorist in the middle of the road lying beside his damaged vehicle." a sentence?

texts:
I'm preparing for an English exam. This sentence arrangement is confusing me. It says "The motorist in the middle of the road lying beside his damaged vehicle." is correct. But it's not like a sentence to me. Here are the choices:

__________ beside his damaged vehicle.

The motorist in the middle of the road lying
Lay in the middle of the road the motorist
In the middle of the road the motorist lay in the middle
In the road in the middle the motorist lay

I chose 3 but the answer is 1 without explanation. I've tried looking for grammar rules but feel hopeless. I'm thankful for your help in advance.


texts:
In this explanation of the word myopic I get stuck by this sentence:

  In terms of pronunciation: it's a tomato/tomahto word: pronounce it
  "my-OP-ick" or "my-OH-pick," although that short o sound is preferred.

Then what is a tomato word? I have searched everywhere but found no such a phrase. I thought may be because the o is pronounced the same as the o in tomato? But it seems really like a phrase.


texts:
a) Who will protect the privacy of the new poor?
b) Who will protect the privacy of the newly poor?
c) Who will protect the privacy of the very poor?
How to correctly modify the word "poor" in this context? Should I use an adjective or an adverb to modify it?


texts: Difference between "Go into" and "Go inside"

texts:
I would like to know the difference in meaning between "go into" and "go inside".

Here are a couple of sentences.

  The boys went into the room.
  The boys went inside the room.

I know in the first sentence "went into" means "entered" and it's being used the preposition of movement "into". But what about the second sentence?
Is it correct?
What is it expressing?
What's the difference in meaning between these two sentences?


texts:
He finished the race and won a gold medal, a fitting conclusion to his career.

He finished the race and won a gold medal, fitting conclusion to his career.

When we use determiners with noun phrases is this to stop the reader from thinking, in this instance fitting, the phrase is not modifying anything else in sentence, even though it doesn’t it this instance anyway.
Just curious as to what the determiners role is in these instances.

As opposed to phrases that don't require the determiners such as:

She ran quickly to work and arrived on time, clearly sweating from the heat.


texts: Why native speakers use “Could” in this sentence: “It’s too sour. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

texts: It’s too sour. I couldn’t take it anymore!


texts:
Original: Uncle Jan passed in the yard bellow, making the rounds.

Although I know what making the rounds means, in fact, considering the sentence, I am wondering what is the difference between the followings?d'oh!

pass

make the rounds

make the rounds also do the rounds
1. to be passed from person to person The rumor making the rounds in Washington is that the ambassador will be leaving.
2. to go from place to place Tony and I made the rounds of the cheap bars in the city. Every new executive must do the rounds of all the departments in the company.


texts: are or have the same price and different designs?

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

  All the different computers in this section are or have the same price.
  These watches have or are different designs.

I have heard people use either choice when I shop in stores.

Which one is actually correct - are or have?


texts: Can I say "Call it a project" similar to "Call it a day"

texts: I know we can say, "Call it a day" at the end of a day. Can I say, "Call it a project" meaning successful completed project?


texts:
1) You sound more like a native speaker.

2) You sound like a native speaker more.

I know the first one is correct, but can I use the second one?


texts:
Is there any difference between "turn right" and "turn to the right"? Example:

  Turn (to the) right after the bridge.


texts: What do you call the large piece of leather worn around the waist like a belt in a kimono? I couldn't find the term for it. Is there a word for this?


texts:
When I am reading sense and sensibility, this sentence beats me.

1) why should three letters of "HER" are all capital?

2) As to the latter sentence, "two maids and a man" is the subject, but what is predicate? I think "with whom... Norland" is a clause.


texts:
I ran into a sentence from a Fortune article.

  The point is that services are smoothing out an otherwise "lumpy business".

As the Oxford Dictionaries' definition of the adjective lumpy goes:

  1 Full of or covered with lumps.

  1.1 Nautical (of water) formed by the wind into small waves.

Neither really fits the sentence, nor in my opinion does Merriam Webster's additional usage having a heavy clumsy appearance. It seems to me bumpy would be a better word to collocate with business. What is a lumpy business?


texts:
What does the word mean here?

  When people decide in less than a second of meeting someone if they're trustworthy or not, you better make that blip in time count.

I have looked up the word count in lots of dictionaries, but still do not understand the sentence.


texts: Is it common to shorten "the Shanghai Composite Index gauge" to "the Shanghai gauge" in the stock market domain?

texts:
The Shanghai gauge dropped 1.1 percent to 2,651.79 at the close, below its January 2016 closing low. Back then, officials had just introduced and then hastily scrapped a disastrous circuit-breaker program as they grappled with one of the market’s worst-ever routs.

I think "The Shanghai gauge" is referring to "the Shanghai Composite Index gauge". (Assume my understanding is correct) Is that abbreviation common in the language of stock market?

The full source.


texts: When should I omit a/the and when should I omit is/are?

texts: I know how to use articles "a" and "the". I know how to use "is" and "are". But I don't know when I should omit them. Back in my childhood I was visiting English language lessons (my native is Russian, as well as my teacher's from my childhood). And she was very confused about the phrase "Game over" which I've asked her about because I was obsessed with video games. She told me that the phrase is wrong, and it should be "The game is over". Also a long time ago I've played some spacesim video game and a very nice girl's voice has been vocalizing some of the game events. And I remember such phrases as: "Target detected", "Target destroyed. No new targets detected". No a/the, no is/are. Also if you played Starcraft for the Zergs then you should remember the phrase which sounds upon completion of an evolution of a "building": "Evolution complete". And it's not "The evolution is complete". So, what's the trick? When should I omit a/the, and when should I omit is/are?


texts: Priority is the ones vs priority are the ones?

texts:
A - Top priority are the ones you already know.

B - Top priority is the ones you already know.

C - Top priorities are the ones you already know.

Is A correct or B?

I'm inclined towards A.

I think C is correct.


texts: Can I reduce "that corresponds" to "corresponding"?

texts:
I wrote:

  ID: the identifier of a word in the sentence that corresponds to the order of the word in the sentence, starting at 1 for each new sentence.

Can I replace "that corresponds" with "corresponding"? I ask it because "corresponding" itself has a different meaning, the question is the same about "that follows" and "following".


texts:
I guess the following is grammatically correct.

  Patricia is a chef. She is preparing the food for tomorrow's party.

The preposition "for" indicates the reason of her preparing, which is the party.

I guess I could also consider the party the purpose. In contrast, What should I called the food? Is it strange to call food the means to achieve a purpose? Are there any other nouns, which relate to "purpose" or "reason", could be used here?


texts: Why was "from" used in this sentence ("one must command from each what each can perform...")?

texts:
This is from the Little Prince, and the king says as below:

  "One must command from each what each can perform," the king went on. "Authority is based first of all upon reason. If you command your subjects to jump into the ocean, there will be a revolution. I am entitled to command obedience because my orders are reasonable."

I don't understand why "from" is used here, since command is a transitive verb thus used without prepositions such as in "He commanded his men to retreat".

What's the use of "from" here?

If the sentence has no problem, than is "He commanded from his men to retreat" also acceptable?


texts:
I have asked someone to send me a file, but the person didn't attach the file in the reply.

Which is correct way to respond back?

The file is not attached
The file was not attached


texts: "That was expected" or "That was to be expected."

texts: When seeing something play out the way you predicted, which of the two could be said?I suspect one of the two might not even be grammatical but I cant tell which one.


texts: An idiom to mean: to accept / expand someone's statements in formal speech

texts:
Let's assume you and someone else (say: Dr. Adam) are giving speech in a meeting. Dr. Adam says something and after his remarks and statements, you'd like to say:

  I accept Dr. Adam's statements and as a proof to this fact I would like to say that...**

Note: here you just want to approve Dr. Adam's statements and add some and continue your own words and where the emphasis is on "approval" rather than "expansion"? Also, I need to start the sentence with "to"! "To approve what Dr. Adam mentioned..." or "in order to approve what Dr. Adam mentioned..."

