texts: inquiring about a subject of a sentence that you've just overheard

texts:
Imagine you have just entered a room and saw your friends talking about something. One of you friends is finishing her sentence (your friends are talking about aircraft, but you don't know that):

  They all go to boneyard and stay there for good after they become too old.

You really want to know who "they" in this sentence are. From "stay at boneyard for good" you infer that the subject is inanimate things, rather than humans or animals.

So how would you ask of your friends a question that will help you find out the subject of their conversation?

1) Who goes to boneyard after it becomes too old?

2) What goes to boneyard after it becomes too old?

3) Who goes to boneyard after they become too old?

4) Who go to boneyard after they become too old?

5) What goes to boneyard after they become too old?

6) What go to boneyard after they become too old?

7) [something else?]

(I understand that I can simply ask "What are you guys talking about?", but I want to respond to the last sentence spoken by my friend)


texts: Are both “enjoying ᴛʜᴇ sun” and “enjoying sun” completely acceptable and fully equivalent?

texts:
I know that enjoying the sun is appropriate in this sentence:

We passed by the harbor where some kids were taking a dip and other people were enjoying the sun.

But I have noticed that just plain sun sometimes occurs without the
requisite deﬁnite article the, such as in these sentences from some
dictionary examples and random, undisclosed Internet sites:

The plant needs full sun.

This plant likes sun and water as well as a fertile, well-drained soil.

Enjoying sun, sea, beach, music, food, [and so on and so forth].

In accordance with the examples (2) and (3), can I freely use both enjoying the sun and also enjoying sun without distinction?
Does it matter?  Why?
Do they mean the same thing?  Do they mean different things?
Is one of them ever wrong?


texts:
From here:

  Chopped string samples and ratchet drums push this remix right to the dance floor.

A "ratchet drum key" is a tool used on certain drums. But I don't know what a "ratchet drum" is/looks like.


texts:
Have the words Pink and Blue that mean sexual orientation come from the phenomenon that girls choose pink color and boys choose blue color? Which is all absolutely wrong in fact, considering that pink is a stronger color than blue.

I'm just curious to know the etymology of the words Pink and Blue when speaking of sexual orientation.

Pink Girl = Lesbian
Blue Boy = Homosexual

I sometimes (don't ask how) come across terms like pink chats, pink tourism, pink bedrooms and pink couples. And this also goes with blue.


texts: "I hate red color" or "I hate red": why exactly is the first option ungrammatical

texts:
If a person wants to say that the most hated color for him is red (in general, no specific hues implied), could he say:

  I hate red color.

I've found very little results for this sentence at Google. Is this combination (red color) very awkward in its effect?

I guess the natural way is to say:

  I hate red.

But it's interesting why exactly the combination "red color" is unnatural in English in this context. In Russian, a similar phrase would be perfectly okay.

Is it because color calls for an article, and this would in turn call for the continuation of the sentence:

  I hate the/a red color of ... (something).

I've been proofreading one text at lang-8 and found myself unable to explain in simple words why hating "red color" could be an unnatural phrase.


texts: what is the terminology that describe the rate of user view over user order

texts:
assume I have a e-commerce website, and i need to know how many users that access my website, and how many of them make an order.

the question is, what is the terminology describe the rate?


texts: What does "tap" mean in "as Trump taps advisors"?

texts:
tap was explained in the dictionary.
http://learnersdictionary.com/definition/tap

In the article :Fannie, Freddie surge as Trump taps advisors who back privatization.
Fannie, Freddie surge as Trump taps advisors who back privatization

sentence 1.

  Fannie, Freddie surge as Trump taps advisors who back privatization.

The tap here means to hit (someone or something) lightly especially with a small sound?

senetence 2

  Ken Blackwell, who’s been tapped to lead the domestic transition team,

The tap here means put into or selected or chosen?

sentence 3

  John Paulson had been tapped to be a Trump advisor

The tap here means selected or chosen?


texts:
What's difference between these two and where should I use them.

For ex. That mobile is cheap. It has front and rear camera. All this makes it a good phone.

What should I use here. All this makes or All these make ?


texts: "going to come down" vs "going to have to come down"

texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences?

  This fence is going to come down.
  This fence is going to have to come down.

I have doubt that when you are saying fence is going to have to come down, that is enough to say it right? but why I hear in movies saying fence is going to have to come down, is there a difference between them?


texts:
On the internet I usually see study used with objects.  For example:

I (do) study literature at university.

Can study be used without an object, as in the following examples?

I study at the university.
Do you study at the university?

Are these sentences grammatically correct?


texts: Should I use "whereas" or "while" in this sentence?

texts:
Are the both sentences below correct? A friend of mine claims that it's not possible to use whereas for this expression. When I look for their difference I could only see that we shouldn't use whereas for expressions with time.

  Freedom is a slippery concept, and  whereas we may casually use the word with some frequency, it is difficult to arrive at a precise definition that is agreeable to most of us.

  Freedom is a slippery concept, and  while we may casually use the word with some frequency, it is difficult to arrive at a precise definition which is agreeable to most of us.


texts: The use intention *or* The intention of use

texts:
I carry out a marketing survey about a new service, and I wonder what is the most appropriate expression for a title :
"The use intention" OR "The intention of use" ?
The question was "Do you intend to use this service?".
I have the same issue with this expression :

"The equipments purchase intention"
"The purchase intention of equipments"
"The equipments intention of purchase"

I'm french, and am not that fluent in English.


texts:
We can exaggerate things, but I wonder if we can use "exaggerate," referring to a person. For example let's say someone is a big fan of a person, and always exaggerates his qualities. Can we say he exaggerates him?
Let's say a friend likes the football player Ronaldo a lot and thinks he is better than he actually is. He always talks about his qualities which I think are not that good. Can I say,

He always exaggerates Ronaldo.

?


texts: What does "play banks" mean in this context?

texts:
Does it mean "buy the stocks of the banks"?

Goldman analysts said one good way to play banks may be in the options market
because many investors are “overlooking the potential for a rate hike to be a
positive catalyst for these stocks.” They recommend buying both 6-month and
12-month calls on financials. Buying calls is a way to gain exposure to a stock
without owning it out right and it gives the investor the right to buy a
security at a set price and time.

source: www.marketwatch.com


texts: Should it be was "completed" or "completed"? which one is correct?

texts:
The antidepressants that I was prescribed were giving me vertigo attacks.
  So I decided to stay at home until my course was completed


texts:
Look at the example below

  The new pair of scissors I have purchased are blunt.

I think this is grammatically correct though we are omitting the conjunction 'that'.
Like

  The new pair of scissors that I have purchased are blunt.

I have also seen certain examples where 'which' is omitted. But why it is done this way? Is there any certain rule or logic behind this type of use where in certain cases we use 'that' and for others, we don't?


texts: What is the "learner": difference with "beginner", "student"?

texts:
I looked at the definition for "learner":

  a person who is still learning something(Cambridge) a
  person who is learning; student; pupil; apprentice;
  trainee.(Dictionary.com)
  1.someone (especially a child) who learns (as from a teacher) or takes up knowledge or beliefs
  2.works for an expert to learn a trade(TFD-Thesaurus) someone who is learning something; beginner(Collins, En-Fr)
  A learner is someone who is learning about a particular subject or how to do something.(Collins Learner's)
  1 : a person who learns
  : a person who is trying to gain knowledge or skill in something by studying, practicing, or being taught(M-W Learner's, similar to technical Fr.)

There's the level of skill, the process of learning, the designation, the time, the age, the focus, the place where the learning occurs. There is the learner's permit; it is something temporary, a transient state with a foreseeable end. On the other hand with other types of skills, from a process point of view, not all beginners are learners, and conversely not all learners are beginners.

Is the "learner" mainly a student? A beginner? What is the difference? Is there a technical meaning which is different from the casual meaning? Does it make sense to use intermediate/adult with learner i.e. an adult intermediate learner etc.?


texts: Parallelism debate. Do I need the word "of" to make this correct?

texts:
I am having a debate with a friend.
She thinks this is correct:

  The judge told the jury that he had excused a juror for having
  purposely provided murder photos to the media and then of stashing
  the money he had received to hide evidence that would support his claim of > innocence.

and I think this is correct:

  The judge told the jury that he had excused a juror for having
  purposely provided murder photos to the media and then stashing
  the money he had received to hide evidence that would support his claim of > innocence.

the debate is about whether the of is necessary. What do we think?


texts:
From time to time I have a feeling that even though I understand each word of a sentence, it's not what i thought it to be.

Example: I watched the 1997 movie "Ice storm", Philip Edwards said of Elena Hood, "Perhaps you find in books what I try to find in people.", Elena took it slightly as an insult, why so? I failed to read between the lines of what Edwards said.

The context was that Edwards was some kind of member of an congregation while Elena stopped going there and they just bumped into each other in some book sale event and started to have some casual chats.


texts:
Is it correct to use a semicolon or a comma in this sentence?

  I worked on quite a few projects and websites since 2009; some of them are shown in the portfolio above.


texts: Is it correct and natural to use "put out" in the sense of maiking something available, such as a product or transportation?

texts:
Is it correct and natural to use put out in the sense of maiking something available, such as a product or transportation? For example:

  Because the buses are overcrowded athorities has decided to put out extra buses on the streets.

  The phone is in such high demand that the company decided to put out more phones.

If doesn't sound good, then what would native English speakers use instead of put out?


texts: What is the meaning of 'my mama done told me'?

texts:
In no way can I catch the meaning of 'My mama done told me'... )

It's from Katie Melua's cover of the song 'Blues in the night':

  My mamma done told me,
  when I was in pigtails,
  My mamma done told me, Hon,
  A man is a two-face
  he'll give you the big eye,
  And when the sweet talking's done.
  A man is a two-face,
  A worrisome thing who'll leave you to sing,
  The blues in the night

Please, give me a hand.


texts:
When you're driving, you should ______________________.

(1) pay attention to the road

(2) pay attention to the front

(3) pay attention

(4) look ahead

(5) look at/to the front

(6) look at/to the road

Which is the most natural and which is the most unnatural?

