texts: When to use words "country" and "state" while describing a sovereign political entity?

texts:
While describing a sovereign political entity, when is it appropriate to use the words country and state?

To me, state sounds more official and academic, and country more informal, but this might come from the way the words from my language are translated into English.

Making things worse, country is sometimes used to describe rural districts, while state is one of the names the sub-entities of state/country can be called.


texts: How do I express subjuctive future in English?

texts:
This is a question already asked. However I have a case that is not covered.
There are cases where the subjunctive is not part of a typical "if" conditional sentence.
I'll give an example in Spanish and the translations I would try:
Cuando yo sea grande seré astronauta.
                 In most of the cases it could be:
                       When I grow older I'll be an astronaut.
                 But I also saw this way:
                       When I will be an adult I'll be an astronaut.

The use of "when" and "will" together sounds awkward to me.
Are they both right?
Another example is:
Once test is complete we will put it in production.
or
Once test will be complete we will put it in production.
Which is the right way to say it?
Thanks


texts:
This is a sentence meaning question, are the following sentences similar as for their context(I'm not saying its absolute form, but the general concept of it)

(Excerpt)

  Captain America's mindset: ...Regardless of whether standing up for them means he gets beaten up, he will still go on.

To:

  Captain America's mindset: ...Despite the potential of getting beaten up if he stands up for them., he will still go on.(I've constructed this sentence myself)

Are they the same somehow?


texts: Is phrase "getting to speak to" grammatically correct?

texts:
I loved everything about your company from making computers to repairing them to shipping them and getting to speak to all the different kinds of people from around the world.

I'm more concerned about the phrase "getting to speak to"?

And is this sentence grammatically correct? (overall)


texts:
The beer pours a hazy yellow color with a huge white head.

Is this sentence OK in terms of using the verb "pour". I regularly find this phrase in beer reviews. Can the beer really pour something? I would understand the sentence: After pouring into the glass, the beer has yellow color with a huge white head…


texts: I couldn't / wasn't able to drink coffee (come home late) when I was 10 years old

texts:
Please, help me to understand the usage of these modals better.

As I think, the most appropriate answer is

  I wasn't able to drink coffee (come home late) when I was 10 years old.

because these situations are not about physical abilities (as something wrong with swallowing liquid or with legs :), but about external circumstances e.g. parents' rules, drinking coffee restrictions.

What's your opinion?


texts: Modifier in "People of all ages enjoy swimming"?

texts:
Consider the sentence:

  People of all ages enjoy swimming.

Here the solution says that the modifier is "of all ages". I want to understand why is "enjoy" not a modifier in the above sentence.


texts: Indefinite article before group of nouns

texts:
I wrote the following sentence in gmail:

Please provide us with s184 certificate and invoice.

The auto grammar check suggested I insert "an" as below:

Please provide us with an s184 certificate and invoice.

Is this correct? Do I use "an" and not "a" even though the noun "invoice" is not directly after the article? Or is it just an error in the program?


texts:
Evans also records that Müller was a regime functionary out of ambition, not out of a belief in National Socialism. (Source)

I would like to know the precise meaning of the phrase "out of ambition and out of belief" in the sentence above. From the context of the article I came to the opinion that HM was not a truthful believer in Nazi ideology, that he was the sort of an opportunist. But the phrase "out of ambition, not out of a belief in National Socialism" asserts something totally different, at least when translating it literally.


texts: "(a) few hundred people", "(a) few hundreds of people"?

texts:
Which is correct?

  A few hundred people ...
  A few hundreds of people ...

Does it make any sense without an article or A is necessary?


texts:
In the abstract of a study published on nih.gov one can read:

  These data suggest that canine feces have the potential to pose a significant health risk to Canadians in rural and [...].

Shouldn't "feces" take the singular "has"? I'm asking because, as far as I know, "feces" is a mass noun, not a count noun; so I'm perplexed by that plural usage.

Could there be differences in the above "have/has" usage between scientific contexts and everyday speech?


texts: "In spite of both" vs. "in spite both of"

texts:
Which of the following two is correct usage:

  They managed to cross the border in spite of both the barbed wire and the border patrol agents.

Or,

  They managed to cross the border in spite both of the barbed wire and of the border patrol agents.


texts:
Example with a context (Yahoo news story: South Carolina House approves bill removing Confederate flag):

  The House easily approved the Senate bill by a two-thirds margin (94-20), and the bill now goes to Republican Gov. Nikki Haley's desk. She supports the measure, which calls for the banner to come down within 24 hours of her signature.

What does that exactly mean? Two-thirds obviously means two out of three. But what is a two-thirds margin?


texts:
There came a shrill and a whistling sound,

  Above, beneath, beside, and around,

  Yet leaf ne’er moved on tree!

  So that some people thought old Beelzebub must

  Have been lock’d out of doors, and was blowing the dust

  From the pipe of his street-door key.

This is from the poem called The Witches’ Frolic (1837).
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/i/ingoldsby/thomas/ingoldsby_legends/chapter9.html

What does 'pipe of his street-door key' here?


texts:
I am looking for a verb/idiom/expression to describe a specific mood/action of people. The term in my question is most of the time used for children in which they are not serious at all and just have fun and try to play games usually and ignore what they are obliged to do in their lives.
The only verb that I have seen is: "to act playfully" which means:

  — Intending to be fun rather than serious, or showing that you are having fun.

But although it works, it sounds a bit stilted to me when e.g. a mother wants to tell her child:

  1) Tomorrow you have an important exam. Don't act playfully this much, sit and study.

Or

  2) Tomorrow you have an important exam. Stop playfulness, sit and study.

What would a native mother say in similar situation to both of my cases instead of what I said? I suspect my sentence works naturally.


texts:
I have heard this phrase, used in a farming context:

  I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet
  gentle enough to yean lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-comb
  pullets.

What does "pink-comb pullets" mean?

I know that a pullet is a young chicken, but what does "pink-comb" mean?

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpZ0TGjbWE


texts:
It's from a entry of Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Clark_(9/11_attacks_survivor)

It says:

  As Clark and DiFrancesco entered the floor, Clark turned around to look at his coworkers still in the stairwell and watched as they had decided to go up the stairs to the roof instead of down. The group would all go on to lose their lives that day as access to the roof was locked. There were also no plans for helicopter rescues from the roof as the NYPD deemed it to unsafe to attempt.

I am wondering what does would mean here. Is that a past form of will or a subjunctives indicating that those people didn't do that.

Thanks


texts: Should I say "providing me charity," "providing me with charity," or "providing charity to me?"

texts:
I'm confused because there's exactly 1 hit for each on them on Google Books.

... providing me charity

... providing me with charity

... providing charity to me

What's the correct option? Or at least, the most common/colloquial one?


texts: Is it okay to use 'would' in past tense?

texts:
I was having breakfast with my older brother and then I asked him to 'Can I pass?'.

He answered 'Yes you can, if you were not this kind then I ..... not let you pass.' We had a argue about what we can fill the blank with.

I said it is okay to say 'Otherwise, I would not let you pass.' as in past tense.

He said it is not right to use 'would' in paste tense. We must use 'could' instead, he said.

So, my question is, is it okay to fill in the blank with 'would'?


texts:
1.The market basket may not be representative, it can overstate or understate inflation for certain groups.

  2.CPI does measure the variation in price for retail goods and other items paid by consumers, it does not include things like savings and investments.

I find it hard to understand the meaning of the preposition for,
when it acts as an adverb, it isn't that difficult,
but when it acts as an adjective , it completely baffles me, like the examples above.

I guess the fors above are adjectival and modifies the preceding noun ,
but how do I understand or interpret the meaning of these fors?

Author posted in comment:

If it's an adverb:

  "I bought this for you"

"for" here tells the purpose or introduce the people receiving the thing.

That's the meaning I know.


texts: How can I ask a person in which order in his family among the siblings?

texts:
My colleague he have two brothers. I want to know, he is first/second/third son of his parents, ie., the order in the family among their siblings.

I can simply ask

  Are you first son of your family?

It simply give some predictions, I don't want to that.

Is there a better way to ask the question?


texts: "Shaken by/from the experience, Tom decided to go home. "

texts:
Which is the correct usage here?

Shaken by the experience, Tom decided to go home.

or

Shaken from the experience, Tom decided to go home.

What rule do we use to know which preposition to use?


texts: Unsure about two phrases dealing with location

texts:
I came up with these two phrases:

  There isn't a mall in the same city as this bakery.

and

  There's no "Louis" barber in the mall belonging to same city as this bakery.

With the first one I would like to say that, in a certain city, there is a bakery (at least one) but no mall (at all).

With the second one I'm trying to say that in a certain city there is a bakery (at least one) and that in the same city there's also a mall (only one). And that in this mall there's no barber advertised as "Louis".

I can't avoid to feel that they are somewhat awkward. The second one feels especially awkward.

Do you think they could be rearranged to feel more natural?


texts:
These sentences appear in Robert Heinlein's novel Have Space Suit, Will Travel:

  When I was a kid, we used to pretend we were making the first landing on the Moon. Then I gave up romantic notions and realized that I would have to go about it another way.

What does go about it another way mean here?


texts: How should I construct a question from a sentence containing "used to"?

texts:
What is the question form of "She used to come here."?

Is "Did she use to come here?" or "Used she to come here?" From my high school English classes, I remember I was taught it is "Used she to come here?" but now it seems a strange way to form a question.

Which one is the correct form, or the most used one?


texts: "poor quality article" vs "article of poor quality"

texts:
We will not buy "article of poor quality".

This sentence is an answer from a test.
I know "article of poor quality" is grammatical.
But I could not find its usage when googling. I've only found
"the poor quality article".

So I'd like to know whether this usage is natural or not.


texts:
I think the following sentence is correct both ways with that and without that

  The smell of cooking told them (that) there was a meal in the offing.


texts:
After that, the back-seat chattering stopped. When Mr. Hampton looked into his rearview mirror he saw his daughter sending a text message on her cellphone. “Katie, you shouldn’t be texting all the time,” Mr. Hampton recalled telling her. “Your friends are there. It’s rude.” Katie rolled her eyes again. “But, Dad, we’re texting each other,” she replied. “I don’t want you to hear what I’m saying.” Mr. Hampton turned his attention back to the freeway. It’s a common scene these days, one playing out in cars, kitchens and bedrooms across the country.

