texts:
Almost every summer he thinks: This is the best summer. But this summer, he knows, really is the best. And not just the summer: the spring, the winter, the fall. As he gets older, he is given, increasingly, to thinking of his life as a series of retrospectives, assessing each season as it passes as if it’s a vintage of wine, dividing years he’s just lived into historical eras: The Ambitious Years. The Insecure Years. The Glory Years. The Delusional Years. The Hopeful Years.

  — Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life

I’ve read that you don’t have to, grammatically, write a complete sentence, and then write a colon.

In And not just the summer: the spring, the winter, the fall., I don’t see a complete sentence, then a colon, and I don’t see a complete sentence used after the colon. There may not seem any utterances, which I think I’ve read may get used.

What may you call this, in grammar?


texts: How to express the state of a chair that has 1 leg or 2 legs a bit shorter than the others: uneven?

texts:
Sometimes, you sit on a chair  has 1 leg or 2 legs a bit shorter than the others. You can push your body back and forward to rock the chair side to side, which makes it hard for you to sit because you can't sit stably on it.

So, do we say "the chair is uneven"?

I have found this word, but I am not sure if native people say "the chair is wobbly"

  wobbly (adj): not properly fixed in place so that it moves from side
  to side

  a chair with a wobbly leg

  a wobbly tooth


texts: Can a to infinitive and a gerund both be an object of the verb teach?

texts:
To infinitive and gerund can be an object of the verb teach?

I wonder if these sentences are grammatically correct or incorrect and reasons.

1) I teach you to speak English.

2) I teach you speaking English.

3) I teach to speak English to you.

4) I teach speaking English to you.

I really wonder please let me know.


texts: This sentence is interchangeable like this?

texts: 'I eat two apples per hour' can be interchanged into 'I eat two apples each'? per=for each, each=for each. I think it is grammatically perfect.


texts: Ways to say something is higher than what you need

texts:
Suppose a service is so complete that is much more than a usual user need. or a method is more sophisticated than a task requires. How can I describe it in a similar sentence.

I mean alternatives for

  they are much more that an average user needs

or

  they offer much more sophisticated and comprehensive features that an average task needs


texts: Is "is close" formal enough to replace terms as "similar" , "analogous" or "comparable"?

texts:
Is the use of the term "is close" formal enough to deal with the similarity between two concepts?

"The term A is close to the concept of the term B".

I need to say that two concepts are very close, but without to use the term "similar" or "analogous" or "comparable".

I would do this because such terms sound more formal than I guess that will be good for an academic issue. I'm a beginner in English, maybe I'm wrong.

Thank you.


texts: What does "scaredy" mean in 'Don't be a scaredy cat'?

texts:
Don't be a scaredy cat.

What does scaredy mean in the given sentence? Can I use it singly or is it always paired with cat?

Does it refer to someone who is a coward or is shy?  That is, would it be correct to say that "he is a scaredy cat"? And is it considered impolite or offensive?


texts: I want to know the exact meaning of "The five of us"

texts:
In this phrase 'The five of us', does 'us' mean just five members? Or can be more than that?

Thank you.


texts: What is "appear to be telling gentlemen how ignorant they are while giving the ladies a pass" intended to mean?

texts:
Source: C++ For Dummies, 7th Edition by Stephen R. Davis (2014)

Example:

  Use of gender is always a tricky subject when writing a how-to book. I don’t
  want to appear to be telling gentlemen how ignorant they are while giving
  the ladies a pass by using he and him all the time. In this book, I use the
  pronouns she and her when referring to the programmer and he and him
  when referring to the user of the program. So, she writes a program that he
  can use.

I don't think I can comprehend that sentence well enough. To me, it's not clear at all what exactly he's trying to say there. Exactly is the operative word here. This is what I'm able to get out of the sentence: He doesn't want men to look stupid as he gives the ladies a pass (they're not gong to be included because he's not going to use female-based pronouns) by using only the traditional English masculine pronouns he and him all the time. But how does using only male-based pronouns like he and him all the time in a textbook, and to tell you the truth this is something that has been done for centuries in English literature, make men seem ignorant? That's what I don't understand.


texts: Meaning of "Here" changes the idea of whole procedure or / not?

texts:
Here is my paragrah and is written under sub heading feature extraction.

  As most roof planes are planar, raw points are segmented using a
  Hough-based approach (AAA, 2004). Here, a rule-based
  classification step described by BBB (2007) is adapted to classify
  planar segments as terrain and non-terrain. Assuming that any complex
  roof could be described by its primitive shapes, constraints are
  enforced to extract roof segments from the classified non-terrain
  segments.

My question is "Here" is referring to the first sentence or for the whole process of feature extraction. (first sentence tells the first step of feature extraction procces. and in the second sentence, it says next step which is independent from 1st step).

give me your comments as I can think to leave or to keep the Here in my text.


texts: Could you tell me if this sentence is correct?

texts: Had you not wanted him to talk so much why not tell him?


texts:
There are some words with figurative meaning like to evaporate means to fly away from the scene. Consider these sentences.

The Police evaporated from the crime scene without giving any details to the media.

The personal matters of celebrities are tossed away in public for increasing publicity.

Am I using these words corrects in these sentences?


texts: What are the correct pronouns for referring to someone whom I have never met in person when the gender is apparent?

texts:
I want to mention someone whom I know of only by references on the Internet such as forums and blogs(clarification: I want to write about the person, not to write to the person). This person uses a username of a woman’s first name with a lady’s photo as an avatar. Also, in some comments the person was referred as Ms by others.

Can I therefore by default use she/her/her/hers/herself for third-person pronouns when referencing this person, or should I instead use they/them/their/theirs/themself because this person is someone whom I have never myself met personally, but merely read about?

Is using words that have gender too personal for someone I haven’t actually met, like this person?

Is not using gender too impersonal for someone who to all appearances is female?

I hope that answers to this question will not be restricted by situations called out in the recent SE Code of Conduct “We also recommend that you don't make assumptions about people's gender and that you prefer gender-neutral language when unsure” (from https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/336364/what-does-the-code-of-conduct-say-about-pronouns/336368#336368).

That’s because I am not asking anything at all about the SE Code of Conduct. I am just asking what the most common “preferred” usage in regular use is for this situation in present-day English from a common-sense point of view of a native speaker of English.

Clarification: I myself have a Russian-language background but have been living in Australia for more than 25 years. In all those years, I was somehow unaware of the so-called “singular they” construction until the very recent discussions about it on Meta. I was never taught about this construction when I was learning English, so I am unclear about when native speakers instinctively use it or avoid using it.


texts:
It’s a matter of preparation — bolting down your water heater before an earthquake or actually reading the in-flight safety card before takeoff — but also of mental conditioning.

In the above sentence, what is the meaning of
 bolting down?

I guessed as reducing the temperature instantaneously, is it right?


texts: Is this a dependent or independent clause?

texts:
Sally told her friend that because she smelled bad, she no longer wished to be friends with her.

This sentence from a previous question says the clause after the comma is dependent. Why?


texts:
I have to answer the following question, and I don't understand what it means.

  Are you a dependent of a person who is or will be working in Canada and you're of working age?

What does it mean by  "are you a dependent of a person who is or will be working in Canada? Does "dependent of" mean "responsible for" here?
What does it mean by "of working age"?  Does it mean "in the age of serving as employee"? (Say, from 20 years old to 60 years old.)


texts: When can ı use -ing as participle or reduced relative clause?

texts:
As reduced relative clause: In fact, there is evidence suggesting that lower amounts are indeed efficacious.
As (present) participle: In fact, there is suggesting evidence that lower amounts are indeed efficacious.
Which one is correct?
Thanks for your answer in advance


texts: Is this -ing form a gerund or a participle?

texts:
Education is enlightening.

In this example, is enlightening a gerund or a participle?

From my point of view (which can be wrong), enlightening is a gerund. Can anyone please explain?


texts: Old, rusty, electric fan or old rusty electric fan (adjective)

texts:
When you are writing this electric fan description...

  Old, rusty, electric fan.

Or

  Old rusty electric fan.

Which is correct?

Do I have to always use sentence1 in every situation? I find that uncommon...


texts:
1) Have experience in research

2) Experience in research

Which one of above examples is correct, note that is for resume, so the from of sentence fragments is used and personal pronoun (I) is omitted.

Thank you


texts: Is it okay to put the word "even" in a sentence beginning with even though?

texts: Is it okay to say that "I thank you for your patience, even though even I myself am not happy with the pace of making the change.


texts: Passive voice present perfect tense vs present perfect continuous tense

texts:
introduce

  There are several job oriented courses that have been being introduced in the universities’ curriculum.

or

  There are several job oriented courses that have been introduced in the universities’ curriculum.

implement

  The government has been implemented a new pedestrian rule.

or

  The government has been being implemented` a new pedestrian rule.

Which sentence is more appropriate in terms of proper English use?

Thank you.


texts:
Life started in a simple organisms .

Can has started can be used instead of started? Then how are the meanings different?
Because life is still going on, can i use present perfect?


texts: Which one of the following sentence is correct

texts:
There are  a number of newspapers in Kannada and English.
There are a number of newspapers of Kannada and English


texts: "keep an account" in a context. Confusion

texts:
This is a TOEFL question.

A professor is lecturing about sociology. Well... there are 3 criteria according to the professor in order to make the social research "objective", which is, standardization, reliability, validity. When he further elaborates about the standardization, he is developing like below

  Let's take a look at standardization. If you were to ask a group of professionals working, say, in healthcare, to keep an account of a day at work, their accounts would probably differ because people are usually subjective about what is important and what is not. In order to avoid this type of bias...

In this case, googling does not help. Kindly take a look at the definition from a dictionary.

I think the definition "calculate" fits enough. However, what confuses me is the speech he give me after that.

  because people are usually subjective about what is important and what is not.

If the professor did not say the above, I completely understand what "to keep an account" means, because I guess it would mean To calculate the hours of work at a day of professionals in healthcare.

But his latter risen part, confuses me, since I can not relate the 2 contexts.