Also, if there is any other phrase that may fit here better, please let me know.


texts: "Climbed and tried to" or "climbed and try to"

texts:
I climbed the ladder and try to grab the fruit.
  I climbed the ladder and tried to grab the fruit.

I was taught that if the first verb is a past tense, the 2 verb that follows should be in simple present tense. Is this collect?


texts: How does "to come across" work in this context?

texts:
Although I know what come across means, I can not understand the whole meaning of the sentence below, or I can not understand what come across means here!

  He came across very badly in the interview. He never looked at them.


texts:
I have a problem with the "and" when my friend get me this sentence:

  Students can join the debate team and learn a lot of skills.

To the best of my knowledge, "and" tells parallel meaning which the two items connected by "and" are of the same weighting. For example:

  I love Pokemon and Mario.

This should be only suggesting that I love both of them, but not implying that I prefer one to the another.

However, in the first quote, the sentence seems, to me, focusing what students can do but not how students can be benefited from the team. If I were my friend, I would have written:

  Students can join the debate team and then/therefore learn a lot of skills.

I think this stresses that you learn the skills from the team (which is the chronological order). But is that still OK to use "and"? I think this doesn't matter a lot in spoken English, but when it comes to written English, does it really matter?

I know in certain discourses like recipes, "and" can imply orders:

  Dice the carrots and fry them.

But is it usually fine to use "and" to tell sequences? Thanks!


texts:
I'm trying to explain to students the difference between colon and dash, but I'm having trouble explaining why dash is better than colon in the following sentence:

In 2016, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar: on the sixth time he was nominated.
In 2016, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar--on the sixth time he was nominated.

So far I've been telling students that both define, explain, or add details, but a dash adds a dramatic effect like a drum roll. However, in this case, I believe what makes the second sentence better is not the drum roll. What makes a dash better in this case, and when is a colon better than dash after "Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar"?


texts: Indefinite article with the names of people

texts:
Generally the indefinite article is not used with names of people,  however, there a few exceptions. One one of them is when there is a descriptive attribute before a person's name. For example:

  "Yesterday I met an angry Kate at the cafe."

Is this usage of the indefinite article optional, and what does it mean?


texts: What is the terminology of "drain cover"?

texts:
I want to find a more professional word for "drain cover" as illustrated below. What is this called by the workers or manufactuers?

wiki

  A drain cover is a cover with holes in it or a grating used to cover a
  water drain. It allows the drainage but in the same time it prevents
  bigger objects to be flushed in the drain.


texts:
I want to know if we have "postponer" in English or not?
Microsoft Word underlines this word as incorrect word; but when I search in Google, some online dictionaries have this word.

Can I use this word in English?


texts: "It had to have been..." vs. "it has to have been..." when drawing conclusios

texts:
In the fifth episode of the TV show Chernobyle one of the characters said the following.

In order to sign the certificates, all safety tests had to have been completed.

I don't understand why he say had to have been, not has to have been For example:

In order to sign the certificates, all safety tests have to have been completed.

Do both sentences perfectly grammatical and natural If so, could you tell me what the difference is?


texts:
I wrote

  In particular, we use textual delimiters and identifiable constants or patterns within the content, named anchors, to recognize a data region, which is a node of the DOM tree enclosing the region.

Anchor is the term I devised, now should I use "called", "named", "namely"... for it? What would be the difference?


texts: Differences between "envious" & "jealous"

texts:
I am a little confused with them because sometimes they have been translated similar and sometimes different in my native tongue. For example please choose the best adjective for following situations:

  A man/woman toward another man/women.
  A man toward his competitor (two lovers & one woman).
  A man toward all women of his family or even nationality or religion.


texts: In "Sort the extensions by **the** date of **the** last extension update.", are the two last "the" optional?

texts:
In "Sort the extensions by the date of the last extension update.", are the two last "the" optional?

In other words, should one say

  Sort the extensions by date of last extension update.

or

  Sort the extensions by the date of the last extension update.

?


texts: What is the difference between ‘by myself’ and ‘myself’?

texts:
I would like to look for it myself.
  I would like to look for it by myself.

What is the difference between the two sentences above?


texts: What are the rules to use over correctly

texts:
Are these prepositions alike: above and over

What is the difference in these sentence:

  The bird flew over the tree.
  The bird flew above the tree.


texts: Is the definite article missing in this sentence from Fox News?

texts:
A sentence on Fox News reads ungrammatical.

  Maisy, who bears similarities to loveable pooch Beethoven in the series of comedy films written by John Hughes, had the soft toys removed during an intricate procedure.

Is this a simple grammar error of missing the definite article? Since the dog is specified, I thought the correct sentence should be:

  Maisy, who bears similarities to the loveable pooch Beethoven in the series of comedy films written by John Hughes, had the soft toys removed during an intricate procedure.

Am I right?


texts: "The locations of the lobes of the lungs" - How to shorten it?

texts:
It's not comfortable for me to see two "of" in the sentence:

  "The locations of the lobes of the lungs"

Could I say "lobes' lungs"?


texts: Students appearing at/in/for the written examination

texts:
The number of students appearing at the written examination increases every year.

Is the above sentence grammatically correct ? This is a error spotting question asked in my exam although for sounds better here but is using at grammatically incorrect ?


texts: Does the word "apparent" have ambiguity?

texts:
I'm learning the word "apparent" which has two apparently different meanings: (1) obvious (2) looks true, but not.
How do people solve the ambiguity here? For example, republicans could describe president-elect Biden as an apparent victory, which may imply that the result could be turned over after recounting. On the other hand, democrats can also say Biden has an apparent victory because of no clue of wide-spreading fraud. Are there any convention to separate the two opposite meanings?


texts: Which one is correct "Response surface method aid/aids efficient optimization"?

texts:
Which one is correct:

  Response surface method aid efficient optimization

or

  Response surface method aids efficient optimization


texts: Ways of {coping/dealing} with stress {at work paramedic/in paramedic's work} - which title is correct?

texts:
I'm writing a thesis in English and I need you to check if these titles are correct. Which one is better in your opinion? It must be formal of course.
Could you check if these title is correct?

  "Ways of dealing with stress at work paramedic."

  "Ways of coping with stress at work paramedic."

  "Ways of coping with stress in paramedic's work."

If there's a mistake, could you correct it please? Is the article "the" needed before "ways?


texts:
face [transitive, intransitive] to be opposite somebody/something; to have
  your face or front pointing towards somebody/something or in a
  particular direction

  face somebody/something She turned and faced him.

  Most of the rooms face the sea.

  They face each other across the aisle.

  face + adv./prep. The terrace faces south.

  a north-facing wall

  a south-east-facing garden

  to face outwards/inwards/upwards/downwards

  Lie with your palms facing upwards.

  Which direction are you facing?

Look at the picture

You're sitting on a chair in a room and there is a door in the room (the door can be in any position).

Now you want to turn the chair to face the outside so that you can enjoy looking through the door to the outside.

is it idiomatic to say "turn the chair to face the outside" in this situation?


texts:
I have two questions on using apostrophe:

Why an apostrophe has been used here after "s"  in "The 69’ers’ drummer, Tom Callaghan" while the same thing does not happen after "s" in the "Beatles" in the following sentence?
The band was playing the old Beatles songs.
(Not ... the old Beatles' songs.)
Why do they say St. James' Park (in Newcastle) but St. James's Park (in London)?!


texts: Is 'aren't you' right in the dialog in this movie?

texts:
I like the movie 'nikita' by the director, luc besson.
In the movie, this dialog comes at the end of the movie.

"You leave, aren't you"

I think that "don't you" is right.
Why do they use " aren't you " here?
Is there any grammar I don't know?


texts:
(At The Hardware Store)
Man1: I'm here to buy a piece of glass to fix a broken window.
Man2: It's a sink I just bought. I'm going to get it in my kitchen.

What does "get it in my kitchen" mean?
Thank you


texts: Using "That" or "This" at the begining of a sentence

texts:
I often have problems to choose the right determiner when a sentence should start with That or This. I know the rules when we are talking about physical things but as a non-native, I have a hard time to understand which determiner to use in case of abstract (I don't even know if it is the right term) things. I mean the things by which is hard to say how far are from us.

For example, when I'm talking about some phone that is far from me. I would say:

  That is the phone with a color display.

It is ok and completely understandable.

But I have a problem in following cases:

  The more things you will have, the more will suffer your back. That or This is
  particularly relevant for small man who doesn't have so much strength in
  their muscles.

or

  Mobile phones allow you to make a call when you need to. That or This is feature
  gives you the opportunity to accomplish more things at the same time.

Which determiner is better to use and why? Also, some resources on this topic would be very helpful.


texts: "What does it sound like" vs "How does it sound like"

texts:
I'm currently doing a presentation and I have a slide where I show some speech examples from English speakers who have a certain type of pathological speech. I wrote the title "How does X speech sound like?" rather than "What does X speech sound like?". My supervisor suggested the latter so I'm not sure what would be the right one, or which one is correct so I looked around a bit.
Second language learner perspective
In my own native language, this sentence would be "Hogyan hangzik X beszed?" and the sentence " I suspected first that (as often with Dutch) that this would be another case of Dunglish but it's actually not because in Dutch you would say "Hoe klinkt het?", which would word-by-word translate to "How sounds it?"
Community resources
There is a language community website, where a replier states that "what" usually refers to a thing while "how" refers to the qualities of the thing. In this case, the listeners know that this is speech X and we are interested about bad articulation, speech rate, intelligibility and tones.
Based on this, I think "how" is the correct one, but on the other hand the conscious language use of my supervisor against its own native language indicates me that there might be something more going on.


texts: Is it not correct to say "dish with water"? If it's correct, what is the difference in using "dish of water" and "dish with water"?


texts: How to ask a question according to the phrase in bold?

texts:
He is from America.    The question should be : Where is he from?

He is in the classroom.   The question should be: Where is he?

I don't figure out : The sentence constituent of the phrases in these two sentence are the same, but why the questions are so different, why the first question should have the preposition"from" ? So "Where" refers to a preposition phrase or a noun phrase?


texts: What's the word for every "message" in a dialogue?

texts:
A: Hi, Bob
  B: Hi, how are you?
  A: I'm great, you?
  ...