What does the last sentence mean exactly?
What role plays the word "one" in the last sentence?


texts:
I wonder what does the phrase "discrete word" mean.
I came across this phrase in a context which someone wants advice someone else in a polite way, and the sentence is:

  I will have a discrete word.

Probably the speaker means  "I will have a discrete word with them"


texts:
Sentence:

  The founder of Georgia, James Edward Oglethorpe, served as chairman of a committee charged with investigating prison conditions, which led him to take a special interest in the plight of debaters.


texts:
According to the Cambridge dictionary, one of the meaning of "denomination" is:

  a unit of value, especially of money

Is it wrong/unusual to use "value" instead of "denomination" in this context? Example:

The machines take coins of any denomination.
The machines take coins of any value.


texts:
I wrote:

Each pattern can be either specified for data extraction or to restrict the occurrence of  nested patterns.
If the pattern is (was or has been ?) specified for data extraction, we extract its content...

I used "be specified for something" to mean the purpose of each pattern, is it a correct usage of "specify"? What are other ways to say such sentences?


texts:
Can I say:

" In 2003, The number of people who are unemployed in Wales was two thirds the figure for England"

"In 2003, the percentage of unemployment in England was two thirds above that in Wales"

If the data for England double that for Wales. I'd say "In 2003, the percentage of unemployment in England was two times/ twice above that in Wales"?

Are these 3 statements grammatically correct? Thank you so much


texts:
Here's from the movie The Enemy Below (1957)

  This is the captain. I guess you're all
  waiting for some kind of word.
  We're tracking an unidentified ship. We're going
  to try to stay on his tail until morning.
  We will breakfast early,
  and go to battle stations at 0530.
  Don't be surprised if we tangle
  with a pig-boat a little after dawn.
  Do your jobs efficiently and we'll
  chalk one up for the "Haynes". That's all.

What does 'we'll chalk one up for the "Haynes"' mean?


texts: Why is the word "worth" too much confusing?

texts:
A sentence with the word "worth" is like this:

"Cleanliness is the virtue most worth having but one."

...and given that here "worth" is an adjective.But I couldn't understand how ..?

Please,help me...


texts: Have a listen vs have listens vs have listen

texts:
Have a listen to the CD.
Have listens to the CD.
Have listen to the CD.

Are they correct?
Can countable nouns take plural forms with this kind of delexical verbs?


texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct? And what does the first part exactly mean?

'SIRE (company which made the video) called for hands to be kept off our social workers, so this video must be aimed at individuals who use violence against the people that are always ready to help us.'


texts: Does "one moment " function as an adverb phrase?

texts:
"In today's Maths class, one moment he says two and three is five. But the next moment he says one and four is five." Mike answers.

I think the sentence mentioned above is not that authentic. I wonder whether the native speaker will use it like this.

Is "one moment" omitted from "for one moment"? If not, can a noun phrase function as an adverb?


texts: What do you call in the USA the people of English ancestry?

texts: What do you call the ethnic group of people who are of English ancestry? Do you call them Anglo-Saxons?


texts: Is this the correct way of using "agree"?

texts:
From one of the GMAT Verbal passages, it says:

  The World Wildlife Fund has declared that global warming, a phenomenon that most scientists agree is
  caused by human beings’ burning of fossil fuels, will create havoc among migratory birds by altering the environment in ways harmful to their habitats."

The phrase

  a phenomenon that most scientists agree is caused by human beings’ burning of fossil fuels

is an appositive phrase that modifies global warming. The book claims that this passage is correct. However, the use of "agree + is caused by" seems so ungrammatical to me. Is there any rules of use that I'm missing?


texts: Which is correct, "to have a tendency to " or "to have the tendency to "?

texts:
Is the correct phrasing "to have a tendency to <do something>" or is it "to have the tendency to <do something>" ?

An example of a sentence I want to use the phrase in is:
You have a/the tendency to underestimate the effect that future events have on your opinions.

Google Ngram Viewer suggests that the answer is "to have a tendency to <do something>". But I think that the answer might depend on the context.


texts: Present perfect or simple past "have moved or moved?"

texts:
I have just read the sentence like this: " I haven't seen her since 2003. She moved to Australia with her family then". My question is: Why don't we use "she has moved to Australia then"? I have learnt that the present perfect is used for indefinite time in the past and in this sentence we don't know the definite time.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Subject complement "Noun phrase + Be + (to) bare infinitive"

texts:
Is it right to use a bare infinitive as a subject complement as in the following quote?

  "Its true purpose is convince shoppers that your product is the preferred choice"

Another example:

  "Their purpose is convince holders of political office of the importance of their industry but also to inform them about their expert knowledge and responsibility in their respective industry."

Sources:

http://www.businessessentials.co.za/2017/07/14/brand-toolkit/

http://www.serviceplan.co.kr/en/397.html

I am aware of that bare infinitive can be used when the sentence contains do as in this example:

  The thing to do is [call for a taxi].


texts: Is "at some point" more commonly used when talking about future while "at one time" for past?

texts:
I suppose the following expression is idiomatic

  I’m the kind of person who needs new challenges to stay focused.
  I might even start my own business, because that’s something I’ve always wanted to
  do at some point in my life.

Obviously, "at some point" here refers to "a particular time in the future"

An ELL post("At one time", "at some point" or "one time"?) gives these examples

  I injured my back so badly, that at one time I couldn't even walk.

  I injured my back so badly that at some point I couldn't even walk.

Both are used to talk about past.

Another post (At some point "in future" or "in the future") uses "at some point" to talk about future.

I guess "at some point" could be used when talking about past though, it is more commonly used for future while "at one time" for past. Is my understanding?


texts: using "should" in the second and third conditional sentences

texts:
If you should come across something weird, you would call me.( the second conditional sentence)

Could we use "should" to express a more doubtful idea in the second and third conditional sentences? would you please throw light on such an issue?
Updated: For clarification, I have just put some related examples that illustrate what I am strongly seeking for. You see, therefore, not only as to zero conditional sentences also the other types of conditional sentences you would use should to express more doubtfulness.
Edited: Is there any relation between the sentence R and probability or one of the following?
R. In case you (should)need to me, call me.
1.If I worked harder, I would/should pass the exam. (type 2)
2.If I had worked harder, I would/should have passed the exam. (type 3)
3.if we had lots of money, we would/should travel round the world. (Type 2)
4.If we had had lots of money, we would/should have travelled round the world (type 3)
What is more:
I am wondering what is the difference between the following?
If we had had lots of money, we would/should have travelled round the world
Many thanks


texts:
How to use the word CART/KART, whose meanings are below:

(KART)
a heavy vehicle, usually having four wheels, which is driven by some racers in the race ground.

(CART)
a light open horse-drawn vehicle having two wheels and springs, for business or pleasure.

(CART)
any small vehicle drawn or pushed by hand, such as a trolley.

So while having a conversation with my friend I said we'll go to cart race (vehicle driven by horse in India), but unfortunately he thought we're going to kart race (four wheeler vehicle driven by racer).
When texting I knew there won't be a problem, but while speaking these words how can I ensure there is no confusion for him? As: should I pronounce those words differently to make myself clear or should I explain? What is better when using other words with the same pronunciation?


texts:
I thought THE is always needed in “the x of y”, but consider
peace of mind(e.g. My parents found it necessary for peace of mind.)
vexation of spirit (e.g. Better is one handful of rest than two handfuls of toil and vexation of spirit.)
Are these only exceptions? Any more exceptions?


texts: What does "leave work until the last minute" mean?

texts:
I saw a new phrase today in ''Interchange'' Book #2 page 21:

Some people leave work until the last minute, this is a bad habit that can cause trouble.

What does this phrase mean?


texts:
Should we say

  Dogs have noses.

or

  Dogs have a nose.

or

  Dogs have nose.

like wise, at school where each student has a backpack, can I say

  Students, carry your backpacks

or

  Students, carry your backpack.

Or if I say

  Everyone, pick up your backpacks.

Or

  Everyone, pick up your backpack.


texts: Word for advertising an idea, ideology, concept

texts: What is the best word choice for advertising concepts, ideas, ideologies, etc. Suppose that one is trying to propagate the concept, idea, etc. so that more and more people get familiar with the idea, accept it and use it. What is the best word for what he is doing? For example, a religious figure is trying to persuade others to follow the religion he follows.


texts:
Source: "A Cmmunicative Grammar of English" by Geoffrey Leech and Jan Svartvik (p.328-329)

As you can see, the book says:

  ● Nominal to-fininitive clause as subject:

  To say there is no afterlife would mean a rejection of religion.

  ● Nominal to-fininitive clause as direct object:

  We want everyone to be happy.

  ● Nominal to-infinitive clause as subject complement:

  The minister's first duty will be to stop inflation.

  ● Nominal to-infinitive clause as complement of an adjective:

  I was very glad to help in this way.

  The subject of a to-fininitive is normally introduced by for. A
  pronoun subject here has the objective form:

  What I wanted waas for them to advance me the money.

Is it persuasive for an adjective to take a nominal complement directly? I thought the infinitive clause seems to be an adverbial, not a nominal because It seems to postmodify glad. I'm not sure of it, though. Is it like "worth" in the clause of "the view was worth
it"?


texts: Which of the given sentences are correct?

texts:
She didn't make any effort to catch the train.
  She didn't put any effort to catch the train.
  She didn't make an effort to catch the train.
  She didn't put in any effort to catch the train.

Which of these above sentences are correct? I have seen people use the third one and the forth one. I looked up examples sentences similar to all four of those sentences and i could find too many results for the first one.
Is it okay to use the first one?


texts: Writing IT articles in english language - basic rules

texts:
I plan write an IT blog in english language, but this is not my native language. I would like to know some basic rules when writing articles. Each advice will be valuable.