Or

  I accept Dr. Adam's words and just in order to add some more points to his previously mentioned statements I would like to say that...

How can you summarize the above phrases using an idiom or expression?

E.g. regarding #2. I know the structure: "To amplify one's statements", which I don't know whether it encompasses all my intention.

Please kindly let me know about them.


texts:
I have a question about the usage of "undertake employment" here:

  There are few employers currently offering a certificate of sponsorship to undertake employment.

I cannot find "undertake" used with "employment" in dictionaries.  Could the usage in the example be a regional idiom or an error?


texts: Should I use "besides" or "aside from" in the following case?

texts:
Speaker A: So what's your plan for later?

  Speaker B: Besides/aside from continuing to wear this chicken costume? Nothing much.

What's the correct choice in this case. And why?

(Or maybe I should use apart?)


texts: Past tense agreement should be kept always?

texts:
1) I  thought that Picasso is an artistic symbol to human beings.

2) I thought that Picasso was an artistic symbol to human beings.

Are both of these acceptable?
Do they have different nuances?


texts:
Another odd line from the famous TV show. What does it mean, to eat a Hero? (the full script)

ELAINE: (piffling) I once broke up with someone for not offering me pie.
JERRY: You did?
ELAINE: He could be eating a Hero, he wouldn't offer me anything. It's a sickness.


texts: When to omit the preposition in "depend on"

texts:
I thought you always had to use "on" after "depend" to mention the complement, as in:

  Choosing the right bike depends on what you want to use it for. (example taken from a dictionary)

However, I've come across this:

  It depends whether you want to participate or not.

The preposition is omitted.

So, my question is: Is it possible to omit "on" in my first example:

  Choosing the right bike depends what you want to use it for.

My guess is that it's not possible, and that you can only omit it in the personal expression "it depends + wh- word", but I want to check.


texts: Difference between usage of being and having

texts:
Whenever I read a sentence using having or being, I feel that they are interchangeable. Is it true? For example,

  Do you remember having known more than one Amit, Paul, Anu, or John in
  your life?

  Do you remember being known more than one Amit, Paul, Anu, or John in
  your life?

Is there any difference between two sentences? What is the grammar subject for these?


texts: Does the phrase "Did you grow up on a farm" disapprove of a person who does not act like a civilized man?

texts:
A native English speaker lived in Wellesley, MA. in the USA said to a child.
"Don't eat with your face in the bowl. Did you grow up on a farm?"

Is "Did you grow up on a farm?" idiomatic when we disapprove of a person who does not act like a civilized man?


texts: When answering a question “Do you [...]?”, should I answer “Yes, I do” / ”Yes, I do [...]” or just “Yes”?

texts:
Does it depend on a situation (formal/informal)?

Is one answer more respectful/submissive/dominant than other?

What about an answer to "Are you [...]?" "Yes, I am" / "Yes, I am [...]" or "Yes"? Which one is correct?

@ColleenV

  It's really context dependent. It depends on who is asking you, why they are asking you, and what they want to know. If your waiter is asking "Do you take cream?" a simple "Yes" is fine. If you're at a party and someone tries to start a conversation by asking "Do you like the band?" a simple "yes" would be indicating that you don't want to talk to them

As non-native speaker of English I want to understand which response is correct, given a context.
Thank you for two examples. "If your waiter is asking "Do you take cream?" a simple "Yes" is fine." What if I will answer "Yes, I do" in that kind of situation? Is it too "formal"/""posh"?

Do you agree that "Yes, I do"/"Yes, I am" is always a safer option?


texts: what does "this isn’t intuitive" mean in this context?

texts:
so common that it’s accepted as an excuse without question. Instead of allowing themselves to say, “this isn’t intuitive,” users may feel guilty, taking responsibility for that failure when the fault lies with the designer. “It isn’t intuitive,”  isn’t a neat solution that removes the uncertainty, but blame is final.

I know that intuitive means "based on feelings rather than facts or proof"


texts: Is the question pertain to passive voice?

texts:
An assertion in a passive voice:

  He is worried

My question is about:

  What are you worried about?

I don't understand the difference between "What do you worry about?" and "What are you worried about?" I understand that worried can't pertain to passive voice because the verb 'worry' is intransitive

Actually, according to Oxford the verb 'worry' can be as transitive as intransitive. And there are a lot of examples  with the similar structure (she is worried about)

I found a list of never passive verbs and worry is not on it.


texts: What a face/facet of a cardboard box is called? a piece of wall?

texts:
In geometry, a cube is a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex. A cardboard box could be viewed as a cube.

A cube has 6 faces, 12 edges, and 8 vertices. What a face/facet of a cardboard box is called in daily life? a piece of wall?


texts:
Longman dictionary defines "abase yourself" as:
to behave in a way that shows you accept that someone has complete power over you
I gave an extensive lookup on the internet on the phrase. It seems to me that it has a negative nuance, but I'm not sure. Does it have a self-degrading nuance? Or can you use the phrases positively?
Thank you.


texts:
I’m having some trouble deciding which one should I use:

  He doesn’t get mad anymore when I don’t reply to his text

or

  He doesn’t get mad when I don’t reply to his text anymore

Should anymore be used at the end of the sentence, or does it sound natural to use it in the middle?

Thank you in advance :)


texts: application of the word 'vision' in writing reports

texts:
What are the differrences between "vision of" and "vision for"?

If I want to use the word 'vision', is it right to say 'vision for the energy industry in the USA'?

I think they use 'vision for' and 'vision of' in many reports. Are the both of them right expression?

p.s. this is my first question in Stack, please let me know if I'm making mistakes


texts:
When I watching the tutorial,

at the time 1:15

  you know C Drive or T Drive wherever you did actually install it and ...

What does C Drive and T Drive mean?

Does them means Disk C and Disk D?


texts:
I would like to know how to forge this sentence so that it can convey what I want to express with it.

  The teenager couldn't help asking him.

  "Where did you meet this Frank?" Asked the teenager.

Is it good to use the verb "ask" twice like this in the example above?


texts: Do I need "has" in the following sentence?

texts:
"There's a feeling that (has) never helped anyone: hate.

Do I need the has there? Why or why not?

I found the version with "has". However, I also see the version without "has".


texts: How to interpret the phrase "does not in any way presuppose"?

texts:
I am currently attempting to decipher a historical document relating to the dissolution of Austria-Hungary. Within this document (which can be found here), it is stated

"This does not in any way presuppose the unification of the Polish territories of Austria with the independent Polish states."

I've seen some sources interpret this as meaning the Polish territories were granted the ability to secede, whereas others interpret it to be the exact opposite.
Given that Merriam-Webster defines "presuppose" as "to suppose beforehand", I would interpret not presupposing such as stating that the Polish territories do not need to and will not necessarily be allowed to secede.


texts: "Items are arranged" vs. "items have been arranged"

texts:
Items are arranged and items have been arranged

What is the difference between these sentences?


texts: What does "following on" mean in this context?

texts:
Please clarify the exact meaning of the bold part in the text below.

  What has landed me here in Hospital is not too serious. I see worse
  all around me and get my mind off of all that by picturing things and
  wondering for instance if you are still there in the Library. If you
  are the one I mean, you are about of medium size or perhaps not quite,
  with light brownish hair. You came a few months before it was time for
  me to go in the Army following on Miss Tamblyn who had been there
  since I first became a user aged nine or ten. In her time the books
  were pretty much every which way, and it was as much as your life was
  worth to ask her for the least help or anything since she was quite a
  dragon. Then when you came what a change, it was all put into sections
  of Fiction and Non-Fiction and History and Travel and you got the
  magazines arranged in order and put out as soon as they arrived, not
  left to molder away till everything in them was stale. I felt
  gratitude but did not know how to say so. Also I wondered what brought
  you there, you were an educated person.
  "Casting Away" by Alice Munro


texts:
An author may be said to fairly convey the spirit of intelligent peasant talk if he retains the idiom, compass, and characteristic expressions, although he may not encumber the page with obsolete pronunciations of the purely English words, and mispronunciations of those derived from Latin and Greek.