Each one of these lines forms a spoken dialogue. What is each of these "messages" called? Message seems correct, but makes me think of a written dialogue. Is there a better word?


texts: Does the word “semantics” make sense in this context

texts:
I’d like to know if “semantics” is the right word to use here:

He didn’t care about grammar or semantics. If something made sense to him in his head, he unabashedly voiced it.

If not, what word do I replace it with?


texts: meaning of the modal verb "would" in context

texts:
Here it goes:

  Some states have a higher number of people with lower incomes. Why would that be?

Why did not the speaker say "Why is that?"? Does would mean tend there? For example:

  Why do some states tend to have people with lower incomes?


texts:
What is the meaning of

  I am here to me

Does it mean

  "I am here"

Why is the second sentence correct but the first one is not?


texts:
If I wanted to say that tigers can conceal themselves among plants, is it correct to say:

  Tigers can blend in with plants.

or should I use another verb?


texts:
I happened to have been working for this company for 11 years.
I happen to have been working for this company for 11 years.

I think the second option is more logical as it's about the present, isn't it? But nevertheless I saw the first option in a textbook and it might be a mistake (as there were others).
I happen to have been or I happened to have been?


texts: The prince and princess or The prince and the princess

texts:
The prince and princess (A) made their way (B) through the cheering crowd. (C) No error (D)

According to my book the above sentence is a no error sentence but isn't the first part in the sentence wrong ? Since the prince and the princess are two different persons don't we need to use article the with both of them ?


texts:
Which statement is true about this sentence?

  Each time X did the puzzle right, Y gave him a reward.

X always did the puzzle right
X sometimes did the puzzle wrong


texts:
I read a sentence as follows from a book by a Harvard professor(born in the U.S.A.):

Despite the fact that farming required more strenuous physical exertion than most urban jobs, the rural grain ration was set lower than in the cities.

I wonder if the last clause is grammatical since it is an adverbial modifier that follows lower than. I have never read such a combination before, and I thought lower than that in the cities seems more natural-sounding.
I read some articles about comparative constructions, for example this and this, and have not found a sentence with a similar structure.


texts: is it correct to say 'I never thought that I would fall that hard for someone'?

texts: I'm writing a speech and I want to use something like 'I never thought that I would fall that hard for someone, but I admit it, I fell so hard for you, harder than I thought I would ever do' but I don't know how to use it correctly,  can anyone help me pls


texts: "a rebound in the economy" VS "a bounce in the economy"

texts:
Despite a rebound in the economy, the fundamentals of many firms have not take a turn for the better.
  Despite a bounce in the economy, the fundamentals of many firms have not take a turn for the better.

If I want to express that the economy recovers from a recession, which word should I choose?


texts: Verb for checking works before allowing publication

texts: In any undemocratic country any news must be checked again and again before they can be printed, so what verb should i use to describe the process of checking sth, expecially for news,books ect. and could you give me a revelant example?


texts: How do you make superlatives from compound adjectives like 'long-running'?

texts: Is it 'the longest-running' or 'the most long-running'? There are words with, I'm not sure what is the scientific term, an "inner" flexion in English (for example, 'passers-by'). Is the superlative of the adjective 'long-running' one of such words (actually, it's a suffix but a "form-formating" one, in that respect it's similar to a flexion, but it's not the point of this question)?


texts: What does "on two different planes" mean?

texts:
What does "on two different planes" mean in

  Behind all the fantasy of the Gothic imagination there remained, on two different planes, a sharp sense of reality. Source : Barron's SAT workbook.


texts:
What is the grammatically correct form for this sentence?

  I would try(again) if I think it works.


texts:
Immediate superiors were crucial in mediating the discipline by senior officers, and in the infliction of their own minor punishments.
why use "IN" this sentence? (in mediating....., in infliction...)
Isn't in a preposition of mention or space?


texts:
Is there a word for the person who decides how many things there will be?

For example: person A decides how many children will go on the annual trip (and then person B decides who these children will be). What word describes the job of person A?

Some more examples (thanks, J.R.):

How many freshmen will we admit into the college of engineering next fall?
How many printers our office will buy next year?
How many bags of potato chips we should bring to the family picnic?
How many windows should we have in each room in our new appartment?
How many questions should be in the final exam ?

The closest word I could think of is "counter", but a counter is the one that counts, not the one that decides about the number.


texts:
my Grammar book saying:
The verb after AS IF/as though is always in the past subjunctive,no matter what tense the sentence is and If the verb BE directly follows AS IF/as though,we use "were" for all personal pronouns.

But see these sentences ↓:

  Since they cannot see him with their literal eyes, they act as if he is not seeing them. (bible)
  Among fellow Christians, we should never feel threatened, as if others are trying to outdo us or take our place.(Bible)
  you talk as though we’re never going to see each other again.

and Can I use "as" instead of "as though/as if" in these sentence.

and which is correct?

  Work Hard as you are born for struggle or work hard like you are born for struggle
  He is Hard working as he born for Struggle or he is hard working like he born for struggle.
  he is smiling like he know everything or He is smiling as he know everything.
  Slap him powerfully as you are killing him by the slap or slap him powerfully like you are killing him by the slap

he is doing like a teacher(it means he isn't a teacher)
he is doing as a teachee (he is teacher)

  but 8. he is doing as he is a teacher or he is doing like he is a teacher?


texts:
What does

  That speaks volumes to me

mean? Could you elaborate it in terms of feelings please?

For example in a context:

  This quote speaks volumes to me

My guesses are the following but I am not sure how close I am.

It makes a sense for me. I think in the same way.

It is already true for me ( and my life).

It is wise and I will apply it to my life.


texts:
I've made the sentence:

  The airport was built all but with the techonology I mentioned
  earlier.

I'm trying to learn how to use the all but idiom in the sentences. I'm nt sure about the sentence, it seems a little wierd to me.


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

texts:
Generators mounted on the same frame as the equipment they are
  supplying should be insulated from earth.

Does it mean "soil" or "grounding (electrical connection to the earth)"?


texts:
I already know we use "take a course in history" is used to indicate taking subjects. But how about indicating university? Say:

"My friend took a course + (from/at/in) + Utrecht university last year" ?


texts: What is the difference between college and university?

texts: Some people use the term "college" instead of "university". Are they referring to a different type of university?


texts:
I had a discussion with a colleague at work.

I was not able to explain why the things are the way they are. I explained him the meanings and so on, with the reason "because". Topped with "take it or leave it". However, I want to be more professional than that.
Also, I worry that I do not properly understand the difference between "adjective" and "adverb" in English.

  This is hard work.

"Hard" is adjective (sits with "work" - a noun).

  I work hard.

"Hard" looks like an adjective (see above) but it works like an adverb (sits with "work" - verb).

Also, we can transform adjectives to adverbs using the suffix "-ly":

  bad -> badly

However, the following is definitely incorrect:

  I work hardly.

While the following is correct, but it means pretty much the opposite of 2:

  I hardly (=barely) work.


texts: Is this usage of "instead" correct - 'use x to y instead'?

texts:
I have seen the below mentioned sentence, where x has to be replaced by y.

  use x to y instead

Is this usage of the word instead correct?

Edit: There was one post where one wrong word was written (lets assume it word1), then writer left a comment "use word1 to word2 instead", word2 is correct word. But this sentence sounds bit wrong to me.


texts: Is there such a phrase as "How I knew something would happen"?

texts: Let's say you have a feeling something bad will happen. You go to the kitchen, pour yourself a glass of water, and walk back to your room. Then you accidentally drop the glass, it falls and breaks. Can you then say, "How I knew something bad would happen."? Or is there another phrase for it?


texts: "He is aged 45" and "He is 45 years old"

texts:
He is aged 45
He is 45 years old

Do both expressions have the same meaning and can used interchangeably?


texts: Words that are a combination of 'a'+word

texts:
As I was studying English I found interesting grammar that made me wonder a lot. How do you Native Speakers carry so much and use so little?

For instance the 'a'+word words. They are very interesting and really poetic. I was wondering if one could just use any 'a'+word word and be understood?

Let's say we have:

afar
abed
asleep
ahead
arise
awake

and e.t.c

But if I used words like the following in poetic English (Writing, lyrics, poetry, articles of some kind), would they be understood depending on the context?

agive
asail
adraw
asit
abind


texts:
Her coachwork now dazzled the eye, her walnut fittings glowed with polish, her engine was undefiled by so much as speck of soil.

I would like ask if the word "by" belongs to the word "undefiled" and consits the phrasal verb. Or is it used due to to the passive voice? I find thus "by" unnecessary there. Would it not be sufficient just "her engine was undefiled so much as speck of soil"?


texts: "Wayne Gretzky" is Strange in this sentence. Please help me with the meaning

texts:
As I know, Wayne Gretzky is the best hockey player in the history, but I don't understand the reference to his name in this sentence:

  On the one hand, I was relieved to find that I personally wasn’t the reason why the session had failed—the Wayne Gretzky of professional developers probably couldn’t have pulled off the session since there were so many negative subcurrents.


texts:
I have a question about an implicit reference situation with "else":

  I wanted to see Mike, but he was busy with something else.

"Something else" must be relative to another matter, but that matter is not explicitly referred to in the sentence.  So, is the sentence poorly written?


texts:
Jack is better .... English, but he is worse ... Math than I am.

Which preposition is suitable?
a) at/ in
b) in/ at
c) at/ at
d) in/ in

I just know "good at" and "weak in". I'm confusing to choose the answer. When you use comparative, which preposition is more suitable? What is the correct answer?


texts:
Are there any other ways to say:

  "When there is a risk of / that ..."

I would like to know, if there are any other adverbial-phrases synonymous to the one above. For example, how to rephrase the following sentence using other phrases?

  "We will stay at the hotel, if there is a risk the storm will hit the region."


texts:
What are some equivalent expressions for "Note that" ?

Note that I am using "Note that" at the beginning of a sentence to make a remark..


texts:
If I want to ask about Feedback till the present day, Is "Feedback till yet" valid grammatically or Feedback till now is more appropriate?