Is it good to use two (or more) same words in one sentence? Look at first sentence in this question ((...) language (...) language (...))?
What tense should I use when writing IT articles? Should I use only one tense in article and avoid mixing them?
Should I use british or american dialect of english? Is there any place in the internet to check british or american words?
Should I use shortcuts (I would -> I'd)?
Is it good idea to check everything in google translate?

I know this is not one question, but they concern the same issue.

Do I commited a lot of mistakes in the above content? ;)


texts:
Which sentence is grammatically correct and why?
"Does anyone know when did X unfollow Y on Instagram"
or
"Does anyone know when X unfollowed Y on Instagram?"
The example might not be the best, but that's what I struggle with - questions that start with "Do you know..."/"Does anyone know", leading to questions that include past tense. Can anyone explain the correct way to ask those questions and the rules behind it? Thank you!


texts: The function of "of" in phrases like "a country of wide lawns"

texts:
I understand the sentences perfectly but I have difficulty finding what are the exact functions of the prepositions  (of) used in the following sentences.

  We were sitting at a table with a man of about my age.
  I had just left a country of wide lawns and friendly trees.
  It was a mansion inhabited by a gentleman of that name.


texts:
It is from this program it's at 1 minute and 22 seconds. Here it is:

So he was 15 meters short. It means he techically didn't complete the race. He was moved into third place, so he didn't bag the 8000 prize either. Not his best day out.


texts:
"But the large Jimmies go into baskets to be sold alive to the crab
  houses offering the freshly steamed hot-spiced hard crabs so
  popular around the Bay."

  William Warner, Beautiful Swimmers: Waterman, Crabs and the Chesapeake
  Bay

How can I interpret “hot” in “hot-spiced”? Does it mean the spices added are hot (temperature)? Or does it mean crabs are hot (temperature)? Or does “hot” here mean spicy?

  spiced

  Flavoured with spice. (Oxford Dictionary)

  https://www.lexico.com/definition/spiced


texts:
Do I always have to use might when talk about the past and may does not belong there?

I may beat him now / tomorrow.
I may might beat him a year ago.


texts: "We all know the climate changes, it has in the past, it is changing now"

texts:
We all know the climate changes, it has in the past, it is
  changing now and it will in the future, but what is different about
  what we are doing now compared to what happened in the Cretaceous?

Would it have been more appropriate to use had in the sentence above? Does using the perfect here imply the repeatability of climate change  events, that they occurred many times before?


texts:
The following sentence is given:

  I'd only just got into the bath when she phoned.

I cannot understand the meaning of "would". Is it a modal auxiliary here?


texts: Can we delete the second "Whether" after "or" and simplify the sentence? Why is the "Whether" after "or"?

texts:
He had only to consider whether he would employ art or violence, or whether he would rather prefer a judicious admixture of the two.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts:
Consider the case when a teacher has thirty students in the class. The noun "homework" is uncountable so he cannot say "I have thirty homeworks to grade every week." My question is that if there is any unit of homework so that the sentence "I have thirty (units) of homework to grade every week" can be valid?

Edit:

After reading the replies, I think I should make the situation more clear. I myself am a math TA. What our students need to do for homework is usually about ten exercises from the textbook. I feel if I ask another TA how much homework he needs to grade, the usual reply will be like, "I have two sections, fifteen students each, and we have one assignment every week." Since the amount of exercises is usually the same, we don't really care about it. The amount of homework to grade mainly depends on how many students we have. But I always feel this kind of reply to be very indirect. So my precisely question is if there is any way to reply the question "how much homework do you need to grade?" by saying "I need to grade thirty (units) homework every week."
Based on what I see from the replies, I have the impression that different countries have different answers for this question. Is this true? I'm on the west coast of the US so the way in which people there answer this question is what I care about the most. But I'm still interested in knowing the difference.


texts: Using aftermath in place of after-effect

texts:
Aftermath is defined as follows in the Oxford dictionary:

    aftermath NOUN 1The consequences or after-effects of a significant unpleasant event.

Does it mean we can use it as the replacement of "after-effect"? For example, if my sentence is as follows:

    The after-effects of the world war will be dreadful for the entire world.

Can I write it as follows:

    The aftermath of the world war will be dreadful for the entire world.

I checked the example sentences given on the Oxford page. All these examples used the following phrase: "In the aftermath of". But if "aftermath" is used in such a way then the following definition from Cambridge looks more precise:

    aftermath Noun the period that follows an unpleasant event or accident, and the effects that it causes:


texts: Active vs. passive: "waves are formed by" vs. "waves formed by"

texts:
Mostly, waves ... by wind blowing over the surface of the sea.

A) are formed ( my answer )

B) formed ( correct according to my book )

Should I burn my book ?


texts: Which preposition: "during" or "at" lunar eclipse?

texts:
The earth passes directly between the  sun and the moon at lunar eclipse.

or

  The earth passes directly between the sun and the moon  during a lunar eclipse.

Which preposition is more suitable: at or during ?


texts: Is there a difference between these two sentences?

texts:
I'm aware of what it possibly means, but I was wondering if the following two sentences have, to some extent, different nuances.

Here's the situation; Two friends are talking about a woman they ran into during an office party.

"Could she possibly be married?"
"Could she be married, by any chance?"

I'm aware that there are much easier or more natural ways to ask this, I'm just curious about these sentences.


texts: Where will it stop/come up to and which platform will it arrive on/come on

texts:
My mother asked a person on a train station about a particular car of the train that we were going to board. (Actually in my country each car of the train is  named like 1A, 2A etc.) So she was actually asking where our train car would stop.

  Where will 2A stop?

  Where will 2A come up to?

Which one out of the two sounds better  "stop" or "come up to"? I mean what's more likely to be used? (The context is quite clear and the person my mom's talking to knows which train she's talking about)

And about a platform:

  Which platform will the train come on?

  Which platform will the train arrive on?

Which one sounds better "come on" or "arrive on "?


texts:
Source

  A Capone associate, the Bowtie Man, shakes down a
  restaurant owner who has chosen to buy from one of Capone's
  competitors.

By this sentence, we can tell the Bowtie man is stronger than the restaurant owner.

Next sentence:

  The owner refuses to be intimidated, and the Bowtie Man appears to
  back off.

If he is strong, why does he back off before the restaurant owner?

How to understand these two sentences ?


texts: A word in parentheses with a punctuation mark

texts:
I have come across the format of where one single word rests inside parenthesis and is followed by a punctuation mark.

Some of how I have seen it used (The examples are written by me but I have included the same specific usage):

  I have searched for that issue on the Internet, but all (most?) of the
  sites stated it in that particular way.

I suppose it is equivalent to: ... but all (maybe most but I'm not sure) of the sites...

  Returning back to what they wrote, you will find that they overused it (twice!)
  as to prove a point.

I think it may be rewritten like: ... that they overused it as they wrote it twice to prove...

Obviously, both statements used that same construction but to deliver different points/messages.

The most obvious difference is that in the first example the word was preceded by another word of the same kind (i.e. the two words "all" and "most" are related) while in the second example, the word was written in that format to assure and/or support a present claim.

So, does that (I'm not even certain if "construction" is the right term
to refer to it by) have a name?
Does it have particular rules? If not, then how to use it correctly?


texts: Can two dependent clauses follow one after the other?

texts:
I am struggling to parse the sentence in bold (at the end) in the given paragraph. This last sentence is adding some context to an example given before in the paragraph (in italics). But for some reason, this last sentence in bold is very hard to read/follow. My problem is it sounds weird to say "In the example above, because the …" and then the part in parenthesis. Too much. Can someone tell me what is wrong with the construction of the last sentence? I don't know if two dependent clauses can be put one after another.

  The labour market condition in a region where the unemployment rate skyrocketed from 7 to 11 percent is no better than the labour market condition in a region where the rate fell from 14 to 13 percent. In fact, Medow, Davis, and Hjartarson (2011) argue that employment prospects are certainly much worse in a low unemployment region with a deteriorating job market than in a high unemployment region with an improving job market. Unemployment rates by themselves do not reflect actual conditions in the regional labour markets. As such, differentiating access and benefits based on the regional unemployment rate can put some workers at a significant disadvantage. In the example above, because the unemployment rate is lower in the first region (11 percent compared to 13 percent), workers there need more hours of insurable work to qualify for EI than workers in the second region.


texts: What makes more sense in English "i had had breakfast then went to school" or "i had breakfast then went to school"?

texts:
i am so confused right now , they both look the same to me
as far as i understand past perfect is used to talk about an action that was completed before some point in the past
so :
"i had had breakfast then went to school" looks fine to me
but :
"i had breakfast then went to school" also looks fine to me because the sentence self explains itself because of the "then" placed at the middle of the sentence , the listener can easily notice which action happened first

When should i use Past Simple + Past Simple and when to use Past Perfect + Past Simple ?

thanks in advance.


texts:
Is "long since" a conversational phrase? Or is it more likely used in written document?

  Even though her parents have long since died, she still talks about them in the present tense.

  Have you ever read Scarlet Letter? Yes, I've long since read it.


texts:
Here are the sentences:

Fred insisted that he would be driving his own car in the rally.

I initially thought the direct speech would be this:
Fred insisted, “I will drive my own car in the rally.”

But considering the orginal sentence structure, should it be like this?

Fred insisted, "I will be driving my own car in the rally."

The officer said, “They look like fugitives from Alcatraz.”

For this sentence, I'm not sure I should use past tense or past perfect.

The officer said that they looked like fugitives from Alcatraz.
The officer said that they had looked like fugitives from Alcatraz.

Which one would be correct?

Thank you.


texts:
Is it possible to say
"Greetings and salutations from Moscow"?
I am sure about "greetings from", but what about the whole phrase?


texts: "Not a" vs. "no": "a baronet and (no/not a) peer"

texts:
I had titled my question on History SE

  How is it possible to be a baronet and no peer?

A native speaker came along and corrected it to:

  How is it possible to be a baronet and not a peer?

Why is that?


texts: Animal and vegetable fats and oils, biofuels derived from them and the feedstock for biofuels...correct?

texts:
How sould I say it in the simplest and shortest way?

