texts: Is there any difference between "was always doing something" & "would always do something"?

texts:
This is an very interesting grammar point.

I just want to know how native speakers think about this.

The Past Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression "used to" but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing." Source

Examples:

She was always coming to class late.

He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.

I didn't like them because they were always complaining.

Like "used to" and Simple Past, "would always" expresses the idea that something was an old habit which stopped in the past. It says that an action was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now. Unlike "used to" and Simple Past, "would always" suggests that someone willingly acted that way and sometimes expresses annoyance or amusement at the habit. It also often suggests the habit was extreme. To express the opposite idea, we can say "would never" to indicate that someone never did something in the past, but now they do. Source

Examples:

She would always send me strange birthday gifts.

Sam and Mary would always choose the most exotic vacation destinations.

Sally would not always arrive early to class. She came late once or twice.

Ned would always show up at our house without calling first.

Mindy would not always walk to school. Sometimes, she took the bus.

Christine would always come late to the meetings.

Jeff would never pay for drinks when we went out together with our friends.

My question is that:
is there any difference between "was always doing something" & "would always do something"?


texts: Help me find the difference between these two sentences

texts:
The World Wide Web was invented by Tim Berners Lee.
  Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web.


texts: Is there a verb which describes the action of applying only minor changes to a sentence?

texts:
If I applied minor changes to a sentence, e.g. substituted two words in a ten-word one, or added a phrase halfway through, what would the verb which describes this action be?
My first thought was "rephrase" or "paraphrase" but neither seems to work since, as far as I can tell, they both indicate applying major changes which is not exactly what I am looking for.
Then I wondered if "reword" could be the verb but, again, does not seem to carry the intended meaning.
The context is: a saying that has been altered in a way which made it flexible and able to be used freely without sticking to the original structure.


texts: "To take something from..." Vs. "To take something away from..." Vs. To take something off someone"

texts:
I've heard these forms for the same purposes, and I'm not sure what's more natural since most of these speakers are not really native English speakers. Which of these are correct?

Friend: Do you have the complete homework?
I: Yes, I do. You can take it "off"/ "from" / "away from" me today afternoon.

The choices are:

To take something from someone

vs.

To take something away from someone

vs.

To take something off someone"


texts: Why I understand A.J.Hoge 100% but CNN 20% only?

texts:
I am no native speaker. I have been reading an English book lot since 1970. Last 3.5 years I have been listening to A.J.Hoge and CNN. I have understood A.J. Hoge from the beginning and today I understand him 100%. Contrary, I understand CNN speakers only 20% or nothing. My Ears are normal from 10Hz to 250Hz, it needs only 10 dB. After 250 Hz to 8000 Hz, my ears need more and more dB to 100 dB. My ears are the same for both, A.J.Hoge and CNN. It is a big difference between 20% or nothing and 100%. I think A.J.Hoge speak at a higher volume every part of words and sentences, but CNN speakers not. They pronounce parts of words with low dB for my ears. I have discovered what I hear that I understand, what I do not hear I do not understand. Higher volume on my TV or Computer can't solve my problem because there are higher noises also.
What do you think is the problem here? Maybe CNN speakers would need to be students of A.J.Hoge because their interest is to be clear to all, native and no native speakers.


texts: Can I use "imply" as a synonym for "indicate" in this sentence?

texts:
Can I use imply as a synonym for indicate in this sentence or is there a more suitable word?

  The status attribute with the value of 201 is a signal sent from the service provider to the client to indicate a successful updating of the usere's record in the bus table.


texts:
I know English people prefer to say "3-digit-number" in "N 2-digit" form. But I unexpected that 150 can be said as "a fifty". That sounds like just fifty.
I heard this from the American TV series Unforgettable - S01E16.


texts: What is the meaning of 'git' in this context

texts:
I watched a movie about some cowboys and Indians in Texas, but needed to pause, when one of the cowboys put his hands on his belt and shouted "Git" at the person coming towards him.

What does "Git" mean in this context?


texts: Milliseconds in a second (short sound waves)

texts:
When working with short sound waves there are sometimes waves that are 0.23 milliseconds of a second and even lower 0.041 milliseconds of a second. In seconds they are 0.00023 sec. and 4.1e-5 sec. They are also 230 microseconds and 41 microseconds of a millisecond.

How do we pronounce these fractions?

  A second has 1000 milliseconds. A millisecond has 1000 microseconds.


texts:
"The soup is a little salty" - means the soup is saltier than the average. I heard this before so I guess it is correct. What is the part of speech of "a little"?

Can we say "the soup is little salty", meaning that the soup is not salty enough? Also, what is the part of speech of "little"?


texts: What's the meaning of' draw face tight'?

texts:
This is a sentence I read from a book and I don't understand the meaning of it.

  'The snow, sparse but bright on the ground ,reflects the light on to her face, which is drawn tight in an attempt to see.'

This is the scene that woman A is outside of the house looking for something in the garden and woman B, who has been inside, is about to go outside to talk with woman A. And the sentence above is describing woman B.


texts:
How to use the word ma'am. When and in which situations can I use this word? Which women can I greet with this word?

I have seen this word being employed in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone movie when Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) spoke to professor Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith). But this is a fairy tale!


texts: What loud thunder! or What a loud thunder!

texts:
My reference book gives me an example as follows:

  What loud thunder!

Should it be written as:

  What a loud thunder!


texts:
My understanding of how to use 'if for no other reason to do' is as follows:

You'll also want to make your house look presentable, if for no other reason than to jack up your asking price. ([unspoken] and to make more profit than without house cleaning etc.)

(.....1.....) (2 if for no other reason than to) (.....3.....). (4)

an initial action: make you house look presentable
if for no other reason than to
one (or some) of the benefits from the initial action:jack up your asking price
other benefits which remain unspoken: and to make more profit than without house cleaning etc.

Now, would you be so kind as to check to see if I have the gist of how to use the phrase by looking into my rendition below?

  The Army set up all our computers so quickly at the temporary base in
  the jungle, if for no other reason to know we could communicate with
  the rest of the world. ([unspoken] and write to our family and girlfriends)


texts:
I am writing a summary of an article and I found myself using the word "publication" over and over again. I thought that maybe I could use the word "disclosure", what do you think?Can "disclosure" be a synonym of "publication"? As far as I read on the internet, "disclosure" regards the action of making new or secret information known.

Do you think that that´s correct? My sentence is "After the disclosure of the EPOSTL in 2007, the public provided an overwhelmingly positive feedback".


texts:
In the sentence:

.... to lend me his car in need.

what will be the tree diagram for this part. I am confused for the part "in need"?
will it be part of NP(his car) or part of VP(lend)?


texts:
Which sentences are grammatically correct? Can we rewrite these sentences better?

  The biggest fear people have is (that) not being approved (of).
  The biggest fear people have is (that) not to be approved (of).

  Elderly people have a desire to feel needed.
  Elderly people have a desire to feel to be needed.
  Elderly people have a desire to be needed.


texts: Natural phrase for "a dish that doesn't have a lot of salt" and "a dish that doesn't have a lot of sugar"

texts:
My friend made a dish and asked me to taste it. I said:

  It's okay but it has less salt.(like a bit tasteless , it's salty but not as salty as it should be )

And for cake if it doesn't have sugar:

  It's okay but it has less sugar .(it's sweet but not as sweet as it should be.)


texts: What is the subject in the sentence below?

texts:
Amy Williams said."Just because you're sick doesn't mean you can't do things".