Can you explain to me what "may be said" exactly means in the above sentence. Why is "say" in the form of the past participle?


texts:
I've read that 'can and could' can be used to imply "to be able to do something in present and past time reference, but sometimes I'm confused to use them. The most  confusing situation is as follows:

Context: When I'm not sure that I/he/she/it/they can do or able to do something in present or I/he/she/they don't want someone to do something fully or when hedging/softening the sentences.

  you/I could write an essay.
  I/you could go to school.
  I/you could re-rewrite this sentence.
  I could call you a daughter.

these sentences imply present ability or past ability?
I think they imply both present and past ability, but I don't understand their real meanings.

*can we use 'could' to talk distancing ourselves what we say or when we want to be indirect of what we say?


texts:
I know "as if/as though" means but never heard that sentence starts with "though if".
Can anyone help me with this ?
Thanks in advance


texts: What is an alternative word to the phrase "In the case of"

texts:
I found the following sentence in one of my dictionaries.

  The amount of fruit in fruit juices must be 6% in the case of berries
  and 10% in the case of other fruits.

I would like to know a simple word that can be used instead of "in the case of" in the sentence above. As far as I searched, "for" can be used, but "for" has a lot of meanings, so I would like to know whether there is a more suitable word.


texts:
He came walking

  He came waving both hands

  He came yelling

And

  They left crying

Do you parse walking, waving, yelling and crying as verbs? If not, what would you parse them as?

Edit: crying added


texts: Can I use the word "thereof" at the beginning of a sentence?

texts:
I know the general meaning and use of the word "thereof" in a sentence, but I was wondering if the word could be used at the beginning of a sentence like in the following example. (I didn't find this example anywhere; I've just made it up.)

Yesterday Mary went to town to buy some flowers. Thereof I couldn't
find any trace.

Since "thereof" means "of that/of which" the sentence would mean:

Yesterday Mary went to town to buy some flowers, of which I couldn't
find any trace.

Now, I'm not asking if this usage is common—I know it isn't. What I want to know is whether it is grammatically correct—or shall we say permissible—if used in a literary/poetic context.


texts:
Somsak：May I bring you a salad?
  Susan：Oh yes. What do you recommend today?
  Somsak：I recommend rose-petal salad. Special for new friends.
  Susan：[to Harry] Rose-petal salad?
  Harry：Why not?
  Somsak：I'll take care of everything. [He leaves.]
  Susan：I hope you're hungry.
  Harry：What? Oh, yes. Starving.

I find this explanation in a dictionary:

  (tr; takes a clause as object) to trust, expect, or believe: we hope that this is satisfactory.

Dose hope in my example sentence mean to believe? If that is the case, instead of using believe or think, why would one use hope here? Is there any difference in nuance between them?


texts: "To be due" in the context of expecting a childbirth

texts:
One of the meanings of the adjective due is  "expected to give birth", another one is "expected according to timetable, promise etc."

The context:

  A: I saw Jane just the other day. Seems like you're going to become a
  father soon.

  B: Yes, and it's going to be a boy!

What question may one ask (using "due)  about the approximate time (months or weeks) when the childbirth  is awaited?

Would it be about the baby boy expected to appear:

  When is he due?

Or about the mother expected to deliver the baby:

  When is she due?

What may be other most common questions (just a couple of them) to ask the father-to-be about the same thing.


texts: What do you call a man who has a sexual relationship with a married woman?

texts: A woman who has a sexual relationship with a married man is called a mistress, right? But what do you call a man who has a sexual relationship with a married woman? I would like to know formal and informal ways to call such men in that regard.


texts: What's the difference between 'will be starting' and 'will start'?

texts:
The guide announced that the tour of the museum will be starting in 10 minutes and is schduled to run for about two hours.

if i replace 'will be starting' with 'will start', is there any meaning difference? or interchangable?

in the verbal expression ' is schduled to', how come  'is' is possible instead of 'was' when it comes to the tense agreement matter?


texts:
I want to thank to persons: A and B as follows:

  I am thankful to A and B, without whom, this project would not be possible.

I am afraid if I said without whom, this may be understood to refer to person B only. I want to mean without both A and B.

Is my sentence correct? If not, any suggestions?


texts: Using the right tense in a sentence after "over periods of "

texts:
I've got this sentence and I'm really in confusion about the right tense.

Over periods of decades and even centuries, pipes are made of various materials.
or
Over periods of decades and even centuries, pipes have been (being) made of various materials.
In any case I'd like to emphasize that they started to make pipes of various materials a long time ago and they still do it now.


texts: Is it okay to pronounce "ask" as /æks/, swapping the /s/ and /k/?

texts:
I know the correct pronunciation (I think) of the words "ask" and "asked", but I quite often hear them pronounced as "ahks" and "ahksed" (almost like an "r" sound). I've heard it both in conversation and on television shows (both Australian and American).

Are these pronunciations due to dialect, or are they alternative pronunciations or incorrect pronunciations? If they are the correct pronunciation, should I use them or the "normal" pronunciation?


texts: What conditional to use for hypothetical explanation of the past?

texts:
If our sample had a lot of variation in people’s abilities, our results could be biased.

We talk about the past. Therefore we should the type 3 conditional, with past perfect. However, the condition might well be true, we are just unable to confirm it, due to not measuring people's abilities. It is not an unlikely scenario and the result might well be true in the present.


texts: What's the meaning of "be tended on horseback"?

texts:
Could you please explain what the meaning of "be tended on horseback" is?

The text is here:

  When Grandpa-down-the-hill was a young man, there’d been herds of
  livestock spread across the mountain, and they were tended on horseback.

Educated by Tara Westover


texts: I heard using 'could' is for politeness. When I request something, should I say "Can you please" or "Could you please"? Does the latter sound over-polite and pretentious?


texts: "to be to" to express expected/anticipated action to take place

texts: I am trying to think of proper language to express an action a user of an appliance is entitled to expect and otherwise is considered a malfunction. For instance, is it correct to write "Once the handle is pulled, the door is to open" like in a User Manual for a door, if there is such a thing as a door manual? In my mother tongue, I use an equivalent of "must", which is a polysemantic word whose exact meaning you figure out through its context and is not an option in the one I am dealing with.


texts:
What does this phrase mean?

  In the wake of my great great grandmother's passing.

Does passing mean death also?

If so, then why didn't they just use death so non native English speakers can easily get it?


texts:
Does "rock systems" refer to "shake violently social systems"?

...and when trace element chemistry could be applied to rock systems.

Source: Harvard Education


texts: Can we say a sports club transferred a player if they received the player?

texts: As far as I know, if a sports club gives a player to another sports club, we can say the club that gave the player to the other transferred him or her like in, "Arsenal transferred two of their players last week". My question is, can we also say "transfer" referring to the action by the team that got the player? Can we say they transferred a player if they are the team that got the player? For example, let's say the soccer club Arsenal signed a new player. Can we say, "Arsenal transferred a player", referring to the action of getting a player?


texts: Why is it not good/common practice to place a comma before 'for'?

texts:
I've written a book which has the following line:

It is this curse which has brought many sleepless nights upon me, for one’s egotistical ambition to be certain of one’s knowledge is the precursor for dissatisfaction and dissociation.

The proof reader/editor left a comment on it, noting that it's not good/common practice to have a comma before for when used as an alternative for because.
Is this true? If so, why not?


texts:
Is it necessary to use the preposition 'to' in the following sentence or we can omit it?

  We can pay to Boris tomorrow.