The animal and vegetable fats and oils, the biofules that are made of the animal and vegetable fats and oils, and the feedstock  for the biofuels.

It is a list of a laboratory about its test substances.

This is the context:
Sample preparation and laboratory physical and chemical testing of wastes (municipal solid and liquid wastes), fuels, solid and liquid medium, petroleum products (singl-phase liquids), biofuels and their feedstock derived from petroleum, liquefied gases, solvents, animal and vegetable fats and oils, biofuels derived from them and the feedstock for biofuels.

Something like this?

Thank you for the answers


texts:
What's the verb for using a stapler to connect to between two or more papers?

In a dictionary I found too much and I'm not sure which of them is the accurate in this context.

  to pair, to connect,  to network, to matchmaker;  (slang) to
  staple.

Assuming that I do not want to use slang, what's the correct choice for this context?


texts:
I read that p, t, and k are aspirated at the beginning of words, but are they aspirated in an unstressed syllable?

For example, the first syllable in the word "today" is unstressed.


texts:
I have no clue what "Take an empty shell off the streets" means. "Shell" seems to refer to "the basic outer structure of a building or vehicle" - I am not sure.  What does it mean?

I swear I could not for a second view these people as anything but human. The best way to fashion a young hard dick like myself - "dick" being an acronym for "dedicated infantry combat killer" - is simple and the effect of racist indoctrination. Take an empty shell off the streets of Los Angeles or Brooklyn, or maybe from some Podunk town in Tennessee and in these days America isn't in short supply.

Source: The Untold History of the United States  pp582


texts: What kind of participle clause is applied in the following examples?

texts:
Going back to the subject of justin bieber, famous for rubbing everyone the wrong way, if he is waiting for Selena GomeZ, his ex-girlfriend, to provide him protection from the blows then he can talk to her hand or possibly kiss her bum.

In the example above, does it stand for a participle clause about condition? I mean can it be reformed as "if we go back to the..." or about "simultaneous action"?

  Speaking of selena's bum,the internet is awash with images of her bare bum hanging out for all and sundry to public.

In the example above, I also wonder about variety of participle clause in the sentence. And plus, what is the subject in the phrase "speaking of selena's bum"? I mean who is speaking about it?"

NOTE: The second example is the sentence that immediately follows the first example


texts: Why do people use the word "Basically" alot? Like they would mostly start their sentence with "Basically I am trying to do this".


texts: Placement of "by the time" in "But by the time Pino had trudged down the mountain..."

texts:
Doesn't this sentence seems odd to you?

  "But by the time Pino had trudged down the mountain to Madesimo and then back up to Motta, he was exhausted"

My question is about where "by the time" is used in the mentioned sentence. Shouldn't it be used at the beginning of the second clause rather than the first one?


texts: Are "I was understanding" and "I am understanding" grammatical?

texts:
I know the phrases "I understand" (present) and "I understood" (past).

But recently I saw the phrases "I was understanding" and "I am understanding" (e.g. "Okay. I was understanding it"). I think they are incorrect. Maybe I am wrong about it. Can you please tell me are they correct? And if "yes", in what cases I should use them?


texts: Is "You gonna slice them up real nice" right?

texts:
From Friends(S02E14):

You gonna slice them up real nice? (referring to cut up tomatoes)

Is it grammatically right to use the word nice? Should it be an adverb? Such as:

You gonna slice them up real nicely?

Which is right? Or are both right?


texts: How to differentiate between "to do" and "do" terminologically?

texts: I would like to know what is term for a verb when is with "to" (for example "We need "to do" it.) and a verb that is without "to" (for example: "We do it everyday"). Now I read the article infinitive on wikipedia but it is not clear to me how differentiate between them.


texts: What's the meaning of the bold sentence?

texts:
Quoted from "The Federalist Papers" NO.1 General Introduction

  The plan offered to our deliberations affects too many particular interests, innovates upon too many local institutions, not to involve in its discussion a variety of objects foreign to its merits, and of views, passions and prejudices little favorable to the discovery of the truth.

What is the structure of the bold sentence or could it be rearranged to be fully intelligible? Does it omits some words? Thank you.


texts:
Is it possible for native speakers to tell in what way the 'like' is saying things are the same, without the knowledge about the said content? It says:

  There is no special preposition in English to express the idea of being at somebody's home (like French chez, German bei, Danish/Swedish/Norwegian hos etc).

  (M. Swan, Practical English Usage, §249.1)


texts: Which parts of speech are 'go' and 'buy' in "I want to go buy a gift."?

texts:
I want to go buy a gift.

Which parts of speech are "go" and "buy"?

I am confused about this sentence.


texts: Help me understand "You become a ...creature who slips into a sort of mediocrity where...."

texts:
You become a cold, calculating creature who slips into a sort of mediocrity where you realize there is difference between your desired self and your actual self

In the above sentence, there are three parts I don't get.
'become', 'where', 'slips into', grammatically and meaningfully not understood.
First, is this sentence grammatically correct?
Second, would you paraphrase this sentence for me?


texts: Reported speech. Is there any difference in meaning without backshifting?

texts:
He explained that he had been studying all day the day before, was
working then and would go to the hospital the next day (=the following
day).
He explained that yesterday he studied all day, now he is working, and
tomorrow he will go to the hospital.

Reported speech. Is there any difference in meaning without back-shifting? Are both sentences meaningful and colloquial?


texts: preposition to be used for pandora's box

texts: I wished to know the prepositions that we can use with Pandora's box when individuals deal with the impact of this .For example in the sentence, "Maria opened a Pandora's box_________Kelly", which preposition should we place in the blank.What preposition should we use here for people receiving an action.


texts: If I refer to 'the being' (a noun), do I have to use 'he' or 'she', or 'it'?

texts:
If I refer to 'the being' (as a noun) do I have to use he / she / it, or something else?

To add to my confusion: I am talking about a painting, where 'the being' is a woman. So the body has the shape of an anchor that arises from the depths. The whiteness represents purity. The vast sea represents the subconscious mind, which is integrated into the conscious awareness, (manifested by the position above water’s surface). The being has swum through all the stages of... etc.

  Holding her (its?) attention to the greatest source of love, within her heart, she (it?) has relinquished the unnecessary things of the past (the dark colours on both sides of the painting) and affirms her (its?) whole presence. Just like a pendulum her (its/the?) body is held by the renewable power of life... etc.


texts: What does "You just better had" mean in this context?

texts:
"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione said shrilly. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"

I don't quite understand "You just better had" in this context. I can't find a reference in dictionaries. What does it truly mean?


texts: Squeeze some juice out of the orange/ Squeeze the orange for some juice?

texts:
I am really confused regarding the usage of this word, squeeze.

I know it means to press something with fingers or extract liquid from something, but what bugs me is its usage:

Should it be followed with the object that you press, like an orange, or the liquid that you get after exerting pressure on the said object? Or perhaps both are OK?

For example, are both examples below correct?

  Squeeze the orange for some juice.
  Squeeze some juice
  out of the orange.

I already looked it up on the Collins dictionary (https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/squeeze). What I learned is that it can either be followed by the orange or the juice that is derived from squeezing the orange.

Still, when I wrote the following sentence in my essay,

  Try slicing a peel off the orange, holding it above the balloon, and
  slightly squeezing some juice out of it.

my editor corrected it as:

  ...and giving it a squeeze until a few drips of juice squirt out.

Now I'm just really confused about the usage of this word.

Also, is there another way of expressing the same meaning, say, using a different verb?


texts: "has written two essays this morning" vs "has been writing an essay all morning"

texts:
What is the difference in meaning between these sentences?

  John has written two essays this morning.
  John has been writing an essay all morning.

  The police sergeant has interviewed two people so far today.
  The detectives have been interviewing people all week.


texts: Why is "treated" in the past tense in "it's time we treated our teachers with the same level of respect..."?

texts:
Barack Obama told a Virginia school last year, "I think it's time we treated our teachers with the same level of respect right here in the United States of America."

I totally understand what he's saying, but I want to ask how that 'treated' is grammatically possible? Cause he's saying 'It's time we~', which means he's talking about what we should do in the future (?), but why did he say that past verb?


texts: "I will make what I learn..." or "I will make what I learnt..."?

texts:
I will make what I learn during this internship available to anyone in need through Facebook.

Should I use learn or learnt if I wish to imply that it is a future internship?


texts: Can sentences be joined when we need to say "such as X OR Y"?

texts:
When defining something, it can also be defined, for example, as A or B. If I give you a practical case to this situation,

  The idea behind the process is to find a common envelope.
  The envelope should be going through the longest line’s outer end.
  or
  the envelope should accommodate all the lines’ outer ends on to that.

then, how can the above be defined by a single sentence? Can anyone suggest a way to join all three sentences into one?


texts:
While I was searching for the rules governing the omission of relative pronouns, I found the best explanation in the previous answer.

According to a 'null-relativizer’, I was wondering whether the following sentence makes sense.

  Original sentence: That way, they create a perception of honesty from which they can be more persuasive about the strengths of the product. (excerpted from a textbook)

    -> That way, they create a perception of honesty they can be more persuasive about the stregths of the product from.

As far as I understand, this form can be possible because the relative pronoun "which" can be omitted as an object of "from".

Please correct me if I am wrong.


texts: does it charge extra? or is there an extra change?

texts: If I want to ask if something (like wifi) charges extra, which sounds more natural: does it charge extra? or is there an extra charge?


texts: I'm always taking photos (present progressive usage)

texts:
A book for improving your speaking skills teaches that you have to use present progressive to sound more impressive instead of adverbs, as for the frequency of a hobby. Like this:

  Question: what is your hobby? And how often do you do it...

  Answer#1(adverb): I like photography. I often take pictures when I go out.

Or

  Answer#2(present progressive): I like photography. I'm always taking pictures

I don't get it. How did it become more impressive than adverbs?


texts:
I found many peoples using "to" in place of "than" on Internet/facebook.

  He is younger to me.

  He is younger than me.

Is this correct? I guess using "to" changes the meaning of sentence. I think It would imply To me(in my eyes) he is younger


texts:
DUNKIN DOUGH

It was in a comic book typed in capital and in the book there was a part talking about riddles in English (American English).