What are the applicable rules? Please share the right resource for this as I googled but couldn't find relevant resource.


texts: Is it better to use There are or Where are?

texts:
In this sentence is it better to use there are or where are?
There/Where are more gamers, so it's market for the....


texts:
1) The revenue and profit of the property development segment dropped 13.8% and 5.5% respectively due to lower sales and declining contributions as a result of more projects were completed in first half of 2014.

2)The revenue and profit of the property development segment dropped 13.8% and 5.5% respectively due to lower sales and declining contributions as a result of more projects being completed in first half of 2014.

Which of the above sentence is grammatical ? Should I use a passive voice "were completed" or a passive gerund "being completed" ?


texts: I can't come to school tomorrow. I __ my aunt? [am visiting - will visit - .. ]

texts:
I can't come to school tomorrow. I __ my aunt

please, clarify this sentence and choose the correct answer from these choices:

[would visit - am visiting - will visit]


texts: . I spend most of my money (on) shopping. - which one is right?

texts:
I know I can say:

  I spend most of my time studying at a coffee shop.

then how about this?

  I spend most of my money shopping.

I feel the better one is this:

  I spend most of my money on shopping.

Which one is right?


texts: I wonder if the PP tense in some (or all) of these sentences is either optional or mandatory or wrong

texts:
Yesterday I watched the movie “Father”. I hadn’t expected it, but the
movie proved to be a masterpiece. This morning I was surprised to
learn that the 93d Oscar ceremony had been held last night, and
Hopkins had won an Oscar for the main role.

Is the past perfect tense in some (or all) of these sentences either optional or mandatory or wrong?


texts: Possessive adjective, object pronoun, subject pronoun with gerunds

texts:
When the gerund is used in object position, we can say:

  She hates his ignoring her.
  Or
  She hates him ignoring her.

What if we use it in subject position?
Using a possessive adjective is correct. What about an object pronoun or  a subject pronoun?
As in :

  His ignoring her annoys her.
  Him ignoring her annoys her.
  He ignoring her annoys her.


texts: Do you consider this as connected speech in American accent

texts:
I am trying to learn an American accent. I don't know if what I am saying is considered connected speech.

I uploaded the recording here:

NOTE: The link given by the OP to the referenced sound file has been removed for the reason given below. It remains in the comments to the question.

WARNING This link goes to a site that uses pop-under scam advertising that tries to convince you that your web browser and/or Flash plug-in need to be updated.

I won't write the sentence that I said. If you couldn't recognize what I was saying, kindly tell me.


texts: I have been working for various companies since graduation

texts:
"I have graduated from university and i have been working for various companies for the 3 years since graduation."
Does this sentence actually mean the person has worked for various companies in the 3 years since graduation and the present perfect continuous is used because it says "for the 3 years since"?
Or does it mean they have been working for various companies simultaneously for the 3 years since graduation?


texts: Singular or plural copulative verb in a question?

texts:
Should the copulative verb be singular or plural in this type of sentence:

  A crucial question is / are the causes of misunderstandings ?


texts:
In the game Shantae: Risky's Revenge, there's this scene where one of the characters suggests Shantae, the main protagonist, should try (eat) a puppy.

  [Rotty] Here. You have GOT to try one of these!
  [Shantae] Gasp! This is someone's pet!
  [Shantae] Put it back where you found it!
  [Rotty] Come on! Just a scout's taste!
  [Shantae] Nevermind. I'll return this puppy myself.

I think "just a taste" means something like "try a little", right? But what about scout's? What does it mean in this context?


texts: "Am I guaranteed to received the order by today?"

texts:
I was trying to communicate with the customer representative to see if I can expect to receive my order by the end of the day. I wonder if the following sentences sound natural

Am I guaranteed to received the order by today?
Will I be guaranteed to received the order by today?
Am I going to be receiving the order by today?


texts:
Consider below chronological events.

I sent an E-mail to a professor and asked him a question.
He answered my question. Now, I want to send him a message and say thank you ... .

I need a short and formal sentence implying a sense of being modest, but not very modest!. e.g.,  "I am not a special person and his contribution to my question illustrates his great benevolence"

I have written:

  Thanks for the time you considered for my question.

  Many thanks for the time you dedicated to my question.

  I appreciate you for including my question in your considerations.

Do the above sentences sound awkward ? If so, any suggestion would be appreciated.


texts: How does the auxiliary verb work in "What's the main thing a paramedic does have to do?"

texts:
What's the main thing a paramedic does have to do?
  What's the main thing a paramedic has to do?

How can we use  the auxiliary  verbs  after such sentences like that?


texts: 'It were far worse' - why 'were' instead of 'was'?

texts:
"Thou must dwell no longer with this man," said Hester, slowly and
  firmly. "Thy heart must be no longer under his evil eye!"

  "It were far worse than death!" replied the minister. "But how to
  avoid it? What choice remains to me? Shall I lie down again on these
  withered leaves, where I cast myself when thou didst tell me what he
  was? Must I sink down there, and die at once?" (Nathaniel
  Hawthorne,The Scarlet Letter)

There is ‘were’ instead of ‘was’ after it. Is the sentence a kind of subjunctive?


texts: When we write, do we have to write "OK" instead of "Ok" or are both correct?

texts: I'm confused when I have to write "Ok" in a writing, because I don't know if "OK" and "Ok" are both orthographically correct or just one is.


texts: Which preposition should I use here:You are not listening! What are you thinking __?

texts:
Which preposition should I use here:You are not listening! What are you thinking __ ?

can i use thinking for?


texts: If "good morning" is between 6:00-12:00 PM, and "good afternoon" is between 12:00-6:00 PM then at what time "good day" should be said?


texts: Occasionally, I hear someone speak favorably of a person's "speaking voice". I have no sources, but have heard the expression several times in daily activity. Is it more likely to refer  to auditory qualities or conversational style?


texts:
The man slipped a long dark iron knife, almost a short sword, from his
  belt, and after breathing on it, handed it hilt-first to Puck, who
  took it with his head on one side, as you should when you look at
  the works of a watch, squinted down the dark blade, and very delicately rubbed his forefinger from the point to the hilt.

This is from "Rewards and Fairies" "The Knife and Naked Chalk Hill"
http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/digi300.pdf

I can't understand the meaning of " the works of a watch "
Is this just the movement of a watch?

I am glad if some one kindly teach me.


texts:
Do you not think that before the word "necessary" should be the word "is"?
Do you not think that before the word "necessary"  the word "is" should be?
Do you not think that before the word "necessary" it should be the word "is"?

Can you tell me which option is grammatically correct? I am in have my doubts.


texts: Short phrase for "complete tasks quicker"?

texts:
I want to express the following idea in my resume:

  Renowned for constantly looking for opportunity to make tasks complete quicker through automation and refactoring.

As it currently stands, this phrase seems too verbose and doesn't sound very effective. Is there a short phrase I could use to express "complete tasks quicker"?

This might even help me get rid of the "looking for opportunity" part by writing the sentence as:

  Renowned for constantly X ing through automation and refactoring.

(where X is the word to replace "complete tasks quicker")

Is it possible to rephrase the statement as above?


texts:
Was I not going to clean?

Is this question grammatically correct?. If not how can I ask this question without use "wasn’t"?


texts: How to make sentences if I happened to be in these situations and and how I have to express myself in this situations

texts:
How to make sentences if I happened to be in these situations and how do I have to express myself in these situations?

  Thorn into the sole of my leg.
  Bitten by a snake.
  Bitten by an ant.
  If I walk in swampy land. ( if I'm feeling very difficult to walk and my feet repeatedly go inside of swamp)

Please help me to express myself in English when in these situations.


texts: Verbs to use when a place offers a view of another place

texts:
Except for the plain "to offer a view", I came across other terms to express the same meaning, but I'd like to know if there is any difference between them.

For example, I found the verbs to overlook, to give onto and to look onto. I know these words have other meanings, but I'm not interested in them, I only want to know if I can use them interchangeably or not in this context.

  My house has a window that overlooks/gives onto/looks onto a lake.

I wonder if one of the terms might be more appropriate in some contexts rather then others, such as the distance or the height of the view, or even the viewing point, like a balcony, a window, or the spur of a mountain. From the definitions I looked up I learned that "overlook" seems to denote a higher altitude of the viewing point, but what about the others?

Also, is one term more common than the other? Are there other ones that can be used likewise?


texts:
Which is true and please explain why?

Happy birthday. Wish you never grow up !
Happy birthday. Wish you never growing up !

In fact I'm confused. I don't know which one is true?
Up to now I have thought about the question as follows:

The original form should be: I wish that you never grow up so I think the first one is the answer
On the other hand we can say wish is a transitive verb so needs an object. The object should be a noun clause. So the verb will be converted to a gerund and option 2 is the right answer.


texts: What is the difference between this and that while referring to an idea or situation or thing ,which is not present on the spot?

texts:
E.g when two persons are talking together, the most common communication are
1.that's good/nice/true
2.how will you find this man/how do you know this ?
IN BOTH THE SENTENCES THE SPEAKER RELATES THE PREVIOUSE MENTIONED THING/SITUATION.could you tell me when to use this and when that?


texts: Why does everyone uses "the dream home/the dream home" instead of "the dreaming home"?

texts:
This question was suddenly popped out in my head. I wonder if "dream" is a noun and verb (followed by the definition in my dictionary (hope it has a quality enough) ) why it is widely used as "the dream house/home" not "the dreaming house/home" because dreaming is an adjective or be like that just because it is a compound noun?

Thanks in advance :)


texts:
Could anyone please let me know whether the usage of the adverb "even" in either case below is grammatically correct.

I hate her. She's always treated me so badly that......
a. I'm even reluctant to mention her name.
b. I'm reluctant to even mention her name.