By omitting it'll be:

  We can pay Boris tomorrow.


texts: grammatical name of this structure: an agreement arrived at through diplomatic conversation

texts:
I understand the meaning, But I don't know what is the name of these structures in grammar? and I'm not sure if "structure" is the right word for explaining my purpose. Please correct me if there is a better word to describe my question :)

Here is the whole sentence:

  Entente is not a formal treaty but an agreement arrived at through diplomatic conversation, which leads to common action and policy.

the "to arrive at an agreement" is the original collocation/structure. But in the new form, we have "the agreement arrived at". What is this structure called?
is it some kind of "inversion"?


texts:
Is it correct to use either "to+infinitive" or "for+ing" in sentences like the following:

  He has all the tools to become/for becoming a great actor.

I think "for +ing" sounds better in these types of sentences because we are talking about the purpose of a thing, the "tools" (the "tools" will help him become a great actor). However, I did a google search and found lots of examples with the "to+infinitive" structure, and, honestly, it doesn't sound bad either. So, is there any difference between using one or the other structure in sentences like the example? If there's no difference, could you please explain why?

By the way, I wrote "to+infinitive vs. for+ing to express purpose" as the title of this question. Would it be correct if I wrote "to+infinitive vs. for+ing for expressing purpose." If yes, why? If no, why not?


texts:
The following definition is what ‘in a row’ is defined as, in the Cambridge dictionary.

In a row
one after another without a break

What does ‘without a break’ modify?


texts: "there are concerns that" VS "there is concern that"VS " there is a concern that"

texts:
However, there are concerns that they[certain drugs] could pose a serious health risk to humans.
  However, there is concern that they[certain drugs] could pose a serious health risk to humans.
  However, there is a concern that they[certain drugs] could pose a serious health risk to humans.

Could you enlighten me as to the choice of plural or singular form in this case that have troubled me as always?


texts:
It is 'surprising' that so many portrait paintings hang in art
  museums, since the subject matter seems to dictate a status closer to
  pictures in the family photograph album than to high art.

I did not understand the intended meaning of the sentence.
Precisely, the explanation of the author's exclamation.

'since the subject matter seems to dictate' : subject matter means the depictions in the paintings? 'dictate' means that the 'subject matter' depicted in the paintings tell or enunciate?

'a status closer to pictures in a family photograph album' : what does 'status' refer to here?

'than to high art' : high art means a masterpiece. What relevance and meaning does this have here? What is the contrast?


texts:
Could I join watching a movie tonight?

or

  Could I join to watch a movie tonight?

I doubt if it is a form of a verb as noun (gerund) or reason and purpose (infinitive)


texts:
i was watching a show yesterday and one of the lines was "So did anything we did matter?" or something of the sort.

as far as i remember from school(it has been a few years) you cant use "did" twice in the same sentence. so is the sentence above correct? i know stuff on tv isn't always grammatically correct but maybe there is a rule that i'm not aware of. if so someone please explain.


texts: What'sthe difference between paying attention and heeding attention?

texts:
What's the difference between paying attention and heeding attention?

Are they interchangeable?


texts: Is this sentence correct with commas, or do I need to put more somewhere?

texts:
Okay, profit shifting to tax havens is a significant thing, although it's not a higher percent because if the ability to globalize where profits are reported was unlimited, then we wouldn't have seen a decline in corporate tax receipts after the Trump Tax Cut.
This is a sentence I transcribed.
The speaker had a small pause after "because" and "unlimited", so I'm not sure if that part of the sentence should be separated with commas. I am not sure if "Okay" should be its own sentence because the speaker took a slightly longer break after saying "okay" (like a second).


texts:
I know that we need to use X's for belonging:

Boy's ball = the ball of the boy
Girl's book = the book of the girl

and for many:

Kids' toys = the toys of the kids
Dogs' food = the food of the dogs

But in case of "files types", should I use "files' types" or "files types"? I'm asking because the "types" are not belong to "files". "files" do not own the "types".

What is the proper usage of "double belonging":
the boy dogs' toys = the toys of the dogs who belong to the boy
is this the correct form?
or should I say:
the boy's dogs' toys?


texts:
Which one of these sentences is correct?

He helps me be succeeded
He helps me to be succeeded


texts:
It is clear that "woods" is semantically plural, but what about gramatically? Can it be both singular and plural, as other collective nouns ? Example:

The woods of this town contain many secrets.
The woods of this town contains many secrets.


texts: What does "Much gasping and exposition ensue" mean?

texts:
I don't know whether I'm right or not. I assume it means a reaction to shocking news.

  The most well known of those is the infamous “The Principal and the
  Pauper”, perhaps better known as the Armin Tamzarian episode, or just
  the one with two Principal Skinners. In a twist that’s more than a
  little reminiscent of the kind of shocking revelations that are often
  used to prop up dying shows, the real Seymour Skinner returns from
  being a prisoner of war to find that one of his men had come back from
  Vietnam and assumed his identity. That man, the upright public servant
  known to the audience since Season 1, is revealed to be “an imposter”
  named Armin Tamzarian. Much gasping and exposition ensue.

  source


texts:
Well, the full sentence is:
Jeremy Corbyn told to 'sit down and shut up' in Commons as he criticises Iraq War after publication of Chilcot report

I have the felling that the meaning of 'told' here is "someone told Jeremy something" but I don't see it.

It is a use of tell verb?
There is an imperative in past?
It is the past participle.

Thank you

Edit: article source


texts: German order in English numbers? (Can I say 'five and forty' for 'forty-five'?)

texts:
In Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Gandalf says:

  Five-and-forty leagues as the crow flies we have come, though many long miles further our feet have walked.

What is five-and-forty? Is it really the same thing as German fünfundvierzig? Can I use it for any other number or is it just for forty five? And where and when this form will be appropriate?


texts: How to understand the structure of this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence from this article in the Economist but I can't understand its structure.

The sentence is:

  For a country that sees itself as egalitarian, this smacks of class privilege—those going to Gymnasium tend to be disproportionately well-off.

I couldn't find the predicate of this sentence.


texts:
Does this sentence sound awkward?

  This is one of the main reasons of focusing on X during my master’s
  studies, among many, such as X could have a high ITR comparing to
  other techniques, and (X) letting users focus on the task more
  conveniently.

Can it be improved to sound more professional?


texts:
this is a quote from Winston Churchill:

  I had a feeling once about Mathematics, that I saw it all—Depth beyond depth was revealed to me
  —the Byss and the Abyss. I saw, as one might see the transit of Venus—or even the Lord Mayor’s
  Show, a quantity passing through infinity and changing its sign from plus to minus. I saw exactly
  how it happened and why the tergiversation was inevitable: and how the one step involved all the
  others. It was like politics. But it was after dinner and I let it go.

What is the meaning of "the Byss and the Abyss" in this context?

Also, can you tell that I am reading the first sentences right?

one time I had a feeling about Mathematics. I thought I saw it all—Depth beyond depth was revealed to me.


texts:
My question is can I say:

  I was at a picnic yesterday?

Or do I have to use on?

I was confused because it sounded correct at first, but then I got no results when I looked it up on Google.


texts: What does aye mean in Australia and New Zealand?

texts:
In my previous job I heard many Australian speakers using aye like sorry and pardon to ask for repeating what other person said. I also heard one kiwi guy using aye in the same way. But, now I work somewhere else with people from different countries -- although they speak English. They mostly use huh instead of aye and don't understand aye, although most of them were born in Australia.

So, does aye really mean same sorry and pardon in Australia and New Zealand?


texts:
"No, the admin wants me to have a tutor from within the school. I think it's stupid, but they want me to be involved more because they think it will give me the confidence to do better by having support from a peer. It's a huge load of bullshit, but I just might have to follow through on it."

Is the use of "follow through on" correct here? Shouldn't it be "but I guess I might just have to go along with it."

I mean doesn't "follow through with/on something" mean something along the lines of "completing something"? As in:

  She followed through with the plan.

  You need to follow it through.

