texts: army surplus T-shirts -- "surplus"? why not just "army T-shirts"?

texts:
Example with a context (Full-house in Kiev bar inspired by Russian propaganda):

  Those aspects of the decor clash with new additions, like posters showing fighters of the nationalist Azov battalion and the army surplus T-shirts worn by the waiters.

I know what typical army T-shirts look like, but I'm not really sure what army surplus T-shirts are. Well, according to the picture (taken from the news article), they look just exactly like the regular army T-shirts. But, why do we say surplus then?


texts: Best way to reply to an email message for appointment

texts:
Best way to reply an email to pass below message to management

"You can plan the discussion as per your convenience except time slot 9:30 AM-10:30 Am as we have daily client call in this "


texts: I want to make my house look/looks(?) more beautiful

texts:
I'm a beginner, please someone give me a detailed answer on this one. I'm also a newbie to this site, sorry if this question is supposed to be placed at somewhere else (other tags).

So, here are the sentences:

I want to make my house look/looks more beautiful
I want to make my house to look more beautiful

I want you not to go there
I don't want you to go there

Which one is incorrect?


texts: Why is 'what will you do tomorrow evening' incorrect?

texts:
‘What will you do / are you doing tomorrow evening?’ ‘Nothing.
  I’m free.’ (Essential Grammar in Use)

The book says ‘are you doing’ is correct. But I don’t know why ‘will you do’ is not correct?


texts: A semantic comparison between the usage of two prepositions 'from' and 'than' in American English

texts:
I appreciate it if dear Americans of the forum could help me with the sentences bellow:

American English is very different from British.

American English is very different than British.

I know both the bold prepositions above are used in AE and in this sense; but the question is that if they make any difference in the sentence's implication or they are interchangeable in this context?


texts: What does "above the law" mean in this context?

texts: If I want to say about some corruptionists that the are out of law, meaning that they are defended by the law. If I say that they are above the law, does it mean that the laws are not for those people?


texts:
This is a question for a questionnaire.  " what english skill do you need most?"; speaking or writing? I want to ask about the most used skill of English by the learners.
Is this sentence correct or not?


texts:
1) If she beats him he'll claim she cheated. [non-deictic past]
  2) If you eat any more you'll say you don't want any tea. [non deictic present]

I don't know whether it is right or wrong but what I know is deictic expressions referring to a specific things and non-
dectic expressions not referring to a specific things...In this sense, in these sentences, in the words cheated(past) and don't(present), how we refer these words are in non-deictic past or present? And the terms deictic expressions and deictic time are have different or same meaning? Because in some books I saw deictic expressions referring to a specific things and non-
dectic expressions not referring to a specific things. So please tell me which is correct?


texts: "I have not given {or/nor} received any information"?

texts:
Is it correct to say "I have not given or received any information about the party"?

Or is it correct to say "I have not given nor received any information about the party"?


texts:
I wonder how do native speakers interpret the following sentences. Are they ambiguous? Is Y decreasing or increasing in the following examples (1-4)?

The strength of X increases with Y.
The strength of X decreases with Y.
The strength of X increases together with Y.
The strength of X decreases together with Y.

I think it is possible to make these sentences unambiguous by specifying whether Y is increasing or decreasing explicitly after “with”. Is that so?
(Does adding "together" (or jointly) like in sentences (3-4) change interpretation?)
Thanks!


texts: How to address the customer who is kept on hold over the phone?

texts:
Once I return to the call, what should I say to the customer?

Thank you for patiently waiting
Thank you for being on hold
Thank you for holding

Which is the best choice?


texts:
A. Schulzke's main claim is that actions in a virtual world are very different from actions in the real world, though a player may “kill” another player in a virtual world, that player is instantly back in the game and the two will almost certainly remain friends in the real world thus virtual violence is very different from real violence, a distinction gamers are comfortable with...

B. They are back.

C. They will be back.

I am confused with the bold parts. I mean what are the functions of the words"back" there? what kind of part of speech? And, what do really mean those three bold parts?

Meanwhile, what about b, and c?

Thanks

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texts:
I saw a sentence but I am not sure about its tense.

  She was to prepare for the spelling test.

I think instead of "was", "has" or "had" is better. I think that "was" is wrongly used here.


texts: "various feminists who have led the fight"

texts:
In the documentary film about the hard-core pornography industry Not a Love Story (Bonnie Klein, 1982), various feminists who have led the fight against pornography speak emotionally about the horrors and harms invading from this industry's nether world.

(Linda Williams: Hard Core: Power, Pleasure and the Frenzy of the Visible, 1989, p. 265.)

I am again puzzled by the usage of the present perfect in the above sentence. The only reason for the present perfect resides in im opinion in the fact that the author (L. Williams) wants to tell that feminists appearing in the mentioned documentary (1982) were in the year of the book  publishing (1989) still fighting against the porn industry. Am I right or the reason for the usage of this particular tense is quite different?


texts: Can I use the at front of a place's or a building's name?

texts:
For example:

  the Zhong Nanhai.

  the Tiananmen Square.

  get to the Tiananmen Square

Is it ok?


texts: To be one of the presidential candidates in this/these election(s)

texts:
I was wondering whether in the following context the bold sentence sounds correct to you grammatically  and semantically:

  The 2020 United States presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
  Donald Trump, the 45th and incumbent president, has launched a reelection campaign for the Republican primaries. Therefore, needless to say he will be one of the presidential candidates in this/these election/elections.

I need to make sure which one is the correct collocation?!

  a. in this election
  b. in these elections


texts:
I know it might be a literal and terrible translation from French, but I'd like to know whether it's possible to say that "somebody is very applied to something".

For instance, using:

  She's very applied to her studies

to mean that she's taking her studies and her coursework very seriously.

I know that using it as a verb is correct, as in "to apply oneself to", but is it possible to use it as an adjective?


texts: What "ill" does a word in a sentence try to reference?

texts:
Currently reading this article, there is a line,

When he was president, Donald Trump passed coronavirus relief measures of his own, including a $900 billion rescue package in December. The new package deviates from its predecessors in large part because it seeks to address ills that predated the pandemic and will almost certainly outlast it.

WHat ill did the Trump administration seek? Not COVID-19? I'm not sure about what this sentence tries to mean.(More precisely saying, I don't understand the relationship between the "ill" which "predated" the COVID and the COVID itself).
Sorry for taking time.


texts:
In the following sentence

  I read the letter and made him aware of its content/contents

Which one should be used? Either content or contents.

To me content seems a proper choice. But in my book it is contents.


texts:
What do words such as off, up, on used with phrasal verbs mean? What's the logic in that?
Example:
Take: such as bring, get
Off: closed
But if we use together, it mean is flying, or rise.
Not need all phrasal verbs. This was enough. What is the logic in this or what is the point i don't understand? Need to memorize?


texts:
Which of the following is ok and sounds kind of natural ??

1- It has a quality higher than usual.

2- It has a higher quality than usual.

3- It has a quality higher than usual.

4- It has a higher than usual quality.


texts: How to ask my interviewer to include me in the next group?

texts:
Suppose I've been accepted to work for a company. Selected candidates need to go though a one-month training period before they can do the job. If there is not enough selected candidates, there is no training sessions and available candidates have to wait untill there's enough people to be included in a wave or batch. Now if I want to ask my inteviewer to place me on the nearest wave or batch so I can get the training as soon as possible, what should I say? I have these in mind:

  I'd appreciate it if you could place me on the nearest/closest/soonest/next wave.


texts: Is "status 1" pronounced "status of one"

texts:
In a tutorial, it sounds like "non-zero exit status 1" is pronounced "non zero exit status of one", with the pattern xx of number when talking about a number-value of something.
Did I hear it correctly?
Is it a general pattern to refer to  a number-value of something?


texts:
I did not have to meet him there.

I need not have met him there.

what is the difference in meaning between these two sentences???


texts: I'll talk about the joy of learning and sharing that learning with others

texts:
I read that sentence on the subtitles of a video and after reading, I wondered if the sentence means as follows

I will talk about the joy of learning and the joy of sharing that
learning with others.

or the joy has nothing to do with the second part of the sentence.
If you want to say the sentence I wrote above, do you think you would add a second "of" or "the joy of" before the word sharing.
Maybe I could not understand the sentence in the first place? What does it mean?


texts:
Example (Ruble turning to rubble? No signs of panic in the Kremlin.):

  For Russians, now entering the second year of a rolling economic downturn largely brought on by systemic weaknesses, plunging oil prices, and the Kremlin's sanctions war with the West, the relative prosperity of the past decade is clearly ending. Many are reacting like recession-hit people everywhere by changing their buying habits, staying home instead of traveling, and eschewing new consumer debt. Most public opinion polling suggests they are digging in for worse.

How do you exactly understand the phrase to dig in in the context of this passage?


texts: Is it required to do subject-auxiliary inversion when narrating a question?

texts:
Let's say my friend asks us:

  Which one of you want coffee?

Now if I were to narrate it, I would say:

  My friend asked me which one of us wanted coffee.

I want to know why the general practice of subject auxiliary inversion which we do while narrating other type of questions wouldn't be followed here? And isn't it must to do so?


texts:
As far as I know, this way of arranging a sentence is not present in common English, at least this particular example.

Then came they/them.

Are both sentences correct, considering that we are in a rather literary context? I wanted to give this statement a poetic/dramatic tone, so this turning of sentence elements came to my mind, instead of the flat "Then they came."


texts: "... if he do not turn disciple" - an error in the poem? Should be "does not"

texts:
From "Prometheus in Straits" by J.C. Ransom:

  Though I be Prometheus my wits wandered
  To bring my pious offices unto this people.
  Where all must be the teachers nullity is engendered,
  My doctrine perishes crying for an ear that is simple,
  The prophet is solicited before he has well thundered
  And escapes with credit if he do not turn disciple.