There was a plump man having a large sum of money and this was written on piece of paper pasted on the wall in the picture. It was meant to teach the reader the meaning of the words "Dough" and "Nut" through the compound word Doughnut.

  The riddle was: "Who is a doughnut?"

  And the answer was: "A man crazy for money."


texts:
Understanding earworms isn’t just about identifying catchy songs, it’s
  harnessing a small window into the mind. If we better understand why
  and how some songs stick in particular brains, not only do we better
  understand memory and help patients live better lives, but we possibly
  can improve memory, mood and marketing (if that’s what you’re into)
  said Dr. Jakubowski

I think it means opening your mind into new realities, or equipping your mind with a window, but I'm not sure because it's not something that can be found in dictionaries.

What does "harnessing a small window into the mind" mean?


texts:
One must learn to distinguish (the?) good from (the?) bad.

Which is the correct form of the above sentence ? Do we need to use article the ? If so why ? I read on this blog that without the article the it's incorrect but why it is incorrect?

I have another question, Is to distinguish correct here or replacing it with it how to distinguish is better ?


texts:
I want to know the difference between these expressions "for myself" and "by myself", because I don't know how I should use them, for example:

  I had studied English for myself until I attended a school.

  I had studied English by myself until I attended a school.

At the previous sentences which one is correct?, or are both correct? If they're both correct, what is the exactly difference between "for myself" and "by myself"?, in any sentence.


texts: Is that the correct question? (what film was?)

texts:
What film was?

And the answer is

  The film was very interesting.

Thanks.


texts:
I need to understand: is using "that" optional or obligatory or should it not be used in this context? Which sentence is correct?:

  We use the terms we defined in [1]

Or,

  We use the terms that we defined in [1]


texts: What is the meaning of "The next day, Wednesday, saw Robert become more frustrated"?

texts:
Consider the below sentence (source)

  The next day, Wednesday, saw Robert become more frustrated.

I can understand the structure of the sentence. I guess it is a kind of deletion. Am I right?


texts:
When feet turn inward — a tendency referred to as walking "pigeon-toed" — doctors call it in-toeing. When feet point outward, it's called out-toeing. (from kidshealth.org)

How to express "In-toeing & Out-toeing" in simple terms to a child?

Is it OK to say:

  Please do not turn your feet in or out when walking, keep your feet parallel with each other and point them straight forward!


texts:
I'd like to inquire about the exact usage of the word "output" in the following two examples:

  This data were analyzed using a traditional pipeline. This streamline output a number for each metric of interest.

  This data were analyzed using a traditional pipeline. The output of this streamline is one number for each metric of interest.

In the first example "output"  was used as a verb and in the second sentence it was used as a noun. Is this usage correct? In the dictionary the word "output" was reported as a verb and as a noun. But the usage as a verb is not common. Am I still able to use it as a verb like in the examples above? In other words, is this usage common between native speakers?


texts:
Is it correct to say "on around" for a date? Is it even grammatical correct?

on is as preposition and around acts as adverb

  it will be on around 23-25 December

Can we put adverb after preposition?


texts: What does this Facebook comment mean: "As a top fan, I don't really have anything to say."

texts:
As a top fan, I don't really have anything to say. I just wrote it to protect my badge.

I saw this joke comment in Facebook comments and I don't understand it.

I can't see how the two clauses relate.


texts: "One would almost suspect you had brains in your head" -- could "have" be used instead of "had"?

texts:
Here is a sentence from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:

  "That is a first-rate idea," said the Lion. "One would almost suspect you had brains in your head, instead of straw."

I think had might be referring to the event when the Scarecrow suggested that idea the Lion is talking about, but if I remember correctly, I have read somewhere on ELL that the past tense used to be used instead of would. The book was originally written in 1900...

Is that had in the indicative or subjunctive mood, and if that proves to be the subjunctive, could we substitute had for have or would have?


texts:
I have a sentence:
It is believed that they cancelled their trip at the last moment.

I need to complete the second sentence, using the word given and use betwenn 2-5 words.

The word is BELIEVED

And here are the second sentence:
They ______ their trip at the last moment.

What should be here?

I think that there should be

They are believed to cancelled their trip at the last moment.

But my friend said there should be

They are believed to have cancelled their trip at the last moment.

What option is right?

Thank you so much!


texts:
When I chat with friends, we often come up with imaginary situations.
What type of tense should be used in the case?

    Question:

    Can I just keep everything in simple present tense like "will", "can", ....?

    or

    I have to use "would", "could" and verbs in past tense because of subjunctive mood or something?

Down below are three examples.(I wrote them in simple present)

The first example:

    Friend A: There is a beautiful girl coming to me! (In reality, there is no girls. It is an imaginary situation.)

    I:Are you going to talk to her?

    Friend A: Yes, I am going to talk to her.and we will have a good time hanging around. Then we will go to the a cafe.......

Another example,
I talking to my friend about an imaginary situation:

    You are walking on the streets. You meet a beautiful woman. You guys chat and have a good time. It seems like she is your right one. Will you ask for her number?

The last example,
I telling a imaginary story:

    "Imagine aliens are invading our home. Aliens say you won't be harmed if you tell them where the president's office is. Aliens' spacecrafts are all over the place trying to gather information and wipe out anything that will stop them......"


texts:
I only put a comma, sometimes, not always, when I feel like the successive clause could stand in its own sentence.

  I only like to talk about the weather, and to go onto a monologue about the great person that I am.

but sometimes I also write it like this:

  I only like to talk about the weather and go onto a monologue about the great person that I am.

So is it a mandatory thing. I believe there was a similar thread about comma before and, but the answer seemed to mention the Oxford style, which is when we put a comma between various listed elements and not clauses.


texts:
I vaguely recall the receptionist saying something about towels being available at the poolside.
I vaguely recall the receptionist saying that towels are available at the poolside.

Which one is more common or suitable?
Personally the latter is more familiar with me, but in the textbook the former is written. Could you let me know the differences?


texts:
I'm a Graphic designer and a pencil drawing artist. Whatever I make, I put something like this: © Vikas Kumar arts & designs in the footer of drawing/image and never worried about it.
Today, I just thought about it and found I've seen people using art/design instead of arts/designs

So I'm really wondering. Which of the following is correct in this case?

© Vikas Kumar Art & Design
© Vikas Kumar Arts & Designs


texts:
This is a part of Les Miserables anime review:

  ... If you really have the time to watch an anime, do yourself a favor and read the book. This is a mere shadow of what Les Miserables really is. Still a fantastic series in its own right--but as a rabid fan of the novel and the musical, I feel I am being generous with a fourth star...

I don't really understand what he meant with 'right' in this context.


texts: To 'chisel' some territory - what does it mean? (from the Godfather)

texts:
From the Godfather movie:

  Barzini's people chisel my territory and we do nothing about it. Soon
  I'll have no place in Brooklyn to hang my hat.

The only meaning I've found for the word chisel is

  a tool with a flat metal blade used for cutting wood or stone

It also means doing some work with that tool. In the context it seems nonsensical to say the least, so I guess it's an idiomatic expression. I'd also guess that Barzini's people getting control in his ground, gradually pushing him out of his affairs there.


texts: Should I use was or were with a two-item list?

texts: In the sentence, "Jonathan Oldstyle and Diedrich Knickerbocker (was, were) two of Irving's pen name" do I use was or were?


texts: What is the difference between 'Quite' and 'Very' in the following sentences?

texts:
She is very lovely.
  She is quite a lovely girl.

  He is very handsome.
  He is quite a handsome man.

Do they mean exactly the same? What i know and found on the internet is that "the effect of very is stronger than the effect of quite"


texts:
be supposed to do something:

  used to say what someone should or should not do, especially because
  of rules or what someone in authority has said

  We’re supposed to check out of the hotel by 11 o'clock.

It seems that native speakers prefer to use "be supposed to do" over "should do".

Let see this scenarios in a movie. A man is going to leave his wife for another woman. The wife said "What am I supposed to do to raise my children?"

Compared to the sentence "What should I do to raise my children?"

The difference is a bit subtle.

So, When to use "should do something" & when to use "be supposed to do something"?


texts:
I came up with these two:
in the late time
in the latter time

I write this in the comment to respond people.

  If necessary I'll improve it in the latter time.

any problem?
I think in the (near)future seems not good.

Any other writings?


texts: How to call a graph showing various links between two columns?

texts:
I created a kind of graph showing what countries have an embassy in what countries. It looks like this:

How to call such a graph?

Each item in the left column can be linked to zero, one or several items in the right column.

The left column and right column are the same, and no link can exist between the same item on left and right. If there is no English word for this, I can settle upon a word that describe a graph showing how Alice, Bob, Charles like apples, bananas, cherries.


texts: What is the correct way to ask for a phone call while texting?

texts:
The context is: We were texting, then I got tired. What is the natural way to ask for a call instead of continuing texting?

Hey, do you want to call?
Do you want to talk on the phone?
Can we talk on the phone?
Do you want to call me?

Thank you very much!


texts: Is "chink in the armor" an appropriate saying?

texts: I've been told that the chink is an offensive word when used to refer to Asian people. On the other hand I saw the "chink in the armor" phrase in respected sources. So is it safe to say it?


texts: I see this sentence in Harry Potter. My understanding is that 'how' here works as an adverb and very is an adverb too. So, I am not sure if it is correct to put them together here. For example, how silly you are. Can we say how very silly you are?


texts: A nonlinear filter, the median filter was used to reduce the noise in the images: the grey value of each voxel is substituted by the grey value of the voxels in the neighbourhood. For further data analysis, it was necessary to classify the volume pixels either in void or solid.


texts:
Where are the objects and the attributes in these sentences?

  There was no reply,
  but in a moment
  Miss Glaser began to play the opening bars of one of Schumann’s songs.
  It was no strain on the voice,
  and I guessed that Miss Glaser knew what she was doing when she chose it.
  La Falterona began to sing, in an undertone,
  but as she heard the sounds come from her lips
  and found that they were clear and pure
  she let herself go.