What does this sentence mean? I mean I couldn't understand what the subject is in this sentence. Would it be the same if it is said ;

  Amy Williams said." IT doesn't mean you can't do things Just because you're sick''


texts: The difference between the verbs "cue" and "prompt" in context

texts:
The context is a teacher asks a pupil a question and the pupil goes blank. Then other classmates is trying to help him with the answer. What would be the right word to use in the following sentence?

  Classmates are prompting/cueing the pupil so that he will not get a bad mark.

Is there any difference in between the words in context?


texts:
In a movie "Moana", there's this conversation between Moana and her gramma Tala:

  Moana: It's time to put my stone on the mountain.

  Tala: Okay! Well, then head on back! Put that stone up there.

Here, what does "head on back" mean?

I guess "head" here means "go". Then, can you say "go on back" instead of "head on back" here?

EDIT

For more context, here's a clip starting with the conversation above.


texts: Meaning of see in the following sentence

texts:
What is the meaning of see in the following sentence?

With the legislation now before a parliamentary inquiry, Friday's launch of News Showcase in Australia will see it pay seven domestic outlets, including the Canberra Times, to use their content.

does it mean to make sure something happens?


texts:
Are these 2 the same?

  Do you want to walk on Waterfront?

  Do you want to take a walk on Waterfront?

I know 2 is more common, but just curious if I use 1, how that would sound?


texts:
I wonder about "down".
Here is an example.

  He went outside. He looked down the road.

I think that he is not in higher place.
I cannot figure out the meaning.


texts: What does "the bottom had dropped out of his stomach" mean in this context?

texts:
A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?

I can find these phrases on the web: bottom drops out, bottom drops out of the market, and bottom drops out of one's world. But I can't find "the bottom had dropped out of his stomach" anywhere. What does it mean in this context?


texts: Why were some English phrases written in double negatives when the speaker actually wants to express a single negative?

texts:
For example, I just saw this phrase on social media:

The way 2020 going, I ain't buyin' no PS5.

I mean, in this instance, I can ultimately see that what the poster actually mean is that "I ain't buyin' any PS5". But I actually saw many instances of phrases like this in the past that's a lot harder to decipher whether the poster actually meant the phrase to be a positive or negative.


texts: ‘Hasn’t’ or ‘didn’t’? I want to know which is correct when used in the sentence ‘he hasn’t been hurt’ or ‘he didn’t get hurt‘.


texts: Clearer expression of "pointing to the moon" as metaphor for miscommunication

texts:
"While I was trying to show him the moon with my finger, he wrote hundreds of thousands of essays and term papers in the description of my finger."

Is there a better way to convey clearly this message that the person you are talking to doesn't really understand what you are talking about. Please note that I want to use "moon" metaphorically. So it shouldn't be taken literally.


texts:
'Free worldwide shipping' vs 'Free shipping worldwide' vs

'Free shipping to worldwide' vs 'Free shipping globally'

I'm curious what expression is correct to use , and if there is different meaning

Thank you!


texts:
Noisy neighbor, Dusan speaks to Paul:

  Paul, if tonight noise disturbs you, just come upstairs, talk to me.
  Don't make big show like last time, yelling like crazy man. We're
  neighbors. Neighbors are friends. What's better even, come to the
  party.

Is the wording in "better even" interchanged grammatically?

I find these line in Downsizing 2019


texts: Is there a specific name for the blackboard when it's white?

texts:
In now-days there are two types of blackboards: one is green (it's used with chalk) and the second is white (it's used with marker pen).

My question is if there is a specific name for white-blackboard? (In my language we simply refer to the white one as "white blackboard".)


texts: Is this pattern correct "to cut wood into logs"

texts:
Is "to cut wood into logs" correct? If yes, how natural is it?

  Woodcutters cut forest trees into logs.


texts:
The sentence I am writing looks like this:

  In collaboration with X and Y, [I/we] developed a method for ... [I/We] showed that the method works well in situation Z.

I would say that the first occurence should be "I", and the second "We", but it feels a bit weird.

EDIT: just to clarify, what I mean is that the method was developed by X, Y and me, and that the three of us showed that the method works well.


texts: She said shyly some things are not for sharing

texts:
In our bathroom there is a bottle of shower gel (see picture), and whenever I see it I wonder if there is something wrong with me or with the text.

The text says:

  Maybe I won[']t tell you she said shyly some things are not for
  sharing.

What is meant here? In my eyes there are two possibilities:

"Maybe I won't tell you she said shyly [that] some things are not for sharing." In this case, the word that can be omitted, so the text is grammatically correct, but does it make sense in this context?
"Maybe I won't tell you she said shyly some things [that] are not for sharing." That would make more sense, but my grammatical feeling tells me that the word that can not be omitted in this case.

I am not a native speaker, so I might be totally mislead by my grammatical feeling, so please comment...


texts:
I was/first to reach/the school/today

The book describes I was the first should be used

I'm not sure about it....
And what is the use of 'today' here!

should it be 'yesterday'?


texts:
Most of the popular tele-serials are not only illogical in their storyline(s) but also crude in their presentation(s)."

Please clarify whether it is okay to use 'storyline' and 'presentation' here though they refer to multiple storylines, or only a plural can follow 'their'.


texts: passive Gerunds to express likes or dislikes

texts:
I've read these sentences in my grammar book. And it says "we use I like ... and I don't like+gerund/noun". Example sentences are:

  I like being obeyed by my students.
  I don't like being laughed at.
  I don't like being asked irrelevant questions.

I don't understand it because we can also use the to-infinitive to express like or dislike, for example:

  I like to be obeyed by my students.

So, why to use gerunds like above?
Could you please tell me about the "being+past participle" form related to gerunds? Is it the passive of the -ing form? If so, how would the sentences look like in active form?

Source:
http://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Green%20Level/G15%20Gerunds%20Passive.html


texts: Change of direct speech: He said to me, "I had to do the work."

texts:
What is the indirect speech of the following sentence:

He said to me, "I had to do the work."


texts: Meaning of "respecting" in "no law respecting an establishment of religion"

texts:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I don't understand the part marked in bold.

Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. So congress should not make a law which prohibits the freedom of religion. I get it.

But Congress shall make a law which respects an establishment of religion. Doesn't "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" mean congress should not make a law that respects religion because there's "no" in it??


texts: "All I did was do something" is correct?

texts:
I saw several the following examples beginning with "All I did was":

All I did was see something.
All I did was hire her.
All I did was tell him the truth.

Are these sentences correct?

Why a verb that following "was" is in a bare form, instead of a form that would be more appropriate for an object?

If those are correct, what is an object?

If those are grammatically incorrect, so how does a correct form look like?


texts:
Here I am  aware of it, but I am not getting it.

  The sea hath/has many thousand sands.

Hath and has both  seem to be same meaning.

Which one is better to use?

Shall I use hath or has?


texts: How do I understand this 'have to' example combined with negation?

texts:
I’ve read CGEL says have to has three meanings: deontic, dynamic, and epistemic (p205) But when it comes to a negation example below, it’s not easy what to take from the three. How do I understand this have to example combined with negation?