Isn't there an error? Shouldn't it read thus instead:

  And escapes with credit if he does not turn disciple.


texts:
Believe it or not, I'm a professional editor, and as such, I read a lot of ESL papers. Due to all the non-native-type errors, I forgot the rule about passive voice in complex sentences, and now nothing looks right to me anymore. My question is: can you modify a passive voice verb phrase with an active verb phrase? (obviously I am not an expert on using proper English terms, but I'm pretty good at knowing what looks right and what doesn't, even if sometimes I'm not exactly sure how to explain an error or correction) For example, can you say:

The words were spoken by uttering them.

OR does this have to say:

The words were spoken through utterances.

The first doesn't look right to me, but I honestly can't tell anymore. My understanding is that you must modify a verb phrase with a subject, but in the first sentence, nothing is modifying "by uttering." Right??? SEND HELP.


texts:
How is this sentence correct:

  Running an insurance agency left Charles Ives little time for composition, yet he nevertheless developed a unique musical idiom.

Yet and nevertheless cannot be used together; it's redundant isn't it? The sentence comes out of the SAT book of Barron's. So it should be correct, but I don't know how. Please explain.

Thanks.


texts:
I want to combine two sentence into one sentence.
But I'm not sure what whether correct or not.

I have been honeymoon trip to Hongkong.
It was my last trip.

1+2: I have been honeymoon trip (that) was my last trip to HongKong.

Is this correct? Or is there any other options?
How about to use 'was' make sentence at #1 instead 'have pp'?
I'm not sure what is correct using tense?

How about this for else option, instead #1.
1-1 I did honeymoon trip to Hongkong.
2-1 It was my last trip.
3-1 I did honeymoon trip (that) was my last trip to hongkong.


texts: "please remind me that this evening" why this sentence is wrong?

texts:
I am learning English. yesterday i said to my friend "please remind me that this evening" then he told me this sentence is wrong. i have searched it but i did not find any mistake in this sentence. please identify mistake and explain it.
thanks.


texts:
The argument presupposes that which is to be proved.
The word "refute" means "prove sth to be wrong".

In the first sentence, the phrase "to be" seems to have a meaning of future. However, in the second sentence, the phrase "to be" just seems to explain current status rather than having a meaning of future. This subtle difference makes me confused about how to understand the phrase. What does "to be" exactly mean?


texts: Difference between 'delightful' and 'delighting'?

texts:
"What a terrible football game!"
"I thought it was ________."
A. delightful
B. delighting
C. delight
D. delighted

I think B is correct but the answer key says A is right. Could you explain why A is the correct one?


texts: Tense selection: was/has been and has had/ had had

texts:
My love was the best thing that I have ever had but I knew from the beginning it could not last long.

My love is finished but I still think it is the best thing in my life.

  My love has been the best thing that I have ever had but I knew from the beginning it could not last long.

My love has recently finished or is finishing and I still think it is the best thing in my life.

  My love was the best thing I had ever had  but I knew from the beginning it could not last long.

My love is finished for a long time and I don't consider now that it was my best thing of my life or I thought that a long time ago.

So am I right with all these meanings?


texts:
There is the following entry in the Oxford Learners Dictionaries

  recommend somebody to do something

  We'd recommend you to book your flight early

Is it correct usage of recommend with the infinitive?
Can that expression mean that one recommends somebody for doing something because that person is good at doing something.


texts: Usage: Cancel membership "effective at/with"/"with effect of"/"with"/... the end of the current membership year?

texts:
Which of the following (if any) is the correct way to say you don't want to auto-renew membership, but instead cancel it?

  I hereby cancel my membership of xyz...

  effective at
  effective with
  with effect of
  with effect from
  with
  at

  ...the end of the current (2017/2018) membership year.

If you had a fixed date for the last day of membership, say the 15th July, in mind, could you then - in addition to the options above - say

  I hereby cancel my membership

  effective on
  with the end of

  15 July 2017.


texts:
The fourth one he tried slid home without protest and turned as though it had been doing so for years. (The Silkworm, Robert Galbraith)

When I see the word, tried, I got this question: Can the word take plural nouns, e.g. ‘he tried four keys’; ‘she tried on four dresses,’ or take only singular nouns?


texts: Is the use of "on time" in the sentence correct or not?

texts:
Peter had applied for a teaching position at a school, and he agreed to start his employment on 25-April-2016. But Peter did not go to the school on the day as promised, he came to the school three days later without any good reasons and so was fired from the job.

Given that situation, I am trying describe it in a simple way,

  Peter was fired from his job because he could not come to work on time
  on 25-April-2015.

But I am not sure whether using "on time" in the sentence can fully describe what happened, or it is incorrectly used.
Will people think think he got fired because he was late to work when seeing "on time" in the sentence.


texts: "These are THE three different types of services". Is this correct?

texts:
I was reading Google's Android documentation and came across with this sentence.
Link: https://developer.android.com/guide/components/services

There is written like this: "These are the three different types of services:" and it counts the services. To me that "the" article before "three" sounded awkward and I have never seen that usage before. Is it correct? If so, what made them put the article in that sentence?

What is the difference between "These are three different types of services:" with "These are the three different types of services:"?


texts: with close-up insert -- no indefinite article in front of "close-up insert"?

texts:
Example with a context (Did A UFO 'Not Made By Man' Hover Over Chile?):

  The story unfolds in April 2013 when two photos emerge of an unusual disc-shaped object (seen below with close-up insert) over the Collahuasi copper mine in northern Chile. Several eyewitnesses watched as the UFO remained in the sky for over an hour, moving around and hovering.

Isn't there supposed to be an indefinite article in front of close-up insert? Did the author make a mistake or is this absolutely normal? What do you think?


texts: What is another word for improvisational performance?

texts:
Again, I can't recall the word.

It was a short word, and it's something related to an improvisational and small concert (performance)in a bar.

I know there's a word but I can't even recall its exact meaning, perhaps something related to jazz, like a combo.. and it may starts with letter B.

I'm so sorry for being ambiguous, but really hope someone would like to help me with the word


texts:
I am wondering what the suffix -fare means.

I've seen a few words that possibly have this suffix, but I couldn't find a thing in common among them.

There are some words:

- warfare
- airfare
- fanfare

Since fare is the money for a ticket in a vehicle, airfare probably means the fare we pay for an aircraft ticket. This logic can't be applied to warfare, which is the act of war, and fanfare, which is a piece of music.

So, we can't say that the suffix -fare relates to the noun, can we?


texts:
This site says

  You use a plural count noun with no article if you mean all or any of
  that thing.

  I don't like dogs.

  Do they have children?

  I don't need questions. Give me answers!

I don't understand what "all or any of that thing" means?

The above guideline makes sense in general sentences such as "he likes apples" ("he likes all apples in the world") or "he doesn't eat apples" ("he doesn't eat all apples in the world").

But, what about specific sentences?  Let say, there is a man. He has 3 apples with him. He is holding an apple & eating that apple. These other 2 apples are on the table.  Which would I say?

"He is eating some apples" sounds ok.
"He is eating 3 apples" could be wrong to me because he may eat up 3 apples but he may eat only 1 & then stop eating.
"He is eating apples" could mean "He is eating all apples in the world"

The above rule is ok for sentences refer to general things such as "He likes apples" or "He doesn't eat apples" But is that rule ok for sentences refer to specific things such as "He is eating apples" or "I ate apples yesterday"?

So does the above rule only apply to some certain sentences?


texts:
(Context below is from "The Soldier's Home", by E. Hemingway)

  Krebs found that to be listened to at all he had to lie, and after he had done this twice he, too, had a reaction against the war and against talking about it. A distaste for everything that had happened to him in the war set in because of the lies he had told. All of the times that had been able to make him feel cool and clear inside himself when he thought of them; the times so long back when he had done the one thing, the only thing for a man to do, easily and naturally, when he might have done something else, now lost their cool, valuable quality and then were lost themselves.

I think it mean that recalling those times were not soothing to him any more. I don't know if I am right or not!

Thanks before hand for your help.


texts: Meaning of 'lose their grip on the groins of their followers'

texts:
What exactly does this phrase mean? Specifically, is groins used here as an idiom? Or just coined by the speaker here? Here is the context:

  What I hope for the future is that all that major religions of the
  world (the chief promulgators of homophobia, after all) will finally
  lose their grip on the groins of their followers and begin preaching decency and human kindness. Fat chance, I know, but a boy
  can dream.

The article in which I saw this phrase was
Armistead Maupin: ‘When Stonewall Happened, I Was Smoking My First Dick, So I Was a Little Distracted’

I know the meaning of grip. It’s the groins that I don’t understand. Why should the speaker choose groins instead of maybe arms or heads or minds? I mean, is gripping someone’s groins an idiom used by many people, or is it just a choice made by the speaker?

Is it a metaphor of one’s sexuality, taking into consideration homophobia in the context of the entire article?


texts:
There are several Japanese books teaching Japanese students how to write in English. I found this example in 『英作文参考書の誤りを正す』 (Correcting Errors in English Composition Manuals) by Michio Kawakami and J.D. Monkman.

The authors of this book claim that this sentence is incorrect:

  This box of matches is empty.

They note that a “box of matches” is a box containing matches (and not a box made out of matches), hence the sentence should instead be:

  This matchbox is empty.

Likewise, an “empty bottle of beer” should instead be an “empty beer bottle.”

Is this actually an error that I should avoid in writing English? If so, is it a grammatical error or something else?


texts: Idiom or verb for "it didn't affect me the least bit"

texts:
I am looking for an idiom or a verb that is used to say: "it didn't affect at all" when, for example, talking about a movie that someone suggested to me for being funny and then when I watched it, it turned out not to be funny at all similar to "it wasn't half funny"
What can I say to fill in the blank here:
"It/I didn't _________" ?


texts: Do you say "I just knew" or "I knew(know) just now" about something you realised very recently?

texts:
I just knew/knew just now the store is closed so now I don't know where to go to get my stuff.

Do you say "just knew" or "knew(know) just now" if you realise something very recently? And will it be any real difference in meaning between "knew just now" and "know just now"?


texts:
When the court deals with social policy decisions, the law it shapes is inescapably political-which is why decisions split along ideological lines are so easily dismissed as unjust.