Or something in sports related to completing the motion after hitting the ball etc. (I've read this phrase being in tennis a lot.)


texts:
I told my son we were going to shopping.

  "I am going to get dress."

  "I am going to getting dress."

Is getting dress a noun? I know after "to" must be present tense.
It should be get or getting?


texts:
Would a teacher, on the point of proposing a correction to his students, say: "Let's make / here is the correction FOR the test or the correction OF the test? Or "Here is a summary FOR the story or OF the story?
Thanks for helping me making a choice!


texts:
Budget per campaign’s down almost forty percent.

I searched the meanings of down but Still I don't understand the sentence.
So could you please explain it to me?
The fuller text:

‘It’s not so bad,’ the Mother was saying to the Father. ‘There aren’t
enough of us. Budget per campaign’s down almost forty percent. We’re
in chronic conflict with the PR people. But otherwise, yes. It’s fine.

The Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro


texts:
The proposition "from" is could be used to indicate the source.   In this example (context is soccer, or association football):

  link
  "England were unable to score an equaliser - Olarticoechea making a particularly important defensive contribution in the 87th minute when he and Lineker both jumped for the ball from another Barnes cross, the two players collided, both missed the ball by a whisker..."

A ball is a physical object.  A cross is the act of sending a ball across the field.  The part:

  "...when he and Lineker both jumped for the ball from another Barnes cross..."

suggests that a physical object (ball) could somehow appear as a result of an act (cross), which sounds weird.  An abstract version of "the ball from a cross" would be "[an object] from [an action]", which suggests that the "[action]" has a hand in creating the "[object]".

Would this:

  "...he and Lineker both jumped for the ball on another Barnes cross...."

be possibily better?


texts: what is the meaning of "to perfect infinitive(to have extricated)" in this text?

texts:
Yet candor requires us to acknowledge that of all the men collected in the Roman camp he was the fittest to have extricated the army from its embarrassments, and have conducted it, without serious disaster or loss of honor, into a position of safety.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts:
Why do need to use "to"? Can it be without to? And how to understand that one or another preposition after a word should be used?

  a person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others.


texts: Is the preposition "in" only used with the future tenses when talking about time?

texts:
Is the preposition in only used with the future tenses  when talking about time? For example:

  I will finish my project in two weeks.

I am aware that in can be use with the perfect tenses in the sense of for. For example:

  I haven't seen you in ages.

But what about the following sentence?

  I hurt my back badly, but it got better in a few weeks.

Would it be more natural to say

  I hurt my back badly, but It got better after a few weeks?


texts: What is the opposite of sunny when there is no sun in the sky?

texts:
Shade is caused by some object blocking the sunlight. So, opposite of sunny in this case cannot be shady(?).

So, when there is no sun in the sky and therefore it is not sunny, then how should I describe the climate/area?


texts: Use of 'or' and inversion in questions: "Is it due to eating unhealthy food or it is due to not playing sport?"

texts:
If someone has a health problem and I would like to ask him/her what the cause of the problem is, two questions are in my mind:

Is it due to eating unhealthy food?
Is it due to not playing sport?

Now I need to use the word or or something like that to ask the two questions at the same time. How can I do it to sound like a native speaker? And which of the following is correct?

Is it due to eating unhealthy food or not playing sport?
Is it due to eating unhealthy food or is it due to not playing sport?
Is it due to eating unhealthy food or it is due to not playing sport?

Thank you,


texts: "Where can I download music for free?" Is "for" a preposition or idiom there?

texts:
I read on newspaper. In this sentence:

  "Where can I download music for free?"

is "for" a preposition?

If "for" is a preposition, "free" couldn't be a adverb or adjective.


texts: what is the difference between ~ing and which is?

texts:
I hope to understand the difference between the following phrases in bold:

Public outrage over David Dao being forcibly removed from flight strengthens potential lawsuit on personal injury or contract claims

Public outrage over David Dao who was forcibly removed from flight strengthens potential lawsuit on personal injury or contract claims

To me, I cannot tell which one is better. Could you explain the difference here?

Thank you so much.


texts: "Each of them is" or "each of them are"?

texts:
Should I use the plural form of verb for each or the single form?

Example:

  Each of them are used for different purposes.
  Each of them is used for different purposes.


texts: a patient was told to use their medication, “ every THREE days”. Does that mean, on the forth day, or the third?

texts:
Quote; a patient was told to use their medication every THREE days for pain.
Does that statement mean; on the THIRD day, or the FORTH day ?


texts:
The following part of text is taken from here

http://english.sakshi.com/news/2018/02/26/sridevi-death-suspected-murder-dubai-police-question-boney-hotel-staff

  Now, the body of the actress was to be flown in to India for her last rites. Members from across the film fraternity had rushed to Anil Kapoor's home where the body was to be kept for final respects

  was to be flown

Or

  were to be flown

I'm confused. Is was to be flown grammatically correct here ?


texts:
These were arguably the two greatest players in the history of the game at the peak of their powers going at it in five incredibly hard-fought and very close matches. They played a total of 144 games! Kasparov emerged the winner every time (except the aborted match of ‘84), but the total score in the matches was only 73–71 in his favor.

Source: Quora

Can you please explain to me the bolded passage. I'm not sure whether I understand it properly given the context. Does it mean that Kasparov was considered to be the favourite but he didn't win the majority of the matches.


texts:
Jerry is one of those students who (miss / misses) the homework
  assignment as he leaves early.

In the above sentence which is the correct choice of verb and what's the reason for the choice?
If Jerry is the subject then it should be 'misses'.
But I have seen a rule which says that when using pronouns like 'who' the verb depends on the noun that appears immediately before the verb.


texts: Which kind of stretchers is it. Passive infinitive + verb third form. As it is written here (may have been decimated). May have been is passive infinitive and decimated is verb third form.


texts:
20% of the students are/is present.
The remaining 20% of the protein form/forms enzymes.

Singular verb or plural — which one is correct?


texts: Besides oil and the oil wealth stash, Russia has precious little - what does precious little mean?

texts:
If oil hits $75-80, Aslund said "Russia would have to cut its imports, which would hit the standard of living, investment and economic growth. A decline in GDP and standard of living would be inevitable."
  Besides oil and the oil wealth stash, Russia has precious little.

What does that mean?


texts: Word for searching through someone's possessions without permission

texts:
What word can we use if someone checks, searches or looks through somebody else's possessions without the owner's consent or knowledge? People who do this may not be looking for a specific thing, just something interesting or valuable.

For example:

  When I turned around, I saw somebody was ........... my bag. (Past continuous)

  Toddlers like to .............. my wardrobe and bookcase.


texts:
Can I use the word anodyne as an adjective in the sense of "soothing", "calming","tranquilizing" or "mollifying"?

In Oxford Dictionary , the synonyms given are "bland, dull, innocuous, inoffensive, neutral" as adjectives, while  "painkiller " or "soother" as a noun.

However, there are some words similar to "soothing" given as synonym in the adjective form on thesaurus.com.

So apparently its noun form meaning does not meet its adjective meaning form , does it?

I wonder if it would be appropriate to say these kinds of collocations :

  anodyne view/sight/scene

  anodyne seaside view

  anodyne photos of animals


texts: Is "might well" equal to "might as well"? Is one "that" not enough for an object-clause? Are they two other old-fashioned ways?

texts:
“Many speakers to the House the other night in the debate on the reduction of armaments seemed to show a most lamentable ignorance of the conditions under which the British Empire maintains its existence. When Mr Balfour replied to the allegations that the Roman Empire sank under the weight of its military obligations, he said that this was ‘wholly unhistorical.’ He might well have added that the Roman power was at its zenith when every citizen acknowledged his liability to fight for the State, but that it began to decline as soon as this obligation was no longer recognized.”— Pall Mall Gazette, 15th May 1906.

William Marriott cited the British newspaper "Pall Mall Gazette" as a note to Machiavelli's "The Prince" (Chapter XIII).