  Ayrton Senna did not have to die.

  This came to me in a flash as I lay, whimpering in pain, in the
  backseat of Denny’s car on the way to the animal hospital that night.
  It came to me: on the Grand Prix circuit in the town of Imola. In the
  Tamburello corner. Senna did not have to die. He could have walked
  away.

  Saturday, the day before the race, Senna’s friend and protege Rubens
  Barrichello was seriously injured in an accident. Another driver,
  Roland Ratzenberger, was killed during a practice session. Senna was
  very upset about the safety conditions of the track. He spent Sunday,
  race morning, assembling the other drivers to form a new driver’s
  safety group; Senna was elected the head of the group.

  People say that he was so ambivalent about that race, the San Marino
  Grand Prix, that he thought seriously of retiring as a driver on
  Sunday morning. He almost quit. He almost walked away.

  But he did not walk away. He raced, that fateful first day of May in
  1994. And when his car failed to turn in at the fabled Tamburello corner, a corner known for its excessive danger and speed, his car
  left the track at nearly one hundred ninety miles per hour and struck
  a concrete barrier; he was killed instantly by a piece of suspension
  that penetrated his helmet.

  Or he died in the helicopter on the way to the hospital.

  Or he died on the track, after they had pulled him out of the
  wreckage.

  Enigmatic is Ayrton Senna, in death as well as in life.

  To this day, there is still great controversy over his death. On-board
  camera footage mysteriously disappeared. Accounts of his death
  differed. The politics of the Federation Internationale de
  l’Automobile came into play. It is true that, in Italy, if a driver
  dies while on the track, the death is investigated immediately and the
  race is stopped. It is true that, if a race were to be stopped in such
  a way, millions of dollars would be lost by the FIA, its sponsors, the
  track, television revenue, and so forth. Commerce would be affected.
  Whereas if that same driver were to die in a helicopter, for instance,
  en route to the hospital, the race could continue.

  It is also true that the first man to reach Senna after that moment,
  Sidney Watkins, said: “We lifted him from the cockpit and laid him on
  the ground. As we did, he sighed and, although I am totally agnostic,
  I felt his soul departed at that moment.”

  What is the real truth regarding the death of Ayrton Senna, who was
  only thirty-four years old?

  I know the truth, and I will tell you now:

  He was admired, loved, cheered, honored, respected. In life as well as
  in death. A great man, he is. A great man, he was. A great man, he
  will be.

  He died that day because his body had served its purpose. His soul had
  done what it came to do, learned what it came to learn, and then was
  free to leave. And I knew, as Denny sped me toward the doctor who
  would fix me, that if I had already accomplished what I set out to
  accomplish here on earth, if I had already learned what I was meant to
  learn, I would have left the curb one second later than I had, and I
  would have been killed instantly by that car.

  But I was not killed. Because I was not finished. I still had work to
  do.

  (Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain)


texts: use of a word in a sentence which is verb as well as a noun

texts:
Can we make a sentence using a word that is a noun as well as a verb?

For example:

  In that era guards used to guard.

Does this sentence sound okay with the word guard repeated like that?


texts: What is the semantic difference between everybody and anybody in `doing` context?

texts:
Please explain what should I choose for what context in the following examples:
it lets everybody do whatever they want
it lets anybody do whatever they want
What is the semantic difference?


texts:
John is making his daughter ready for the school

I guess you understand what I mean by the above sentence, though it's weird and may have grammatical errors. If you don't understand the above, here is what I'm trying to say - "John helps his daughter to get ready for the school" - Here by helping I mean tying the shoes, helping her to put the jacket, etc.

So now, my question whether using the word "making" is correct in this context? If I just transulate my native language sentence word by word, I get this word "making". But for me, it's looks so weird in English and I don't know how a native English speaker will write the above sentence.


texts: number - All of these words ... are / is to express?

texts:
Should the plural are or singular is be used in the following?

  All of these words in me are / is to express how much I love you.

I think only are works, but I saw an ad that used is in this sentence.
And is "are to" natural? Should "are meant to" be used instead?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: How can one certify one's knowledge of English without paying for exams?

texts: My friend speaks English at FCE level and would like to prove that in her CV, but cannot afford to pay for a relevant exam. Are there ways she could certify her English knowledge that are less expensive than Cambridge exams?


texts:
I am aware that in conditional sentences "if" and "would" do not go together, but I came across a sentence I am baffled by. Here it goes in context:

  Although we might disappear one day our legacy can live on if anyone would think to find it.

What does "if anyone would think" mean? Does this mean that the writer politely wants someone to find it?


texts: what the word appreciate could mean here

texts:
UPDATED:
 Before coming to the city for school, she never had any exposure to the arts.

Before coming to the city for school, she has never had the opportunity to appreciate the arts.

The reading book " inside reading 3" expresses the fact the both of the sentences are synonym.

Hence, I am wondering what the bold word could mean? or would you explain it or give a proper synonym for it in such a way that I could get its meaning more vividly?

Thanks in advance


texts:
I couldn't find the definition of "sure if" in any dictionary.
What is the meaning of "sure if" in this sentence? "Genuinely modest, but always sure if his ambitions and achievements."
[https://www.amazon.com/Sam-Walton-Made-America/dp/0553471120]


texts:
Can 'recently' mean not long before a specific time in the past?

For example, is it correct to say the following sentence?

  That day, when Jim arrived home, he started eating the ice cream he had recently bought.

If not, what adverbs or phrases best suit here?


texts: "recovery in the economy" VS "recovery of the economy"

texts:
Despite the sluggish recovery in the economy, XYZ posted better-than-expected results.
  Despite the sluggish recovery of the economy, XYZ posted better-than-expected results.

Which prepostion is the best choice? Is the choice between in and of dependant on the context?


texts: type 2 and type 3 conditional sentences (a subordinate clause within the protasis or apodosis)

texts:
I read this sentence today:

If I were five years old again, I would sleep in every Saturday while I still had the chance!

I am confused why is had used in the last part. When the first part is referring to a hypothetical present/future then how can the last part be in past tense.
The answer I received from a native speaker is that :

in type 2 and type 3 conditional sentences, a subordinate clause within the protasis or apodosis goes in the past (sometimes past perfect) tense.

Is this true? If yes, where can I find this information ?
These are very advanced grammar concepts for me and any resource suggestion can be very helpful for me.


texts: Why sometimes don't we use an auxiliary verb in question sentences?

texts:
As I know if would like to ask question I should but auxiliary verb.
So why in the following example we don't used the Who was discovered gravity?
"Who discovered gravity?"
I think it should be
Who was discovered gravity?


texts: What does mean "failed to deter" in this phrase?

texts:
As I found in the dictionaries, "fail to deter" means something/somebody can't prevent to turn aside, discourage or prevent from acting another thing. So, the meaning of this sentence is not clear for me:

Yet the lack of public demand and prohibitive cost failed to deter the cash-strapped Warner Bros, which released The Jazz Singer with a Vitaphone disc soundtrack in October 1927.