How would you think when these 2 contexts could be in harmony? (Please be reminded : no more context is available.)


texts:
Could you tell me the word meaning from THE STALLED OX?

  Some minutes later the ox, awakening probably to the suspicion that oil cake and chopped mangold was waiting for it in some appointed byre, stepped with much precaution out of the morning-room, stared with grave inquiry at the no longer obtrusive and pea-stick-throwing human, and then lumbered heavily but swiftly out of the garden. Eshley packed up his tools and followed the animal's example and "Larkdene" was left to neuralgia and the cook.

What is "Larkdene"?


texts: Are all transitive verbs intransitive too?

texts:
I was reading about transitive and intransitive verbs from a website and it said that some words can be both transitive and intransitive: like the verb "run" in,

  He runs for four miles daily. (Intransitive)

  He runs the marathon whenever it's in town.
  (Transitive)

But then I thought of this: when we convert a sentence from active to passive voice, the object becomes the subject but the subject doesn't become the object, it becomes the object of preposition or we don't write it at all. So, the verb becomes intransitive now.

Wikipedia entry for "Intransitive Verb" agrees with me too.

  In languages that have a passive voice, a
   transitive verb in the active voice becomes
   intransitive in the passive voice.

So, is it true that all, not just some, of the transitive verbs are intransitive too?


texts:
They are both the same to me. What is the difference?

For example:

"I'm getting bored tonight"-"I'm boring tonight"
"I'm getting came"-"I'm Coming"

English is not my first language - If you point out my mistakes I'd be very grateful..
I want to improve my English and I don't want to use translate anymore.

Thank you.


texts:
How to tell /aʊn/ from /ɑːn/?

It is hard for me to tell the difference when listening to the words, fond and found, bond and bound. They are almost the same.
I always ignore the /ʊ/ sound in /aʊn/ in the words such as found, bound, count, mount, around, ground.

It is also strange for me to pronounce /aʊn/ in one beat (hit, or rhyme?). I would read /aʊ-ən/ to pronounce /aʊn/. For instance, bound would be pronounced as bow - (a)nd in two beats when I see the phonetic symbols in the dictionary. However, I say bond for bound in sentences.

By the way, how to pronounce /aʊn/ correctly?


texts: Is "had" correct in "As you had not joined"?

texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  "As you had not joined our organization on 26 April 2017 as advised in
  our letter of 30 March 2017, our Offer of Appointment is withdrawn"


texts: "He didn't say he liked coffee" or "He didn't say he likes coffee"?

texts:
According to this link, the verb tense in the subordinate clause can be either present or past tense when the main clause's verb is in past tense IF the fact stated in the subordinate clause still holds true.
The linked article clarifies the point by claiming that the sentence (1)

  He said, "I like coffee." (1)

can be changed into either (2a) or (2b) if his liking for coffee is still strong:

  He said (that) he liked coffee. (2a)

  He said (that) he likes coffee. (2b)

Then it hit me that whether this optionality can be applied or not to the following case, namely, where the verb in the main clause is in past tense in the negative form:

  He didn't say, "I like coffee." (3)

I'm not sure if (4a) and (4b) are both acceptable ways to express the same idea of (3) given that he likes coffee at the present time.

  He didn't say he liked coffee. (4a)

  He didn't say he likes coffee. (4b)

To eliminate the possible confusion caused by the vagueness of the sentences (4a)/(4b),  let's assume that the stress falls on the second word: "He didn't say he liked/likes coffee."


texts: If it's ''not your cup of tea'' it's not your cup of tea(idioms usage if can be adjusted)

texts:
I've learned from native speakers that you have to pay close attention to how idioms are constructed, meaning they are fixed and one shouldn't change it especially articles and so on.

Furthermore, in my example below, I am not changing it, but rather using it as skillfully as I can, perhaps. Is this correct?

  "I've already challenged my personal values by doing activities that I'm not fond of, and it didn't make me feel good about myself, it was condescending to me actually. Clearly, if it's not your cup of tea, it's not your cup of tea."

Do natives also do this?


texts: Can I use "I wouldn't be good company" for a video call?

texts:
Let's say I am supposed to go out with my friends but I am feeling down so I want to cancel, explaining:

  Sorry lads, I wouldn't be much company today.

Can I say the same thing when I am supposed to call someone on Skype for example or is there a better phrase? I am unsure simply because the word "company" feels like it should be used only for physical meetings.


texts: How to know which one is right between past and present passive?

texts:
How to know which one is correct?

Friendship that is built on trust has bright future.(passive)
Friendship built on trust has bright future.(past)

Why we can't use build? I asked this question but still have doubts. I mean why passive and past tense make sense when we use build it didn't make sense according to the answers that I got.


texts: The function of "would" in the following sentences

texts:
The whole class was laughing as if they would die. The German teacher
tried in vain to stop their noise. But they would not listen to her.

Question 1:

But they would not listen to her.

What is the function of "would" here? I know that would may imply future in the past tense. But that is obvously nonsense in this sentence.
Why wasn't it written "But they did not listen to her."?
Question 2:
Are the following sentences equal:

"as if they would die" = "as if they was going to die" ?

What means by "they were laughing as if they would die"?


texts: Stack up on each other or stack on one another

texts: My girlfriend and I saw a meme on Instagram of a house surrounded by treadmills titled "How to survive the Zombie apocalypse". After seeing it, my girlfriend said "I don't think this would work; they would all stack on one another", and then she asked me whether "they would stack on one another" is correct, and I couldn't answer her question because I got confused myself, being a non-native speaker. I would've said "they would all stack up on top of each other" but I'm not sure....


texts: Is it wrong to use specific verbs instead "have"?

texts:
I can't understand why my grammar book use the "have" verb at some situations like

  She had a coffee

  She was having breakfast

Instead of

  She drank a coffee

  She was eating breakfast

I think the "have" verb is a general auxiliary verb which can fit with many predicate words.
I might to know which of these will be better to use in certain situations.


texts: When i was younger, my teacher said the word 'goes' must be pronounced go with an -s sound. But a couple of days ago, my teacher fixed me about that and told me i must pronounce 'goes' the same way we say 'does'. So which one is correct? Thank you!


texts: Pronunciation of past participles of words that end with 'thed' (e.g. bathed)

texts:
How does one pronounce past participles in -thed, such as "clothed" and "bathed" in British English? Are there more than one correct pronunciation?
A Cambridge dictionary said [-ðd], but would it also be correct to omit the final "d"?  I find it rather hard to include it.


texts: If something is in a good working order, should I write 'it works' or 'it is working'?

texts:
Usually, I know when to use Present Simple or Present Continuous but here I have two examples which I'm not sure about.

I want to sell a laptop and state in the description that it is in working order. Should I use present continuous or present simple? I think that the correct option is 'The laptop works well', not 'The laptop is working well' but I'm not sure about that.

The next question and again a laptop! :) The laptop has a cracked bezel (that's a frame around the screen) and I want to say that 'it is not coming off' or 'it doesn't come off'. Which one is correct? Please help me and describe why if you can :) If something is not clear I will try to describe it better.


texts: What is the meaning of "date for a date"?

texts:
I was in a meeting in Ireland where we were choosing deadline for tasks.

In the meeting note there was the following statement:

Task should be done by January 2015 (i.e. "date for a date" )

What is the meaning of "date for a date" ?


texts: How do we understand "with" in this phrase "rice with chicken and broccoli"?

texts:
In dictionary,

  with /wɪð, wɪθ/ ●●● S1 W1 preposition

  2 having, possessing, or carrying something

  a tall gentleman with a beard

  a book with a green cover

  a man with a gun

  We need someone with new ideas.

  Only people with plenty of money can afford to shop here.

  She came back with a letter in her hand.

So, if I say "I am having rice with  chicken and broccoli", does it mean that "They are all in a plate" as in this picture:

But Asian people often have dishes separately.

Let say a man have this meal (3 separated dishes) as showed in the following picture:

SO, would the man be wrong if he said: "I am having rice with chicken and broccoli"?


texts:
Once I've been told that saying 'this code is pure C' is incorrect, and I should use 'plain' instead of 'pure'.

Unfortunately, I can't see any difference. For example, how do I say something like this:

'You cannot solve this problem using plain (?) algebra. You have to use some geometry as well'
'@autoreleasepool is not plain (?) C, it's Objective-C.'

I know there are some set phrases like 'This [idea] is pure genius' and in this case one can't replace 'pure' with 'plain'.

What about other cases? When to use 'plain' and when to use 'pure'?


texts:
A tenure; a farm or other estate held of another.

The above is the third definition of holding in this dictionary.

I couldn't make sense of the part in italics, especially on their use of held; is it a past participle? And shouldn't it be by (instead of of)?


texts:
I.e. "There ain't no maybe".

The "ain't" can be converted into "is no". So the result is "There is no no maybe". How to understand this?


texts: "play a friend" Is this expression natural?

texts:
I recently knew expressions "play the victim", "play the fool", "play innocent".
In this context, is "play a friend" natural, meaning "to fabricate a friendship, and pretend as if one and his opponent were friendly"? If not, what's an alternative phrase to this meaning?


texts:
This page suggests that we use much with only uncountable nouns whereas the use of many/several is limited to countable nouns only. So I conclude that money is uncountable noun as I've heard people saying phrases like

  So much money!

But, We do count the money in our daily life then why is it that money is considered an uncountable noun instead of countable? What if I say

  I have $500 to spend

Wouldn't the money be considered countable in this case?

Edit
The question may be considered duplicate of the suggested question but, in my opinion, the question on that link itself is not answered properly.


texts: Difference between "constitutional" and "constituent"

texts:
Should "constitutional" be changed to "constituent" in the following sentence? Or do both of them give the same meaning?

  The spectra indicate the removal of constitutional water from the octahedral sheets


texts:
The players who physically display their appreciation—through head raps,
  bear hugs, and hip and chest bumps—inspire their teammates to play
  better and win nearly two more games per season (which is both
  statistically significant and often the difference between making
  the play-offs and not).