I have a few questions about this sentence:

  1) Why does it read split along and not splitted along? Could it have been either?

  2) What does split along ideological lines mean?

  3) What does dismiss mean in this context, and how should I interpret the whole sentence?

My present comprehension of dismiss is that it means reject or turn down.

But the problem is the word decisions; how can one decision (by who? by justice/by court?) be rejected/dismissed?

Or is it that the decision is inacceptable to the defendant or plaintiff so they reject/dismiss it and appeal against (dismiss?) the decision?


texts: Position of the verb 'be' near 'whatever'

texts:
Which of the following is correct in meaning and why?

Whatever the situation be, you must not falter.
Whatever be the situation, you must not falter.

Note: The answer should imply this - You must not falter in any situation.


texts: Question about paraphrasing the highlighted part of the piece of news below

texts:
News of the airstrikes unfolded the same day the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at curbing the support -- money and arms -- flowing to the al Qaeda splinter group that has aided its rapid and brutal advance across Iraq."It has seized some of the country's precious natural resources and taken control of critical infrastructure," Samantha Power, the U.S. representative, said, referring to ISIS."Now (ISIS) has the ability to block the flow of electricity and control access to the water supplies on which people depend."ISIS seized control of Mosul Dam this month following fierce fighting. The dam sits on Iraq's Tigris River about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the city of Mosul, which fell to the extremist group in June when it swept from Syria into Iraq.Should the dam fail or ISIS fighters open its floodgates, massive flooding could result.The resolution sanctioned six people, described as financiers and supporters of ISIS' actions in Iraq and Syria, by freezing their assets and banning them from traveling.While the resolution called for the use of economic sanctions and military force, if necessary, to ensure that ISIS militants "disarm and disband," it stopped short of authorizing the immediate use of U.N.-sanctioned military action against ISIS.Under the resolution, a team charged with monitoring the activities of ISIS has been ordered to investigate the extremist group's resources, funding and recruitment and report back with recommendations to the Security Council within 90 days.

My main conceren is the meaning of the highlighted part.

When it says short of authorizing the immediate use of U.N.-sanctioned military action against ISIS , is ** U.N.-sanctioned** an adjective, describing the word action?
Could you paraphrase the highligted part?

A million thanks in advance.


texts: What does "a good deal" mean ? Are there some suitable alternatives for it?

texts:
What does "a good deal" mean?

  A: The dinner special is only $6.99.

  B: That sounds like a good deal.

Is it true that this would be the meaning?

  It sounds like an economical choice.

Are there some suitable alternatives for it??


texts: Which phrase is the most correct/idiomatic in this context?

texts:
Since I am not yet fully scheduled, at the moment I cannot say for
  sure which period is suitable for me. Is it OK if I let you know about
  this in 3 weeks once I am fully scheduled?

At the moment? at this moment? at this time? at the present time? ... ?


texts: Help with figuring out what tense should be used below

texts:
I have some troubles putting a thought into a sentence with the right tenses and I hope someone could help.

The situation is as follows:

Years ago, when my sister was studying English pronunciation, being the introvert that she is, she knew she was always pronouncing one sound wrong ("th" actually) She never asked if the sound she was making was correct. And I'm trying to figure out how I'd build a sentence about that.

The sentence I want you to help me with looks something like this:

  "You had always known you were pronouncing it wrong, yet you had never asked if you were doing it properly."

If I said that sentence , would that be grammatically correct?


texts: Analogies: a special kind of relationship between vocabulary words

texts:
I have seen the following in the book "Vocabulary for High-School Students".

The book says the fact that the following has some relationship between each other. Nonetheless, I failed to get it.

exemption: privilege
reading: skill
shiftless: objective
callous: sympathy


texts: Grammatically correct? 'big fat funny cats' and 'fat silly cats'

texts:
As someone who didn't emphasize on learning grammar at all, I still sometimes find a case that calls for grammar rules.

I was asked which one is correct: fat silly cats or silly fat cats?

Intuitively, I found nothing wrong with both of them. So I searched the web.

The Adjective Order I found from British Council's website is: opinion, size, shape, age, colour, nationality, and material.

This implies that the correct answer should be silly fat cats.

However, based on my googling (is that even a word?), the use of silly fat cats is rare, compared to funny fat cats. But then again, funny fat cats doesn't sound right to me. I would personally prefer big fat funny cats. (I noticed that some people on the web wrote it as big, fat, funny cats, while others simply omitted commas).

So which are the correct usages? (if both are passable, which one is preferred)

silly fat cats, or fat silly cats
funny fat cats, or fat funny cats
funny big fat cats, or big fat funny cats
funny really big fat cats, or really big fat funny cats


texts:
Take this sentence

  I only know I know nothing

What if we write it as:

  I only know I nothing know

Question

Nothing is an adverb and should be placed after the verb (please correct me if wrong), but is it wrong if we swap places with 'poetic' purposes? (In my opinion it sounds better in the second manner).


texts: May "self-taught" and "self-study" be written without hyphen?

texts:
I am a self-taught learner, so I mostly read the self-study books.

May self-taught and self-study be written without hyphens?


texts: word for looking at other place while thinking something

texts: When someone is thinking something hard, he might be looking somewhere else rather than at one whom he is talking. Which word/phrase can I use for describing his behaviour?


texts:
I have a question regarding asking about hair color.
Someone wrote this to me recently:
There are only 2 situations when such a question is being asked:

The person who was asked has many heads, each head has a different
color hair --> this situation is quite unusual in our real life.
The person who was asked has a wig collection with many different
colors --> again, this situation is quite unusual. Suggestion to
change:

What's her hair color? or What color is her hair?
I honestly thought that "What color hair does he/she have?" is a natural way of asking. Am I wrong?


texts: Is someone an authority "on" a subject or "over" a subject?

texts:
I was just wandering around and thinking about morals, when I came up with this sentence:

  Why should I take someone as an authority over truth?

And then I realized that I generally see "authority" being paired with "on" rather than with "over", specially when we talk about how someone is an authority on Physics or Mathematics.

But at the same time I thought of how authority can also mean the right to rule over something, like a kindgom, or to rule over truth, in this case. I decided to do a quick Google search, and found this:

  Luke 10:19 (New Living Translation) Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.

Out of the dozens of Bible translations, this was the only one that preferred to pair "authority" with "over" rather than "on" or "upon". Is this incorrect or just unused? Which of those should I use?


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

texts:
The part of the P.G.Wodehose's text reads:

  It is my painful task to inform you,” he said, “that Smythe, though still living in a sort of way, is for all practical purposes no more. He is going to be married.”
  “Married!” I gasped. “Smythe! The perfect bachelor, the chaffer at Cupid, the mocker at matrimony, the detester of domesticity! Surely you are thinking of another Smythe. You have mistaken the name.”

I looked up "chaffer " at the dictionary. The meaning "mocker"(colloquial) suits me but I think it should have a direct meaning. Another meaning is "to make a bargain, to discuss price". Does it have some influence here? The following words "detester"– from " to detest","mocker"– from "to mock".So what does the "chaffer " do? Does he mock,tease or make a bargain?

Thanks in advance. I need to distinguish between the mocker and the chaffer here somehow.


texts: difference between rap and knock (at a door)

texts:
To save you time: I know the word rap and knock have very many meanings, but I only refer to the sound made at the door to ask permission to enter.

I'd like to know the difference between the two words, especially in terms of sound and strength. Is one stronger or louder than the other? Does one sound more polite and gentle? Is there a difference in register?

Knocking (n): a sharp rapping with the knuckles, a hard object, etc, esp to capture attention the sound that an engine or bearing makes as a result of wear or faulty combustion.

To knock (same link as before): To strike a sharp audible blow or series of blows, as on a door.

To rap: to strike (a fist, stick, etc) against (something) with a sharp quick blow; knock.


texts: Can "body" be replaced with "number" in this sentence?

texts:
He  left a very large body of drawings.

I understand what "body" means in this sentence, but it's possible to replace it with a word like "number". I think body has a emotional touch in it.

Will a change occur if I replace body with number?


texts: "Should this matter" in the sense of "in case this matters"?

texts:
Can one say "should this matter" in the sense of "in case this matters"? For example in this sentence:

  The company XYZ is registered in Portugal, should this matter.


texts:
I'm trying to translate a Mencius quote (for googleability: 穷则独善其身，达则兼济天下) to English. It roughly translates "when you are poor, commit to your own welfare; when you are prosperous, commit to the welfare of the world". How can this expression be improved to give a "golden sentence" feel to it?

Thanks!


texts: "family member's duty" vs. "the duty of the member of the family"

texts:
When a friend and I were talking about children education, I said this to emphasize everyone should do chores.

I’ve been working on having my son realize that doing chores is duty of each member of the family.

Should I have said it this way?

... doing chores is each family member's duty

Which appears to be shorter than the original.
Which one is more natural when speaking?


texts:
Google "ring is made from silver" & it returns 53000 results.

Google "ring is made of silver" & it returns 226000 results.

This site says "We often use made from when we talk about how something is manufactured" & "We use made of when we talk about the basic material or qualities of something. It has a meaning similar to ‘composed of’".

So, if we say "This ring is made from silver", we want to emphasize how it is manufactured but if we say "This ring is made of silver", we want to emphasize the basic material of it.

So, "This ring is made of silver" & "This ring is made from silver" are both correct but have different meanings, right?


texts:
https://www.guru99.com/java-inheritance-polymorphism.html

Please be patient. The Video will load in some time. If you still face issue viewing video click here

What is the meaning of "in some time" in the above text. I guess that phrase means "after a while" but I am not sure.


texts:
what does ''in many respects'' mean?

''in many respects, important in the sense of capturing the sense that language is
constitutive of history''

'' in many respects my best friends were dogs''


texts: The differences between "document" and "file"?

texts: Could someone let me know the differences between "document" and "file"?Tks in advance.


texts: I recommend or I'm recomending you something

texts: Which is correct? When to use present simple and when present continuous. When I recommend / recommending something someone on StackExchange, which tense would be better and why?


texts: Is it possible to change the tense in this sentence?

texts:
This is a from a novel: A little girl got sick after eating something and the mother wants to know what it was.