In my understanding, when we use "fail to deter", we want to say something tried to do a thing but couldn't. Here, the lack of public demand and prohibitive cost don't deter cash-strapped, contrary, they cause it.


texts:
As you know, the words like "reddish" or "greenish" mean "slightly red" or "slightly green". The same goes with some other color adjectives like "blue/yellow/etc".
But I need to know if this structure can be applied to some other colors like "orange", "cream" and "violet" too?
I.e. do the words "orangish", "creamish" and "violetish" standard words in English?
I am asking this question because I could not find them in dictionaries.


texts:
For over 20 years he has led seminars and courses on relationships and communication, and he has appeared on television shows.

why don't we use continuous because it is up to now? Is it because 20 years is a long time and we can't use the continuous form or is it because he did not always lead seminars, may be two years could pass between seminars


texts:
I have a question about this:

  1a. The people he thought were missing showed up.
  1b. The people he thought to be missing showed up.
  2a. The people he guessed were missing showed up.
  2b. The people he guessed to be missing showed up.

Which ones are correct? The a-versions or b-versions?


texts: Is there a single word that conveys "those and only those" meaning?

texts:
Example:

  Those and only those templates picked in the dialog need to become an effective workspace selection.

Is there a quality (an adjective?) to "templates" (in the example above) that conveys the same meaning as those and only those?


texts: An idiom or saying for how life can give us seeds of success, which we ultimately grow into evil?

texts:
I'm looking for a famous idiom or saying that conveys the meaning:

  Life helps us sometimes by giving us something that we can build upon, but we develop it into something bad, harmful or destructive.

The original saying in my first language, Arabic, portrays this image:

  Every time the days give us "the body of a spear", we mount a "head" on it.

The body of a spear, or a rod, can be useful as it could be used, for example, to put up a tent. But once it has a head added to it, it becomes a weapon.


texts: Friendly and informal way to say requesting something above one's "pay grade"

texts:
OK, I know that even my title doesn't make much sense, so here are the details of the situation:

I asked my colleague to do certain things, and he refused. So, if my boss asks why he refused, instead of saying that he is refusing to do things that he should be doing, I would say, I was was overstepping my boundaries, i.e., it is not my position to ask/request him to do things.

So, what is the friendliest way to express that idea, because after all, I'm really not asking for something big, but something really small. I don't want to blame others, but I don't want to take the blame either.

UPDATE:

All that I want is to down play the situation. So the more informal the better. I only want to hint at this, and everyone would know what I mean in such sensitive situation.

Thanks.


texts: Difference between 'Keep the change' and 'tip'

texts: After finishing my meal at a restaurant, I asked the waiter to bring the bill which was charged 229 units. I kept 230 in the that book which contains our bill and I told the waiter to keep the change because my car was waiting just outside and I was in a rush. He got really angry and said " Are you serious? you're insulting me by giving me 1 unit of currency". Even though I got out from the restaurant without much problem, I wonder why that was offensive? Is keeping the change same as giving the tip because I never actually say "keep the change" to the waiter. I just leave it on the table to collect. What could I say to the waiter so I could convey that I want him to keep the change in the main cash box instead of keeping it in his own pocket?


texts:
The farther the sealing-wax is from the fire, the harder it is.
  The farther from the fire, the harder the sealing wax.

I'd like to know which is the parallel structure.


texts: Does the O-S-V sentence sound normal in a formal context

texts:
Does O-S-V sentence like this sound normal for native speakers? (context: a wiki page for a knowledge database)

  The detailed information you can find in chapter 1.

Or I had better use one of these:

  You can find the detailed information in chapter 1. (S-V-O)
  The detailed information can be found in chapter 1.

Thank you for you help!


texts:
But she doesn’t really believe these silent Saturday-morning appearances have anything
  to do with early-onset Alzheimer’s; on any given weekday morning Harvey Stevens is
  ready and raring to go by six-forty-five, a man of sixty who looks fifty (well, fifty-four)
  in either of his best suits, and who can still cut a trade, buy on margin, or sell short with
  the best of them.

I don't understand the meaning of the phrase in bold, does it refer to age and mean: when he become sixty years old or fifty or forty years old?

This passage is from a short story named: Harvey's Dream By Stephen King.


texts:
A kid is playing a game interestingly. His dad/mom asks him to stop the game immediately and read books. The kids says "Okay..,I'm coming" but with little bit upset and frustrate. What are the adverbs to describe the way the responds. Which is best? Can I use frustratingly or  irritatingly?

  "Okay, I'm coming" the boy said frustratingly.

  "Okay, I'm coming" the boy said irritatingly.

  "Okay, I'm coming" the boy said ???ly.


texts: I've seen all available definitions of "valet" but none of them makes sense.


texts: A possibly erroneous use of "or" in a complex sentence

texts:
Just to make sure: isn't this an erroneous use of or?

  More recently, concerns have been raised that HGT from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) could have adverse effects (Pontiroli et al., 2007). HGT of an introduced gene in a GMO may confer a novel trait in another organism, which could be a source of potential harm to the health of people or the environment. For example, the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes to a pathogen has the potential to compromise human or animal therapy (Bennett et al., 2004), transfer of a viral gene to a non-homologous virus may result in an emerging disease (Falk and Bruening, 1994) or gene transfer to humans has been controversially proposed as a potential trigger for oncogenesis (Ho et al., 2000).

(From "Risks from GMOs due to Horizontal Gene Transfer", by Paul Keese)

P.S. It's hard to formulate why exactly, but it continues to look erroneous to me, although of course I believe J.R. In Russian, such a sentence would be considered erroneous. The minimal solution to make it less wrecked would be to cross out "or" and put "and" in its place. And a comma before "and", of course.


texts:
I am working on a flyer design, what is the right way to write:

  "Join us before we are reaching the limit."
  "Join us before we reach the limit."

And what is the difference between the two?
Is there a better (native) way to say this?


texts: Understand the sentence "Brazil has avoided the gaze of the U.S., exerting its influence... instead" in an article from the Washington Post

texts:
Brazil has largely avoided the gaze of the United States, exerting its influence through regional alliances and multilateral institutions instead.
---Making Brazil great again: How Jair Bolsonaro mirrors and courts Trump in the Washington Post.

My understanding:
"gaze" here means attention, and the subject of "exerting its influence..." is Brazil, so the sentence means "Brazil has largely avoided the gaze of the United States, and Brazil is exerting its influence through regional alliances and multilateral institutions instead".
It's a little awkward since it's "the U.S." followed by "exerting its influence...", and I don't know which two things are contradicting here, indicated by the word "instead".
So what's the correct meaning of this sentence?


texts: How do I distinguish linking of two or more individual words?

texts:
How do I distinguish linking of two or more individual words ?

For example : "Thank you", does not make sense to me as two words by English sound.

My first language is Chinese.

My purpose is find a way to query English sound as it is transcribed to English text,because I can't understood which words is in the English sound.

For example:in English text when I read a strange word I can query it in dictionary,What is way to handle similar problem in English sound?


texts: He doesn't play football "or" tennis. Is it correct?

texts:
As the title says, should I say:

He doesn't play football or tennis.

Or

He doesn't play football nor tennis.

Or "nor" only comes with "neither" ?

And will it be also be correct to say:
"He doesn't play neither football nor tennis." ?


texts: Usage of 'the' with an adjective in superlative degree when there is no noun

texts:
Should I put 'the' before an adjective in superlative degree when there is no noun.

For example:

I am (the) strongest.
You are (the) best.


texts:
What is the definition of 'perverse whim'

I can't seem to find the definition of it in the internet.