I'm particularly interested in "in a moment", "of one of Schumann’s songs", "from her lips" and "no strain on the  voice".

The attribute is a secondary part of the sentence which characterizes person or non-person expressed by the headword either qualitatively, quantitatively, or from the point of view of situation.
http://5fan.ru/wievjob.php?id=47143 and http://5fan.ru/wievjob.php?id=46987


texts: Must you repeat the personal pronoun after a semicolon?

texts:
A grammar teacher claims that 'so' is NOT a conjunction. Assume this for this question.

  Example Sentence: 1. It is the same before a Fire; the Heat of which sooner penetrates black Stockings than white ones, and so [IT] is apt sooner to burn a Man’s Shins.

2. It is the same before a Fire; the Heat of which sooner penetrates black Stockings than white ones  ; so IT  is apt sooner to burn a Man’s Shins.

3. It is the same before a Fire; the Heat of which sooner penetrates black Stockings than white ones  ; so  is apt sooner to burn a Man’s Shins.

2 and 3 are my rewrites of  1 with a semicolon. If 2 is right (but 3 wrong), why must you repeat the personal pronoun after a semicolon, but can omit the personal pronoun absent a semicolon?
Are 1 and 2 NOT equivalent semantically?


texts: What is the difference between have been and went?

texts:
I found this question and its answer on internet-

Q. Can I use "I have been to Hong Kong" instead of "I went to Hong Kong"?
A. Not when you are specifically talking about your first trip abroad (in the past).

But I do not understand what it means.
Could you please let me know the difference?


texts: life is wont -- What does "wont" mean here?

texts:
Source: Assembly Language Step by Step—Programming with Linux, 3rd Edition by Jeff Duntemann (2009)

Example:

  Understanding that much about borrows gets you most of the way there; but,
  as life is wont, you will frequently come across a subtraction similar to this...

In particular, it is not all that clear to me what wont really means here. In the dictionary, it says that the adjective wont is used only when spoken of a person and it means accustomed or in the habit of doing something. For example: he was wont to arise at 5:30 every morning. It doesn't really sound like the meaning given in the dictionary is going work here. Maybe there's something I don't understand. Please, be a good sport and help me figure this thing out.


texts:
I've seen some examples on the Internet where people say, "make money for doing". I know that the proper way of saying this is "make money doing" or, "make money by doing". But since I've seen the "for doing" being used quite frequently, I wanted to make sure what this informal or colloquial expression meant.

For example,

"I make money for buying drugs."

Can be taken as,

"I make money for the purpose of buying drugs."

Or

"I make money (by) buying drugs."

I'd love everyone's opinions.


texts:
'You don't not call me' from House of Cards season 1 episode 1
I found only this part on the internet.

Claire who is Frank's (Kevin Spacey) wife wanted him to call her back but he didn't.
And then when Frank is home, she says 'You don't not call me. Not when it's big'

The Conversation is below:

  Frank: Claire.
   Claire: You didn't call. You didn't call me, Francis. Nine hours. You
  don't not call me, not when it's this big.
  Frank: You're right.
  Claire: When have we ever avoided each other?
  Frank: I wanted the solution first.
  Claire: Do you have one?
  Frank: Not yet.

I think it should be 'You should have called me'

My questions:
1. I would like to know what exactly 'you don't not call me' mean here.
2. Why does she use 'present tense'?
3. and the reason she is using 'double negation'


texts:
Why did the writer use the word "particular" in this definition of government that has taken from the Oxford dictionary?

  "a particular system or method of controlling a country".

Can we say "a  system or method of controlling a country" instead of that?


texts: Why can't I use "to the point that" here?

texts:
If you're anything like me, I'm sure you've found yourself, at one point or another, feeling trapped in this endless loop of work and play, week after week. And it gets to the point where all that matters is how we reward ourselves after a tough week at work.

I thought "to the point where" and "to the point that" are always interchangeable, but the lecturer said that you can't use 'that' because of the context. Is it true?


texts: Is the use of the phrase "at New York" correct?

texts: If someone says that he lives at New York, looking at the map, is the use of the phrase "at New York" correct?


texts: Does this sentence wish an increase in the age of retirement or a decrease in it?

texts:
Does this sentence:

  Some experts regard the retirement age of 65 as an anachronism at a
  time when people in the developed world have much longer life
  expectancies than previously.

wish an increase in the age of retirement or a decrease in it?


texts:
I'm reading news on the web and having couple of questions on these two sentences:

All this despite being a vocal critic of sitting presidents taking vacations.
Working in Bedminster, N.J., as long planned construction is being done at the White House. This is not a vacation – meetings and calls!

Q1: I can not parse the sentence 1, because I can't identify the verb there.

Q2: Is "as long" a set phrase or it's short for "as long as"? I just can't find this usage from any web search.

For detail context, refer to here:https://www.yahoo.com/style/donald-trump-takes-break-crash-wedding-17-day-working-vacation-170040014.html


texts: Is it correct and natural to say "a shoe chafed me a blister" when I want to say that a shoe gave me a blister?

texts:
Is it correct and natural to say a shoe chafed me a blister when I want to say that a shoe gave  me a blister? For example:

  My new shoes chafed me blisters.

If it is not natural, how would you say it?


texts: Best English equivalent for the French word "parcelle": plot or parcel?

texts:
I am working on a project where I have to define some spaces we define in French as parcelles, which are in my case part of lands used for a specific usage, such as plantations. After looking for a translation for the word, I ended up finding both plot and parcel. While parcel sounds really close to parcelle, I wouldn't want to use a word that might have a different meaning than the one I am looking for.

What exactly is the difference between a plot and a parcel, and which one (if there is one) would be the best to use between those two to define some spaces of equal size on a map?


texts:
A grammar, we have said, is divided into 2 major components, syntax and morphology. This division follows from the special status of the word as a basic linguistic unit, with syntax dealing with the combination of words to make sentences, and morphology with the form of words themselves.

Questions

Is the word "dealing" omitted？
Are all the bracketed words within the "with" construction?

A grammar, we have said, is divided into 2 major components, syntax and methodology. This division follows from the special status of the word as a basic linguistic unit, with syntax dealing with [ the combination of words to make sentences, and morphology dealing with the form of words themselves.]

Thanks in advance.


texts: Sentences of positive, negative and interrogative

texts: Which ones are correct between, example of sentence future tense in positive sentence "I will close the door" and then for negative sentence "I will not open the door" and interrogative sentence" will you open the door?" Or in positive sentence "I will close the door" and the in negative sentence "I will not close the door" and also in interrogative sentence "will I close the door?"


texts: Which in turns improve/improves longevity

texts:
This is a subject-verb agreement particularly within a relative clause. Let's say you were asked if you like holidays.

  Question: do you like holidays?

  Answer: Yes, I do. Because it's a great way to de-stress, which in turn improve/improves longevity.

Is it improve or improves?


texts: How do I respond to my Professor's email, wherein he has mistaken my gender?

texts: I am a Chinese student. I was emailing a professor for graduate study opportunity. He replied with the title: Dear Mr. Li Actually, I am a female. Would it be a little strange if I told him in my reply? and how do I put this, should I say "I am a female?" Thank you very much.


texts: What to say in a formal situation, when someone's on hold on the phone and you're ready to say something

texts:
Here is the specific situation I'm facing.
I called someone and they required some information (an id of some sort) which I didn't have at hand, so I asked them to hold so I could get it. After I was ready, I wanted to ask the person if they're also ready so I could spell the id out for them, however I couldn't say "Are you ready?", since it was a formal situation. Instead I said "Should I say it?" which didn't sound right at all. What would have been the best phrase here?


texts: The main clause is "{somebody} do {something}", the subordinate should starts with "which" or "that"?

texts:
In the following example, the main clause is "{somebody} do {something}".  Should the subordinate clause start with "which" or "that"?

  She and her family bicycle to work, _________ helps them keep fit.

  A. which    B. who    C. as     D. that

I chose D, the answer is A.


texts: Is the term 'Invalid' applicable for human beings?

texts:
As I was reading a novel 'What Katy Did', I came across an interesting mention of the word Invalid.

  His wife was said to be an invalid, and people, when they spoke of him, shook their heads and wondered how the poor woman got on all alone in the house, while her husband was absent.

For me, it sounds off. Can invalid be a valid word for human beings?

I have heard about things like - the credit card is invalid, the transaction is invalid, your registration is invalid..., but how about your husband is invalid?


texts:
I would like to seek your opinion on this sentence:

  Ethan was washing his hands when the doorbell rang. He ran to answer it and forgot to turn off the tap.

Is it possible to use the past perfect tense 'had forgotten' to suggest an implied earlier action? Or should only the past tense be used because the conjunction 'and' suggests that both actions happen simultaneously?


texts:
Which one of the following sentences sound the most natural and the way natives say:

a. He gave me 10% off.
b. He gave me a 10% discount.
c. He gave me a discount of 10% discount.

And what about when we use got instead of gave:

a. I got 10% off.
b. I got a 10% discount.
c. I got a discount of 10% discount.


texts:
I'd like to know how to use the irregular past forms of the verb 'to cleave' in the following sentences. It is a highly confusing verb when used in sentences referring to the past.

  The wooden door had been _________ (cleaved?) in two.

  Sheep and goats have _________ (cloven?) hoofs.

  Being in a _________ (cleft?) stick means being in an awkward, difficult situation.

  John _________ (clove?) to his romantic ideas.

How can I tell the correct form from the incorrect one in sentences like these? Is there an overlap between rarely used past forms and change in meaning?


texts:
As much as and as may as can be used for comparisons.  Looking at other questions with as much as or as many as, none seem to talk about countability.  I've noticed that

  as much as
  The water contained in Lake Mille Lacs is as much as several lakes combined.
  He's paid as much as his boss.

is used to compare uncountable things, where as

  as many as
  The number of schools in Minneapolis are as many as there are in Oakland.
  He makes as many dollars as his boss.

is used for countable things.

But it's not always the case

  Elephants can be as much as 10 feet tall if not more.

feet are countable.