The sentence says:

  "What have you been eating?"
  "The dried leaves in the box on the shelf."

Mother thinking to herself:

  "That is where I had stashed the poisonous plants I had been collecting."

Am I right in thinking that "I had been collecting" is used to emphasize that I had been collecting these plants for a while ?

Is it possible to say: "the poisonous plants I had collected" because it is a collection (an amount)of plants that have been stashed away ?


texts: What does "intervening" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I can get most of this sentence, but this word is confusing me a bit as it doesn't seem to be used in the usual way that I've seen.

  Catastrophic floods do far more damage and move more material than all of the intervening floods put together.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Can "on" be used as a preposition for "bargain"? (Please consider the examples below)

texts:
1.) "The bargaining on/over employees' benefits should end now."

2.) "We can never bargain on/over our human rights."


texts: What is the meaning of “There's baloney in our slacks” (Animaniacs theme song)?

texts:
Part of the theme tune of the 1990s cartoon series Animaniacs has these words:

  We're Animaniacs!
  We have pay-or-play contracts.
  We're zany to the max
  There's baloney in our slacks.

I do not understand the meaning of that latter line. What makes matters worse is that some sources indicate that the line contains a double-meaning (innuendo) and I don’t understand that either.

I’m led to understand that baloney has two meanings: nonsense, and some kind of sausage. Slack, furthermore, has many possible meanings.

The on-screen imagery accompanying this line is the following:

This seems to take the line literally: they throw slices of baloney (the sausage) into Yakko’s slack (the textile oversize). But this makes no sense to me whatsoever.

So, my questions are:

Why this particular type of sausage, why would anyone want to put sausage in their pants, and why is this funny?
What is the innuendo/double-meaning that I’m missing?


texts:
I know that you can respond to these questions either with "somewhat" or "a little bit"

  Do you like sports cars?
  Do you watch TV?
  Are you sad because he left?

and that you can only respond with "a little bit" to these questions

  How much sugar do you want in your tea?
  Should I give you more cake?
  Is there anything else I can do for you?

but I don't understand why. When can you use "somewhat" and when can you use "a little bit"?

Are there any questions that you can answer with "somewhat" but not "a little bit"?


texts: What does "radio" in "radio paper" mean?

texts:
I wonder what radio means in the following context:

  THE BOOK OF THE FUTURE

  Will people still read books 100 years from now? A few years ago, many
  people would have said no. It seemed likely that computers and the
  internet would replace books. Now, however, most experts think that
  books are here to stay.

  There are a number of reasons why computers won't replace books
  entirely. One reason is that books on paper are much cheaper than
  computers. Books don't need a power source either. You can read a book
  for as long as you want and wherever you want. You never have to worry
  about losing power. Also, many people feel more comfortable reading
  words in a book than reading words on a computer screen. It's less
  tiring to the eyes.

  Will books in the future be similar to the books you can buy today?
  The answer to that question is no. In the future, you may only need to
  buy one book. With this one book, you will be able to read novels,
  plays, and even today's newspaper. It will look like today's book, but
  it will be electronic.

  One of the people working on the book of the future is Professor
  Joseph Jacobson from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the
  U.S. Professor Jacobson's book will have a small button on the side.
  When you press the button, words will instantly appear on the page.
  When you want to read a different story, you can push the button again
  and a new story will quickly appear.

  What is the technology behind Professor Jacobson's book? Two important
  inventions will make this new kind of book possible: electronic ink
  and radio paper. Electronic ink -or "e-ink"- is a liquid that can
  be printed on paper, metal or anything else. E-ink looks and feels
  like printed works on paper. Unlike regular ink, however, words in
  e-ink are not permanent. They can be changed by pushing a button. When
  you push the button, all of the words on the page go away and new
  words appear.

  The other new development is radio paper. This paper looks and
  feels like a page in a book. In reality, however, radio paper is
  made of plastic.

  Professor Jacobson calls his book of the future "the last book." This
  book, he says, will be the last book you will ever need.

Source


texts: "I don't have the time to cook" or "I don't have time to cook"?

texts:
Should I say:

  I do not have the time.

Or

  I  do not have time.

Which option is the correct one? If both are correct, is there any difference in meaning or other difference between them?


texts:
"And at home, Australia's national terrorism public alert is currently at medium and has remained unchanged for the last 11 years. (Aussie ABC)"

What meaning does ‘at medium’ have?


texts: about "most likely" in "It identifies those most likely to get ahead and to be more successful in their working careers."

texts:
Does most likely within:

  It identifies those most likely to get ahead and to be more successful in their working careers.

modify those or to get ahead ? In other words, does the sentence above mean:

  It identifies those who are the most likely to get ahead and to be more successful in their working careers.

or:

  It identifies those very likely to get ahead and to be more successful in their working careers.

?


texts:
Sometimes I have difficulty identifying pronouns. What do all the 'they' and 'them' refer to? Do they all refer to children?

Children’s limited life experience and their level of intellectual
development mean that the messages they receive about appearance are
very powerful. Children often do not have the understanding or
confidence to disregard the constant media pressure they receive to
achieve a particular look. Parents can encourage their children,
through their own example, to notice the relentless media pressure to
look a certain way. The adults can begin discussions at home, whilst
watching television with their children or looking through magazines,
about the images they see all around them and the messages
these convey about physical attractiveness. They need to foster
a questioning, challenging approach to society’s rigid ideals of
thinness and beauty. Through example, they can show children how to
question and criticize the media images that are presented. This will
moderate the effect of media pressure and help their children to
become more critically aware of the messages they receive.

Body Image in the Primary School


texts:
I know that phrases like "How to do something" are NOT questions. For example, it's incorrect to ask:

How to say "Hello" in Chinese?

Let's consider the phrase:

What to do in such a situation? (I assume that the context is known to listeners)

Is it also NOT a question? What will be a correct question then?
If it IS a question, then why the first phrase is NOT?


texts: What is the difference between I wish,I pray, I hope

texts:
I wish I get profit in my investment.

vs.

  I pray I get profit in my investment.

vs

  I hope I get profit in my investment.


texts: "That's what is" and "that's what that's"

texts:
To the best of my knowledge, we can say "That's what is called camouflage."

If I'm not wrong, here what means "the thing which." So, the sentence makes sense. But I just need a native English speaker to verify that the following sentence is also correct.

  That's what that's called: camouflage.

Please notice that in the latter sentence there is a colon.


texts: I want to know what does this sentence mean "Netflix Faces Challengers in Its Push to Expand Globally"?

texts: Here I want to know what is push according to this sentence.Can anyone explain what this sentence mean?


texts: While listening to a lecture I heard this "history as an absent cause". can anyone help me in understanding the meaning.


texts:
From the ELL SE post am I a native speaker?

  So I literally grew up with their kids and they taught me English and my brother and I would teach them Portuguese (I'm Brazilian btw)

After reading the differences between used to and would when talkng about habits on the bbc web, I think used to would be more appropriate as teaching is not something you do many times Once the learner speaks fluently is finish


texts: My family has 4 members. vs There are 4 members in my family

texts:
Is it good to say:

My family has/consist of 4 members/people.

Or much better to say:

There are 4 people/members in my family.

Maybe the first version is more official and the second one is everyday version?
Also, why it's necessary to use "me" (not "I") in the example:

There are 4 people in my family: my father, mother, sister and me.


texts: Differences between start out and simply start?

texts: In which contexts or phrases is better to use "start out" instead of just "start"?


texts:
Is the idiomatic expression to have somebody down as somebody a primarily British phrase?

For example:

I never had you down as a Luddite.

If so, is there a corresponding American idiom?


texts:
The terrorist fumbles for his rifle, which has swung onto his back. But before he can grab it, a few of the hostages charge at him.

(The rifle is on a sling)
Is "swung onto his back" correct?
Also, is "grab it" okay?


texts: Why is it called "statutory" about a rape?

texts:
I always believed that statutory rape is a sexual offense towards minors. But when I looked up what statutory means, I've learned this.

having come to be required or expected through being done or made regularly
required, permitted, or enacted by statute.

I'm pretty sure that I'm missing something here because the kind of rape I'm referring to can be of a single occurrence. Also it's surely not expected to be done, definitely not required and for duck's sake not permitted!

(typo intended - I love ducks)


texts: Using "no" to emphasize a negative statement

texts:
We say something like

  He is no ordinary human being.

This phrasing gives the negative more emphasis than usually given by negation device "not"

  He is not an ordinary human being.

It is this added emphasis that I am trying to induce in the following sentence, but I have some doubts as to the usage of "no" after the verb "makes"

  Her mastery of French makes her no typical member of the laity.

May I have some feedback on the sentence, please?

Thank you.

PS: And if the sentence is Ok, would the following sound better:

  Her mastery of French makes of her no typical member of the laity.


texts:
When the woodcock flew up in its flash of reddish brown, his heart had
  knocked hard. As they rode he was aware of it, each beat a heavy
  wing-beat; as the bird found the concealment of trees, its tracing of
  feathers inked out to black.

  Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

What does 'inked out to black' mean?


texts:
Could you please tell me what this sentence means?

  "Do you think I should grow some hair just to pull it out with an order this low?"

This is an example of Rhetorical Questions in a book I am reading these days and there is no context for the question.


texts:
Why does the author use this as a title of the following Paragraph:

  Toasters and insulin pumps
  But email is not solely the province of people. We've been hooking up machines to email for decades. By 2040 we'll have trillions of sensors and devices engaging in conversation with people and each other. Notifications from our bodies (Quantified Self), our things, and our places will be in our Personal Clouds. Our inboxen will test Inquiries from stranger devices just like inquiries from strange people: Is this notification from the bus you're riding worth your attention now? If so, what's the best context and form for engaging with it given you're in a space where it's impolite to talk and you're using your hands to hang on for dear life?