I know the meaning of play-off:

  one of a series of games played after the regular season to decide
  which teams will advance to play for the championship (= compete to be
  recognized as the best team.)

but I can't understand the meaning of the phrase below:

  the difference between making the play-offs and not

So, could you please explain it to me?


texts: The meaning shift when using 'the' school

texts:
So hello guys I have an issue with the grammar rule about the difference between 'the school' vs 'school'. So here is a hypothetical situation where I mention a school whose name is 'School A'. Please consider the following short paragraph:
I started going to School A since I was eleven years old. I graduated from the school in 2019.
I used 'the' to refer to School A I mentioned in the first sentence. But I wonder if that makes the second sentence appear to be made by someone who is not a student. Does the second sentence still sound like it was made by a student? I would be glad if any of you could help me out.


texts:
Just saw this: "prefer ~ing" / "prefer to infinitive"
and I am wondering if there are any differences between "prefer doing" and "prefer to do".

I have read a book about grammar that says there is a subtle difference between them, and I would like to confirm this concept. Am I right about the following?

gerund:

  refers to a habit

  e.g.: I prefer swimming than running. (This is a preference I have in everyday life)

to-infinitive:

  refers to a particular event

  e.g.: I prefer to have a cup of coffee. (I only want a cup of coffee this time, I may want a cup of tea next time)

Thanks!


texts: Can I title my project "myself and the others"?

texts:
I need to give a tilte to a project with my students.
Is it grammatical?


texts: What does "expense" mean in "we all had a meal at the airline's expense"?

texts:
I'm reading a book which states the following sentence:

  When our flight was delayed, we all had a meal at the airline's expense.

I've tried to find in the following dictionary the definition of the word expense in this context but I'm not sure which one of them is the right.

To which definition in the following dictionary is matched?
Dictionary.com: expense


texts: Ending a conversation with someone you don't want to talk to

texts:
Is there an expression/word for to get someone to stop talking by lying to them or an excuse or otherwise cunning ways so that you end the conversation with them? As in the contexts below,

  John starts talking to Mary, and begs for money; but Mary [requested expression] him, telling him that she's donated all of her money to a charity.

  Sarah starts a conversation with Adam, but Adam doesn't like her too much, so he [requested expression] her by talking in the shortest way possible.


texts:
I couldn't get the meaning of: vague up. What does it mean?

  Giles: The influx of the undead, the... supernatural occurrences, it's
  been building for years. There's a reason why you're here and a reason
  why it's now!

  Buffy: Because now is the time my mom moved here.

  Giles: Something's coming, something, something, something is - is
  gonna happen here. Soon!

  Buffy: Gee, can you vague that up for me?

Source: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Season 1


texts: "compared to" and "based on", passive voice?

texts:
Do they possess passive voice in any of these sentences? Do they sound passive? I don't know what native English speakers feel when using these two phrasal verbs, but I think they express passive voice more or less.

  "It's a true story, based on actual events." "His novel is based on historical occurrences but it blurs the line between fact and fiction." "I'm
  a slob compared to my roommate." "You suddenly start to feel how small you are, compared to this great big world we live in."


texts:
This is from Neil Gaiman's Coraline:

  Coraline went over to the window and watched the rain come down.

Consider also this quotation (I don't remember where I read it):

  When Nana looked over to his side of the bed, he was no longer there.

I'm confused. Why not write simply Coraline went to the window and Nana looked to his side of the bed? Why was it necessary to add over?


texts: Definiteness in the {container} of {contents} construction

texts:
Let’s imagine the following situation: my friend gave me yesterday books. I put them into a box.

Now, I have noticed that we should name the box as

  the box of books that my friend gave me

not as

  the box of the books that my friend gave me

though outside the of-phrase we have to say

  the books that my friend gave me

as in

  Look! There are the books that my friend gave me.

What is the reasoning?

I think that native English speakers understand "the box of books" in "the box of books that he gave me" as a set of books which is contained in a box, books which are contained in a box, rather than a box with books. So there is no need to put "the" before "books" in "the box of books that he gave me", because "the" before "box of books" does the job ("the" refers to the books contained in the box). Am I right? Or there is a different logic behind this?


texts:
I really need your help with this. I get extremely frustrated when I don’t know how to know the right use of these cases. Please extend your help by providing me any websites or tips to fully understand and explore this. Consider these sentences.

1- The sentence wording is wrong here.

A. Can you say “ the wording sentence” or “ the word sentences”?

B. If you do change the order of these two words, how would the meaning be different?
How are you able to know which one goes first?

2- Let me take this car for a test drive.

A. Can you say “ a testing drive” Or “ a drive test” Why not?

B. Please highlight the difference.

3 - Where are the indicator lights?

A. Can you say “the light indicators” ?

B. Again, what is the difference and how can you know which one goes first?

C. What is the correct format or the grammar to these collocations?
MOST IMPORTANTLY, How can I know the difference and be able to form these collocations correctly??

Please help me as much as you can with sources/websites/ tips/ anything that might help me know how to know the difference and use the right form.


texts: markable --> ...was markably exhausting to her?

texts:
Officially, the adverb 'markably' derived from 'markable' appears not to exist. At least all classical dictionaries (OED, OALD, CALD, LALD, etc. even WordNet v3.1) have no entry.

Theoretically, deriving 'markably' would be allowed. Hence, I want to know on a scale from 0 (not awkward at all) to 10 (super awkward) how awkward it sounds to use '...has been markably exhausting to her'

Which alternative expressions would you suggest in case that you recommend against using 'markably exhausting'?

Thank you for any valuable input.


texts: Forests and farmland are (removed?) because of urbanisation

texts:
Which word can be used here to express the meaning of "removed"?

  Forests and farmland are --------------- because of urbanization and the growth of population. Some people argue that the only way to curb this trend is for humans to consume less, which is particularly difficult considering that people do not wish to forego the standard of living they have achieved.


texts: Having no children at all or having only one is becoming a norm. (Is this sentence okay?)

texts:
Having no children at all or having only one is becoming a norm.

The sentence is okay?  a norm or the norm?


texts: Meaning of "Sympathy." Does it always relate to sadness?

texts:
I searched and read many online posts about the word. I still don't understand what it means. Does sympathy mean sadness?

Examples:

  I show my sympathy with this card.
  I can't deal with all these sympathy.

please correct my misunderstanding by clarifying what sympathy means and how to use it in the simplest English words.


texts: What is the difference between "thought", "was thinking", "have been thinking" and "have thought" below context?

texts:
Context: I couldn't find my keys and ask my friend where they are. She says the keys might be in the pocket of my trousers in the living room. Then I reply: I thought/ was thinking/have been thinking/have thought the same.

In such context, I've been pondering where the keys are for the last a couple of minutes therefore looking for them. Is it wrong to use present perfect in my reply and say to my friend "I've thought the same"?

Can you explain all differences between those tenses in this context?


texts: use of the phrase "in the light of current events"

texts:
I would like to use the phrase "in the light of the current events" in the following context:

  This initiative of the government is clear in the light of the current events.

I mean, the initiation of specific bills makes sense against a background of the current political events in the country.

I have doubts about a choice of a correct phrase here. What would you suggest for this context?

1) in the light of the current events
2) against a background of current events
3) another phrase that is perfectly suitable for this context.


texts: What does "deal" and "take " person mean?

texts:
E.g. when somebody say something like:

Person 1: "Jeana can deal but not take."

Person 2: "Yes, she always was the deal but not take person."

Could somebody explain to me what "deal" and "take" person mean?


texts: Is it correct to say "tear the wrapper open by the side to take the straw out"?

texts:
There is a straw in a plastic wrapper as shown in the above picture.
There is a zigzag line on the side of the wrapper.
In order to take the straw out, we have to tear the zigzag line, not the top and bottom end of the wrapper because the id the purpose of the zigzag line for easy tearing.
Is it correct to say "tear the wrapper open by the side to take the straw out" or "tear the side of the wrapper off to take the straw out"?


texts:
What do you call the driving lane that we find in front of certain hotels and hospitals that allows people to drop off people right at the entrance?

The only thing I can think of is driving lane, but there has to be a specific word for it since we can see it in many hotels and hospitals.


texts: What is the opposite of "None of one's business"?

texts:
If I want to know the connection between A and B.
Can I say

  "What is the business A with B?"

?


texts: Two correct tenses for the same sentence?

texts:
I have recently come across this question in a foreign English-Exam:

  Choose the correct tense:

  The psychiatrist ... (treat) the young addict for two weeks. He is
  sure that he ... (can) help him.

My first instinct was to complete the sentence as follows:

  The psychiatrist has been treating the young addict for two weeks. He
  is sure that he will be able to help him.

However, after thinking about it for a second, is this sentence also correct?

  The psychiatrist has treated the young addict for two weeks. He is
  sure that he was able to help him.

Are both versions correct? It seemed to be as the instructions for this question suggested that there is only one correct solution. If so, which one is it?


texts: Easy way to explain "meet" versus "to meet" versus "meeting" versus "to meeting"

texts: I'm tutoring a native Chinese speaker and having some trouble expressing the different forms of gerunds versus infinitives, specifically in the following examples.  I can answer the questions myself intuitively, but I don't have a good way of explaining when to use one versus the other. Can any of you explain these questions? Are there any tricks to decide which to use?


texts:
Good evening. Anyone can explain me what the meaning of “adjoined”?
The quote where i saw this word was “we don’t have any more single rooms available, with the exception of one adjoined room”


texts: "if talks were successful" VS "if talks are successful"

texts:
If the talks were successful between China and the US, they could lead to discussions in Washington, D.C., between senior officials of both countries.
  If the talks are successful between China and the US, they will lead to discussions in Washington, D.C., between senior officials of both countries.

When talking about possible things, which tense should I use?


texts:
There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.

This is a quote by Andrew Carnegie. But I don't understand the structure of this sentence, especially as.


texts: Does "is to" in "Yatsenyuk IS TO ask Parliament" mean "it is his intention" or "he is expected to"?

texts:
Ukraine Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk is to ask Parliament to abandon Ukraine's non-aligned status and set the country on course to join NATO.