1 It seems to me that "might well" functions as "might as well". Learning from the previous questions, I guess "might well" is another out-of-date usage. Am I right?

2 The whole part following the first "that" (in bold), I think, is the object of "might well have added". Therefore, the second "that" (in bold) should be deleted (at least when it were expressed today), shouldn't it?


texts:
Example (YouTube video):

  Singing PM: 'Fats' Putin over the top of 'Blueberry Hill' with piano solo

I don't understand what part of speech the word 'Fats' is used as. As an adjective that describes Putin? Also, how do you understand the phrasing over the top of 'Blueberry Hill'?


texts: How do you read these mathematical expressions aloud?


texts: A word to describe a person that is solely responsible for all of the problems (like "causer" but not exactly)

texts:
I'm looking for an English word I knew beforehand but now I've forgotten!

The root of the word pertains to the word "cause". It's also a noun that refers to "persons".

Let's look upon it, as an example:

You tell a someone: You're the causer of all of these problems. ("causer" is not the word I'm looking for, but close to it and with the same meaning)

Actually, we use that noun to say the reason for the problems is that person solely, and he is guilty/responsible for all of them.

The synonym names close to it are:
Cause, responsible, reason and son on.
Now do you know what word it was, please?

If you mention it, I'll quickly recall it.


texts:
I see in many places you use "more fully". I think "more" and "fully" have the same meaning and don't need we use the both, one of them is sufficient.
 Why do you use them together?

context is:
 The choice of article dependents upon the noun and the context this. This will be explained more fully below.
 Thanks.


texts:
For some situations we make inversion just for emphasis ,it is not a must

eg;

We have never wittnessed such cruel behaviour by one child for another

Never have we wittnessed such cruel behaviour by one child to another.(For emphasis , it is not a must)

However I am not sure about the following sentences whether inversion is a must or is made just for emphasis.

*What about the inversion ''there'' and ''verb''?

a1)I opened the door and there stood Michael , all covered in mud

a2)I opened the door and Michael stood there , all covered in mud

b1)She looked out and there was Pamela, walking along arm in arm with Goldie.

b2)She looked out and Pamela was there , walking along arm in arm with Goldie.

Are there any differences between a1-a2 , b1-b2?


texts:
I have a question about using "keep" with "charging". I've heard people say

  keep your laptop off to save energy.

But can you use the structure with "charging"? I am not sure if it can be used like "on/off".

  Don't keep it charging overnight to save energy.

Is this how you would use "keep" and "charging"?


texts:
Outside his house, several cars are parked as a group of people have gathered to demonstrate.

Is as natural here? Would and be better?

Would it also be correct if I had written "a group of people has gathered"?


texts: Difference between "has started" and "is started"

texts:
From http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/y2876e/y2876e0i.htm:

  Once bargaining has started, other intermediaries remain at a distance and wait for their turn to deal, should the first intermediary fail to obtain the fisherman's lot.

Why has the writer used perfect tense in the above sentence?

If I say it with simple tense, does it mean the same?

  Once bargaining is started, other intermediaries remain at a distance and wait for their turn to deal, should the first intermediary fail to obtain the fisherman's lot

If the writer just wants to say that when bargaining starts, other intermediaries remain at a distance, why he has used perfect tense?

If i Say "Once Match has cancelled other teams players remain at a distance". Is it correct then?


texts:
I'd like to know how to use short/shortly properly in the following:

  It is a long story, but I'll try to put it as short as possible.
  It is a long story, but I'll try to put it as shortly as possible.

I also wonder if in short would be correct:

  It is a long story, but I'll try to put it in short.


texts: If someone doesn't have a clear mind about how to do something, is it correct to say that I helped her to "clear her ideas"? Or some better expressions?


texts: Are there better ways to say "I like the sentence someone said" or "I love this sentence someone said"?

texts:
If I hear someone（esp. a very famous person) say something (e.g. a sentence) and I appreciate that sentence very much, what can I say?

"I like the sentence someone said" or "I love this sentence someone said" sounds awkward to me.


texts:
When a school is being referred to as an institution, you do not need
  to use the: When do the children finish school? When you are
  talking about a particular building, the is used: I’ll meet you
  outside the school.  Prison, jail, court, and church work in the same
  way: Her husband spent three years in prison. Source

These are not wrong: "We go to school" &  "We go to the same school".

My question is that whether we can say: "We go to same school?". I can feel that is wrong but not sure.


texts: “How much petrol costs” or “How much costs petrol”? Or are both wrong?

texts:
I am very not sure what is correct one,

How much petrol costs

or

How much costs petrol


texts: Linking expressions to introduce advantages and disadvantages

texts:
In an argumentative text/essay what linking expressions can be used to introduce the pros and cons of the essay topic/object/theme, after a short introduction?
For example, if I'm writing an argumentative essay about some website, what linking expressions can be used to introduce its advantages and disadvantages?
Is the example below correct?

However, as everything, X has its advantages and disadvantages.
Being one of them[...]


texts: How to use the word "smear" between two people?

texts:
I have two people (e.g: Sally and James). I want to damage the reputation of Sally in front of James, but I don't want to use "in front of" if it means that literally.

"Smear" is the word that I have to use in order to achieve that definition. So, I would say:

I created the stealing-money scene to smear Sally ____ James.


texts: "Speaking of/talking of" - similarities and differences

texts:
I was told that "speaking of" should refer to a previously mentioned subject and should trigger a change of the subject. For example:

Are you going to chip in on a joint gift for Frank? He has a birthday tomorrow.
Do I have to?
You don't have to if you don't feel like doing so.
Well, I feel like smoking now... but speaking of chipping in, I will chip in 10 dollars. (WRONG)

I was told that "speaking of chipping in" is not used correctly here because it continues the discussion of the previous subject. It would be OK if it started a new subject slightly related to the matter of chipping in. For example:

Well, I feel like smoking now... but speaking of chipping in, who even made it up? Isn't it just another useless concept?

Now I wonder what if I used "talking of chipping in"? Would it be OK to continue with the subject mentioned earlier in that case?

Are you going to chip in on a joint gift for Frank? He has a birthday tomorrow.
Do I have to?
You don't have to if you don't feel like doing so.
Well, I feel like smoking now... but TALKING of chipping in, I will chip in 10 dollars. (CORRECT? or WRONG?)


texts:
First, it does not explain why an omnipotent God couldn’t have created
laws of nature which would never actually lead to any natural evil.

[Philosophy: The basics]
Do they make any difference?
"never actually" and "actually never"?


texts:
Let us say there is a family of computer attacks known as DoS attacks.

If I want to describe a case of these attacks shall I use singular or plural?

  Another case of DoS [attack/attacks] is ...

Can you clarify this?


texts: How to use" everyone" or "everybody" in a negative sentence with verb "be"?

texts:
When checking if all the students are present in a class, may the teacher ask "Is everybody/everyone here today?" or "Is everyone/everybody present today?"
And if not so, must the students reply "No, everyone/everybody IS NOT here today." or "No, NOT everybody/everyone IS here/present today."?


texts: Is it correct to use "out of the stuff" in "I built it out of the stuff I found in the garage."?

texts:
Which way is the correct one to say this and is there a difference in meaning?

  I built it out of the stuff I found in the garage.
  I built it off the stuff I found in the garage.
  I built it from the stuff I found in the garage.


texts: A sentence with many genitives and 'of's, correct phrasing?

texts:
I have this sentence, the phrasing of which seems to be (to me) very strange..But I cannot do any better:

  The activation of the system is going to be based on the detection of
  a deviation of a certain value in the X's temperature that has
  occurred for a specified period of time.


texts:
A notice begins as follows:

  It is hereby informed that a meeting of LPLD committee will be held on 12/12/12 at 12 noon in the chamber of BDO...All the members of the committee are requested to make it convenient to attend the meeting without fail

My questions are:

Is the language of the  Notice grammatically correct or not?
Is there any indecency when the convenor of the meeting sends this notice to his higher official who is also a member of the committee  ?


texts: "only actually requires" or "actually only requires"?

texts:
I want to say:

  XXX actually only requires that YYY to be non-negative.