Please advise how to make a research in this case? Looking for meanings of words in dictionaries and googling didn't help.


texts: If we want to say, when we tell a story, that two persons (including me) were part of an event. Should we say whether "At the beginning, we were two in the adventure" or "At the beginning, there were two of us in the adventure" ?


texts:
What is the precise meaning of the sentence below? What remained in the atmosphere? The asteroid? How can that cause CO2? I am looking for a clear explanation.

Even after the skies cleared, the enormous amounts of CO2 released
when the asteroid impacted the limestone layer in the earth’s crust
remained in the atmosphere, causing a massive greenhouse effect that
lasted for thousands of years.


texts:
I was amazed someone would know my name.
  (source)

In that situation, can would be used?


texts: Why is present perfect used in this sentence?

texts:
I have the following sentence.

  "The Federal Aviation Administration has given the Texas city the
  go-ahead to build the United State's tenth commercial spaceport."

And I would like to understand why present perfect was used in this sentence.

In my opinion, present perfect is used because the action, I mean 'has given' has connection to the present. In other words the Texas city has today the resolution to build a commercial spaceport.


texts: No more Hiroshimas - Can proper nouns be plural form?

texts:
No more Hiroshima - I have listened that is not wrong, but  this is different to what I'm aiming for. Instead of it, I can say 'no more Hiroshimas'.

I have a question about it. Why is Hiroshima attached 's'? It's a proper noun.


texts: "on (the) event day" and "on (the) celebration day"

texts:
I am going to write down two sentences below.

  On (the) event day, we will have photos taken together.
  On (the) celebration day, we will have photos taken together.

Do I need the definite article the in my sentences?


texts: "until it made him sick" vs. "until it makes him sick"

texts:
I saw one phrase:

  He will have eaten it until it made him sick.

Why don't we say ...until it makes him sick?

I saw this rule under Time words with no future forms: by the time, until, as soon as, when (except for questions), etc) in Round Up 5.


texts:
He stayed married over a quarter of a century.

This "over" has two possibilities?
a time span..like "over many years"

and "over" means more than?


texts:
I'm reading The Stranger by Albert Camus (translated by Matthew ward) in which there's this sentence:

  Then there was the church and the villagers on the sidewalks, the red geraniums on the graves in the cemetery, Pérez fainting (he crumpled like a rag doll), the blood-red earth spilling over Maman’s casket, the white flesh of the roots mixed in with it, more people, voices, the village, waiting in front of a café, the incessant drone of the motor, and my joy when the bus entered the nest of lights that was Algiers and I knew I was going to go to bed and sleep for twelve hours.

I'm having trouble understanding what he meant when he used the phrase "nest of lights". I only know the meaning of nest as a place where a bird lives.


texts:
does "about in all directions" mean "approximately everywhere"?
The void beyond our atmosphere is anything but empty, with particles whizzing about in all directions.


texts:
I am little bit confused about these sentences. Both are correct. We can use continuous tense for future meaning but one of my teachers said it sounds funny.

Which one is correct and why with reason?

  I will get married next week..

  I'm getting married next week..


texts:
These factors can be something about the person or something about the situation, which can combine [to determine] the consumer's motivation [to process] product-related information at a given point in time.

I think the first infinitive clause to determine the consumer's motivation serves as a purpose adjunct.

But I am not sure about the second infinitive clause,
to process product-related information at a given point in time.

Does it also serve as a purpose adjunct  ?
Or is it adjectival and add information to the consumer's motivation,
 telling which kind of motivation.


texts: Question about a confusing sentence structure

texts:
The touch of a cluster of leaves revolved it slowly, tracing,
  like the leg of compass, a thin red circle in the water.
  (Context: "It" is a laden mattress that carries the dead body of
  Gastsby and it is moving down the pool.) (Great Gastby, novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

I don't understand the structure of this sentence. Is the second part of the sentence a reduced relative clause? or a absoluete phrase? As far as I understand, the second part is defining the action of the "ladden mattress"
after the touch which is "tracing a thin red circle in the water" .


texts: How can I say "a period of four months" in one word?

texts:
If I want to say the first three months of the year in one word, I would say "the first quarter".
Which word should I use to refer to a period of four months?


texts:
Picture of the device I am referring to:

Is it more common to call this device an electric mixer or an electric egg beater? As I understand it, an egg beater can be used for any kitchen utensil that beats ingredients such as eggs or cream, but I'm not sure if people use the word electric egg beater...


texts:
According to OALD contribution to/towards is correct usage, but in the following sentence

  The country’s highest film honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke award, conferred for “outstanding contribution for the growth and development of Indian cinema” will be presented this year to Amitabh Bachchan.

Contribution for is used. Is that correct?


texts: what does the writer mean by " as it would trust a bear to guard a picnic hamper"?

texts:
The text :

  Many European countries buy gas from Russia, a country that uses
  hydrocarbons as a weapon to bully its neighbours. This is perhaps why
  Poland has been quickest to embrace shale gas; it trusts Russia as it
  would trust a bear to guard a picnic hamper.

I didn't get the last sentence

Also; in this text:

  America's shale revolution began 20 years ago, but its impact has been
  felt only in the past five years. Europe's may take just as long,
  reckons Mr Stevens. But when the fracking begins in earnest, it could
  turn Europe's energy market on its head, too.

I didn't get the last sentence ! what does the writer mean?

  Source: Shale Gas in Europe and America: Fracking here, fracking there (The Economist)


texts: Words to describe people that react angrily and offensively when someone disagrees with them?

texts:
What do you call a person that dislikes it and takes it personally and becomes angry and frustrated whenever you disagree with them or present a logical argument contradicting what they are saying?

One such person thought it was a matter of being opinionated, but actually one could have very strong opinions but not care less if someone else felt or thought differently, so that is not the correct word (and of course I cannot even tell them that or they will get angry and shout at me).


texts: Will I get marked down if I omit the same subject after adverb？

texts:
When using a conjunction("and" for example), we can always omit the identical subject
so I am wondering whether it is possible to omit the same subject before adverb like "therefore" and "hence".
For example:

Parents always expect their children to achieve the accomplishment they once dream of, hence(therefore) often give lots of strict demands.

And incidentally, is it right to omit identical subject after all conjunction(like"if") for example:

Will I get marked down if omit the same subject after adverb？


texts: Changing Indirect Speech to Direct Speech

texts:
Changing the following from indirect to direct speech, including the reporting verb and appropriate punctuation.

  Indirect : Jean said that she had lost her shoes.
  Direct: Jean said, "I have lost my shoes."

  Indirect: Fred insisted that he would be driving his own car in the rally.
  Direct: "I will be driving my car in the rally", Fred insisted.

  Indirect: Sally shouted that she didn't want to go to the dentist.
  Direct: Sally shouted, "I don't want to go to the dentist."

Did I get it right?


texts:
Which of these sentences is correct and natural?

The paper suggests putting the control in the user's hands.
The paper suggests putting control in the user's hands.


texts:
Is this sentence correct:

  I picked up this word in the dictionary

??

Do you know any synonyms to "pick up" in this context?
Thanks in advance!


texts: How is 'blaming customer service workers the same flawed and divisive logic'?

texts:
[Penultimate para:] But the poor people working at the sharp end of customer service – the workers manning the phones the world over – aren’t the ones that deserve our ire. They aren’t the ones in control and they’re certainly not the ones benefiting financially. Ukip would have you believe that it is the working class immigrant population in this country that is responsible for an array of problems from unemployment to the housing crisis to the loss of cultural identity. Blaming customer service workers is based on the same flawed and divisive logic. (Source)

Would someone please explain what is meant by logic here? The penultimate sentence just expresses UKIP's belief "that it is the ... loss of cultural identity." In the last sentence, I infer that the author rejects this belief. Yet what's flawed and divisive logic? Isn't the author just rebuffing a belief?


texts: How would you paraphrase "corporal generation?"

texts:
Context:

"was simply founded upon external beauty

the false image of corporal generation

for it could not ground this love upon the soul"

What is a more familiar phrase for corporal generation?


texts: How do you call someone who gives classes but is not actually a teacher?

texts:
How would you call someone who gives classes to students despite not having a degree in teaching nor it being their main occupation ?

For example, a lot of "teachers" I had in college were actually professionals in the field they were teaching, who would only do this for 2 or 4 hours a week in addition to their main job.

In France I have heard the term "Chargé d'enseignement", which litterally means "In charge of teaching".

Is there a similar word or expression in English ? Or would you just call them teachers ?


texts:
What does "wanted to have to" mean here?

Now I have to go to the library which I never wanted to have to do.


texts: What does "coming through in the clutch" mean?

texts:
Darry wants to find what happening in the pipeline, so he took sister Trisha's help by holding his legs to see what's happening in the pipeline. Some rats suddenly start coming at them, so she drops him and he falls into the pipeline.

  Trisha: There were rats coming at my face.

  Darry: They were running at me too, Trish.

  Trisha: I feel really bad. Are you okay?

  Darry: Thank you so much, by the way.Thank you for this. Trisha Jenner,
  coming through in the clutch.

Can someone explain the highlighted phrase?


texts:
I'm learning something from programming and I came to this:

  While evaluating expressions, the result is automatically updated to larger data type  of the operand. But if we store that result in any smaller data type it generates compile time error, due to which we need to type cast the result.

How to explain cast in the end of the paragraph?
In this context, I would go as throw something away, but yet I don't get it


texts:
Can I use "from now on" with present perfect tense? I have a given an example. Please tell me if it is grammatical and if not, please give me an example sentence where I can use "from now on" with present perfect tense.

Here's the example:

Peter, we have found you guilty of beating Sam So you have been suspended from the school from now on.


texts: ‘decorated’ or ‘painted’, which is better?

texts:
The walls of the ancient Egyptian tomb were painted/decorated with beautiful paintings.

‘painted’ or ‘decorated’, which is better, and why?


texts:
I know the order of adjectives,but I don’t know which sentence is correct?