  The grains of sand on all the beaches are not as many as stars in the sky.

grains of sand are generally considered uncountable.

  All the sand on all the beaches are not as much as all the stars in the sky.

also works, but is less specific by not mentioning "grains".

Is there a general rule for using either as much as or as many as?
Maybe because of the exceptions it's not dependent on countability?


texts: What is correct- 'Its apps' or 'its own apps'?

texts:
I read this article. I found the following line in it:

  At this point, I wonder why Samsung even bothers including its own apps when there are so many better alternatives out there.

Can I write the above sentence as following without changing its meaning?

  At this point, I wonder why Samsung even bothers including its apps when there are so many better alternatives out there.

IMO, in 'its own premises', 'own' looks redundant. But then, I have read "Enter at your own risk" as well.

SO, my questions are: Can we write 'its own', 'your own', etc.? Doesn't 'own' show redundancy in the above-mentioned sentence? Are there any specific rules for using 'own'?


texts: The committee split over government subsidies. (split-split-split)

texts:
The committee split over government subsidies.

How can I make clear the meaning of the sentence in case I want to differentiate 'present form of split' from 'past form of split'?


texts: Is there any difference between "I am planning to do something" and "I am going to do something"?

texts:
Is there any difference between I am planning to so something and I am going to do something? For example:

  I am going to finish my project next week.

  I am planning to finish my project next week.

I cannot feel any difference between the two. Are these phrases interchangable?


texts:
When does baby weight start to come off?

What is the antonym for come off?


texts:
Which preposition should I use in the sentence "move the cursor * 2 pixels"?
And maybe I should use 'shift' or anything else, isn't it?


texts: What is the grammatical role of “If Calzaghe were American” and "or, dare I say it"?

texts:
If Calzaghe were American, or, dare I say it, English, he would be lauded to the skies.

What would you say is the grammatical function of If Calzaghe were American?

Maybe, it seems like a clause, Calzaghe, a subject?, were, a verb? American, an object? It looks like an incomplete sentence, but it seems to contain all the things needed to make a complete sentence.

As for or, dare I say it, what is its grammatical function?


texts: ``Bring forth on'' in Gettysburg's Address

texts: The beginning of the first sentence of the Gettysburg's Address takes the form Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent .... I found not the phrase bring forth on; I found the phrase bring forth. How should I understand the former phrase?


texts:
I have a question. Actually when we're talking to a kid asking him/her to go inside,  can simply "go in" be used? Does it sound natural?

  Go in.

It is not angry command like "get inside" , just a plain neutral command.


texts:
A pilot can land an airplane and an airplane can land. 'Land' is both transitive and intransitive.

What about 'take off'? I looked it up but there is just one example as an intransitive verb.

'The plane took off from Heathrow.'

A pilot can (make a plane take off).

What is the one word to replace what's in bracket?

Thanks


texts:
I have to find error in the sentence--

  The aroma of the invigorate morning cup of tea comes (1)/ wafting up the stairway and soon I am (2)/ sipping it slowly and reverentially without rushing. (3)/ No
  error (4)

They say there is an error in the first part but I don't think so. There is a similar sentence in oxford dictionary

‘The aroma of the fresh coffee could be smelled half way down the street, says Muriel.’

Please help me....


texts: 'if no unless, just do it now'. I read it on a diary from a non-native speaker. I know what he wanna express, but I feel that the phrase ' if no unless' is wrong in English grammar. What do you think of it?


texts: Should it be "runs" or "run" in the following sentence?

texts:
I was watching Planet Earth 2 yesterday and came across this line said by David Attenborough:

  At the first sign of danger, the young ibex instinctively run back to steeper ground.

I am thinking it should be "runs" and not "run." Am I right or I am missing something?

UPDATE: The wolf was only chasing ONE Ibex, not more than one. The scene(segment on ibex) was about multiple ibex, but not that(chase) scene. That particular scene was only focused on the Fox and the young Ibex(one/singular), and so my question.


texts: The difference between "Rear" and "Raise"

texts:
Here is a sentence from a CPE course book (The Erica James Collection (ebook): 5 Great Novels):

  The trouble was that Jessica had been brought up by a strong, clear-minded and independent woman, and __________ with the expectation that she would be the same.

  a) raised b) grown c) produced d) reared

My friend from the US said that he would choose "A" because it's more common, but it's an explanation I'm not satisfied with.

Having searched for a while, I found the same question asked but of no avail.
Here it is :

http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?t=17872

Maybe the answer is obvious but I don't get it.I see only some excerpts from different dictionaries where is said that they USED TO BE different but now are completely interchangeable. I did the same as the author of the topic, answered "D", but the correct answer is "A". Maybe somebody can come up with something ,although there is no difference between "A" and "D" at all.
Moreover if it is an old British course book and people tended to NOT use "raise" (which is the American version of "bring up")  as a synonym for "bring up" back then, why "A" is supposed to be the correct alternative?


texts:
Read this sentence:

  iPhone's battery is not user-replaceable.

I am a user & I can replace my iPhone's battery. Just use some special tool, take the iPhone's case out & replace. Why they say "not user-replaceable"? Does "user" mean "average user"?


texts: Is it okay to say 'fraud oneself to the office'?

texts: Multiple times, I came across structures like '[verb] oneself to/into/through [something]' that mean "by doing [verb] achieve/pass etc. [something]". Is my expression 'fraud oneself to the office' grammatical and, not less importantly, idiomatical? If not, how can I fix it (but, if possible, still employing the described structure)? What I mean is, for example, by rigging an election, win the presidential post.


texts: Articles in [noun][proper name], required?

texts:
I would like to understand the following: I know that in certain situations, the definite article is omitted, e.g.:

  on page 3, in Figure 1.1.

But does this apply to similar structures with names? For example:

Use (the) function ABC.
Fill in (the) field Name.
The button is present in (the) screen Transaction Data.

Do I need to use the article when I use the specific name of the button/function etc? To me it seems so but would like to be sure.


texts: How to use "be + going to" and the present continuous?

texts:
I wonder how to use "be + going to" and the present continuous.

For examples:

If I say

  I’m leaving tomorrow.

does that mean I’ve got my plane/train ticket? And if I say the sentence

  I’m going to leave tomorrow.

do I need to have a ticket with me or not?

Another example:

  She’s going to the exhibition tomorrow.

is exactly like “She’s going to go to the exhibition tomorrow” or not?


texts: Should I should use 'to' or 'for' in the following sentence?

texts:
Could you please provide admin credentials to me and Sandy for feel free to add a new user or change?

and the second one

  Could you please provide admin credentials to us for feel free to add a new user or change?

Am I using to and for properly here?
What should I use? And what is the rule?


texts: Difference "all night" vs "all night long" in meaning

texts:
Is there any practical difference between?

We were working all night
We were working all night long


texts: Meaning of "Why Has Love Got To Be So Sad"

texts:
I saw a song of Eric Clapton in which he says "Why Has Love Got To Be So Sad". This kind of structure is a little difficult to me to understand as an non native English speaker. In the simple interpretation of words, does it mean (in other words) to ask "Why love happens to be so sad?" or "Why love has to be so sad"?

Edited:

Well, I knew what it means "I have got to do sth", but in this case the structure of "whay has love got..." is the difficult thing. I'd expect him to say "has got love to" if he wants to say "why love must be so sad".
By the comments here I saw that there are another version (that seems to be the original one) for the lyrics: "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad", and for this version is even more not understood, since after an interrogative sentence in present simple tense should come infinitive ("Why does love get to be so sad") rather than past form (got).


texts: "I couldn't not do something" or "I couldn't have not done" in context?

texts:
Could you tell me if I need to say I couldn't not do it or I couldn't have not done it?

My future career depended on the exam, so I couldn't not pass it.
My future career depended on the exam, so I couldn't have not passed it.

What I am trying to say is that I passed it because it was absolutely necessary.


texts:
A sentence, from The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (1962), page 59:

  The real reason that nonviolence is considered to be a virtue in Negroes--I am not speaking now of its racial value, another matter altogether--is that white men do not want their lives, their self-image, or their property threatened.

Does "that nonviolence is considered to be a virtue in Negroes" serve as adjective clause or appositive clause？


texts: Meaning of the term "unusual" in Question 24 Listening Test 2 Cambridge IELTS 14?

texts:
Here is Question 24 in Listening Test 2 of Cambridge IELTS 14:
Q24: According to Martin, what is unusual about the date of the mammoths’ extinction on the island?
A. how exact it is
B. how early it is
C. how it was established

The answer is A, based on what's said in their conversation: "Anyway, next we'll explain how Graham and his team identified the date when the mammoths became extinct on the island. They concluded that the extinction happened 5,600 years ago, which is a very precise time for a prehistoric extinction."

It seems to me that their conclusion was completely correct, according to what I read about mammoths in Wikipedia:
"They lived from the Pliocene epoch (from around 5 million years ago) into the Holocene at about 4,000 years ago, and various species existed in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America."

So why is it unusual? I have to ask this question because when I tried this test, I focused on hearing what was wrong, incorrect, but I found nothing.

Thanks in advance!

Full transcript:
Anyway, next we'll explain how Graham and his team identified the date when the mammoths became extinct on the island. They concluded that the extinction happened 5,600 years ago, which is a very precise time for a prehistoric extinction. It's based on samples they took from mud at the bottom of a lake on the island. They analysed it to find out what had fallen in over time -bits of plants, volcanic ash and even DNA from the mammoths themselves. It's standard procedure, but it took nearly two years to do.


texts: Is it grammatically correct to use a modal equivalent 'have to do smth' in present perfect form?

texts:
Recently I have come across the following two sentences in a test for Student's Book Activate Level A2 published by Pearson/Longman in 2010 by Joanne Taylore-Knowles: Has Naomi had to go? and Have they had to repeat the work?

I am not sure if it is grammatically correct, it just does not make sense or does it? If it were a modal verb I would be even more sure of it since modals cannot be used in present perfect but this verb is not an example of a standard modal verb; till now I have never encountered anything of the kind anywhere.