But I feel weird about this sentence. Should I say:

  XXX only actually requires that....

or

  XXX actually requires only that....

Which one is better?


texts:
Please give me the correction if the answers of this question are wrong. The question  :  Would you mind staying at home?

Answers:
A. Yes, I would (meaning "I don't want to stay at home).
B. No, I would not (meaning " That's fine. I want to stay at home)
C. I'd rather not (meaning "  I want to leave, I don't want to stay at home)


texts: What do you call the text before and after a message?

texts:
I'm writing a small program to send e-mails on behalf of users. Users will write a message, and I will add some text before and after their message. What do I call the text before and after the user typed text?

My first idea was Header and Footer, but it doesn't feel right because I'm adding a lot more than a title and page number. Then I thought of Prologue and Epilogue, but that feels awkward.

Is there a better name?

Edit: it doesn't have to be one word. It can be a short title, e.g. first paragraph / last paragraph.


texts: Why is "apples are good to be eaten" incorrect?

texts:
I was doing an online test where they asked to fill in the blank.
Here's the question:

Apples are good ______

Here are the choices:

to be eating
to eat
to eating
to be eaten

I selected "to be eaten" because it's, for me, grammatically correct.
However, I was incorrect.
I was searching for similar questions and found this question on
Brainly that suggests "to be eaten" is incorrect.
So, why is "apples are good to be eaten" incorrect?


texts: Could you explain the Instrumental case for words used with 'to justify'

texts:
Could you explain the Instrumental case to say such pfrases like that -

  Do not justify your laziness that you are smart.

or from your sorce -

  Intelligent idlers justify their idleness to their intelligence by
  setting their sights high.

But without the recipient of the justification because the recipient is the subject here and it is clear that they justify themselves.

Variants:

Do not justify your laziness by your intelligence/fatigue.
Do not justify your laziness with your intelligence/fatigue.
Do not justify your laziness by means of your intelligence/fatigue.

Maybe I should use 'excuse' instead of 'justify'?
I am waiting for your any variants as well.


texts:
Should there always be a comma after "as a result"?

For instance:

  This is done by using a database of patients and as a result the factors which have any significance are obtained.

should be written as...

  This is done by using a database of patients and, as a result, the factors which have any significance are obtained


texts: Preposition: Language acquisition (among/of/by) students

texts:
Choosing the right preposition is one of my worst nightmare in learning English.

  This paper discusses the differences between first and second language
  acquisition (of/among/by) third-year students in Golden High School.

In that sentence, which preposition should I use?


texts:
My husband continuously uses bring versus take incorrectly. For example:

  I will bring him to church on Sunday.

The correct form is to say:

  I will take him to church on Sunday.

I cannot find this grammar rule in Strunk and White.  Could someone please state the rule?


texts: Amplification also pegs the responsibility for technology’s impact squarely on us.


texts: What do you call a Matrix-like slowdown and camera movement effect?

texts:
I think there's a scene in The Matrix where Neo does a bullet dodge in slow-motion and you also see the camera rotate around Neo, what do you call this effect?

For example:

  The ____ when Neo dodges bullets in slow-mo was cool.


texts: Can the past continuous be used this way?

texts:
1 I missed your call because I was helping fix Jack's car for one hour.
I am not sure if it's correct. It is supposed to mean though, "During that hour I was helping fix Jack's car, I missed your call".
Context. I had been supposed to be helping with the car for 30 minutes but I spent 1 hour and because of that I missed your call.
EDITTED: helping fixing substituted for helping fix


texts:
What is the difference between mental state and mental status?

For example:

  The evaluation/diagnosis was based on my mental state (status?)

Google and Wikipedia appear to suggest both terms are in use. There is a medical examination called the mental status examination. There is also a Wiki page on mental state.


texts: Can any time on clock be spoken as it is in numbers only (hour + minutes)?

texts:
According to the Cambridge dictionary, the answer for “What time is it?” depends on the minutes.

  When the times outside five-minute intervals, we say minutes past or
  minutes to:

  9.01 one minute past nine

  9.03 three minutes past nine

  9.36 twenty-four minutes to ten

  9.58 two minutes to ten

Otherwise, we can say directly what we see on the watch / clock, it says to read it simply. For example:

  9.05 five past nine or nine oh five

  9.10 ten past nine or nine ten

  9.15 quarter past nine or nine fifteen

  9.20 twenty past nine or nine twenty

  9.25 twenty-five past nine or nine twenty-five

Can we say times out loud by the actual numbers that are on the watch / clock and maybe these Cambridge rules are only in the UK? According to what I remember, many times when I asked people about the time, they didn't follow those rules. They would say: 10:13 = Ten thirteen. 8:21 = eight twenty one etc. If that is correct, then what about 10:11, 10:10, 9:11 — if I simply read them as they are (Ten eleven), it works?


texts:
Which is the correct way to define a function?

Define a function f(x) to be f(x)=2x
Define the function f(x) to be f(x)=2x.

Since f(x)=2x is a specific function, my guess is "the" is correct.
But that specification is determined after saying "to be", so it might be "a function".

Also, if there are any other expression to define a function, I would like to know.

Any help is appreciated.


texts:
What is the difference between:

meet you
meet with you
meet up with you

For instance I wish to say that I haven't seen someone for a long time. What do I say?

Hi, I missed you and want to meet you and hug you. - Or maybe "meet with you" or "meet up with you"?

Or I want to meet a person for the first time and get to know:

Oh, great. I like you so I want to meet with you. - Or the otger variants?


texts: "I like to do cycling" or "I like to go for cycling" - which is correct?

texts:
Which out of the two is correct?

  I like to do cycling .
  I like to go for cycling .

Is 'Cycling' in both the examples used in noun form?


texts: Is it okay to use "go to" with facial expressions

texts:
In Urban Dictionary I happened to stumble across a sentence.  "This is my go-to expression". Is the use of "go-to" okay with facial expressions?

Here it is:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=go-to

  A: You look grumpy, what's up?

    B: Nothing, this is just my go-to face.

Does "go-to" sound okay here?


texts: Which is correct: "read a Bible" or "read the Bible"?

texts:
‘The’ is used when you’re talking about something/someone specific and ‘a’ is used when you are not and there are many of the thing you are talking about.
I don’t think these examples fit the above. Can you explain how it does?

  He used to read the Bible but he doesn’t anymore.
  Christians read the Bible.

There are many Bibles so shouldn’t these sentences be:

  He used to read a Bible but he doesn’t anymore.
  Christians read a Bible.

But this sounds very wrong. Why?


texts: Is it correct to use term "in a modern sensor networks era"?

texts:
Recently, I wrote a paper which has the following sentence that my tutor doubt,

  The multi-sensor fusion  and consensus filtering are two very fascinating research subjects in a modern wireless sensor networks era.

my question is that if I used the phrase in a modern wireless sensor networks era correctly?

I googled it and found that it's normally appeared with the form like this modern era without being interrupted.


texts:
Person: How often do you see your kids?

Divorced father: I see them every Friday.

Person: What do you do when you have them?

Divorced father: We usually go to the arcades.

Is the highlighted question natural in the context? Is it natural to use have them here?


texts:
what's the difference between "Put the phone down" and "Put down the phone"?
Is it the same?
As for me the first one means literally to put the phone (the thing) down and the last one is to end the conversation, am I right?


texts: What are the rules for use of contractions?

texts:
I am a native English speaker. I've noticed that there seem to be very strong rules about when to use contractions, but I haven't seen these rules enumerated anywhere. For instance, I think nearly every native speaker would say this is wrong.

"Who's going to the movies?"
"I'm".

But is there a rule that you can't have a one word sentence be a contraction? No. E.g.