I think while an adverb can either modify / qualify an adjective ('a'), a verb ('b'), or other adverbs, both sentences above are correct. Please correct me if I am wrong.


texts: Can I use a phrase 'financial relief' in an essay? Does this phrase make sense in english?

texts: This option brings a financial relief particularly to the owners of uninsured pets.


texts: What's the meaning of this En Dash in this context?

texts:
"I was yawning all the way through. I prefer action movies – something with a bit more pace."
Before asking here, I read this to put me into context. But still, there it wasn't mentioned this specific use for the En Dash. Nevertheless, my English textbook uses this type of dash a lot.
If I had to guess, I'd say it means a pause when speaking... Because that sentence seems to me like something someone would say, not something they would write.


texts: just the right droop to the last two inches of it?

texts:
There was a sourfaced Scottie and a mutt with all the skin off one leg and a silky-gray Angora and a Sealyham and two more mutts and a razor-sharp fox terrier with a barrel snout and just the right droop to the last two inches of it.

The above sentence is from "The Man Who Liked Dogs." written by Raymond Chandler in 1936.

I don't understand the meaning of the 'just the right droop to the last two inches of it'.

My guess is  the snout of the dog is just 2 inches short for standard droop of a fox terrier.

Am I wrong or right?


texts: If I want to write PERIOD, is it after dot? Is dot even required?

texts:
We all know that the word 'PERIOD' is used to convey your stance firmly. Period means 'full stop', that's it!

  Spoken Sentence - "You are not doing that [a little pause] PERIOD"

But what if I want to write it? Do we require a full stop. If yes, where the word 'PERIOD' goes? Also, do we have comma? semi colon?  Which one is preferred out of these:

Written Sentences

  You are not doing that. Period. (two 'full stops') or  You are not doing that, period. (first comma, in last full stop) or  You are not doing that, period (only comma, no full stop) or  You are not doing that period (no comma or full stop) or  You are not doing that; period. (semi colon and in last, full stop)


texts: What is the subject in the sentence "Rice is being cooked by Mary"?

texts:
I know it's a very basic question, and I've looked up the definition of "subject." This very question was asked within a linguistic course that I am taking, the answer to which is apparently rice (see the example sentence below). I am quite surprised by this answer, for I thought that the subject is that which acts, and the object is that which is acted upon. So the sentence 'Rice is being cooked by Mary', could always be restated as 'Mary is cooking rice', and surely here, Mary is the subject. Anyway, the reason provided as to why rice is apparently the subject is as follows:

  "'Rice is the subject of this sentence. When you change the word rice into 'potatoes' the verb changes, but if you change 'Mary' into 'Mary and John', the verb does not change."

  (a) Potatoes are being cooked by Mary

  (b) Rice is being cooked by Mary and John

(Emphasis not my own)

I am also having a hard time understanding the connection between the significance of a change or lack thereof of the verb, and the identification of the subject within the given sentence.


texts: Is it a complete sentence: "Caution murmured: it could be a trick, a lure, a trap."?

texts:
... ... For one trembling second he hesitated. Caution murmured: it could be a trick, a lure, a trap. But instinct, overwhelming instinct, told him that this was not Dark Magic. He set off in pursuit.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

"Caution murmured: it could be a trick, a lure, a trap" doesn't look like a complete sentence. In my opinion, it should be: "Caution is murmured: it could be a trick, a lure, a trap."

How should we understand it correctly?


texts: Is "Without its stopping to feed and spreading pollen from flower to flower, these plants would cease to exist." correct?

texts:
I read some similar sentances with slight difference.
Without its stopping to feed and spreading pollen from flower to flower, these plants would cease to exist.
Without it stopping to feed and spread pollen from flower to flower, these plants would cease to exist.
What I know so far is that existence of plans depends on pollen from flower.
but I am not sure whether they are correct?
Or there is a correct sentance that I did not give here.
Could you shed light on this?
Thank you for your reading.


texts: "Never important not to avoid" phrase style meaning

texts:
I've stumbled upon this sentence reading my tweeter feed this morning.

  it's never important to avoid not thinking about other things than
  money.

I'm not a native english speaker and thus I'm having troubles understanding what's the author point of view here.

Can you help ?


texts: Can the verb "live" be used in the sense of surviving something?

texts:
I have come across the usage of live that seems to mean survive, but I checked a few dictionaries and none of them give the definition. I have come across this usage in this video. It is at 4 minutes and 25 seconds. Here is the context:

  The Vikings also believed that an honorable death in battle would earn them one-way trip to a glorious afterlife with either the god Odin in Valhalla or the goddess Freja in Folkvangr. If they lived, they could not only gain honour for themselves, but also enjoy their share of the loot from the raids.

Could the word live be replace with the word survive without any effect?


texts: One of my friend's OR friends' wife? (My friend has only one wife)

texts:
Anita is Neil's wife. Neil is one of my friends. Now, how do I refer to Anita? Think that I'm telling someone who does not know the couple.

  One of my friend's wife

OR

  One of my friends' wife

I know the structure one of [something] takes a plural but then, here it is about possession of a singular which should be made plural--> "....friends' wife?" .

This is interesting. Suppose Neil has many wives. How do I again refer to Anita?

  One of my friend's wives?

OR

  One of my friends' wives?


texts: In the budget,fit tge budget and out of/dosen't fit my budget

texts:
:)
Someone wants to rent a house. So he likes one and chooses to rent it. And the person who is renting it out says:

  Tenant: It costs just $200 per week.

  Renter: Oh! It is out of/ dosen't fit my budget.

So the person shows him another house.

  Tenant:It will cost just $120 per week.

  Renter: Great! That fits/is in my budget.

So in situation 1,what sounds natural:out of/ dosen't fit.

And in situation 2,what sounds natural:  fits/is in.


texts:
The question is very small, what does the sentence "Lose yourself" mean?

I searched on internet and got many different meanings. Two of which are quite contrary to each other. One is,

  "preoccupy yourself with something other than yourself".

The second is,

  "to free your mind from worry"

If someone preoccupies himself with something then he is not going to relax at all.

I found many different meanings, e.g. here on Quora.com and here on yahoo.com. I guess it is a subjective phrase, which can have different meaning depending upon the context.

So the question is:

  Does its meaning depend upon context, dialect in which it is used, or something else? If it has a fixed meaning then please tell that. Is its meaning opinion based? When is it used, that what meaning does it convey or in other words what is its purpose?


texts:
I just made these sentences. Are they okay especially in speaking?

Ex) He explained information making focus on food section.

Ex) Please explain it making focus on fundamental principle.

Ex) She did shopping making focus on clothes.

Ex) He did workout making focus on abs.


texts: What does "love sprung" mean in this song?

texts:
In Rihanna's song "Whos that Chick" there's this sentence:

The night has got me love sprung.

What does this mean?


texts: what is the meaning of "scrub diagnostics" in the line?

texts:
Scrub diagnostics.
- Sir? - Did you hear me? Initiate the launch.
T-minus five minutes to launch.
Auto sequence has been initiated.


texts: How to parse this sentence: "The book is worth reading"？

texts:
The book is worth reading.

How to parse the sentence constituents? How to parse "worth doing"? What kind of constituent it is?


texts: "It was me who brought it (my puppy) up" or "It was me who brought up it"

texts:
I've heard people use "It was me who brought it (my puppy) up" all the time and never heard of anybody use  "It was me who brought up it" because when using "object pronouns" with phrasal verbs, we use "him, her, it..." after the phrase.

Although I know this, I just wanted to make sure of it. So, can anybody tell me if it is right or wrong and if it is wrong, why?


texts: developed or being developed, how different?

texts:
Currently,  there are several projects being developed to help clean up space junk.

If i use developed instead of being developed,  the meaning would be changed slightly? Or no difference?


texts: How real is the word 'pal' as a synonym of a' friend' common or acceptable?

texts: Yesterday I met firstly the word 'pal' in a crossword puzzle - as a synonym for 'friend'. Since I didn't know this word, I'd like to know if I can use it or I'll sound weird. How real is the word 'pal' as a synonym of a 'friend' common or acceptable?


texts: Shall I use the conjunction, and in money amount?

texts:
I am filling in this textual amount on a cheque:
($32100)

I have learnt how to write numbers in words in school, for example,
101, it is one hundred and one
1010, it is one thounsand and one hundred

So, for this big number, 32100,
I think it should be

  thirty two thousand and one hundred

But Google told me that I should write this instead:

  thirty-two thousand one hundred

Is it wrong to use And?


texts:
I am preparing for the IELTS. So I am learning to use high-level words as much as possible.

Consider this

  the infrastructure for e-commerce is so extensive that almost everything I need in everyday life can now be had at the tip of your fingers
  with a click

Does this one pretty much mean the same thing?

  the infrastructure for e-commerce is so profound that ...

the word "profound" is a synonym for "extensive", though the Meaning of profound on Cambridge Dictionary seems more about feelings.

  felt or experienced very strongly or in an extreme way


texts:
I need help to understand a part of a sentence from the book.  Little simplified by me

  But by early june monsoon breaks and there are months of winds and water with short spells of sunshine that thrilled children snatch to play with.

What bugs me is this part "thrilled children snatch to play with".what does it convey exactly? i mean I get that children got excited but are they excited to play snatch with other children?


texts:
I got confused with this question:

  Choose: Fuels were formed underground (over - in - from - for) millions of years.

I'm puzzled between (over) and (in).


texts:
During a conversation between me and one of my friends, I was drunk and saying strange things.

He said "it happens"

I replied

It happens every time with me....

Which I guess means that in my case it happens every time.

And if I had said it happen to me every time, then that would mean that it causes something to me I guess.

So, What is the difference between happens with and happens to?


texts:
I have a question about this highlighted part of an ESL pod transcript:

  Mandy: Whoo! Whoo!
  Theo: Hey, get down from there. You shouldn’t be sticking your head out of the sunroof.
  Mandy: I just wanted to get some air. This stretch limo is amazing.
  Theo: Well, I thought I’d rent one and take you to the prom in style.
  Mandy: This is the height of luxury. You’ve really outdone yourself.
  Theo: Thanks, but maybe we should be careful not to spill drinks on the seats.
  Mandy: Everybody drinks and parties in the back of a limo. Why else would they have a wet bar?
  Theo: Well, we shouldn’t be drinking out of it. We could get into trouble.
  Mandy: The chauffeur doesn’t know what we’re doing back here.