Does the is to mean "it is his intention" or "he will" or "he is expected to" or "he is eager to", and does it always mean the same thing? Does it have a fixed definition?
Does set here mean "put"?


texts:
I read these sentences in a chapter in my book which was "Journey to the end of the Earth":

  It's an immersion that will force you to place yourself in the context of the earth's geological history. And for humans the prognosis isn't good.

I don't know whether it is my bad habit or good that I am always keen to relate sentences to the premises before them. But I'm unable to relate these sentences with any logical sense. In the first, a description of something magnificent is given. But the second one with the word prognosis doesn't relate to the first for me. Prognosis means forecast and I wanna ask of what which I think is unclear from the first.


texts:
Peter is registering a case in a Police station against his neighbour.

  Peter is registering a case against his neighbor in a Police Station.

now what is the differences on the above sentences.please explain.


texts: Could "wouldn't you say so?" mean "why do you say so?"

texts:
My book club is reading The Firm these days, and near the end of chapter 15 there is the saying "Wouldn't you say so?'

  "You've got problems, don't you, pal?"
  "Wouldn't you say so?" Mitch answered.
  "I wouldn't work there if I were you. I mean, I don't know all that you do, and I suspect you know a lot you''re not telling..."

From the context, It would seem a little awkward if it has its literal, usual meaning of  asking for agreement.
Someone said it means "Why do you say so?"
Does it really?
I'll appreciate your professional advice.


texts: Why is it "will be" instead of "is" here?

texts:
This is an announcement I heard in a subway car I got on in Tokyo today:

Next stop is ABC, and the stop after ABC will be XYZ.

I'm not sure if the English sounds natural to native speakers, but if it does, then I wonder why "will be" is the appropriate usage in this case instead of "is". Is there any logic behind?

POST EDIT (On January 2, 2021)
I would like to add that the subway train I took was not an express but a local one that stops at every station. I thought that it was obvious, from the signboards at the stations or the train route maps posted inside the train car itself, that the stop after ABC is XYZ.


texts: Which one is closer to the idiomatic usage of the verb 'have': 'have got' or 'get'?

texts:
Let's suppose we have a situation that someone is holding a gun on his hand, and people are yelling that he's holding a gun. Since I'm a non-native English speaker, I'd say something like this in this situation.

  He has a gun!

But I frequently saw from the movies that most of the native speakers use the verb got in this kind of situation. The problem is that their pronunciation is often too fast, I can't easily tell whether or not they speak has before speaking got.

So my question boils down to this simple question; which usage is more idiomatic between

  He has got a gun!

and

  He got a gun!

I'm assuming the more idiomatic usage between these two would be roughly interchangeable with the plain verb have.


texts: Infinitive verb at the beginning of a clause

texts:
I found the following passage in the story “On Film” by Charlie Davenport -

  I had fully intended to leave them in the hotel, to let some poor maid
  working for minimum wage and whatever tips tourists decided to give
  her, deal with the last of my burdens.

Should there be a to before the word deal in above paragraph? I mean should  it  be like-

  I had fully intended to leave them in the hotel, to let some poor maid
  working for minimum wage and whatever tips tourists decided to give
  her, to deal with the last of my burdens.


texts:
There were many toys scattered atop the floor.

Can "atop" be used like "on"?


texts: How can I write a text without using repetitive structures?

texts:
Consider these sentences:

  It provides an analytical tool for investigation of the key parameters of the system.

(To me, everything looks fine except two consecutive ofs.)

  It provides an analytical tool to investigate key parameters of the system.

The question is if both have the same meaning?

Can we write a sentence without using both to+infinitive and multiple ofs ? I don't want to use repetitive structures in a thesis, article, ...  unless there is no other option.


texts: "When {you're signing up|sign up}, you choose your native language and country..."

texts:
I recently posted an entry on Lang-8 where I wrote about their new app, HiNative. Here is a sentence from that entry:

  When you're signing up, you choose your native language and country and your language of study and country of interest.

A native speaker corrected this to:

  When you sign up, you choose your native language and country, and your language of study and country of interest.

I thought that by using the progressive tense I would emphasize the process of signing up. Why can't I use you're signing up, and is there a difference in meaning between the two sentences?


texts:
I searched the internet for it and I found this.
Event-1 UNTIL Event-2
Event-1 continues up to the time when Event-2 begins.
Event-1 BEFORE Event-2
Event-1 occurs prior to the time when Event-2 begins.
So, to make sure that I understand this fully, I made 2 right sentences and 2 wrong sentences. And I'd like to know if I've done a good job.
2 right sentences

Until you called me, I had been studying for about 3 hours.
Before you called me, I'd visited a store and bought some foods.

2 wrong sentences.

Until you called me, I'd visited a store and bought some foods.
Before you called me, I had been studying for about 3 hours.


texts: Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous with the verb "find"

texts:
Which version of these two sentences is correct?

He has been finding it difficult to adjust to his new school.
He has found it difficult to adjust to his new school.


texts:
Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to Harry, and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience. Though still severely shaken by the night's events, he was happy to tell anyone who asked what had happened, with a wealth of detail.

  “… I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was
  in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft…I woke up and one
  side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down…I rolled over…and
  I saw him standing over me…like a skeleton, with loads of filthy
  hair…holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches…and he
  looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he
  scampered.

I don't know what "there was this draft" refers to. I've looked up the word 'draft', but it appears to have many meanings and I don't know which one should be applied in this context. What does it mean exactly for this context?


texts:
Use your voice to snap apps, switch instantly, and start
  recording game clips.

I referred to a dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/snap), and it seems that none of its definition fits in. Or Does it mean "move quickly" (one of the meanings for "snap"), which means "to open apps quickly"?


texts: Can I say: it's been ages since I last ate in a restaurant

texts:
This should be correct:

  It's ages since I last ate in restaurant

But can I say:

  It's (has) been ages since I last ate in a restaurant


texts: Is the use of “scalable” or “scalability” correct in this sentence?

texts:
Which of the following is grammatical?

  How is the scalability of method 1?

  How scalable is the method 1?


texts: what does "with four no. 10 tins of Seven X per carton" mean

texts:
I was reading this article, and found one sentence that I couldn't understand.
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-legal-for-Coca-Cola-to-not-reveal-what-is-in-the-recipe/answer/Donald-Pearline

What does this mean?
"At the plant level we received cartons with four no. 10 tins of Seven X per carton, unlabeled except as Seven X." mean


texts:
Is it true that if I say "Joe got a ticket because he drove too fast", this means that Joe drove too fast as a habit and instead I should say "Joe got a ticket because he was driving too fast"?

Is it true that "Joe drove too fast last night" and "Joe was driving too fast last night" can be used interchangeably?


texts:
Václav Havel was one of the more fascinating politicians of the last century.

I would like to ask whether this sentence is correct. I would await the usage of superlative: Václav Havel was one of the most fascinating…


texts:
Two days before the case was down for hearing the advance reporter of
  an important syndicate obtained an interview with the Duke for the
  purpose of gleaning some final grains of information concerning his
  Grace's personal arrangements during the trial.

  from The Unkindest Blow, a short story by Saki

Why does Saki use "his Grace's " instead of "the Grace's "?

What does "personal arrangements" mean? His clothes?


texts:
thankful (to do something) I was thankful to see they'd all arrived
  safely. thankful (for something) He wasn't badly hurt—that's
  something to be thankful for. (OALD)

I suppose that the first infinitive is the complement of thankful. See is preceding or the same time as the main clause.

The second infinitive is the post-modifier, Be thankful for is following or at the same time as the previous clause.

Does the syntactic difference make the semantic difference of infinitives?
(By any chance does the second infinitive contain the meaning of what one should do?)


texts:
Below is a passage from this article:

The next day I trip over the writer’s wet dream and worst nightmare, the content farm. After some quick math, I figure that five pages of “How to Ride a Bicycle in Ankara” and “Grinding Coffee Beans for Small Business Owners” would pay as much as a day at the booths. It doesn’t take much to convince me to quit.

What does trip over mean mentioned above?


texts:
That's because my grandfather was a traditional Balinese building architect all the buildings in my house were designed by him.

Can anyone answer what wrong with word architect? What wrong with grammar?


texts:
Is the use of STIMULATING appropriate in the following sentence or can I use VARIOUS/NUMEROUS instead? If yes, how would it change the meaning of the sentence?

There are stimulating factors because of which people need to be careful about their education.

I am trying to say "many factors" without the use of word MANY. And does the use of stimulating change the whole meaning of sentence?


texts:
There must be one more same piece as this .

  There must be one more piece of this .

While playing lego , I know that there two same pieces . But I couldn’t find one of them. Ithis case which one should I use “ same as” or“ of” . I mean which sentence above is correct?


texts:
If we want to say "near the river" or "near the lake" which preposition is more accurate by or at?

I think when speaking about a river or lake by is better. Am I right? I mean when we are situated near by, somewhere close to the river or lake, near the bank of the river or on the beach by-side the lake.


texts: "I have never seen him working", Is it grammatically correct?

texts:
He is very lazy. I have never seen  him working.
  He is very lazy. I have never seen him work.

Are both of them grammatically correct? What is the difference in meaning between them?

Update:

I read the duplicate question, but I couldn't understand which one is correct in the above context. work or working?

I think work is correct, because it follows the verb tense in the first clause.

I think working is useful in another context. when the situation is temporary e.g.

  It seem he is frustrating, I haven't seen him working recently.


texts:
What are the parts in this sentence?

  Drama is hard for me.

My thoughts so far:

"Drama" is the subject

"Is" is the verb

"Hard" is the predicate complement?

"Me" is the indirect object?

Not really sure about the last two, so can someone please clarify?


texts:
About this text:

  Turning the idea of happiness on its head had suddenly made me very happy.

What does "its" refer to? Does it mean "happiness's"?