There is only the definition of perverse

  Perverse
  Pronunciation: /pəˈvəːs/
  ADJECTIVE

  1) Showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is
  unreasonable or unacceptable: Kate’s perverse decision not to
  cooperate held good More example sentences Synonyms

  2) Contrary to the
  accepted or expected standard or practice: in two general elections
  the outcome was quite perverse

  Oxford Dictionary (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/perverse)

I saw this word in an extract from a story which is in this sentence:

  She looked at me as if I had all the answers and was keeping them from her from some perverse whim, as if i had them hidden in the inside pocket of my blazer.

Thanks in Advanced


texts: the meaning of "I would not wish a British chef on anyone except the French tax collectors"

texts:
From "The Da Vinci Code":

Langdon looked amused. "I would have thought you'd import an English staff?"
"Good heavens, no! I would not wish a British chef on anyone except the French tax collectors."

I cannot figure out the last sentence's meaning, especially for the preposition "on". Does he want to say he didn't want any British chef that has a higher rank than anyone except the French tax collectors? If so, I sense "above" maybe better. Moreover, the possible explanation I have just guessed doesn't make much sense to me.


texts:
"From the past" or "From my past"... which one would be more appropriate to use in the phrase below:

  My weekend's soccer games from the past have now turned into nothing
  but a reminder of how easy and happy life used to be.

or

  The weekend's soccer games from my past have now turned into nothing
  but a reminder of how easy and happy life used to be.


texts: Different ways to say "He became blind at the age 50." Which is correct? And is there a difference?

texts:
Which is correct? And is there a difference?

  He became blind when he was at the age of 50 years.
  He became blind at the age 50.
  when he was at the age  of 50  years, he became blind.


texts: The meaning of "Never give a sucker an even break."

texts:
resource: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hustle

What does the sentence mean?

Don't give a loser a fair treatment?

Don't let a sucker have a rest? (So he/she continues sucking you)

Or something else?


texts: Word to describe a person who is trying to come out of his troubled past

texts: What is a single word (or two words) that you would use to describe a person who is trying to come out of his troubled past (like memories of loss/grieving)?


texts:
I know that "to eat up smth" means to eat all of it. Now I have a question.
Do "I have eaten that cake" and "I have eaten that cake up" have the same meaning?
Do they both mean that the entire cake has been ingested?


texts: Help to understand "that far from needing extra nourishment" in this sentence

texts:
The school nurse had seen what Aunt Petunia's eyes -- so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings and goings of the neighbors -- simply refused to see: that far from needing extra nourishment, Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale.

As I understand it, the word 'that' is a relative pronoun to lead the clause: "far from needing extra nourishment, Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale". This part of the sentence seems to say Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale, so he doesn't need extra nourishment. But I'm not quite sure if my understand is correct.

Another thing I'm wondering is - assuming 'that' is used to introduce a clause here - why it put "refused to see: that..." instead of "refused to see that:... ". Is there any special rule for it or just a stylish matter?


texts: The subject of an interrogative sentence

texts:
What is unusual about Angkor Wat?

What is the real subject of this sentence?


texts:
I saw a commercial for a golf lesson and it was called "abnormal golf lesson". Although the lesson was not in English, they called it an abnormal golf lesson in English.

But I feel like it sounds a little awkward since "abnormal" kind of also means "weird" other than just "not normal".

Is it weird to call "abnormal" a lesson that's different from normal lessons?


texts:
According to this passage:

  "Artists tell me that for a deep and true appreciation of art one must educate the eye. One must learn from experience to weigh the merits of line, of composition, of form and color. If I had eyes, how happily would I embark upon so fascinating a study! Yet I am told that, to many of you who have eyes to see, the world of art is a dark night, unexplored and unilluminated."

  Three Days to See, by Helen Keller

1- Where and when do we use "Yet I am told that" ?

2- What is the meaning of "Yet I am told that".

3- Who said the sentence "To many of you who have eyes to see, the world of art is a dark night, unexplored and unilluminated."- the artists or Helen Keller?

Thanks


texts: What's the appropriate verb to use for people driving into a city?

texts:
I'm not sure what verb to use to refer to people who are crossing the limits of a city entering it.
consider this example:

  "I want to send an automated message to all the drivers crossing my city border, entering it."

is it correct to use the word, enter here?


texts: "He was waiting until after I left to eat my cake." -- What verb form should be used after 'until after'?

texts:
Mom has bought you and your little brother two small cakes. She puts them on the table in front of you two. Suddenly, your phone rings; you go out to your room, and when you come back both cakes are gone. You say:

  The little creature didn't ask me for it; he was just waiting until after I . . . . so he could gulp it down in one piece.

My question is: what verb form fits better in the blank?
I've heard left (simple past) used in a similar situation, but is it the best choice? Other possible answers would be was gone, would leave, had left, etc.

Just an attempt:

I guess one way to solve the problem is bring everything to the present, find the answer, and then backshift them all to the past.

  He is waiting until after I . . . . so he can eat my cake.

I think leave and am gone work well, and so does have left (to a lesser extent, because I prefer to use the simplest form possible in the subordinate clause). Will leave sounds just wrong.
Following the scheme, the simple past (left, was gone, etc) will do fine in the original sentence, and had left/gone is a possibility, but not would leave.
But I'm not sure about all this.


texts: Have/has sentence usage in the following sentences. Can someone help me with it?

texts:
Does Jules have/has feelings for him?
Does Jules have/has the golden touch?
Does Jules have/has a plan?
Have is plural and has is singular. So technically for the last sentence, I should choose have. But I guess it's wrong but not quite sure. Can someone help me with me. And someone let me know the tense and it's form.


texts: worth to drive? worth the drive? worth it the drive?

texts: Me and my friend(american) went to the ice-cream shop and It took us 30 mins of drive. I thought It was too far but my friend kept telling me it is far but totally worth it. After arriving, we ordered and I had to admit that it was good. I told him "It is worth driving here.". But he corrected my grammar there saying "It's worth to drive.". So I googled it, but none of them say "worth to drive" since "be worth" is must go with gerund after that. Who's correct? and also, Can I say "It's worth it 30 mins drive."?


texts: Proper way to pronounce "Middle of" in GenAm English

texts:
I was watching anime and noticed the sentence "In the middle of the city". So I wonder how would I pronounce middle of in American English. Should I connect sounding sort of like "middle+love"? Or should I interrupt sounding more like "middle+really quick pause+of"?

Ps. When I connect the tip of my tongue is still on the top of my mouth when I go about to pronounce "of" which sounds more like "love". When I interrupt I pronounce middle, then my tongue goes to its normal resting position and then I pronounce the "of" sounding exactly like "of".

Pps. Can I ask this kind of question here? If I don't. I'm really sorry, but I couldn't find anything on google or youtube.


texts: Improving "the question is if A is B or C"

texts:
The next question is if X is a regulation based on subjective
  condition or a regulation based on objective condition.

I wrote the sentence like the above in my research paper.

A basic structure of the sentence is 'the question is if A is B or C'

I'm concerned if my sentence is too 'simple'.