Does ** why + else + would  has a grammar usage?
And what does this question mean?
As it is very difficult to understand could you please provide me with some more examples?


texts: Can the word never imply that something has happened many times?

texts:
In the sentence given below does the use of the word never imply that Fred has watched the game many times in the past,but has never watched it completely from beginning to end?
Fred has never watched a  Barcelona football game in its entirety.
Thank you.


texts:
What are some proper responses to "How are you?"? I am asking this question, because I am wondering if you can answer indirectly. For example, instead of saying "Fine." or "I am doing great.", Can you say "It is how it is..."? I've been wondering if this is an idiomatic response to the question "How are you?" There isn't any rule that seems to say it's wrong, but it sounds very wrong.

  How are you doing? It is how it is... Things haven't been going well
  for me.

  How are you? It is not a good time for me. I've been on medications
  for over a week now and I feel very sick.

  How are you? It is not great, but I am hanging on.


texts:
In the book "How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes" by Peter D. Schiff, in an introduction, page xii, paragraph 2, there is the sentence:

  Essentially Keynes managed to pull off one the neatest tricks imaginable.

Can I parse the sentence above this way?

  Essentially Keynes managed to take one trick from the neatest imaginable  tricks

I knew from Lambie's explanation.

  pull off means succeed in doing something.

Another problem here is that how to understand object of pull off?

  pull off one the neatest tricks imaginable.

How to parse  `one the neatest tricks imaginable?

one is single,the neatest tricks imaginable is plural,what is the logic between them?

Did the author omit of between one and the neatest tricks imaginable?


texts: Wrong title in IELTS? 'An almost forgotten people?'

texts:
A title in the IELTS Reading Section reads -

  The Phoenicians: an almost forgotten people

It's IELTS and thus unlikely to make a mistake!

What am I missing? Or IELTS has gone wrong?


texts: A single term for city and town, but not village?

texts:
Is there a single term (word or phrase) for city and town, as opposite to village?

In my language there's no distinction between city and town, so having one word for both of them is quite natural (of course there are small towns and big towns - cities).


texts:
I heard a saying which explains life's path of a person... It explains that if you chose your life's way (path), you should follow it until the end of your life...

  If you chose your way, go to the end...

The type of this sentence is more poetic, motivational or life's philosophy...
For example, if you chose the way to be a computer programmer, you have to improve your skills and growth even if you have got a problems with your education or something...
I mean that you do not have to give up ever never... So I am searching the most correct phrase to be like a credo type for me...


texts: Can we use Present continuous to describe routine?

texts:
I write an essay about effects of pandemic on people's life. I want to describe remote work or learning online. Should I write:

1.During this pandemic some people works from home.

2.During this pandemic some people are working from home.

the same with:

1.Students learn online.

2.Students are learning online.

When I checked in google, there are more results with Present Continuous tense, but I can't understand why. It's not something that happens now, in this exact moment but it's just a fact that they work/learn like that because of this whole pandemic situation.


texts:
I know the phase "in virtue of" means because or as a result of. But I also know the single word "virtue" is used to mean moral life and conduct. It comes to me so obscure to bind these two meanings together.

How to clarify "in virtue of" with regard to its etymology?


texts:
All the major dictionaries say that exercise, when denotes a physical activity, is an uncountable noun.

  Swimming is good exercise. (OALD)

  Cycling to work is good exercise. (Cambridge Dictionary)

Longman Dictionary of Common errors explained and I quote, "Exercise (uncountable) = physical activity such as walking, swimming etc".

Exercise (countable) = A movement or set of movements.

Is it wrong to say "Swimming is a good exercise"?


texts: Does "hereby" sound too serious at the end of a letter to the visa office?

texts:
Well, I had to write a letter to the visa office explaining the reasons why I apply for the visa and what my background is in a brief fashion. And at the end of the letter, I used this sentence:

  I hereby apply for the study permit so as to leave me enough time to
  plan my...

Does that sound okay to the native ears? I fear it almost sounds like I am about to claim a right in a law-related context or to declare something to the public.


texts:
How to understand in other words the title of the text according to the story?:

Match Made It in Heaven

As I sat sipping a cup of tea at my sister Doris" house, my husband, Brian,  caught my eye and flashed me a wide smile. Brian"s eyes had lit up when he saw Michael, our nephew, playing with a pile of craft matchsticks, attempting to make a house."How about a challenge?" he said to Michael. "You make a house and I'll make a little boat". In a couple of hours the pair had cut, crafted and glued the matchsticks together and the task was complete. "I'm going to call the boat Hazel," Brian said proudly. That was when his pastime really started.

We found a hobby shop that sold modelling matchsticks, and we soon became their best customers. "I'm going to get bags of them," Brian said. "I'll start a new project when I get home." He got to work on a larger boat, swiftly followed by an  exact copy of a Second World War torpedo boat. Brian was never happier than when he was sat in front of the TV with his matchsticks and PVA glue. It was a great way to keep his mind occupied as he'd retired from his refrigerator factory job years before with health problems, so I was pleased he'd found a hobby he loved.

Soon he decided to build a giant grandmother clock. The project was developing well; it just would have been nice to clear up my living room floor occasionally. Brian would make sections of the clock and then he'd piece it together. It took around seven years and 210,000 matchsticks to complete the grandmother clock. It now has pride of place in our living room, and chimes to the tune of Big Ben every 15 minutes.

As the pieces mounted up, the space in our house disappeared. "We're going to have to find new homes for some of your models," I said to Brian one day. The loft was crammed full of pieces and I hadn't seen the coffee table in years. He"d made a beautiful rocking horse, complete with a saddle made from one of my old bags, which we gave to Brian"s sister. He'd also built a huge windmill that played Tulips from Amsterdam, which we donated to his aunt.

The craziest idea Brian ever had was to row from Dover to Calais in a giant boat made of matchsticks. He actually got as far as constructing the 5ft frame. It took nearly a month and 216,000 matchsticks to build, but thankfully that idea was shelved. Instead, he contented himself with making yet another old wartime boat. There were working lights, tiny lifeboats and even the propellers worked.
But hopefully the latest boat won"t be here for much longer.
"Do you think the maritime museum would accept the boat?" Brian asked recently. "That's a lovely idea," I said. It would be great if they did - then at least I might get my living room back.


texts: confusing!!! could you analyse parts of speech of "at around 10 AM" & "around 10 AM"?

texts:
could you analyse parts of speech of "at around 8 AM / 8 o'clock"?

We got these examples in this dictionary

  around /əˈraʊnd/  adverb

  We got home at around 8 o'clock. = (US) We got home around
  about 8 o'clock. [=it was approximately 8 o'clock when we got home]

I would say, in the phrase "at around 8 AM / 8 o'clock" in "I go to work at around 8 AM / 8 o'clock",

-"at" is a preposition

-"8 AM / 8 o'clock" is a noun

-"around" is an adjective

-& "at around 8 AM / 8 o'clock" is a prepositional phrase playing a role of an adverb

Also, American people will say "I go to work around 8 AM / 8 o'clock". In this case, I would say:

-"around" is a preposition

&

-"8 AM / 8 o'clock" is a noun

&

-"around 8 AM / 8 o'clock" is a prepositional phrase playing a role of an adverb

But I am not use because in the dictionary, it says "around" in this case is an adverb. But I think dictionaries is not a good place to identify what part of speech of a word is.


texts: more informal synonym for "compose one's thoughts?"

texts:
Is there a more informal and idiomatic synonym for compose/collect/organize one's thoughts?
I was thinking of "get my thoughts/ it/ my head together" or "get my thoughts in order"- are these something you'd use?

  Give me a minute to _______________ [get my thoughts organized, in
  order]


texts:
thrived vs throve

Could they be different in their usage?
There are two forms of inflection: ed-ed (regular) vs. irregular (like drink-drank-drunk)
When native speakers use the verbs as past which one is prevalent and is there any case that certain forms should be used?


texts:
From the book "Sapiens":

One reason German soldiers and  civilians thought not all was lost was that they believed  German scientists were about to turn the tide...

From the above sentence there were two 'was ' It is hard to find the subject of the first was . If all is the subject , all I think should need plural verb.


texts:
How could we spend this time on the island?

Does this mean 1)It is impossible or difficult for us to spend time in the island?   Or   2) What are the possible means to stay in the forest?
If the given sentence doesn’t mean the above two cases, what does it mean?


texts: Why must an English learners should know Grammar first?

texts: Why must everyone understand Grammar first before learning to speak?


texts: To which noun does "bent on escaping these sufferings" refer?

texts:
Here is an extract from a book about the Buddha by Michael Carrithers:

I wonder to which noun the clause bent on escaping these sufferings refers. I think it refers to the Buddha considering the comma before the clause; referring to the wandering ascetic it would not need the comma before it.

What do you think?


texts:
Often in political campaigns a point is reached at which candidates take out their gloves and start slugging with bare fists.

Is it correct to say? Especially the bolded part.


texts:
It is from this video. It is at 10 minute and 56 second.

  Before the Euro was introduced, they pegged their own currency.


texts: What would be different if I use "have been" instead of "be"

texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences?

Suddenly kicked in the bar, Tony turned out to be so worked up.
Suddenly kicked in the bar, Tony turned out to have been so worked up.


texts:
What does this verse mean? Do fain and use have archaic meanings here?

When first Amyntas su'd for a Kiss,
My innocent Heart was tender;
That tho‘ I push'd him away from the bliss,
My Eyes declar'd my Heart was won.
I fain an artful coyness wou'd use,
Before I the Fort did surrender:
But Love wou'd suffer no more such abuse
And soon, alas! my cheat was known:

Song: When First Amintas su'd for a kiss (1719)


texts:
Source
I mentioned last week that I still have my grandmother’s button box.  When she sold her house and dispersed her belongings it was one of the two things I wanted most. (Along with her sewing machine, which I foolishly let a cousin take to save a nasty scene.  But that’s another story.)
I think three.
This button box, the second thing, which is not identified here, and finally this sewing machine.
Am I correct? Thank you.


texts:
Can we use the subject 'you' for emphasis in the imperative?

  Don't you learn the lessons by heart!
  Don't you forget it!


texts:
The opposition had eggs thrown at the minister

In this website, in an answer I found that the above sentence means - The opposition made some paid protestors or someone to throw eggs at the minister.