She has curly shoulder-length red hair.
She has shoulder-length curly red hair.


texts: satisfaction- couldn't be better WITH or WITHOUT?

texts:
Which is it correct to say when expressing satisfaction of what I have done?

My life couldn't be any better with all that I have experienced  ...
My life couldn't be any better without all that I have experienced...


texts: The difference between "almost" and "nearly"

texts: What's the difference in using between "almost" and "nearly"? In what cases they can be used interchangeably and in which ones they can't?


texts: What is the word for the different "slots" in a budget?

texts:
When you set up a budget, you have a new "slot" for each item, right? What do you call such slots? Budget entry? Budget post? Something else entirely?
Note that I'm not talking about the various sums of money you put aside for each item; I just want to know what you call the actual slots/posts/entries in the actual, physical budget. A little bit like we talk about entries in a dictionary, for instance.


texts:
I'm a English-learner. Today I do TOEIC examination questions. there is a one confused me!

  Our manager, Mr. Mullins, is admired for _____ his employees to exceed
  their own limitations. (a) motivation  (b) motivate  (c) motivating
  (d) motivated

The answer is (c), but I don't know why!


texts:
Which of the below two sentences is more appropriate as for as the spoken English is concerned?

1.The school will remain closed until 7th June

2.The school will be closed until 7th June


texts: Is it called "the ledge/ edge of a flower enclosure"?

texts:
In front of houses or buildings people have these structures like the one in the above picture. There is an enclosure and flowers are planted in there.
What is the edge of that enclosure called in everyday conversation?
Is it called "the ledge/edge of a flower enclosure"?


texts: What is the difference between effect and affect?

texts: I am confused about these two words how they differ in usage. Would be easy if explained with example.


texts:
I am not english native speaker; I am italian.

I couldn't understand meaning "meet" in this context.

  As noted in CCP Standard 2.2, the Board operates eight Board-level
  committees to aid in the discharge of its duties. These committees
  advise the Board on their relevant area and are governed by their
  respective charters, which are publicly available on the CME Group
  website.

  The Audit, Compensation, Governance and Nominating committees are
  solely composed of directors who meet CME Group's published
  independence standards.

  In addition, the Market Regulation Oversight Committee is composed of
  directors who meet the CFTC's requirements for ‘public’ directors.


texts:
I have long been looking for you/ l have been looking for you for long.
Is their any difference in meaning?


texts: British slang of using "that is" at the end of a sentence

texts:
I've been trying to find examples or proofs that this expression actually exists but I just can't find any.
I've heard it somewhere some time ago and it stuck in my head, and now I'm worried if it's even an expression people use.

Example: "A: Woah, did you see that Lambo?? B: Yes mate, great car that is!" With the stress/emphasis on the "that".

It is of course supposed to mean "that is a great car", but the slang would be to reverse the two parts of the sentence


texts:
I want to say: We focused on X, using Y. Is it correct to put a comma before "using"?

I don't want to write We focused on X and used Y. because I find it ambiguous: it is unclear whether Y was done to achieve X, or Y was done in addition to X.

I don't want to write We focused on X using Y. because it is then unclear whether I used Y myself, or simply that I was interested in "X using Y".

Example: We focused on patient outcome prediction, using dynamic Bayesian networks to model patients' progression throughout their stay in the ICU.


texts: "Spanking brand new" or "Brand spanking new"?

texts: What do you guys say? I've never heard brand spanking new, and yet that's the right expression according to the dictionary.


texts: Is it wrong to say "house of wood" to mean that a house is built/made out of wood?

texts:
To me, "house of wood" seems to refer more properly to a place where one can get stuff made out of wood, like "house of pizza" would refer to a place where one could find pizza, and not to a place made out of pizza.

However, "pizza house" can also be used to refer to a place that sells pizza, while "wood house" starts to feel like it might also refer to a house made out of wood.

It seems that the only 100% correct answers are "wooden house", or "house built/made out of wood", but I wouldn't know how to explain why "wood house" or "house of wood" cannot mean the same thing.


texts: Difference in pronunciation of sentences

texts:
Ok so here is the example:

Are you a student? - You just want to ask if the person is a student.

You're a student? - You are surprised, because you didn't think he is a student.

Aren't you a student? - You are surprised, because you thought he is a student.

The three sentences mean the same if written on paper? But when they are pronounced, they expected answer is different, right? Is there a rule for pronouncing it? I'm asking because a friend is learning English and I can't explain it to him clearly. He says in his language, there is no difference, on how you pronounce those questions, they are all the same.

I would be glad, if someone can help us.


texts: can 'police cop' be used together in a sentence?

texts: I need a little clarification in here about the usage of Police cop. Is using a 'Police cop' to define the police personnel grammatically wrong in written English.


texts: What's the meaning of "as close as anyone gets to seeing wind"?

texts:
as close as anyone gets to seeing wind.

I know the meaning of get to do. It means " to have the opportunity to do something" Ex: We got to meet all the stars after the show.1

But I cannot get the point.

So, could you please explain it to me?

The full text:

  The hill is paved with wild wheat. If the conifers and sagebrush are
  soloists, the wheat field is a corps de ballet, each stem following
  all the rest in bursts of movement, a million ballerinas bending, one
  after the other, as great gales dent their golden heads. The shape of
  that dent lasts only a moment, and is as close as anyone gets to
  seeing wind.


texts: a license to use sth. vs. the right to use sth

texts:
I came across these two sentences while reading:

Acme hereby grants Widgetco a license to use the Marks in … .
Acme hereby grants Widgetco the right to use the Marks in … .

There is no additional context. They are two standalone sample sentences.
Why does the author use "the" for "right", but "a" for license? My original opinion is that both sentences should use "the", because they are talking about specific things. Doesn't "to use sth" modify the "license" so that it can be identified?
My guess is that this has something to do with the nature of a license. You can have several licenses for one right. Right?


texts: Understanding an implied politic news article

texts:
It had once been a transatlantic art scandal -- or at least various actors of questionable intent would have you believe it was.

It's the CNN article about a bust of Churchill in the Oval Office. I understand the argument about the bust and the article but I don't the specific sentence.
Why had it been an 'art' scandal and what does 'questionable intent' mean? Is it about movies of Churchill like Darkest Hour and their glamorization?


texts: Which of these is a good way of expressing that the damage I caused to the three items occurred on a single occasion?

texts:
Which one(s) of the following is/are correct? And which one(s) would a native speaker use?

  a.   [when I found out he broke my window, I got back at him three times as hard by breaking his bike, cellphone, and camera]

  b.   [when I found out he broke my window, I paid him back with interest by breaking his bike, cellphone, and camera]

  c.    [when I found out he broke my window, I got my back on him three times over by breaking his bike, cellphone, and camera]

What I am trying to say here is that the damage I caused to the three items occurred on a single occasion.


texts: Difference between "before you leave" and "before you go"

texts: For example if I say "we need to party hard" to a friend who is leaving the city for good, what am I supposed to add in the end: "before you go" or "before you leave"?


texts:
I'd like to discuss as to why these usages of As are correct. My main focus is going to be in comparing it with how and the relative pronoun that
Starting off with As vs How:

As predicted, he's there.
She behaved as we thought she would.
Do as you'd like

Why isn't how used in these three instead? As far as I know, how is used to saying "In a way something happens/is done", so I am confused because of that.
Moving on with questions regarding the usage of and difference betweenAs and That

"A nihilist is a man who judges that the real world ought not to be, and that the world as it ought to be does not exist.

I don't know why that is used in here, for instance:

[...] That the world that ought to be does not exist.

It really confused me.
Could you explain to me why one is used an not the other? Thank you in advance.


texts: I am good at maths and science and **is/am** able to converse in Chinese

texts:
I am good at maths and science and is/am able to converse in Chinese.

Which is more proper to use in this context, is or am? What is the difference between the two in this context?


texts: What's the difference between made and caused in this sentence, and what is the right answer for this?

texts:
What (made - caused) you to change your mind?

Which choice is correct for this sentence?


texts:
This is a strophe from a song:

  "Well, she stands all around me her hands slowly sifting the sunshine
  all the laughter that linger down deep 'neath her smilin' is free
  Well, it spins and it twirls like a hummingbird lost in the morning
  and caresses the south wind and silently sails to the sea"

But I'm not sure how the down affects the idea of linger. Is it necessary for the deep?

Could I rewrite the sentence this way:

All the laughter that linger (down) under her smiling is free


texts:
I just received a driver update, and it says that I get the "best day-1 gaming experience". I think that it should read day-one, as day-one is not stated as a specific amount of time, just the release day of the game.

If it was talking about, like, fifth day of the game (example: Unfortunately, hacks were already released for the game on day-5.), I'd expect that.

The text reads:

  Prior to a new title launching, our driver team is working up until the last minute to ensure every performance tweak and bug fix possible makes it into the game Ready driver. As a result, you can be sure that you'll have the best day-1 gaming experience for your favorite new titles.


texts: A question regarding will/be going to Advanced Grammar in Use

texts:
I've been going over Advanced Grammar in Use and came across Unit 9 Rule E I'll cite a part of it:

  However, we use "will", not "be going to", when the main clause refers to offers, requests, promises, ability, etc.:

There are two examples the first of which I'll omit.

  If you look to your left, you will see the lake.

= you will be able to see, you are going to see suggests: "I know this is what you can see when you look to your left"

The question is not about the rule itself but rather about the explanation about the difference between the usage of will/be going to here. I don't quite understand what they mean by saying "I know this is what you see.." Is it just about letting them know that you have already seen that or what?

I would like to ask to clarify this "be going to usage" and tell me a real life situation where this might be useful, in other words another example, thanks!


texts: What's the meaning of "You should be telling people..."

texts:
I've come across the phrase below?

  You should be telling
  people that’s what done it: home school.

I don't know if "should be telling" is a future continuous form or something else?

Could you please tell what the meaning of the phrase is?