The context is:

  Come On, Get Happy
  “Happiness is a fatality,” wrote the poet Rimbaud. I remember being somewhat puzzled when I first read that line, and then feeling a sense of ease and liberation wash over me. Turning the idea of happiness on its head had suddenly made me very happy.
  I would guess that happiness has ruined many a life since it was invented, which may not have been so long ago.

Excerpt from Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again! by Wes "Scoop" Nisker.


texts: What's the best way to convey that I'm not a toff (rich kid)?

texts:
Meaning I'm trying to convey is: I am not the kid who himself and whose parents knew from the very birth that he is going to study in prestigious school. Because he is from fancy family, several generations of which were studying in this school etc.

Does sentence "I'm not the one who was born to study at Ivy League school." conveys the message appropriately? Or it implies that that I'm somehow not good enough? Is there a better way to convey the message with reference to the school briefly?


texts: What distinguishes a predicative complement from a direct object?

texts:
What makes be an intransitive verb? How do we know that the analysis of It is me as transitive by tradtional grammars is incorrect? And how does this analysis apply to other verbs, like hurt for example below:

How to tell if hurt in It hurt me is a copula? It can be replaced by other to be linking verbs (Is, was etc.) Even though (Is, was) are stative verbs while hurt is more of a dynamic/action verb.

  The following verbs are true linking verbs: any form of the verb be [am,is, are, was, were, has been, are being, might have been, etc.],become, and seem. These true linking verbs are always linking verbs.

  **Then you have a list of verbs with multiple personalities: appear, feel,grow, look, prove, remain, smell, sound, taste, and turn. Sometimes these verbs are linking verbs; sometimes they are action verbs.

  How do you tell when they are action verbs and when they are linking verbs?

  If you can substitute am, is, or are    and the sentence still sounds logical, you have a linking verb on your hands.**

  If, after the substitution, the sentence makes no sense, you are dealing with an action verb instead.

  Source: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/linkingverb.htm

Normally action verbs have direct objects, but nearly all verbs can be used as transitve and intransitive, e.g. the verb drive: compare "He drives fast" and "He drives the car fast". The first is a predicative compliment but what about the second one? And in, "It was given to her" - is her a compliment or an object? (Even though her is normally associated with the object pronoun, consider: It was her)

Furthermore can the verb "hurt" be a reporting verb relating the feelings of the subject rather than an action verb like (I feel hurt) or (I am hurt) in "It hurt me"? If it is seen as an action verb, me is an object, while the other interpretation is that there is no object and hurt is being used intransitively. If it is the latter, what differentiates "It hurt me" and "It is I/me" grammatically as predicative compliments?


texts: Is it correct to say "I am ready already"?

texts:
Say I am meeting with a friend after some stuff is done, and want to tell him when I will arrive at his place, so he can leave home on time.

Is it correct to write something like this to him?

  I am ready already

To me it sounds etymologically a bit odd, and also the sound is repetitive. However, does it sound good to English native speakers?


texts:
Tell me please if need to use the definite article before the word knowledge in the following sentence.

  Many scientists say that (the) knowledge of a second language may substantially boost the brain.

Would omitting or leaving the change the meaning of the sentence?


texts: Where does "that" belong to in this context?

texts:
There is indeed in the Atlantic world hardly as sign as yet of that
direct espionage upon opinion that obliterates the mental life of an
intelligent Italian, German or Russian to-day almost completely?
*bold mine

The New World Order by H.G. Wells
I have two variants:

opinion that obliterates
espionage that obliterates

Which one is true and why?


texts: The use of "take", "take away", "take from" or "take away from" in context

texts:
Let's a girl has dropped her toy and a boy comes up to her, picks up the toy and instead of giving it back to her he keeps it. Which one of the following sentence ls communicate the idea the most naturally.

  The boy came up and took the toy.

  The boy came and took the toy from the girl.

  The boy came up and took the toy away.

  The boy came up and took the toy away from her.


texts:
Please explain the meaning of 'cater to' in these sentences and is it suitable to use 'cater to' in the second case? Are there any alternative words?
I looked it up in Oxford dictionary and it means ' to provide the things that a particular type or person wants, especially things that you do not approve of' with an example:

  they only publish novels which cater to the mass market.

And I wonder that the mass market or novels refers to the things in the definition and which does the action provide .

That's the reason why I can't understand the meaning of 'cater to' in the sentence below.
Thank you

  Dangerous sports should be performed after sufficient training. Sport companies which cater to such sports should require a licence for providing such training


texts: “there’s more involved”—where’s the noun?

texts:
From the book Thinking in Java:

  That is, you can do anything with a Biglnteger or BigDecimal that you can with an int or float, it's just that you must use method calls instead of operators. Also, since there's more involved, the operations will be slower. You're exchanging speed for accuracy.

I don't understand that phrasing grammatically. I asked a native English speaker and he said that sounded alright to him. But I still can't make grammatical sense of it. How can there be more or less involved? There's no noun to go along with the adjective.


texts: Is it grammatical to use a comparative form with a definite article?

texts:
A: Whose book is this? Yours?
B: Oh, it's Mark's. Mine is -----.

I know * Mine is thinner.* is correct.
How about Mine is the thinner.
Is it grammatical to add the article?

Thanks a lot.


texts: How to parse " But he says he has made a good living appearing at fan conventions over the past 45 years."

texts:
The following sentence is from the VOA Learning English program:

  Reports say Burt Ward was paid very little to play Robin in the television series. But he says he has made a good living appearing at fan conventions over the past 45 years.

How to parse the sentence " But he says he has made a good living appearing at fan conventions over the past 45 years."

I have two explanations:

He has made a good living by appearing at fan conventions. It means that he has made money by attending the fan conventions.
Appearing at fan conventions ,he has made a good living. It means that even though he is not a star, but he still can lead a good life. And he showed up at the fan conventions in a good state and image.

Which one is correct and why ?


texts:
According to Cambridge's Advanced Grammar in Use, (Unit 11D) only will is correct in the following sentences, but not going to,

  If you look carefully, you'll (not are going to) find writing scratched on the glass.

  If you move to your left, you'll (not are going to) be able to see the church.

because in a situation like the above, you are describing a future event that follows another.

I would argue that in almost all conditional situations a future event may follow another, and therefore it is not a reason to distinguish will and going to.

So my question is: Can going to be used here or not?


texts: Fight 707 arrives at/in Washington D.C. in ten minutes

texts:
Fight 707 arrives at Washington D.C. in ten minutes.
Fight 707 arrives in Washington D.C. in ten minutes.

Do we have to use 'at' or 'in' in this case?
Washington D.C. is a big city, so we have to use 'in' normally. However, because the plane leaves the city soon, the city can be a particular point on a map. So, can we use 'at' in this case?


texts: Is it right to say 'Share the love you have'

texts: If I want to say to someone: 'Just share the love that you have', can I say it without 'that'? - 'Just share the love you have'?


texts:
Are both sentences below correct?

I will go to the event next Monday.
I will go to the event in the next Monday.

I know that "next Monday" is idiomatic and I know that "on next Monday" is incorrect/not idiomatic, but I am not sure about "in the next Monday".


texts:
The motion of the cylinder is to take place in 3 seconds.

Does that mean

the motion starts after 3 seconds
the duration of the motion of the cylinder is 3 seconds


texts:
I frequently use the expression the correlation between A and B. And I wonder whether commas are necessary in the following sentences.

The correlation between A and B, and that between C and D are similar.

The difference between the correlation between A and B, and that between C and D is insignificant.


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "She was lying on her side"?

texts:
Consider the following sentence:

She was lying on her side.

Because of the gerund form of the verb "lie" in this sentence preceded by the verb "to be" in the past, and making the link with my mother tongue, it appeared to me that this is an action that she's started doing but she couldn't finish. Somehow she was prevented from finishing the action she's started.
But it just does not sound right.
Using google translator to translate it into my mother tongue I see that the action has started and finished. I could even change the phrase to the following sentence without any change in meaning:

She had been lying on her side.

Is "She was lying on her side" the same as "She had been lying on her side"?
If not, what is the difference?
How is the first sentence explained grammatically?


texts:
The phrase running short of something means when you don't have enough of something, but I want to mention how much of something I am running short of for example I want to buy a pair of shoes the price was around 100$ but I found out that I had only 90$ so needed 10$ now how would I describe it using running short of?
"I am running short by 10$ or
"I am running short of 10$.


texts: What is the Student Life Office of Student Services?

texts: Student activities at Central European University are organized directly by the students, by their academic departments or by the Student Life Office of Student Services.


texts: What is the right verb to use with the word "marks"

texts:
Is it right to describe that I knew my exams results like this:

  My marks had showed up / had been announced

Or is there a better way?


texts:
I said, ''Are there any biscuits? "

If I change this sentence into reported speech,

  I asked if there are any/some biscuits.

I wanted to know whether or not I need to change words used only in question such as ''any'' for embeded question.


texts: Meaning of "being" in "being necessary to the security of a free state"

texts:
Amendmentⅱ

  A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Is it participial construction? Was "being" in this context originally "As it(militia) is..."?

Or does it a have different meaning? What's the grammatical role of "being" here and how should I interpret the sentence?


texts:
I already asked similar question in the following: meaning of plural of plural v.s. singular of plural.

For example, when I want to express crash among many cars, I used cars' crashing.
However, in the above link (my similar question), I saw the answer of cars crashing is correct, but cars' crashing is not correct.

Can someone explain about this?


texts: What is the use of the verb "do" in the sentence "Dreams do come true"?

texts:
"Dreams do come true"

How does the word "do" act in the sentence - as an adverb or a helping verb?


texts: Are we having classes tomorrow? vs Do we have classes tomorrow?

texts:
Are we having classes tomorrow?

  Do we have classes tomorrow?

Are these questions above correct? Does one of them sound a more 'formal' way?


texts:
For example is saying "He created an AI that can play video games for him" correct? by saying this I mean that this guy created a program/machine powered by artifical intelligence that can play his video game.
A simillar sentence appears in this  video starting from second 38.