The minister had eggs thrown at him.

In the same answer, he said, this sentence means— The minister underwent the experience of eggs being thrown at him (But not “The minister didn't incite somebody else to throw eggs at him” like the first sentence)
Although both first and second sentences have same construction why do them mean different thing, one is causitive and other is experiental?


texts:
Which one is more idiomatic?

  A is defined in a similar way like B.

Or

  A is defined in a similar way to B.


texts:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/admit?q=admit:

3. [with object] Accept as valid:
4. [no object] (admit of) Allow the possibility of:

What are the similarities and differences? Aren't 3 and 4 equivalent:
Something is accepted as valid, but NOT necessarily accepted with finality
<=> something is an allowable/valid possibility?
In the following example, doesn't "The question is too general
to admit one answer" mean alike?

The question is too general
to admit of one answer.

Source: p 98, Ward Farnsworth


texts:
I forgot to get my keys when I was leaving my apartment.

  I forgot to get my keys leaving my apartment.

Or..

  Leaving my apartment, I forgot to get my keys.

I'm curious about the ing-verb forms and how they're used.
I see people dropping out When I was/ while I was.. all the time, like when constructing sentences like  "I was walking the streets talking over the phone with my friend.." where we're talking about doing two, or more than two things at the same time.

The two sentences in the second example (the one with the or) probably don't mean the same as the first one, and is probably grammatically incorrect.


texts:
I started playing football daily last month.
How to describe that now?
Can I say (I have started playing football daily recently)


texts:
I have a question about can vs could in the IF clause.

  If you could contact us directly, it would be helpful.
  If you can contact us directly, it will be helpful.

Which one do you think is better?

I think since this situation is not impossible, the second one would be correct, but all of my American friends chose the first one because it’s more polite.

I know could/ would are more polite than can/ will, but because of “if”, I think the first may sound unreal as “if I were a bird, I would...”.

Could you please explain this?


texts:
We have two situations that the following sentences can be used in:

  Keep your head up.
  Keep your chin up.
  Keep your pecker up.

a. When you want someone to be hopeful again after a setback.
b. When for instance a soccer player keeps head down when he is playing and his / her coach wants to ask him / her to keep head up when he is playing, (or in similar situations.)

To me, these three sentences mean the same thing and the only point that should be considered is that the last one sounds too informal (maybe impolite)

I wonder which sentence is used for which one of the two cases that I wrote above. (I think all three sentences have both of the usages.)


texts: Why do we say something is The same (using the article), but we say something is different (no article)?

texts: We say "the same", but "different" (no article)? A student asked me this question, and I wasn't sure how to answer him. Thanks for your help!


texts:
He telephoned the police yesterday.

Conveys the sense that the telephone was used, rather than different medium for communication, such as a personal visit or written (email).

Can you show me the diamonds?

Emphasizes on the item, the diamond; it can be emerald, sapphire, ruby or what not.

Paul has gone to the theatre.

Emphasizes that is Paul who went to the theatre, not his brother nor his sister.

Have you heard that Marcella's won £50,000 on the lottery?

It emphasizes the amount of money that was won.

I'm not doing anything this evening.

Stressing which part of the day, that the person speaking is not busy.

Are my explanations correct?


texts: Are these sentences correct? - "The confusion has cleared."

texts:
The confusion has cleared.
  The problem has solved.

Actually, I've looked up in many reputed dictionaries and haven't found any usage of "solve" and "clear" in the way in which these are used in the above sentences.  But when I google these usages, I find many results on reputed websites using "solve" and "clear" in that way. This is what I found on Wikipedia:

  After the confusion has cleared, the schoolmaster and Anton have an honest discussion.

I want to know whether these sentences are correct or not. If these are correct, why are these usages not in any dictionaries?
If these usages are incorrect, why are they being used commonly?


texts:
I saw the following passage and am wondering whether "it is with A as with B" is current English. What is it used for? And what does "it" refer to?

  It is with learning as with wealth. A few cannot be immensely wealthy, but the many must be poor. One palace, and a thousand cabins—a few “nobles,” and a “numerous rabble,” constitute those societies where there are patented and privileged classes. So it is in learning sacred and common.


texts: The firework display, part of the city´s centenary celebrations TAKES place on the 21st August in Cannon Park. - can it be said or written?

texts:
If it is possible to write this sentence (as it was part of a test) :

The next meeting {WILL TAKE / TAKES} place at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Please don´t be late.

Why can't I write:

The firework display, part of the city´s centenary celebrations TAKES place on the 21 st August in Cannon Park?


texts: How to use non-finite forms of verb and difference between sold out and be sold out

texts:
There were more than 10,000 tickets for Adele's concert in LA, all of them ______ within 32 seconds.

  A. sold out
  B. selling out
  C. to sell out
  D. having sold out

I don't understand why the answer is A instead of D. Can anyone help me to analyze this sentence? From my perspective, this question is referred to two grammar points, one is non-finite forms of verb and another is the construction for active voice to substitute passive voice(difference between sold out and be sold out).

  There (Subject) were (Predicate）more than 10,000（Adverbial）tickets（Object）for Adele's concert in LA（Adverbial), all of them ______ (Predicate）within 32 seconds（Adverbial).


texts:
I would like to know the most natural/everyday/colloquial way for a native speaker (preferably, N.Am dialect) to put below things into words: (basically the first phrase that comes to your mind, if you want to say it in an everyday, casual style, please.)

Context 1. Staying in a parking garage:

i.e., would it be correct to say:

how long is your car going to remain parked in the garage? Or...?

Context 2. Moving a vehicle out of a garage:

i.e., would it be correct to say:
when are you going to get off the garage? Pull out of the garage? Move your car out of the garage? Exit from the garage? Or...?

Context 3. Moving a vehicle into the garage:

i.e., would it be correct to say:

when did you get in the garage? When did you pull into garage? When did you enter the garage? Or...?


texts: Understanding the difference between second and moment

texts:
Below are the two sentences. Which one should be used and when?

  The Earth is protected every second.

  The Earth is protected every moment.


texts:
I know the following sentence is correct -

  On the heels of the snow storm, came a terrible ambush of wild bears.

Can I rewrite this sentence like the following -

  Coming on the heels of the snow storm, a terrible ambush of wild bears.

What made me come to this idea is a piece of writing I found on Internet -

  An interesting note is that the new Iraqi ambassador had previously
  demanded an investigation into the killing of his own 21- year-old
  cousin in Iraq. The ambassador has alleged that his cousin was shot by
  U.S. Marines about a year ago. Obviously coming on the heels of these
  allegations in Haditha, a completely unrelated incident. But given
  those allegations flying around right now and the current U.S.
  investigation, you can bet that could make this meeting a bit
  interesting.


texts: if you don't forget all about her -- does "all" mean "everything" or "forget completely"?

texts:
Example with a context (YouTube link):

  I drove slowly back to the office. The telephone was ringing when I arrived at the office. I went in quickly and answered it. "Samuel speaking." "Listen, Samuel," replied a voice. "Forget about Elaine Garfield. We hurt you a little in her apartment. If you don't forget all about Elaine Garfield, we'll hurt you a lot more."

I'm not exactly sure how I should understand all—as a pronoun or an adverb? It seems as though it can equally be understood both ways. For example, if we assume that all is a pronoun, then semantically the sentence will mean something like this: if you don't forget everything that you know about her, we'll hurt you a lot more. On the other hand, if we think of all as an adverb, we'll get the following: if you don't completely forget about her, we'll hurt you a lot more. The two meanings are quite different. Please, help me solve this little, weird grammar conundrum of mine.


texts: How do you say that tree rings (are - will be) closer if there isn't much rain [in a year]?

texts:
Which of these sentences is true?

If there is not much rain in a year, the rings in a tree are close together OR
If there is not much rain in a year, the rings in a tree will be close together

If I removed "in a year" from the sentence would this make any difference?

A picture for illustration:

thanks ..


texts: How do you know what adjectives apply to?

texts: In a list, how do you know what an adjective applies to? For example, I could say "I like warm brownies, hot tea, and cold smoothies." Obviously, there, warm applies to brownies, etc.. But if I wanted to say that I liked warm brownies, warm tea, and warm coffee, I could say "I like warm brownies, tea, and coffee", and it could be interpreted that warm applied to all the items in the list. So how do you know what the adjective applies to? In the second example, I might have been saying that I like warm brownies and tea in general, no matter the temperature. So how do you know?


texts:
I have been studying English by reading The Avengers script.
Here are two passages.

  The Avengers look up, watching as more Leviathans and hundreds of warriors fly through the portal.
  — Natasha: G... Guys?
  — Stark: Call it, Captain.
  — Captain: All right, listen up. [blah blah]

Seeing that Captain starts ordering each of them, does call it mean "order it"? In any case I don't see what "it" means here. Could you explain this to me?

  — Fury: Agent Coulson is down.
  — Other: A medical team is on its way to your location.
  — Fury: They're here. They called it.
  — All: ...

When Fury says "they called it", I guess it maybe means "they said he is dead already". Call = "say", it = "death"? Did I understand right?

Also, can down mean "dead"? When my father passed away, can I say "my father was down" instead?


texts: "anchored just south of the North Pole" or " anchored about south of the North Pole."

texts:
In 1938, the group anchored just south of the North Pole. (From ACT test)

I am wondering why "about" cannot substitute for "just"? I think both make sense semantically.


texts: is there a one word synonym for tears in happiness

texts:
can someone tell me whether there is a one word letter in Britain English for tears which come out in happiness?

It might be of two words also, but do not use 'tears of joy' kind of words..


texts: what is the referent of "in compliance with international law and national legislation" in this sentence?

texts:
Excerpt:

  Tourists and visitors should benefit, in compliance with international law and national legislation, from the liberty to move within their countries and from one State to another, in accordance with Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; they should have access to places of transit and stay and to tourism and cultural sites without being subject to excessive formalities or discrimination;
  Source: Global Code of Ethics for Tourism

I know in compliance with means obeying, however, I need to know the subject of obeying in this long-run sentence.