The main text is:

  A MONTH BEFORE MY graduation, I visited Buck’s Peak. Dad had read the
  articles about my scholarship, and what he said was, “You didn’t mention
  home school. I’d think you’d be more grateful that your mother and I took
  you out of them schools, seeing how it’s worked out. You should be telling
  people that’s what done it: home school.”
  I said nothing. Dad took it as an apology.


texts:
Is it correct to replacing "if clause" by "main clause" in sentence?
for example:

  If I study, I will pass the exams.

  I will pass the exams, if I study.


texts:
Skydiving cats cause uproar (YouTube video, starting at 1m57s):

  We did dig up one snippet of video of a real cat skydiving. Four years ago, a member of a Russian parachute club sewed a jumpsuit for his cat. The cat seemed calm till right before they leaped. But after landing safely the owner said, "He, the cat, didn't even pee himself unlike a lot of people do the first time they jump."

I have a problem with the word unlike in this passage. Don't you think that it actually should be like? With unlike plugged in there, the sentence actually doesn't make much sense semantically, if you think about it for a second. I have a real hard time comprehending this sentence with unlike. What do you think about this?


texts:
How do you say "Game of Thrones-themed" idiomatically? I can think of multiple ways of saying it, but I have no idea what is the right way. Is there a correct format for this? It's easy when the title is in one word like Godzilla, but otherwise it's hard. I can think of two ways.

For example:

  It's a Game of Thrones-themed sandal.

  It's a Game of Thrones themed sandal.


texts: Can I say 'The book is English." instead of 'The book is in English'?

texts:
I want to say the book is in the English language not Arabic or French etc.
Can I omit 'in' and say 'The book is English.'?


texts:
If someone made  the same mistake two times . And I found out after a few days. I should say:

  (1) It was the second time you did it, so I won't forgive you this time

or

  (2) It is the second time you did it, so I won't forgive you this time


texts:
On a plane, I like to speak to the stranger who ____ seat next to me.

Fill with take or takes, and why?


texts:
I am reading this article,
I have a problem understanding this sentence:

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. The famous words that perhaps best describe players who wear Azzurri shirts on the international stage. For the current generation of strikers in and around the Azzurri team, the only way is up.

what does up means in that context please?
Does it mean that the current Italian strikers are good? or the current Italian strikers must be good? or something else?
Thanks


texts: Which one is correct: "Don't wait for us. We aren't swimming/aren't going to swim today, we're tired.


texts: Does "the likes of" usually have a pejorative connotation?

texts:
Does the sentence

I admire heroes the likes of Batman and Superman.

sound wrong? Because I usually hear the likes of in sentences such as

Don't compare me to the like(s) of you!

But according to The Free Dictionary's definition of the likes of, it means

someone or something as good as someone or something else

and the two sentences it gives are

We haven't seen the likes of Muhammad Ali since he retired from the ring.
They're not competing against the likes of you or me but real, first-class, serious athletes.

Does the likes of carry a pejorative connotation like in the second TFD sentence? Or is it really commonly used in the manner of the first TFD sentence (and my first sentence)?


texts: "There is work to do" versus "There is work to be done"

texts:
There is work to do.
There is work to be done.

I'd like to know whether they are different in meaning or not.


texts: Meaning of: Tom does not have the book, like Sam

texts:
What this sentence really mean?

  Tom does not have the book, like Sam

Does the sentence above mean that Sam does have the book? Also is the use of comma before 'like' appropriate?

If the sentence was like this:

  Tom does not have the book, unlike Sam

then it would mean that Sam does have the book, right?


texts: Can "until" be used like "to the extent that"?

texts:
I would like to know whether "until" can be used interchangeably with "to the extent that" as follows:

  Turn the screw until the mark on it disappears.
  Turn the screw to the extent that the mark on it disappears.

In my understanding, "until" is used in connection with "time" rather than "degree", so the first sentence looks strange to me.


texts:
The context is the Seinfeld show, in a scene where Kramer proposes the idea of a brassiere for men, that is called a Bro:

  JERRY: Boy, that brain never stops working, does it?

  KRAMER: I tell you, I'm gonna go noodle with this.

I could not find any bit of information clarifying this phrase on the Internet.


texts: Flashcards: only forward or forward and reverse?

texts:
I've been trying do acquire more vocabulary. To do so, I've been reading everyday on my cellphone, highlighting new words and sharing them into a flashcard app.

The app allows me to create one-way or two-way cards. I've noticed that it's easier to know the meaning of the word when it's displayed in English first. When the word is shown in my native language, sometimes I can't remember that word in English.

So is it correct to study both sides of the cards?


texts: What to call it when someone always looks for greener pastures?

texts: Someone who always looks for the "better" and more ideal places (to live), jobs, things to buy that fit his taste/mood etc. He is always looking for better because he always feels it's "not enough".


texts:
I am from India. Here, we speak two sentences. Some say:

  They matter a lot.

Others say:

  They do matter a lot.

Which one is right and why?


texts:
I think the phrase after hours is adverb, so it cannot be used in the sentence below as it needs a noun.

What's the suitable noun?

  The closing time of childcare centers is usually earlier than after hours of companies.


texts: Is "state" used as an adverb in expressions like "to state claim the region's natural resources"?

texts:
This is a sentence in CNN student news, September 02, 2015:

  There's an international race to state claim the region's natural resources.

Its meaning as a whole is of no confusion, but the use of the word "state" seems tricky. Is "state" used as an adverb here? I looked it up in dictionaries for all parts of speech only to find noun, verb and adjective.

How to explain such usage grammatically? Can "state" be used as an adverb?


texts: "I don't believe you" vs. "I don't believe in you"

texts: Is it correct to use the word "in"? We say, "I have faith in me". In the same way, can we say "I don't believe in you"?


texts:
The approach is reflective of the new services mindset: moving from just selling a product to selling a solution.
  The approach reflects the new services mindset: moving from just selling a product to selling a solution.

Does 1) have the same meaning and implications as 2)? In English, we have other sets of similar words and phrases, such as "indicate" VS "be indicative of"; "typlify" VS"be typical of"; "suggest" VS "be suggestive of"...as far as I can recall.

Are these pairs exchangable?


texts: What does "pivot point" exactly mean in this sentence?

texts:
I read this in Word by Word by Kory Stamper:

  Try it: "this will only take a week" and "this will only take about a week" mean almost the same thing. The pivot point for meaning is not "take" but "about" which means that this use of "take" is a straightforward transitive use.

As we know, "pivot" here means the central or most important. What I want to ask is why the author is considering "about" as the pivot point whereas it should be "take" in my opinion? Because "about" is sort of redundant here. Without it there is no alteration in the meaning of the sentence. Am I right?


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "come out with me" to invite a friend

texts:
I see an example somewhere

  A: Can you come out with me for dinner at 7 in the evening? B: What about my English class that falls on the same time?

I guess guy A is trying to invite guy B to hang out.

My concern is the expression of "come out with ...".

Cambridge Dictionary only has the definition of "come out with something", not "come out with someone", and that means 'to say something unexpectedly or suddenly'.

So, is it idiomatic to say "come out with ..." in this case?


texts: How to answer the sentence "how are you going?"

texts:
I found the following dialogue somewhere. The answer given is C. I am a little bit confused about it.

  How are you going, buddy?
  ________. A little busy, though.

The options given for the blank were:

A. Not too bad
B. Can't be worse
C. On my own
D. By train

I want to know which answer is the best one.


texts:
I'm not sure of the word following should be followed by a plural or singular noun.

Which among these two sentences is grammatically correct?

"Determine the values of q, r, and s so that each of the following equations will be algebraic identities in x."

or

"Determine the values of q, r, and s so that each of the following equation will be algebraic identity in x."


texts: How to interpret some fixed phrase/idiom when there is another literal meaning?

texts:
I come across this question when I encounter the phrase "for the record".

According to the Cambridge Dictionary,

  for the record

  Meaning: something that you say before you tell someone something important that you want them to remember

  Example: And, just for the record, we were never any more than good friends.

So this is the idiomatic or fixed meaning of this phrase. But what if I just mean to record (i.e. store) a piece of information. For example,

  I have included the date of travel in the claim form for the record.

Is it good or common to do so? Or I have to stay away from using idioms/fixed phrase as other meanings.


texts: "Your (something)" vs. "Your own (something)"

texts:
I frequently hear this expression :

  possessive pronoun + own + something

To what extent is that composition different from that one :

  possessive pronoun + something

For example :

"Your own company" & "Your company".

I know they are identical, but what's the real significance of the addition of the word "own" ?


texts:
We all know that the cardinal and ordinal numbers 4 and 4th are spelled ‘four’ and “fourth” respectively. Then we have 14 and 14th which are spelled “fourteen” and “fourteenth”. Yet the numbers 40 and 40th are spelled without the letter ‘u’, as in “forty” and “fortieth”.
It is said that Old English and Middle English spelling was phonetic but over time letters were either added or removed from words to resemble more closely their Latin origins; e.g., dette was replaced by ‘debt’ (L. debitum).  And as customs in pronunciation changed so did the spelling, for instance ‘drink’ used to be drincan in Old English.
With that in mind, it's not a surprise when the letter ‘u’ in fourty  became silent, it was dropped.
Merriam-Webster says

The logical Middle English relic fourty, …, lasted until the 18th century, when for reasons unknown it fell out of use. Sometimes that's just how it goes in English.

However, the same spelling change did not happen to “four” /fɔː/, and "fourteen" /fɔːˈtiːn/ or /ˈfɔːtiːn/, despite the ‘u’ being also silent.
Is there an explanation for this discrepancy? Why did the spelling change for “forty“ but not for numbers “four” and "fourteen”?


texts: Indefinite article absence in scheduled actions

texts: This morning I saw a sign at a metrostation "Train arrives in a minute". The question is: Why the article "a" is omitted before the word "train"? I would say "A train arrives..." because 1) train here is singular 2) a train that arrives is the one of many others. Where am I wrong?


texts:
Yesterday, someone slipped this sloppily handwritten scrap of paper under my door.

which (without the adverbs and fancy adjectives) essentially conveys this idea:

  Someone gave me a handwritten paper.