I want to make my sentence more elegant

Is there any way to express it (the question is if A is B or C') in other ways?


texts:
This is the whole paragraph and the bolded sentence is the sentence that makes me confused:

  Logic usually deals with terms that are either true or false. Fuzzy logic is a branch
  of logic that deals with terms that can have any intermediate value between true and
  false. Say that true is 1 and that false is 0. Rather than dealing with the two-element
  set {0,1}, fuzzy logic deals with the infinite interval [0,1] of all real numbers
  between 0 and 1. With this we can give different values in different cases. Telly
  Savalas and Yul Brynner are both totally bald and hence would have the value 0.
  People with full heads of hair would get a 1. People in the middle will get middle
  values. 0.1 means almost bald, while 0.5 is halfway there. Someone might get the
  value of 0.7235. With these different values set up, researchers have gone on to
  develop different operations similar to AND and OR to work in this logic.

  Source: The Outer Limits of Reason: What Science, Mathematics, and Logic Cannot Tell Us by Noson S. Yanofsky

My problem is with the bold sentence; especially, "to work in this logic". Does it mean that researchers developed different operations similar to AND and OR and did make them work in this branch of logic" or does it mean that " researchers developed different operations similar to AND and OR so researchers can work in this branch of logic" or something else?


texts:
The Canadian census has this

"Is this dwelling part of a condominium development?"
I do not understand. I understand the word "condominium" -- my apartment is one, after all, and so are the other 54 condos in the building. The building was built ~50 years ago, converted from rental to condo ~30 years ago. What sort of development is this talking about? It really doesn't help my occupation is a software developer. As far as I know, development is a change of state from say a less advanced to a more advanced state. Usually when I read about real estate developers, they are building a number of buildings. But you can't live in one if it's being developed because, well, it's being developed aka in the process of being built. I am very confused here.
The official explanation couldn't be less helpful if it tried:

Select “Yes” if the dwelling is part of a condominium development. Include as condominiums those dwellings that are in the process of becoming registered condominiums.

Select “No” if the dwelling is not part of a condominium development.


texts: What does it mean? A record deal? And hating on somebody?

texts:
Some people started hating on my friend when she got a record deal.

A record deal? what kind of a deal is it?

Does the word "hating" mean envious?


texts:
I'm writing this sentence:
Goodbye to the most amazing teacher to have ever walked the Earth.

Is it correct to use "to have" in this context?


texts:
I read a dialogue. It went like this:

A: Is this your family？
B: Yes, it is.
A: What a big family! Is this your sister?
B: Yes, it is. Her name is Linda.   (I think this should be "Yes, she is")
A: Are these your grandparents?
B: Yes, they are. My mum's parents are on the left.

I was confused here by "Yes, it is". I believe it should be "Yes, she is", because "it" generally is referring to person instead of object. But is there any exception, for instance, this dialogue?

Also, 'it' generally is referring to a thing, animal and baby instead of an adult. Isn't it?


texts: Should I call my favorite activity my "first rate" or my "first rank" hobby?

texts:
Is it correct to say "first rate hobby"? Is it "first rank hobby" or anything?

"Diving became my first rate hobby, and it seemed like my 24 hours of days passed in the ocean."


texts:
When you have someone like him in your group, you know what is to happen

Is this sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Why are apostrophes used when omitting letters in words like "'em" or "ridin'"?

texts:
The apostrophe in English is a very valuable sign. I want to know about the way it is used to omit letters of a word. I often see authors omitting letters in dialogues (in books, articles, blogs, scripts):

They had to take 'em away. ('em=them)
I was down 'n' broken last night. ('n'=and)
We were ridin' to town yesterday. (ridin'=riding)

Why is it done so and how bad is it in dialogues (especially in books)?


texts: when does vs when will to ask the future event

texts:
I want to ask when school will start.
I feel both of the following expressions are acceptable.

When does his school start?
When will his school start?

The school will start at the future time so the use of 'will' seems natural. But I feel the sentence with 'does' is fine also. I don't know why it's correct though.
What expression is more idiomatic?


texts: To say something indirecty to someone through telling it to a third person

texts:
Please imagine the person "A" is not going to tell something directly to the person "B" in a company. "A" says it to "C" who has a more friendly relations with "A", but in the manner that "C"  (who is a witness to the conversation between "A" and  "C") could hear it. In this way, "A" has succeeds to convey his message to "B" indirectly.

Example:

Let's imagine that cigaratte smoke bothers "A". "B" who is a chain-smoker is familiar with "A", but still they are not so close together so that "A" could ask him not to smoke beside "A". Now, these three people are together and "A" is talking to "B" who is "A's" intimate friend. "A" tells to "C":

  A) I have a college at work who smokes too much! We talked to each other yesterday about his personal issue; he smoked so much that I even couldn't breath! Last night, when I went home, my wife approached me and got surprised. She asked me whether I smoked! You know! It was really difficult to explain it to her!
  C) Really?! But if I were you, I'd ask him to be more considerate!
  B) Hears this conversation and tells to himself...................

There is a saying in my language which can describe the action that "A" did in my scenario:

  He beats one to frighten another.

To me it strikes as a translated version of a proverb from another language; I would appreciate it if you could help me to find a natural way to imply the same meaning in English?

Added

Another scenario:

  Please imagine a bully picks on someone once and the person somehow gets it through the guy that he's not itching for a fight (he doesn't afraid of the guy at all.) Later, the person somewhere meets an intimate friend and suddenly faces the bully who's his friend's close friend! He values this time and just after greetings relates the story of his last championship in the world UFC fights to his own friend in the manner that the bully could heard it too. In this way, without any fight, the person succeeds get this message through the bully that he never ever afraids of him; just he did not tend to fight with him.

In our language, we use only one saying to describe the situation for both cases! We say:

  He says to the door so that the wall could hear it.

Where "A" is simply talking to "C" so that "B" heard it (with no offence to "C"; (perhaps because "C" is "A's close friend and won't take any offence" or "C" is somehow well-aware about the matter and cooperating with "A").


texts: Can "I dare say (so)" mean "Of course" in a certain context?

texts:
Can the expression "I dare say (so)" mean "Of course" in a certain context?
I know the general meaning and usage of this expression.
From Collins dictionary:

You can use 'I dare say' or 'I daresay' before or after a
statement to indicate that you believe it is probably true. "I dare say
that the computer would provide a clear answer to that."  "People always
think I'm a fool, and I dare say they're right."  "Luke badly wanted a
pass mark. Still does, I daresay."

But I was wondering if, when the context makes it clear, this expression can be used in an ironic way to mean "of course".
For example, suppose someone has done many bad things to you, and a friend asks you, "Are you angry with him?" and you reply, "I dare say (so)", when it is clear you actually mean "To say the least", or, "I certainly am".
I think I heard this usage in a movie, but I'm not sure.


texts: What do you call a notepad used to keep a record?

texts:
Let's say we're in a computer room of an university. In order to use a computer, you have to write your name, department, and seat number in a notepad.

What do you call that notepad? Or what adjective should you use to describe it?


texts: "The lights go out" meaning in this context

texts:
A teacher burning with rage and a student filled with indignation had this conversation:

  Teacher: Where have you been?

  Student: Just went out to get my mother to the doctor.

  Teacher: Oh! I see. But, no excuses! You're late.

  Student: Sorry Sir. I won't repeat that.

  Teacher: Come late and say sorry and you're gonna save yourself. Now, your ass will be taking rounds and rounds of the playground until the lights go out.