Interpretation 1:
Tourists and visitors should benefit,  while they (=Tourists and visitors) should be in compliance with(=obey) international law and national legislation, from the liberty to move within their countries and ...

Interpretation 2:
in compliance with(=according to) international law and national legislation, and in accordance with Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Tourists and visitors should benefit from the liberty to move within their countries and ...


texts: Naming a table that describes the movement of cryovials

texts:
I've got a document that describes the establishment of a cell bank. At the very end of this document, there's an unfilled table, a template. The personnel will add a line to this table each time a vial with material is removed from this frozen cell bank, in order to be thawed and used.

The Russian name for this table is simply "Movement" (Движение) - one can see the analogy here with "stock movement" (withdrawal of different items from a storage facility, which is also reflected in a log).

Would an English speaker understand this title, "Movement"?

I came up with alternatives like "Cell bank usage log" or simply "Usage log" or "Usage history", but I'm curious to know whether "movement" will be comprehensible.

Here's what the head of the table looks like:

Basically, I'm curious whether movement is as instantly recognized as part of a stock phrase in English officialese as it is in Russian.


texts:
linguisticsgirl.com: ... In my mind, grammatical *form**(what a word looks like) is clearly separate from grammatical function (what a word does).

  From ODO: 2.1. Any of the ways in which a word may be spelled, pronounced, or inflected
  4.2. [count noun] A set order of words; a formula:

Source: pp 5-6, A Student's Introduction to English Grammar, 2005, by Huddleston and Pullum

  ...To start with, we will often need to employ the standard terms for three different areas within the study of language. Two of them have to do with the
  grammatical form of sentences:
  syntax is the study of the principles governing how words can be assembled into
  sentences ...; and
  morphology deals with the internal form of words

Obstructively and perversely, the authors never defined form (even in the Glossary).
Anyone know why not?
Anyhow, what exactly does this mean? Does any of the definitions above  match?


texts: There are some English cases that, I comes with are and is instead of am

texts:
Like I mentioned in the question title:
You and I are friends. (I takes are)
 It will be great, if you mention some cases just like that.
I takes "is". he takes "do" and so on.  What is the secret of that?


texts: "The car is high quality" VS. "The car is of high quality"

texts: What's the difference here? The word, of, is among the most difficult English word to learn, I guess...


texts:
''Bonn meeting would also include proposals for how action taken could be monitored, accounted for and kept transparent while providing some level of flexibility '

What is the meaning of 'accounted for'  in the previously given sentence?

I have already checked the meaning for the same on various online dictionaries, even I know its meaning but, here in this particular sentence I am unable to find out the context on which it has been used.


texts:
We need to improve the accuracy with which such errors are detected.

I usually use "accuracy" with a relative pronoun as shown above. After looking up dictionaries, I found that the sentence above can be rewritten as follows:

  We need to improve the accuracy in detecting such errors.
  We need to improve the accuracy of detection of such errors.

I am confused whether other prepositions such as "to" and "for" can be used, for example as follows:

  We need to improve the accuracy to detect such errors.
  We need to improve the accuracy for detection of such errors.

Which sounds most natural?


texts: What is the difference between the two sentences?

texts:
The food gets cooked.
The food is cooked.

I get to hear both of the sentences. Are they same or different. Please explain, Sir.


texts:
Here is a paragraph from today's Wall Street Journal.

  Some businesses in the area closed their doors while authorities briefly closed an elevated train station outside mall where the improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, had been placed.

I wonder why it is "outside mall", not "outside the mall". Why is "the" omitted?

If you need more context than this paragraph, please visit the link!


texts: The meaning of "it will be remembered" in this context

texts:
In a CS Lewis's essay we read :

  His fourth point, it will be remembered, was that science had undermined not only what he regards as the mythological accretions of religion, but also what he regards as its essence.

I didn't get the meaning of "it will be remembered" in this context, can someone explain.


texts:
In a recent conversation with Seamus Heaney, I made the point that after Roy Foster's monumental biography of Yeats, any further efforts at biography had been well and truly silenced. The advent of Bill McCormack's book, Blood Kindred, made me think again.

Source: https://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/the-fascist-leanings-of-w-b-yeats-25976745.html

Can you help me with understanding the meaning of the bolded passage? Is the meaning that Foster's biography is so great and brilliant that any next try to write a new biography would hardly overcome the one written by Foster? If so, why the past perfect ("had been well and truly silenced") is used?


texts:
In a novel, there was a line:
"And do we get 'wanted posters'? Leo said."Do we have bounties,like,broken down on a price list?"

So what does "break down on" mean?


texts: The use of 'will have' over 'would have' in this sentence?

texts:
"Today, almost everybody who is literate will have read an interview at some
 point in their lives."

In the above sentence, the writer has used 'will have' instead of 'would have'.

  Is the sentence correct? If it is, then what does the sentence mean?

  What would it mean if the writer had used "would have"?

(I have attached the picture of the text from which the line is taken)

Thanks a lot to whoever takes their time to help me out here! Really really thank you :)


texts: Synonyms of "down the memory lane" "old is gold"

texts: Are there any synonyms which could be used in their place? People use these as either a caption , or as the title of the album, can there be more synonyms similar to the twos i just mentioned above?


texts:
I am practicing for my FCE exam and I have found this expression in the "use of english" part. According to the book, the right answer is go out of fashion but I can´t understand the difference between them.
I would appreciate that someone clear my ideas.
Thank you all

  Although expensevely decorated tables remained popular into 19th
  century, the idea then went out of ............ and was largely
  forgotten.

The options are: a) fashion b) custom c) habit d) trend


texts: Proper usage of the expression “words fail me"

texts:
I am trying to use the expression “words fail me” and I want to know if these sentences are formed correctly:

  Look at this mess, words fail me.
  This comment is so ridiculous that words fail me.

Is there any other proper expressions with similar nuance above sentences, please let me know.


texts:
The temple and its patrons were destroyed by the fire.
The temple and the patrons inside were destroyed by the fire.

Are these two sentences synonymous? I am wondering if you can use "its" to denote that the patrons were inside the temple and had no other connection to the temple aside the fact they were inside of it.


texts:
How do you say greet people and invite them to the table?

I thought "greet people to the table" meant that, but my English teacher told me, I can't and I can only say "greet people at a table", so how do you say greet people and invite them to the table in the shortest and most idiomatic way possible?


texts: Is it reasonable to measure the willingness in money, "would love" vs. "would like"?

texts:
Consider these examples.

  A: I would like to go to watch the baseball game.

  B: I would love to go to watch the baseball game.

I guess the willingness of the latter is stronger than the former. The question is how much of it? Suppose an individual game ticket ranges from $50 to $800.

"would like" indicates A is a usual fan and he probably would spend $50 to buy a ticket.

"would love" indicates B is a fanatical fan and he probably would spend $800 to buy a ticket.

Is my understanding right? Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.

The examples are adapted from post ("I want to" and "I would like to" and "I would love to"), my understanding comes from it as well.


texts:
Which one is correct?

The sun damages your skin and causes lots of illness.
The sun damages your skin, causing lots of illness.


texts: Is there any difference between friendly and kind?

texts:
A music teacher is portrayed as follows:

“She talks to everyone. She always says hello.”

Thus, is she friendly or kind?

Cambridge Dictionary defines friendly as

  behaving in a pleasant, kind way towards someone

Apparently, the word is paraphrased as kind to some degree. Not limited to this, the fact is that the Chinese native speakers are very puzzled at the usage of these two words.

Do the American and British native speakers give the same answer to this?


texts: Come out in the sense of removing something

texts:
How come is the meaning common in everyday speech? I mean, we may use just remove instead. For instance:

  The stains from the meat sauce won't come out.

What is the difference between these two sentences?

  The stains from the meat sauce won't be removed .

or

  The stains from the meat sauce won't be come out.


texts:
I actually stuck when I want to convey that to my friend and somehow I told “don’t go that far, you can wait little before” But I am not happy with the sentence that used to convey it.

I used "far" in my sentence, but X1 to X is not far just few meters away. And l used "little before", I am unsure of its use in this situation.

How to say it? what is the right sentence?


texts: "Studies of (subject)" vs. "Studies in (subject)"

texts:
I am confused as to which one is correct:

  I would like to continue my studies of economics.

  I would like to continue my studies in economics.

Can anybody explain to me?


texts: "Something might come along" vs "Something might turn up"

texts:
Which is better? As in:

  She had no money and no job. No place to stay, either. Hope dies last, though. Something ...

Or, if you wish to rephrase the whole thing, be my guest.


texts:
In this sentence:

“With passionate justifications to support their view, many people believe that negative consequences have arisen as a direct result of computers in the classroom.”

Does view work, or should it be “views” ...?


texts:
I would like to know what definition does "some" have in these sentences:

Some friends you have! (bad friends that didn't come to the rescue)
Some soup you've made! (delicious soup)
Some winter we have this year! (a very cold winter, unnaturally cold)
Some night it was! (a very interesting and joyful night; there was a lot of fun)

But depending on the intonation the meaning can change:

Some friends you have! (they helped you build a house)
Some soup you've made! (it was really awful, you never made this bad a soup)
Some winter we have this year! (a strange winter. It's not cold. There's no snow.)
Some night it was! (I couldn't sleep. I was up all night and I had a sick stomach)

So what does some mean and how does it work here?


texts:
I have to convert given sentences into reported speech.

  My father said to me ‘‘Look! you are taking too much pressure on yourself’’.

My father exclaimed that I was taking too much pressure on myself.
My father told me that I was taking too much pressure on myself.

Which one is correct here. I don't think it as a exclamatory sentence. So for me, 2 should be correct here.

  Alex said to his sister, ‘‘Before I go to New York, I shall meet Shelly.’’

Alex told his sister that before he went to New York, he would meet Shelly. (my answer)
Alex told his sister that before going to New York, he would meet Shelly. (answer given in exam sheet)

Which one is correct here? Why verb "go" is changed to "going" in 2.

  She said to her friend, "could/would you please lend me some money?

She requested her friend to lend her some money. (Book answer)
She asked her friend if he could kindly lend her some money. (My answer)

This is not imperative sentence so how 1 could be the correct answer?