Another example I found through a quick search is "Microsoft's AI can detect your emotions"


texts:
Does it mean lacked the most important ideas?
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/substance
Gros, however, said the full text of the EU investment agreement ultimately lacked substance. He advised the Biden administration to look beyond the headlines, and see that the content of the deal, which took seven years to negotiate, changed "very little."
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/17/economy/europe-china-united-states-trade/index.html


texts: The COVID 19 pandemic led to an overburdening of the health care systems

texts:
I saw a text writing as above, I'm confused in the sentence structure.

Using 'overburden' as a gerund becomes 'adjective' why the article 'an' in this sentence.

OR should i take "overburdening of the local health systems" as a compound noun


texts: How can I express "my cold is usually cured automatically without medicine in 1 day" properly?

texts: As the title says, I guess the original expression is not proper, I hope to know how native English speakers will express. Thx.


texts: "Tired of stuffing your phone in your bra?" Is this sentence correct, or do I need to say "into your bra"


texts:
So I was wondering which sounds the most natural and most proper sounding statement a or b

  A: the girl was walking down the street.

or

  B: the girl walked down the street.

I just was making a book and wanted to know and yes I'm that bored xD


texts: Can "the man of his age" be an ambiguous expression?

texts:
I understand "a man of his age" can be used when certain qualities are expected (or unexpected) at one's age, as in "He is pretty fit for a man of his age."
But when I google "the man of his age", as I found in the paragraph below, aside from the fact that it is not commonly used, I am not sure whether it means he behaves appropriately for his age or is a great figure of his era.
For one of his influence and wealth, he had surprisingly few personal enemies, though of course many musicians attacked the art he represented. Heine called Meyerbeer "the man of his age," and Heine as usual was correct. Meyerbeer's music, as Heine pointed out,
was more social than individual.
Could you clarify which of them is right, or if the expression could be ambiguous?
Thank you in advance.


texts:
Does that mean there are groups of two or three ghosts walking up the stairs? Or that ghosts are walking up two or three stairs at a time?

  She shouldn’t have been surprised if there was an endless parade of
  ghosts traipsing through the house and the acre of grass and garden
  outside.  Ghosts walking up the carpeted stairs in twos and
  threes, ghosts staring out a window that is no longer there, ghosts
  wedged up in the breakfast nook sitting in front of invisible tea
  sets.


texts:
Grammarly is indicating I need to add a comma before often. However, I think it is not necessary since the phrase "often the data required is not available" is creating a subordinate clause with the text before.

Because in places like my region often the data required is not available, I want to learn the procedure to collect it in a real-life situation, which I can do in the fieldwork conducted this semester.


texts: The word 'forward' is an adjective or an adverb here

texts:
A bit of forward planning would have helped.
If I'm not wrong then  the word 'forward' is an adjective here. Because it's modifying the word 'planning'.let me know, I'm right.
For a start, adjectives don't modify, they qualify (A noun). Adverbs modify, they modify verbs. It's easy to remember if you remind yourself that 'adverb' already includes the word, 'verb'.
The grammatically correct way to describe an adjective is (for example) 'nice' - adjective qualifying the noun, 'day' (in the sentence, 'It was a nice day'). For adverbs, it is (for example), adverb, modifying the verb 'swims' (in the sentence, 'She swims well').
The easiest way to distinguish adjectives from adverbs is to remember that an adjective tells you what 'type' of noun it is
(what type of day? - a nice day)), whereas adverbs tell you 'how, when, where or why' something happened (how does she swim? - she swims well).
'Forward' is an adverb, not an adjective, as it indicates a direction or location (ie 'where'), so the use of it as an adjective is ungrammatical, and 'forward planning' is the only example of 'forward' used as an adjective that I am aware of - it has become very popular in business jargon. I'm not averse to the use of words ungrammatically if it gives a new way of looking at something, but the example of 'forward planning' is actually poor English to the point of being comical, as it's a tautology (saying the same thing twice, ie employing superfluous words), because all planning looks 'forward', so adding the word 'forward' doesn't add anything to the phrase. Sorry to be long-winded, but it takes a bit to explain these things which every kid knew by the time they were 10 or 12 when I was young. However, the chaotic approach to teaching English in schools over the past 30-40 years has resulted in recent generations being full of confusion when it comes to making word choices.


texts: Does a native speaker say "recharge oneself"?

texts: If I feel I'm lacking some kind of skills and I'm desperate to learn something, can I say "I need to recharge myself"?


texts:
Is the use of past perfect is correct in below sentence?

Just Now (2 Min back) she had called me. She was saying....

Scenario is I received call from my friend and I want to inform about this call to my another friend should I say as above?
I just wanted to emphasis on completed action of her i.e. calling.


texts: "At the time" vs "By the time" : what are the context of using them

texts:
First of all consider two lines:

  The lesson had ended by the time I arrived.
  The lesson had ended at the time I arrived.

Now I wanted to ask you, among the above two lines which one is correct and define reason to be the right and wrong. Another thing is the difference between "At the time" and "By the time" and in what situation we will use which one

  If I made any mistakes in the question then please mention it in the comment.


texts: "speak the Russian language" or "speak Russian language " or "speak Russian"?

texts:
Tell me please what is the most grammatically correct and natural way to say the following.

  (A) The people in Russia mostly speak the Russian language.
  (B) The people in Russia mostly speak Russian language.
  (C) The people in Russia mostly speak Russian.

I feel that the second variant without the definite article in this context is incorrect, I am not sure though.


texts:
What is the grammars of this sentence "Think of a person you consider to be successful."
The grammar has caused I don't understand meaning.


texts:
The presenter is cleaning the floor.

It sounds like the video is saying (link with a time stamp corresponds the following)

  sweep all the and to the dustpan

It is obviously a incorrect sentence in terms of written english.

Is it correct if I rewrite that sentence as this?

  sweep all the stuff into the dustpan

in other words, Is this sentence grammatically correct, clear and idiomatic, "sweep all the stuff into the dustpan"?


texts: What's the meaning of `try something in a bottle`?

texts:
What's the meaning of try something in a bottle?

In  there :

  TRY AIRSHIP IN A BOTTLE

what's the meaning of it?


texts:
When I read a book, I have a incognizant word in the book:

  When you set the frame, you set the bounds size and position. In general, you should regard the frame as a convenient façade and no more. Nevertheless, it is convenient!

This paragraph, whats mean of façade ? I query the dictionary, can not find the explantion of it.


texts: "would" vs "would have" in non conditionals

texts:
On the net,I am finding sentences that use "would have" in the present.Isn't this wrong?:

  We estimate our software can save retailers up to 85 per cent of costs
  they would have otherwise incurred from alterations.
  -The Australian Financial Review

I am more comfortable with:

  This plan gives these employees a chance to cash out a benefit they
  would otherwise be losing out on.-Medscape

I have read that in conditionals,"would have" is type 3 and used for past,but I dont know if these sentenses come under conditionals.


texts: Should I use 'with' when talking about inanimate objects?

texts:
My question is in relation to the following example (and any equivalent situations):

  My package from Amazon has arrived and is with my mom.

Would it be better to say for instance:

  My package from Amazon has arrived and my mom has it.

Thanks!


texts: How is "I don't think you answered..." different from "I think you didn't answer..."?

texts:
I come from Brazil, and many times in my day, I find myself saying phrases like

  I think you didn't answer that question. (1)

which, in our language, is totally fine in all aspects. However, in English, very few times have I seen or listened to (1). What I normally see, though, is

  I don't think you answered that question. (2)

Now, both (1) and (2) are correct from a grammar standpoint. Then, why is (2) used more than (1)? Simply because that's the way things are? Is there a difference in meaning?


texts: should I use the present simple when I describe something?

texts:
I want to consult with my friend about something.

When I talk with her I feel good.
When I'm talking with her I'm feeling good.

I try to explain about some filling something that happen when I meeting with my girlfriend but it not occur right now.

Are They both correct?
What is the difference between them?

thanks :)


texts:
Is the meaning of "think" in this sentence clear or ambiguous?

"Think the moment of victory."

Does it mean "think" as in

"think", as in imagine the moment of victory
"think", as in cognitively perform the act of thinking when the moment of victory happens
or can it ambiguously mean both of these interpretations?

Thanks


texts:
What is the best choice when counting days to an event :

  18 days left to New Year

  18 days left till New Year

  18 days left until New Year


texts:
The stained glass of the L&N Depot smoldered like an exhausted
  butterfly, and at the middle of the viaduct they paused to inhale the
  burst of smoke from a switch engine which passed under; Rufus, lifted,
  the cinders stinging his face, was grateful no longer to feel fear at
  this suspension over the tracks and the powerful locomotives. Far down
  the yard, a red light flicked to green; a moment later, they heard the
  thrilling click. It was ten-seven by the depot clock. They went
  on, more idly than before.

A Death in the Family by James Agee

Does this mean 'ten to seven'?


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

texts:
Reading, watching TV, even being online made Mary's eyelids weight a
  ton. Only one activity kept/could keep her senses alert: talking
  to John.

What's the correct option and why?


texts: What's the meaning of "it could just as easy be us"?

texts:
I have searched many online dictionaries but I cannot find structure like this:

  I remembered Dad saying it could just as easy be us.

So, Could you explain to me what the meaning is?

The full text is here:

  There was one thing I still didn’t understand: Why had federal agents
  surrounded Randy Weaver’s cabin in the first place? Why had Randy been
  targeted? I remembered Dad saying it could just as easy be us. Dad was
  always saying that one day the Government would come after folks who
  resisted its brainwashing, who didn’t put their kids in school. For thirteen
  years, I’d assumed that this was why the Government had come for Randy:
  to force his children into school.

Educated by Tara Westover


texts: Conditionals: WILL or WOULD -when it is happening, which one to use?

texts:
Let's say you and your girlfriend are dating. Suddenly, she asked you if you love her, then you immediately blushed.

  Girlfriend: Do you love me?

  You: (blushing) Of course I do, I won't be blushing if I dont. (1st conditional)

Or

  Girlfriend: Do you love me?