Could that possibly mean when someone dies or until the night or for quite a long time or when someone is panting or  what? I'm confused!


texts: How can I answer someone that was harsh with me?

texts:
Someone has been harsh with me in their comments; how can I reply to him?
My attempts:
For example can I say :

I'm here to learn and that's why I asked too many questions, even if it looks stupid, but you were harsh!

I'm here to learn, that's why I asked too many questions, even if its looks stupid and I felt hurt!

Any help would be appreciated!


texts: Why is it Merry Christmas instead of Happy Christmas?

texts:
I see that if we greet people during a day, we use 'good' such as

  good morning/afternoon/evening/night.

And for annual occasion, we usually use 'happy' such as

  Happy Birthday/New Year/Mother's Day/Easter/Halloween.

However, when it comes to Christmas, we say 'Merry Christmas' instead of 'Happy Christmas'. Why? Is there any specific rules for greeting?


texts:
I need to lower the amount of cigarettes I smoke per day.

I need to lower how many cigarettes i smoke per day.

Do both the sentences mean the same thing?
Is the second one grammatically correct?


texts:
Being a German mastering the English language and having to read specialist literature in both languages for business reasons, it is likely ....

I am referring especially to the first part of the sentence...


texts:
"It" or "there" are both correct in the following. Is there any difference in grammatical terms?

It/There was standing room only in the courthouse.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What is the accepted terminology in English for someone with a disability?

texts:
This is something that gets confusing really fast, especially to non-native speakers like me. I've seen so many terms for describing someone with a disability:

handicapped;
handicapable;
disabled;
differently abled;
invalid;
incapable;
crippled;
monoplegic;
having special needs;
...

The list goes on and on, and it changes on a regular basis. So what is the proper term to use for e.g. someone who is blind, deaf, missing a leg, autistic,...?


texts:
In the book "The Forsyte Saga" there is such sentence: "... they did not die; death being contrary to their principles, they took precautions against it..."

I'd like to know which grammar rule is used in the part "death being contrary to their principles" ?


texts: Meaning of "proposition" in "value proposition"

texts:
The concept of "value proposition" sounds a bit abstract to me.

Does the "proposition" in "value proposition" mean the same as in "business proposition"?

How is it different from "value creation"?


texts: I've never had any girl talk to me this way

texts:
I keep hearing sentences with "I've never had...." Even though I understand what it means, I'm not really sure how to use it.
Are the following sentences correct?

I've never had anyone talk to me like that before.
I've never had two men propose to me at once.

If the sentences are correct, what does 'I've never had' actually mean? Does it mean that "I never made anyone talk to me like that before?" Or is it just like saying "No one talked to me like that before?"


texts: 'I, too, am waiting ...' and 'I, also, am waiting ...'

texts:
Kitty: I'm waiting for a banana.
Jair: I, too, am waiting for a banana. (1)
Jair: I, also, am waiting for a banana. (2)

Which is correct, (1) or (2)? If both, what's the difference? Plus, are commas before and after too/also strictly required?


texts:
Person A: what would she be later on in life?

Person B: I'll tell you what she would be — she would be the mother of my children.

Or

Person B: I'll tell you what she would be — she will be the mother of my children.


texts:
different kinds of fruit

  different kinds of fruits

Which one is correct? Or both are correct?


texts: Is it correct to say "Don't YOU cry" instead of "Don't cry"?

texts: Is it correct to say "Don't YOU cry" instead of "Don't cry". I mean that I know that usually people you the second form (don't cry) but my question if there are cases that the first form (Don't YOU cry) is correct.


texts: A word/phrase for discussing something not separately but in the course of another debate?

texts:
There is no separate treatment of this topic but it has been dealt    with ------- other debates.
  Psychologists have nowhere discussed this issue as a separate subject    but they have been concerned with it -------- other
  different issues.

What word to put in the above blanks? The above sentences are meant to say that certain topics have been only secondarily or indirectly discussed, without its independent importance being recognized.


texts: "finally as it seemed to me" -- what is "as it seemed"?

texts:
But Elijah passed on, without seeming to notice us. This relieved me; and once more, and finally as it seemed to me, I pronounced him in my heart, a humbug.
  (from Moby Dick Source)

What does "as it seemed to me" mean here?


texts:
What is the formality level of the phrase "for starters"?

Can I use it in formal letters?


texts: Difference between "fat chance" and "slim chance"?

texts:
Is there a difference between "fat chance" and "slim chance," and if so, what is it?

Taken literally, they seem to be opposites, but do they mean the same thing?


texts:
Can we use "beyond over" for long distances? Will it be idiomatic and beautiful English?

My home is beyond over that mountain.
The path leads beyond over the hills and far into the dark moore.

I want to say that something is over something and beyond (beyond [over something]).


texts:
Imagine this situation, I want to ask a question to a group of people. Should I say:

Can you give me the information?
May you give me the information?

Which is the best/correct one?

Thank you all,
Regards,


texts:
Google Translator translates c'est moi qui decide as "it is I who decides." I'm confused about "decides" being correct, since there is I before who.

Is decides right, or should decide be used?


texts:
We have an idiom in Spain: ser el último mono (to be [someone] the last monkey)

Let me quote the DRAE (Diccionario de la Real Academia Española de la Lengua)

ser alguien el último mono

  loc. verb. coloq. Ser insignificante

Translated: to be a nobody

A more elaborated explanation [from here]

  Ser el último mono dentro de un grupo: la última persona a la que le cuentan algo, la última persona
  que recibe una propuesta, el último al que avisan para alguna
  actividad, la persona a la que nadie pide su opinión

Translated

  Being the last monkey in a group: the last one to be told something,
  the last one to receive a proposal, the last one to be invited to an
  event, the person never asked about his opinion

Used in a workplace environment, it may mean that there are a lot of bosses and few real workers. Being the last means that you can not delegate, that you have to do the job.

Is there any equivalent idiom in English?

Let me illustrate the term with a pair of images from the great Argentinian artist known as Quino showing how you can be the last monkey working for a Big Company.

[CAPTION:

What? You don't want to keep rowing?? I'm puzzled, Fernández!!!

Are we or are we not in the same boat?]

EDITED: Thanks to @FumbleFingers' comment, I've searched the Spanish idiom's origin.

According to Instituto Cervantes, it comes from the proverb

  El último mono es el que se ahoga / The last monkey is the one who drowns at the end

The Instituto marks this English proverb as equivalent

  The devil take the hindmost

But it may have some kind of relation with

  as long as they [Gibraltar's monkeys] remain, so will the British

Who knows? No proof has been found to back up or deny this point.


texts:
In each sentence a bundle of 'call' and 'on' has different meaning. What does 'on' followed after 'call' mean in each sentence? Why does 'to' or 'for' not use instead of 'on'?

  The Commissioner-General plans to call up on the Secretary-General of
  OIC as soon as arrangements can be made.
  We call on the Security Council to have them arrested and disarmed.
  The Chairman: I call on the observer of Switzerland.
  Eritrea renews this call on this occasion.


texts:
How do these differ?

  i. X has always been there.

  ii. There has always been X.

&

  i. How long has there been X?

  ii. How long has X been there?


texts: the people who {founded / had founded} the city over 400 years ago

texts:
I wore the dress I bought yesterday.