"What's your best advice on whether I get insurance from FlyByNite.com?"
"Don't"

Is OK.

There seem to be quite a few of these rules.  Are they listed somewhere?


texts:
According to Longman Contemporary Dictionary, out of  is used to show how large a part of a group you are talking about, e.g.

  Nine out of ten students pass the test first time.

However, I read the following sentence in an English book:

  One in five fathers will be househusbands, while the mothers go out to work.

Can the word in be replaced with out of here? And would there be a difference in meaning?


texts:
I could never make sense out of the largely informal phrase, "no nothing". Minus minus equals plus. So literally, "no nothing" comes to mean "something" or "anything".  But it is almost always used in the opposite sense.

Why and how was it coined?

Simply "nothing" serves the job well. Do we even need to use it?


texts:
1 complete with the same meaning
Do you have a good relationship with your neighbours? (Well)
Do you ... your neighbours?

I don’t know where to find a list with all the prashal verbs!


texts:
Recently I read this phrase in a sentence .I don't understand :

  Its infinity "skypool" is now the go-to destination for starlets who wish to splash around in bikinis for the cameras.

here is the link of the whole article (The Economist)

Thanks so much!


texts: "Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be." -- grammar, meaning?

texts:
From episode 5 of the television series The Walking Dead:

  I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it.
  Is that what you'd want if it were you?
  Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it.
  I hate to say it. I never thought I would but maybe Daryl's right.
  Jim's not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog.
  I'm not suggesting...
  He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?
  The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be.
  What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure.

How do you understand that part grammatically?


texts:
I searched ~ spelling and ~ symbol spelling on Google but found nothing. My dictionary doesn't contain ~ either.

P.S.: is there any online dictionary that can translate symbols? I find I know almost nothing about the symbols. Even in my native language, I say /\ or something else tilted stick. I don't know which is slash, and which is backslash.


texts: Are there plural forms to interrogatives like "who"?

texts:
In Greek there are different singular and plural forms of τίς (who):

Singular:

τίς - who?
τίνος - whose?
τίνι - to whom?
τίνα - whom?

Are there plural English forms?
τίνες -
τίνων -
τίσι(ν) -
τίνας -

I am learning Greek, as an English speaker, but find my understanding of English to be limiting.


texts: interrogative adverbs used like interrogative pronouns

texts:
Why are the interrogative adverbs "where" and "when" used like interrogative pronouns in the sentences below?

Where are you from?
From when to when did you live there?
Since when is Jane your sister?


texts:
I am trying to describe Steve jobs with the following sentence.

His design marries art with function, such as iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air.

There are two meanings of "design" on the Cambridge Dictionary are related.

the art of making plans or drawings for something

the way in which something is planned and made

The former is also a synonym of "designing".
Which one should I go with?
In other words, does this one have the same meaning?

His designing marries art with function, such as iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air.

Note: The example sentence I made up at the beginning is to describe the way/art Steve jobs designed products in general, rather than the design of any specific product.


texts: You know what probably happened? and others

texts:
I have learned more about conjecture.
Link: You know what probably happened?
So, my understanding is as follows.
First
1. You know what probably happened?
2. You know what I think probably happened?

Both sentences express a conjecture equally well.
The difference is not semantic. It is mainly stylistic. 'I think' just softens the conjecture a bit.
It is already clear that the first sentence is a conjecture because of the 'probably'.
I've understood the above feedback from a good person who is legatrix.
.
Second
3. You know what would probably happen?

This sentence No. 3 is different. It is back-shifting by 'would usage.'
I mean, I expected "Something will probably happen" in the past.
As time goes by, I can say the past event which, I expect, was likely to take place.
Hence, I guess sentence No. 3 is similar to the under one.
= You know what was probably gonna happen?

Do I understand exactly?


texts: Is there a proverb that means "to solve two problems at once"?

texts:
In my language, we have a proverb that means "to solve two problems with only one solution". It would be literally translated as:

  I've killed two bunnies with only one hit

How would this be said in English? Is there a proverb with such a meaning?


texts:
In the context of a job advertisement, what does "is a pre" mean?

Top and only useful result on Google was this, only guessing "pré-requis" (requirement), which makes it odd to include sporadically in a list of job requirements like this PDF section:

  Job Qualification
      • M.Sc. / BSc. in software engineering or equivalent.
      • 7+ years of experience in Software design.
      • (Must) Experience in writing Python.
      • Experience in writing embedded C-code.
      • Experience with Labview is a pre.
      • Experience in FPGA design and prototyping is a pre.
      • Knowledge of scripting languages.
      • Good communication skills, team player, driver mentality, pro-active attitude.
      • Networking skills, creative, motivating, curious, open minded.
      • Able to identify and resolve complex issues.
      • Fluent English speaker.

And especially this recruiter quote:

  Skills must:
      •   Ruby

  Skills pre:
      •   Ruby on Rails
      •   Java


texts: Do "to be conversant in a foreign language " and "to be competent in a foreign language" mean the same thing?

texts:
On one ELL user's (he's a native English speaker from the USA) profile page I read "Also conversant in Japanese" which surely means that he can to some extent communicate in that language.

At the same time, from all the online dictionaries I looked up for the collocation "be conversant in a foreign language" only Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English provides the definition "able to hold a conversation in a foreign language", marked as American English. In the others, there's no meaning of "capable of making conversation (in a language)" for "conversant".

So the question is this:

Is the phrase "be conversant in a foreign language" used beyond the USA? In the USA, is it really common and does it mean "competent in a foreign language" (general command of it, reading and writing skills included), or it refers to the ability to understand and make oneself understood (to some extent--fairly/good, etc.) in a conversation only?


texts: Is this present perfect continuous sentence correct?

texts:
Is this correct?
“I have been walking in the park for 4 hours and have just returned home.”
Or should there be used past perfect continuous/ past simple?


texts: Isn't there anything/something you can do

texts:
Isn't there anything you can do to get her back?
Isn't there something you can do to get her back?

Are these equally natural and used interchangeably?

Which one sounds more frustrated on behalf of the person who the speaker is saying this to?


texts: How does the grammar work in "here be dragons"?

texts:
Why is the phrase here be dragons not here are dragons? Is this a special grammatical form? If so, what is it?

I found a related ELU question on the topic.


texts:
What is the difference in the following three sentences regarding usage of the determiner?

The right to work implies the obligation on the part of the government to give a job to all the unemployed.

The right to work implies the obligation on the part of the government to give a job to each of the unemployed.

The right to work implies the obligation on the part of the government to give a job to all of the unemployed.


texts: Can "either that" be appended at the end of a sentence with a comma?

texts:
Example:

She was an antisocial person, either that or she was a sociopath.

As opposed to:

She was an antisocial person. Either that or she was a sociopath.

Is the first case grammatical? Why or why not?


texts: Would you help me with using present perfect?

texts:
Would you tell me what is the difference between  sentences of A and B?

If what you want to talk about is the nice feeling of being finished buying a new car—"It's done! I have bought a new car! I have a new car!", you will say something different tomorrow evening:

[A:]
"It is nice to have bought a new car", OR
"It is nice having bought a new car."

And today you express your expectation of that feeling like this:

[B:]
"It will be nice to have bought a new car", OR
"It will be nice having bought a new car."


texts:
When did you born?

What does the above question mean? Does it mean

"When did you give birth" or
"When were you given birth to"?

The situation is that I'm trying to ask my friend his birthdate.

Also, how can he answer this question in a grammatically correct way?


texts: Which is correct: "on foot" or "by foot"?

texts:
He went there on foot.

Or

  He went there by foot.

Which one is correct, and on what basis?


texts:
New genetic technologies -- perhaps most notably the gene editing methods using a tool derived from a bacterial immune system called CRISPR-Cas9 -- have reignited old debates and...

Could you please paraphrase the strong text, because it doesn't make sense to me.

It could have been made in this form "perhaps the most notable gene" So it could be understood