  You: (blushing) Of course I do, I wouldn't be blushing if I didn't. (2nd conditional)

When using conditionals, it depends on the context of what you are trying to say, moreover, sentence1 & sentence2 in this situation that I have given is what I am not sure which one to use. Conditionals are usually hypothetical, but here, it is still happening.


texts: Can I pronounce the first "d" of "didn't" as a flap sound? (American English)

texts:
As you know in American English if the "d" or "t" is between two vowels in a word or if it is at the end of a word after a vowel and before a word that starts with a vowel, it is pronounced as a flap sound.(Like in "better", "utter" "I cried on his shoulders" etc.) But also in some cases "d" can be pronounced as a flap sound if it is the fist letter of a word too when it's between two vowels. So, I wonder if I can pronounce the first "d" of "didn't" as a flap sound when it comes after a vowel like in "Why didn't she come with us?", "She didn't like me" etc. I know that the second "d" of "didn't" should be pronounced as flap sound but can I also pronounce the first "d" as a flap sound since it's between two vowels and it is not the main verb, or do I have to make the strong "d" sound like in "Days are passing by"? I feel like it sounds smoother and more natural if I make a flap sound at the first "d" of "didn't" too in the sentences like the ones I gave as examples.

I forgot that you can make a flap sound when "d" or "t" is between "r" and a vowel too so can I make that "flap d" sound in the sentences like "My father didn't come", "Harry Potter didn't kill Hagrid" etc. too? It doesn't sound bad to me after a vowel, but after the "r" it sounds weird to me.


texts: When object is omitted, can we consider the verb a transitive verb?

texts:
a: Do you love me?
b: I love (you is omitted)

In this case, can we regard "love" as a transitive verb? or intransitive?


texts: Help understanding 'personally I'm disappointed' vs. 'I'm personally disappointed'

texts:
Today I encountered a sentence:

"I suppose that makes sense, but personally I'm disappointed."

Normally, I only see structure adj+adv or adv+adj in middle of sentence. In addition, I do see sentence with 'personally' in the start of the sentence, and then a comma separates it with the main part of the sentence. But I have never see any thing like this.

Could you please explain why we can use 'personally' like this in a sentence? What is the general rule ?

BTW, can I re-write the question like this: " I suppose that makes sense, but I'm personally disappointed."?


texts: What do you call the cross that you use to manipulate a puppet?

texts: Is there a particular word for it and what about the strings, are they just called strings?


texts: Is the word "unwavering" used as a positive or a negative meaning?

texts:
I check it on the dictionary, and it says that attitude ,belief, expression does not change.So I do not understand whether it means positive or negative or
it depends on the context.

For example,'A child has unwavering belief in him'.
I take it both a positive and a negative meaning,
It is a good thing to believe in themselves,
but having too much confidence in probably leads to downside.


texts:
Consider (Source):

  A goldfinch flew across the field, struck the glass and was knocked inert.
  The large birds flew together and struck the glass; they were knocked into a stupor.

Question 1 : Would you tell me how the adjective can be used after verb in sentence #1? I am saying that since I never saw the verb knock being used as a linking verb.

Question 2: As far as I know, stupor is a state and knock someone into something means to make someone strike something. Has  the  verb knock used figuratively? I want to know more about it.


texts:
They would like to "celebrate life" and their feative spirit is renowned.

I wish to know the meaning of "celebrate life" in this sentence.
I think it means "perform activities for pleasure".


texts: What is the inner cover of the winter shoes called in English?

texts:
In Europe — in some countries, especially in the eastern Europe there are very common shoes which covered inside with something that makes it warm and comfortable in the time of the winter, cold and snow. What is the general name for this inner cover?

(I have tried to find the term in my language and I didn't find. I also looked for it on a visual dictionary and no results. I'm even not sure if the using of the word "cover" is correct in this context, but that's the way that I can express myself)

Can I call it: upholstery?

(This knowledge can be useful for example when going to a shoe shop and I would like to ask for such shoes and how to name them correctly and understandably)


texts: The usage of "doing all this waiting" & "at the bone"

texts:
A: Remember, we don't have to deliver every last inch of the man,
  Brian

  B: You got a good point there, Ronnie

  A: Lend me your knife.

  B: Should I take a nap while I'm doing all this waiting?

  A: I'm at the bone, all right? There we go. Have you ever seen
  anything so pretty in your whole life?

  -- Sin City 2005

The scary scene occurs when A is cutting the dead man's head off while B is complaining of A's inefficiency.

I'm wondering if doing all this waiting is an idiom. Can I use having all this waiting or taking all this waiting instead?

Besides, why at the bone? I know he is saying his knife has reached the bone. Why is at used? I would use to the bone or on the bone. Is it the same at as in at home or at school?


texts:
You didn’t hurt your little self, did you?

"little" implies the person is physically/really young(little)
or
younger than the other speaker?
I feel a sort of feeling that the speaker is taking a pity on the person whom s/he speaks to.


texts:
Consider the following expression.

The book's page

Which of the following rewording express the above mentioned phrase correctly and in which contexts?

A page of the book
The page of the book

Note: The order in which I have written these is random and doesn't mean anything. If you feel one interpretation is a preferred over the other, kindly mention your preference order. If it is unchanged, you may mention that too.
Similarly for -

A book's page

A page of a book
The page of a book


texts: Is this line correct "why does he have to be from America?"

texts:
Why does he have to be from america?

I have a little bit doubt about that sentence. Is it correct?

Here is the context: Someone posted a picture in his profile and caption it "He must have returned from America."

If I comment with that question will it be okay?


texts:
Consider this two sentences:

  It was an honor to have been chosen for the award.
  It already had been mentioned they are going to make the second season of the series.

In these sentences, 'it' is being used as the subject of the verb. Can you explain me why we use 'it' as the subject of the verb.


texts:
While I was watching the British serials Merlin I heard this structure. As far as I have seen the negative forms of the questions are asked to emphasize I believe the otherwise and confirm this.

As an example;

  A: I came to your office yesterday but I couldn't find you there.
  B: Don't you know I don't work on Saturdays?

In the example the person B believes A knows that he does not work on Saturdays and the question is just for confirmation.

In the serial the script was something like this:

  Uther: Because that's where most of the victims are. Let's isolate it, stop this disease from spreading.
  Arthur: What about the people who live there?
  Uther: Don't you think I haven't considered it? What else can I do? I have to protect the rest of the city.

Here in the last sentence the "Don't you think" part implies Uther believes Arthur thinks he hasn't considered in conjugation with my previous example. But the context makes me believe the opposite. However I would form this sentence like "Do you think I haven't considered it?". My questions are:

1) What do you understand from this structure here?

a)You don't think I haven't considered it, do you?
b) You think I haven't considered it but what else can I do?
c) Something like "don't you start!", stop thinking I haven't considered it

2) What meaning difference do you get between;

Do you think I haven't considered it?

and

Don't you think I haven't considered it?


texts: What verb can I add before information retrieval?

texts:
I thought "do information retrieval" and "perform information retrieval" may be OK but seems informal. Could anyone recommend a verb which can lead information retrieval in a formal way, for instance appropriate for the verbiage in a resume?

PS: I have searched the Internet but found no such a combination. Which online tools can I use to find such usages by grammatical patterns? For example, verb+"information retrieval" as a query?


texts: Problem in relating sentences (repeating "which")

texts:
I just already wrote this sentence in another website:

  I would like to run some XQuery commands using BaseX over a HTML source which may be full of <script>, <style> nodes which must be removed and also unclosed tags which must have a pair.

As you see, every time I need to relate some sentences I use "which" (maybe because of my native language, Persian (we use ke ))

I don't know is it a correct way to cascade multiple sentences or there are other natural ways?


texts:
Let's say I am leaving for a place and, since there is a huge traffic hassle in my city, I  am leaving 2-3 hours earlier.

Can I use the following sentence to describe what I am going to do?

  I am going to the airport with the buffer of 2-3 hours.

Does this expression sound odd to the natives? If the answer is yes, what would a more natural way of describing it be?


texts: What does the double negation in this sentence actually mean?

texts:
I was having a "comment chat" here on Workplace.SE when Alexander made the following comment:

  But it's not just that most companies don't hire a permanent employee for a temp position.

Due to what seemed to be a double negation, I took it to mean "most companies hire a permanent employee for a temp position", which in context, was clearly not what he intended.

However, he then followed it up with a remark:

  "not just ... not" is not "pure" double negation and its meaning cannot be resolved or simplifíed using boolean algebra.

Could someone explain to me how to interpret the original comment? Is there even any double negation at all, or does it use some idiom in a special sense that I am not aware of?

Since comments could be deleted some time soon by the Workplace moderators, I am posting the relevant conversation here for context:

  Masked Man: When evaluating such "ethical" questions in the workplace, I always find it useful to put the boot on the other foot: if the company has predecided to fire you after one year, would they tell you? That should lead you to the answer.
  Alexander: But it's not just that most companies don't hire a permanent employee for a temp position. In fact, they do it the other way around: They hire temps for permanent jobs. So I am back to square one with the decision.
  Masked Man: Was the double negation in your first sentence intentional? I took it to mean "most companies hire permanent employees for a temp position", which was probably not what you intended.
  Alexander: "Not just ... not" is not a "pure" double negation and its meaning cannot be resolved or simplifíed using boolean algebra.


texts:
It did not seem meaningful for me when I saw a special usage of preposition to within a context. For example:

  Based on the performance scores in Phase I and the optimal number of stakeholders to be utilized in Phase II, the optimal routing of material from selected suppliers to manufacturers to warehouses were identified.

Is it OK for to to come twice almost consecutively? If so, then what does the last part of the above text (...from selected to...to...) mean?


texts:
I saw a sentence that has the word shift.  I am trying to understand the sentence but it has become hard to understand.

The sentence is

  Over the past few years shifts in educational policies have affected society especially in developed nations.

I am not quite sure how the "shift" is used in this content. I can see it is used as a verb but why there is a proposition of "in"?


texts: What does this mean "Where does optimism bias manifest in our lives?"

texts: I looked up manifest but I am still confused on what "Where does optimism bias manifest in our lives?" is asking.


texts: is it correct to use to in this expression: loss of morale to him

texts:
Does the following sentence make sense? I mean the last part.
Is it correct to use the loss of something to someone as an expression?