But you don't have (see below), do you?

  [...] a written paper.

A safe alternative:

  Someone gave me a piece of paper on which there was handwriting.

which is too long and bland for my purpose.

Can there be a "handwritten paper"? If not, how should I rephrase my sentence?


texts:
I'm reading a book which is about how to maintain a good relationship with women. The book has a paragraph:

  Do not change yourself for women. If you change your behavior drastically for them, they lose the attraction as it was another behavior they were attracted to initially. In the same way, if you met a woman because you were attracted enough to approach her, her best strategy to keep you is also to stay the same. The biggest difference is that she has little control over some parts of her body, such as the pace at which she ages, but you have lots of control over your behavior and can really ruin things in a matter of moments

What do "stay the same" and "in a matter of moments" mean in this following context? And why did the writer write "In the same way, if you met a woman because you were attracted enough to approach her, her best strategy to keep you is also to stay the same"? Thank!


texts: Is there an idiom that means "revealing a secret unintentionally"?

texts: I am thinking there could be an idiom that states that you or someone revealed a secret unintentionally? Can you think of an idiom like that? I am looking for an idiom I can use to write a blog post about the recent incident where Secretary Pompeo unintentionally revealed the dirty secrets behind the CIA.


texts: Is "nargile" known in English spoken countries to be related to "hookah"?

texts:
Is nargile known in English spoken countries to be related to hookah?

I checked in Wiki and I didn't see any mention of that name, but in other dictionaries I saw the word nargile, but it's not clear to me how much it is in use or known in English spoken countries.


texts: Is there a word for "to announce one's arrival"?

texts: Is there a word for announcing someone's arrival, kind of like a prelude for something or someone important?


texts: Should there be an apostrophe in girls in the expression “Girls Under 12 Champions”


texts:
What is the difference, if any, between the following sentences:

He was rude at first but he started to behave.
He was rude at first but he started to behave well.
He was rude at first but he started to behave himself.

Does using an adverb such as well in the second sentence make the meaning of the first sentence stronger?

Can we add "towards me/you/her/the teacher" at the end of the sentences above as well?


texts:
(1) Has any of your work been published?
  (2) Have any of your works been published?

Which one is correct?  I think if it is something you can publish, it will have to be a book or something countable.   So my guess is number 2 is correct but I am not sure.   Could you help me clarify it?   Thanks.


texts:
no native speaker here and I am not entirely sure which one is correct.

This is what I am suppose to write:

  IMPORTANT NOTE: The recommended minimum
      retention time of 60 minutes after check-in
      is reached on 16:30.

This is how I would write it:

  IMPORTANT NOTE: The recommended minimum
      retention time of 60 minutes after check-in
      will be reached at 16:30.

Any suggestions? I am also thinking of using "will be passed" here.

NOTE: This text is shown when the time has not passed yet and "16:30" will be in the future i.e. 10 minutes away from now.


texts: correct usage of preposition 'on' and 'by'

texts:
which is the correct sentence?

Mr. Parkash leads a very busy life so he goes everywhere by a scooter.

Mr. Parkash leads a very busy life so he goes everywhere on a scooter.


texts:
I did search on the internet. but I couldn't still understand well how to use simple present for future. every grammar book says "simple present is used for events in the future which are 'timetabled, scheduled"

What does here timetable / schedule mean?
What is the difference between present simple (when used for future) and present continuous (when used for future)?

For example, Difference between  the sentence

  The sun rises at 6.00 tomorrow

and

  The sun is rising at 6.00 tomorrow


texts: When to treat 'Police' as a singular noun and a plural noun?

texts:
I have seen that in some scenarios word police is treated as a singular noun and in some other scenarios it is treated as a plural noun. I don't know the exact difference!

Can anybody provide few examples demonstrating the scenarios when the word police is treated as a singular and a plural noun?

Does it depends on the context only to treat it as plural or singular?

Consider these examples:

  The police are blocking off the street where the accident occurred

  A police officer is getting information from the neighbors.

  The police department is at the corner of First and Main streets.

  The New York police force has a special counter-terrorism squad

  The police force is responsible for catching criminals

In the above examples, I can see the usage of 'Police' word as both singular and plural.
I need to understand the exact concept when it will be as plural or singular?


texts:
Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it
  was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at
  Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.
      "Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train
  that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is ‘all’ a pronoun and indicating ‘they’? If yes, why does it separated from they and be placed in the middle of the sentence?


texts: Translation of "building the sense of concern of others and what surrounds us"

texts:
I am trying to translate a French phrase*, which literally says:

  Building the sense of concern of those and what surround us

Or, in "better" English:

  Building the sense of concern of others and what surrounds us

Context:
this is a kind of "mission" for a group.
It's supposed to include the idea of raising awareness about social and ecological responsibility.
The idea I am trying to convey in:

building the sense of concern of others should mean caring more for the people around us
building the sense of concern of what surrounds us should mean caring more for the environment-nature

Does it sound OK in English?

Any other suggestions?

In French: Contruire le souci de ceux et ce qui nous entoure.


texts: Is it "I didn't know it had started already!" or "I didn't know it has started already!"

texts: If someone asked me "Have you seen the new season of GoT?" do I respond "I didn't know it had started already!" or "I didn't know it has started already!"? Or just "it started already"?


texts: How many subject, verb, and conjunction in this sentence?

texts:
The deal did not spell out - as Erdogan has repeatedly demanded - that Syrian forces withdraw to the edge of the Idlib “de-escalation zone”, around which Turkey has stationed a dozen military observation posts, most of them now surrounded by Russian-backed Syrian government forces

does it have 5 subject and verb and 3 conjunction?


texts: Do digits after the decimal point have a specific name?

texts:
I would like to know if there's a name for "digits after the decimal point" (in only one or two words). For instance in french these digits are called "décimales".

I've found "decimal places", but I am not sure it is synonym, for instance, considering the number 7.9362, would it be correct to say that its decimal places are 9, 3, 6 and 2?

EDIT: several answers are useful, so it's not easy to choose only one...


texts: "Converged in iteration 1200" or "converged on iteration 1200"?

texts:
I have a simple line:

  the process converged in/on iteration 1200

Which one is the correct preposition to use here?


texts: Is the subject pronoun necessary in this sentence with "unless"?

texts:
Can/Should the pronoun "they" be removed in the following sentence?

  Some universities set high standards towards their students, so students cannot receive further education unless they achieve excellent academic results.

I always use a pronoun in such cases, but my friends said it is omissible which made me feel very uncomfortable reading the sentence without it. Can the word "they" be omitted? Is it the common practice?


texts:
I stumbled upon such a sentence in a book:

Every year millions of acres of forest are cleared to make the paper for newspaper.

In my opinion, the plural form, newspapers, would sound more natural.
What would be the difference in meaning between the singular and plural forms in such a sentence?


texts: consider somebody/something + adj. | consider somebody/something (to be) something

texts:
Is there a difference between these two forms ?

  1- A dog is considered old if it lives seven years.

  2- A dog is considered to be old if it lives seven years.


texts: What do we call a person who wants to park his/her vehicle?

texts:
I know Valet, the person takes our vehicle and parks it on our behalf. Valet parking is a word derived from that. But then, if I want to park my vehicle in the parking lot by myself, what am I called? Wanna-be ______.

  In other words, I want to know the word for the person who wants to park his/her vehicle in the parking.

'Parker' is not a proper word, right? Please answer.


texts:
A book (writing, written) in haste may well have a lot of mistake.

What is the answer? (I don't know which one is correct now.)
Most of us (non-native speaker) say 'written' is correct(the book (which is) written in haste ~) but someone says the answer is 'writing'. (Actually he presented this question.)

Is 'writing' the answer? or is he only misthinked the answer?


texts: "slights on his personal appearance were, it seemed, as nothing to the danger he had spotted" meaning

texts:
"Are you out of your mind?" demanded Harry. "A plot to get this house? Are you actually as stupid as you look?"

  "Don't you dare -?" squealed Aunt Petunia, but again, Vernon waved her down: slights on his personal appearance were, it seemed, as nothing to the danger he had spotted.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

What does the part in bold mean exactly? I think it draws a comparison. I'm also wondering why 'as' is used. Can we remove it? "slights on his personal appearance were nothing to the danger he had spotted" seems fine to me.


texts: What's the meaning of the word 'there' in this context?

texts:
In the song "You are the reason" by Calum Scott

  There goes my heart beating

  'Cause you are the reason

What does the word "there" mean in this context?


texts: What does "his warm weight" refer to in this context?

texts:
Dumbledore began to tell Sirius everything Barty Crouch had said. Harry was only half listening. So tired every bone in his body was aching, he wanted nothing more than to sit here, undisturbed, for hours and hours, until he fell asleep and didn't have to think or feel anymore.

  There was a soft rush of wings. Fawkes the phoenix had left his perch,
  flown across the office, and landed on Harry's knee.

  “'Lo, Fawkes,” said Harry quietly. He stroked the phoenix's beautiful
  scarlet-and-gold plumage. Fawkes blinked peacefully up at him. There
  was something comforting about his warm weight.

  Dumbledore stopped talking. He sat down opposite Harry, behind his
  desk. He was looking at Harry, who avoided his eyes. Dumbledore was
  going to question him. He was going to make Harry relive everything.

  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I don't know what "his warm weight" refers to here. Is it Harry's weight or something? What does it truly mean?


texts: What is the difference between the -able that attaches to nouns and the -able that attaches to verbs?

texts:
Ie: marriageable vs acceptable
    honourable   vs agreeable
Are there any differences in the way this suffix functions?


texts:
Consider this short dialogue please.

  Alex: Hey, Mark, we are having a party on Saturday, do you want to come?
  Mark: Thanks Alex, but I can't. I will be studying both Saturday and Sunday, because I have an important exam on Monday.

My question is what is the difference between the party and the exam - both are planned, fixed, organised etc. and in the near future. Why Present Continuous for the party and Simple for the exam? Or am I wrong?