If it is grammatically correct, would you, please dwell on the shade of its meaning in the instances above.


texts:
I have looked at such-something-someone-or-such-a-something-someone-any-diference, and it didn't help. There the stress seems to be on the word 'such', followed by the count noun 'fool'. Here my focus is on the word 'volume', which I think can be both countable and noncountable.

Question 1

  A tremendous amount of information was given to us. The sorting through of such volume of information is time consuming.

Is this okay, or must we have "a" before "volume"? If "a" is also okay, what is the difference in the two sentences?

Question 2
Second, the ODO says "volume" is both countable and noncountable? Does this fact affect the answeer to my first question?

EDIT:
Are both the following acceptable? If so, what is the difference?

(I am trying to keep the context open to allow for any possible situation in which each sentence could be grammatical.)

  Such a volume of noise is unacceptable!

and

  Such volume of noise is unacceptable!


texts: Dua Lipa uses "sugarboo" in her Levitating song. What does it mean? It seems to be in no dictionaries.


texts: What do you call a facial gesture? I thought about it and I can't think of a single word to refer to it. It's not a facial expression, because it's not an expression, but a gesture that can accompany any facial expression. For example, someone licking the upper lip. That's a gesture, but you can look aroused, sad, angry while doing it, so it's not a facial expression.


texts:
So I have chanced upon this sentence

  These workers are not worth our paying them anymore.

I am really puzzled by this kind of structure. Should it be our payment instead ? If paying is somehow a noun, then why using them ?


texts: Is it "Enterprise Team" or "Enterprise team" and "IT Support" or "IT support"?

texts:
I'm a bit confused regarding capitalizing certain words as I have found both their capitalized and uncapitalized forms on the Internet; for example, consider the following sentences:

  "Collaborate with the Enterprise Team in a timely manner."

  "Collaborate with the Enterprise team in a timely manner."

  "Provide courteous IT Support."

  "Provide courteous IT support."

Will it be "Enterprise Team" or "Enterprise team" and "IT Support" or "IT support". A little explanation will be helpful. Thank you!


texts:
I thought you have never responded to my last email. It turned out it was overlooked.

Are (the) prepositions and past tenses used in the above 2 sentences correct?


texts: Why is "he seems doesn't need the money" wrong?

texts:
Instead of

  he seems [to] doesn't need the money

(I'm not sure about to)

The grammar editor suggests:

  he seems not to need the money

Doesn't need get negative with doesn't?


texts:
I am creating a kitesurfing website, and I have a problem.

Explanation:

There is a table with the columns Title, OwnType, Type of equipment, DateCreated
Entries in the OwnType column may be 'My' or 'Found' or 'Lost'. Entries in the Type of equipment column are Board, Footwear, Board Accessories.
User 1, "Adam" enters a piece of equipment which he owns
User 2, "Dave" enters a piece of equipment which he has found
There is a search page which User 3, "Anna" uses to discover who has lost or has found a particular kind of equipment; for instance, Board nobile 2013 size 10m. Her search returns these two records.

First question.

What English term would be good to display for OwnType?

Second question

What English terms would be good for the values displayed in the column OwnType?


texts:
What is the meaning of the following sentence Especially the bold part?

  From interactive sessions with authors to launches in digital and audio formats, and bookish games to cover unveiling, publishers are gearing up to celebrate World Book Day on April 23 amid lockdown.

 To read full article


texts: I made it home safe vs I made it home safely

texts:
Which, if any, of these sentences are correct:

  I made it home safe.

or

  I made it home safely.

I know that in the second example safely is an adverb, but I don't know about the first. Is it a state-of-being verb (ie. "I am safe")? Incorrect? Which sentence(s) is correct?


texts:
Does the following sentence best present the sitting position shown in the picture?

He is sitting kneeled down.


texts:
With neither anywhere to return to nor anybody to greet him, ~

I used 'neither A nor B' to express that 'he' doesn't have any place to go back and anybody to greet him.

Does the sentence above make sense?


texts:
I would like to know when I can use prevent.

When I searched for the verb in dictionaries, it says

  to stop something from happening, or stop someone from doing something Longman

So I thought I could use prevent even when the action they want to stop is currently happening.
But my friend said I cannot use it when it is happening. She said rather, prevent only can be used before the action happens.

Can I use prevent after the action happens?
For example, Bloomberg says:

  As part of its continuing campaign to prevent China from stealing American intellectual property, President Donald Trump's administration is considering restrictions on the number of Chinese citizens enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. Targeting foreign students will undermine U.S. competitiveness, not enhance it.Bloomberg

In this situation, does the US government think China is stealing their intellectual property? Or does the U.S. just want to prevent it before China steals it?
Please help me.
Thank you in advance.


texts: Are you coming tonight? vs Will you come tonight?

texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences?

  Are you coming tonight?
  Will you come tonight?


texts: Is the collocation "rekindle a relationship" mostly British

texts:
I have read this verb in newspapers many times where it is used mostly as synonym of restart and it is collocates with relationship.For example if a couple break up and then if they become couple again as far as I know they rekindle the relationship..

But somehow when I mentioned this verb in this sense to my American friend, she struggled to understand at first and then she said we can use it like start a fire. Then I said probably it is used in metaphorical way when it is collocated with the word relationship.

So I would like to say especially native Americans, do you use the word rekindle in the sense I mention?Is it mostly a British word?

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/rekindle

http://www.wikihow.com/Rekindle-a-Relationship


texts: What's the difference between "so many times that..." and "so many times over that..."

texts:
What is the difference between those two sentences?

"He threw it in so many times that it changed its shape."

"He threw it in so many times over that it changed its shape"

I don't really understand the positioning of this "over" word, whether it belongs to the first part of the sentence or the other?

What I'm trying to ask is, where should I put a comma, before the word "over" or after?

In this opportunity, what is the difference between those two:

"The right front tire was slightly flatter than the left"

"The right front tire was ever so slightly flatter than the left"


texts:
I want him to know

I can't understand, why "him" stays between 2 verbs. Does it mean "I want that he will know" or something else? Maybe this phrase has special meaning. I'll be thankful so much, if you give me some rule about it.


texts: Do these two sentences mean the same thing?

texts:
Let's say in class I'd like to ask teacher if I can use my phone because I want to look up some words.

  Can I look up words on my phone?

  Can I use my phone to look up words?

I want to know if they mean the same.
Also, is there a better sentence please let me know! Because both doesn't sound very natural to me.
Thanks in advance!


texts:
Looking at https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/to-do-or-go-boxing.1457472/ and http://www.englishteachermelanie.com/vocabulary-verbs-used-to-talk-about-sports-play-do-go/ I found that we should say: "I box". Also it may depend on context.
There is a list of exceptions:

boxing
fencing
weight training

How should we say about boxing in different contexts?


texts:
Happy New Year all!

I was watching Sailormoon on Youtube. The ending was sad. After that, I began to do some reading on Wikipedia about Sailormoon. When I saw the first release date of Sailormoon (it was 1992 and it is 2016 now), I suddenly started to moan that time passed so quickly.
I stopped reading the Wikipedia page and visited Google for some quotes about time, and then I came across this quote of Perry Como,

  Just the other day, it seems, the kids were running through the house,
  slamming doors, breaking glass, making noise. Time goes by so quickly.
  Sometimes everything seems so fleeting.

At first, I was not very sure about the meaning of Just the other day in the quote, so I looked it up in Cambridge dictionary, and it told me that
the other day means a few days ago.

When I was finding some way to help me remember this quote, I came up with this question

  Will it ruin the original meaning of the quote if I replace "the other
  day" with "a few days ago"?

Thank you.


texts:
As I neared my house, the memory of the previous night at the shop
  came flooding back to the forefront of my mind. Did I really see
  Olivia in my mom’s shop? How was that possible?

  I contemplated telling my mother about what I had seen in case I
  needed help or something. What if I started seeing other people, like
  my dad? I was sure that would make me go crazy for real, and I needed
  someone there to support me when they put on the straight jacket.

  When I entered the house, my mom was already preparing lunch. “I’m
  not hungry,” I told her.

This text is from the book Fire in Frost.

I could not understand the meaning of straight jacket.


texts:
Can I use them both

Can you see it?

and

Do you see it?

equally, or there is a significant difference?
Similar examples:

I can't see it.

I don't see it.

I heard both on podcasts but can't notice any difference. I guess if I'm not sure if someone is blind or not I'd better ask "Can you see it?". But this would be a very rare case.


texts: knocked several people down -- what does this mean? (context provided)

texts:
Source: Sams Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours by Joe Casad (2012)

Example:

  Configuring the router as a DHCP server was easy, at least for Maurice, because he
  read the documentation carefully and wasn’t afraid to look for help on the Web. (He
  did need to make sure the internal routers he installed on Day 2 were configured to
  pass on the DHCP information.) The hard part was manually configuring each of
  the 1,000 computers to access the DHCP server and receive an IP address dynamically. To configure the 1,000 computers in an 8-hour day, he had to configure 125 computers per hour, or a little more than 2 per minute. This would have been nearly
  impossible for anyone but Maurice. He knocked several people down, but he finished in time for the 6:00 p.m. bus.

As simple and basic the idiom to knock someone down may sound, I don't think I really understand what exactly it means in this particular context.


texts: What's the exact meaning of sentence 'It may take even more than changes in the financial and cultural structures of ...'

texts:
The whole sentence I came across is 'It may take even more than changes in the financial and cultural structures of employment for workers successfully to trade increased productivity and money for leisure time'

Fisrt, it's a relatively long sentence, could you please break it down into small units which will be helpful in my understanding.

Secondly, could you please paraphrase this sentence in more simple and straight words.

Thirdly, There are still some points that confused me. what did the author want to express with 'emplyment for workers', was it saying the workers who have jobs? and Which words or phrases is successfully here supposed to be with? Was it saying the changes are successful or the employment is successful?


texts: What does it mean 'if it gets too much'?

texts:
She suggests to Pat that, if the herd sale does take place at Bridge
  Farm, they could go off somewhere nice for the day. Later, Pat agrees
  to the on-farm sale, explaining that she and Helen have plans if it
  gets too much. (thearchers.co.uk)

What does the highlighted part mean?