  The result of the medical test caused a loss of morale to him.


texts: Mentors IN business vs. Mentors FOR business

texts:
Which of the following options is correct?

  Mentors in business

or

  Mentors for business


texts:
Without even looking at the book, she knew that the picture on the front was of a tiny little man standing on a leaf. When would Jumbeelia, who was nearly ning and perfectly capable of reading a book to herself, grow out of these babyish bedtime stories about the iggly plops? - The Giants and the Joneses of Julia Donaldson

I couldn't find proper meaning for 'iggly'.

plops means something like sound. It doesn't make sense.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Meaning of the word "for what" in context

texts:
It is from Crash Course Biology. It is at around 9 minute and 15 second. Here is the context:

  And now for what is, totally objectively speaking of course, the coolest part of the animal cell: its power plants.

I am totally confused why the host used for. It would make sense to me if the word were omitted. Tell me please what its meaning there.


texts: 'which' usage - does it carry over in this instance?

texts:
"a town which bordered the school and which was exclusively populated by immigrants"

I didn't put the second "which" in at first, and then felt it was necessary.
Can anyone confirm that it's needed?


texts: Meaning of "may do and doat" in a poem by Elizabeth Browning

texts:
"The First Time" by Elizabeth Browning:

  The first time that the sun rose on thine oath
  To love me, I looked forward to the moon
  To slacken all those bonds which seemed too soon
  And quickly tied to make a lasting troth.
  Quick-loving hearts, I thought, may quickly loathe;
  And, looking on myself, I seemed not one
  For such man's love!—more like an out-of-tune
  Worn viol, a good singer would be wroth
  To spoil his song with, and which, snatched in haste,
  Is laid down at the first ill-sounding note.
  I did not wrong myself so, but I placed
  A wrong on thee. For perfect strains may float
  'Neath master-hands, from instruments defaced,—
  And great souls, at one stroke, may do and doat.

I don't understand the meaning of "may do and doat".

What exactly may great souls do? I understand that doat is an old form of dote (to love, to admire), but the overall meaning of the last line evades me.


texts: 'Be to' structure (e.g. "...was to ensure...")

texts:
The source:

  Atako said that the computer-based test was to ensure transparency in the selection process.

Can you help to identify this structure. Seems like "be + infinitive" has a special meaning of purpose. Can I say "I am to help you with the homework."?


texts:
From VOA:

  This prompted some activists to fast for days or even weeks to get lawmakers to pay attention.

What's the meaning of the word "fast"? It seems to be used as a verb. According to the dictionary, the word "fast" indeed can be used as a verb:

  to eat little or no food for a period of time, especially for religious reasons

But it seems that the definition has nothing to do with the quotation above. Can anyone tell me how to interpret the word "fast"? Thanks.


texts: What is the meaning of using the past simple for actions that continue to the present?

texts:
Are these sentences correct

  I have loved you since I knew you [since (a point of time)]

means I'm still in love or very recently broke up. But what does

  I loved you since I knew you [since (a point of time)]

mean? The use of the past simple indicates a "finished" action so I don't understand this sentence.


texts:
How would you properly punctuate this??

1)The father, son act of Bob and Jim

2)The father-son act of Bob and Jim

or

3)The father/son act of Bob and Jim


texts:
It was Friday, the first day of our skiing holiday, and my friend Jason and I __________ down the mountain together. We wanted to catch the ski lift back down to our hotel.

I answered had been skiing,  and it was were skiing.

I don't understand this because if they wanted to go back to their hotel that means they had finished skiing for the first day.

Is it because there is no duration that past progressive is preferred or because had been skiing means that their skiing holiday are finished and they will be back home soon.

http://campus.belgrano.ort.edu.ar/ingles/html/426540/narrative-tenses


texts: Are these expressions are right use of object complements?

texts:
A: I hope you serve that food hot.

  B: I hope you write those letters tall and straight.

Each of the above sentences seems to have an object complement marked in bold.
Are they correct?

Can I also say like below?( <= Is this a grammatically correct question?)

  C: I hope you draw the line thick.

  D: I hope you find the gift excellent.

Thank you for your help very much.


texts: Word pronounced “fund-ries” in Australian English

texts:
This is probably best suited to the dedicated chatroom, but unfortunately I don’t have enough rep to enter it.

There’s a word that I don’t understand in a formal speech in a youtube video.
The word is pronounced around at 1:06, and the URL is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCrGhz_MOj4#t=1m6s
Here is my transcript of the passage around it,  with the word that I don’t get in boldface :

  and yet it is permitted with perfect peace by the so-called
  fund-ries
  in Rome

The speaker is from Australia.


texts: What's the term for the investment/yield ratio?

texts:
One online-dictionary says it is

  input-output ratio

But to me, that doesn't convey the idea of investment & yield at all.

BTW, the corresponding Chinese is "投入产出比", just for people to search, in case they need.


texts: economy based on selling non-raw materials

texts:
What's the best way to describe a sector of economy that is based on selling technologies or anything else, but not on selling raw materials?

"non-raw-material economy"?


texts:
Is the black part of foods that got burning - called 'coal'?

When putting a steak on a grill, sometimes it gets burn and we see black scorched place where the fire touched it (See the attached photo below, that visualizes what I'm saying). What is this black matter called? The same can be with a piece of bread in a toaster. Can I call it coal?

Based on Cambridge dictionary it seems that this name is for "a hard, black substance that is dug from the earth in pieces, and can be burned to produce heat or power, or a single piece of this". So, it seems that I can't use it, then if it is true, what's the name for this thing?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal


texts: What does (within one month of the last day of the period of the suspension) mean?

texts:
A scholarship shall be terminated if a scholarship recipient ceases to resume the aforesaid programme of research within one month of the last day of the period of the suspension.

Could you say what this sentence says?


texts: is that correct to say "in order to optimum tracking the route"? I mean when we have another word between "to" and "verb", could we use the infinitive form of the verb (verb+ing)?


texts:
I bumped into this post from a website, where person A posted a sentence and B responsed to it. I totally can not understand what those sentences mean here.

  A: Give enough rope to the bumbling Orange Fart-in-Chief, then sit back and enjoy the latest reality TV show.

  B: kayturd take your libturd a s and go jump off a cliff turd.


texts:
I can say:

  I saw her leave.

Although the first variant is clear, I wonder to know if I can use Perfect Infinitive in the following statement:

  I heard him to have moved to London.

Maybe, it would be better to say:

  I heard that he had moved to London.


texts: A grammar question from one-simple-question

texts:
We use "be made of" when we talk about wine.

Then can you analyze this sentence?

  Wine is made of grapes.

What I mean analyze is like

I /am/ a student
Subject/Verb/Complement

Have a good day!

P.S. I am a Korean student, so my question itself may have gramatical problems... hope you'll just understand my meaning :)


texts: The Present Perfect Progressive and the Simple Present Perfect

texts:
I'm trying to understand the difference between these two perfect verb-forms. Could you explain the difference between the following sentences:

  I've been playing a lot of tennis recently.

and

  I've played tennis three times this week.

I also would like to understand, what is verb-form preferred in my first sentence:

  I'm trying to understand the difference between [...]

or

  I have been trying to understand [...]


texts: A verb/phrasal verb for removing an impasse

texts:
This debate has reached an impasse. We need a novel approach to _____
  the current impasse.

What would be an idiomatic verb for the blank? Remove? destroy? resolve? bring us out of? bring the debate our of? ...


texts:
You're a selfish, aren't you?

Is this grammatically correct, and is it how a native speaker would say it? The context is that person A continually acts in a selfish way, and now another person B (a friend or colleague) who has been around him for a long time asks this question in a situation where person A says something selfish.


texts:
Is use of "has" in the following sentences correct grammatically and conceptually? If it is not , kindly suggest ways to make it clearer.

  In fact, this above explanation shows disadvantages of constant
  thickness blades. Meanwhile, it is possible that a variable thickness
  blade has lower performance than to constant thickness blade because a
  thin and variable thickness blade can be had low blade loading.


texts:
I want to say that they are crazy because they did that/something or they do that/something. Is this form correct:

They are crazy for doing that.


texts:
Regarding participle adjectives (amazing, amazed, sending, sent..), when the verb is a phrasal verb (fill up/in/out), where should it be placed as an adjective?

  The filled out form will be sent to the store.

  The form filled out will be sent to the store.

I know that when the participle acts as a single adjective, without any modifier, it comes attributively (before the noun) - The amazing boy is here; however, when there are other modifiers, it comes as a post-modifier (after the noun): The boy amazing the girls is here.

So, since "out, up and in" in "fill" belong to the verb, should I treat it as an "additional information" and place it as a post-modifier, or treat them as elements that make up the verb and place them attributively?

Thank you.


texts: "do you think they will ... " vs "do you think if they will ..."

texts:
I am still not fully clear on whether to use
"do you think they will ... "  or "do you think if they will ..."

E.g.
"do you think they will be interested in this"
or
"do you think if they will be interested in this"

Thanks


texts: In 'it was a lot of fun', is 'fun a noun or an adjective?

texts:
[i] I hope that you have a lot of fun at the flower festival.
  [ii] I don't think I'll go again, but it was a lot of fun!  (daum.net)

At first, I took it granted that a lot of fun’s both in [i] an [ii] have the same structure. But when this idea struck me that a lot of fun in [ii] seems to be adjective, I flipped over grammar books, looking for which says a lot of is a modifier for adjectives. But I have not found.
So I started to think [ii] has this structure and meaning:
‘it was a lot [= very] of fun [= fun]’
Can I get exact meaning of [ii]?


texts:
Jay headed back to his office. Benji trotted over to him.

Is "trotted" perfectly okay here? (Benji half-runs to get to Jay before he enters his office) Or are there other and more common words I could use instead in this context?

I know it is used about horses. And when I look it up it also says running at a moderate pace with short steps. Why short steps? Will it sound comical if I used "trotted"?