Both verbs are in the past simple (same sequence of time).
But if I bought the dress 3 years ago, would it be possible to write this:

  I wore the dress I had bought 3 years ago.
  (to emphasize the gap between the buying and the wearing)

Consider:

  The tree was planted by people  who founded the city over 400 years ago.
  (We don't know what was the first action the people did because both verbs are past simple.)

If I want to make clear that the foundation happened first, shall I write this?

  The tree was planted by people who had founded the city over 400 years ago.


texts:
In the following sentence: "My gratitude goes to my dear friend for turning our coffee breaks into interesting and thought-provoking conversations, which were essential to maintain sanity and from which I learned a lot," is which referring to coffee breaks or to conversations?

Thanks in advance.


texts: With prepositions - relative adverb 'where' vs relative pronoun 'which'

texts:
I enlarge on 3. the shop next to (close to/before/opposite/in front of, etc.) where we live. Thanks to user StoneyB's answer, I did read about (See definition 2) pro-forms here.

  *These are not all so absurd ..., because the spatial relationships are in most cases reciprocal: if the place where you live is ‘opposite’ the shop, the shop is also ‘opposite’ the place where you live. Still, before and in front of inverts the spatial relationship; and in all these cases, you are inverting your topic: instead of a bound relative clause describing where you live relative to the shop, you have a fused relative clause describing where the shop is, relative to where you live.

I understand the differences for prepositions that invert the spatial relationship (ie are NOT 'reflexive'), such as in front of, because X in front of WHERE we live <=> X fronts where we live, but X in front of WHICH we live <=> X lies behind where we live.

Yet what about the prepositions that are 'reflexive', such as close/opposite to? I don't understand the problems caused by 'inverting your topic'? I tried to learn about fused relative clauses.


texts: Meaning of the phrase "displace oneself" in context

texts:
Here it goes:

  Psychologically, 20RM work is very hard, due to the pain, and lifters who are good at it develop the ability to displace themselves from the situation during the set. Or they just get very tough.


texts: What preposition to use with the word "ignorant"?

texts: "It’s ignorant from you to say that" or "It’s ignorant of you to say that"


texts: Is the use of ''However'' legit in this case?

texts:
I know that "however" can be used to contrast a sentence against the preceding sentence. Is the use of "however" in the following sentences correct?

  The  [name of channel] channel is found to be the most important for [name of some financial market] However, the overall effect of the [name of some channel] channel appears to be minor for [name of some other financial market]

In other words: is "the most important" really a contrast to "appears to be minor"?


texts:
What are the differences between the following:

Maybe you don't see moving in together as a big deal as I do?

Maybe you don't see moving in together as big of a deal as I do?

Maybe you don't see moving in together as a big of a deal as I do?


texts: What verbs should be used after "there is" and "there are"?

texts:
Somebody told me these are incorrect in grammar usage:

There are few people join
our party.

There are a few cookies to
share you.

Please anyone tell me which parts are incorrect and what kind of the verbs could be used after "There is & There are"


texts: Why do they always say "I got you" not "I've got you" and what is the difference between them?


texts:
In a scientific journal paper, when something is briefly discussed in one section (e.g., Introduction) and want to say it is further discussed in the discussion section (which is usually the last section of the main text), which one is more appropriate? Or are there other standards? Discussion section here is just an example and could be any other section (e.g., Materials and Methods).

  ... is further discussed in the Discussion

  ... is further discussed in Discussion

Similarly,

  (See Discussion for details)

  (See the Discussion for details)


texts: What is the difference between "information on/about" and "information of"

texts:
All the dictionaries I have say that the word "information" is usually used in combination with "on" or "about". However, when I Googled with the phrase "information of", there were a lot of hits. For example, I found the following sentence on the Texas Tech University website:

  You cannot access your own medical information or medical
  information of your family, even if they have asked you to.

Is there any difference between "information on/about" and "information of"?


texts:
When I spoke with a friend of mine, I had noticed she used sentences similar to "I need to go buy food."

Is it correct to say "to go buy," or should I say "to go to buy"?

I know that I could say "I need to buy food," but I think that in "I need to go buy food," who is speaking is putting in evidence s/he needs to go and that s/he cannot stay any longer, or that her/his time to stay is limited.


texts: How to write a plural form of 'ex' (ex girlfriend..etc)

texts:
She's my ex

But then,

  In my photo album, you see many exes/exs/ex's of mine?


texts:
As you know, the word "similarity" can be both countable and uncountable. Based on this matter and whereas you can easily find some results for each case surfing the net, I have no idea surfing the net, which sentence bellow sounds more idiomatic and natural. I am wondering which sentence is correct:

1- They are like apples and oranges; there is no similarity between their personalities.
2- They are like apples and oranges; there are no similarities between their personalities.

Logically, #2 should be more idiomatic to me.


texts:
I use this link but i don't quite understand it: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/finality?q=finality+

"Not only does this call into question the finality of individual payments, it also means that a cryptocurrency can simply stop functioning, resulting in a complete loss of value."

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/bigger-cryptocurrencies-get-worse-they-perform-bis-2691889


texts: What does "Your mind is on fire but it's not enough" mean?

texts:
I know that the song is kind of poetic, but I fail to interpret this part. What do you think it means?

009SoundSystem Born To Be Wasted

  Oh, the rock's not gonna stop, so let's rip it up

  The beats are gonna
  drop, you can trip em' up

  Your mind is on fire but it's not enough

  We
  were born to be wasted


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

(1) Next week, I am free for four days.

(2) Next week, I will be free for four days.

A few of my neighbors are native English speakers. They think (2) is not idiomatic. I wonder why it isn't. "Next week" is temporal point in the future. Why can't I use "will be"?


texts:
When the Uber self-driving car ran over that poor woman in Phoenix,
the news coverage focused on how it would set back the cause of
self-driving cars.

In this sentence, what does 'set back the cause' mean?


texts: Can I always drop the T and the D at the end of verbs in the past (or past participle) tense when they come between two consonants sounds?

texts:
I am Brazilian and I'm trying to improve my English-speaking skills. I having a tough time linking verbs in the past tense to words starting with consonants other than T and D. I learned that many native English speakers drop the D and T sounds when they come between two consonants sounds.
Here are some examples:

I talked with my manager yesterday about a raise.
The government has expressed support for the project.
His speech has heightened confusion and discrimination.
The premiss is based on a prediction proved false.

I don't know if there is a pattern, but I noticed some native speakers pronouncing these two letters when they are not speaking fast.


texts:
I've read in http://profrajappansblog.blogspot.co.ke/2010/10/participial-construction-absolute.html?m=1

It says that absolute construction makes use of absolute phrase. Here, absolute means 'independent' or 'not-related". The subject is always mentioned in absolute phrase, for example 'he being rich', but the subject is never mentioned in participle clause, for example: 'being rich'. The subject of the absolute phrase is always different from those of main clause.

Having read all this, I have now come to realize that absolute construction is related to the participle clause because participle clause having the use of different subjects can also be called 'an absolute construction'

Am i right at the point ? If I'm right,Then, I can say that the following sentences can also be called the absolute construction because the subordinate clauses have the different subjects than those of main clauses.For example:

1.The weather being nice, we decided to go for a picnic.

2.It being a cloudy night, I couldn't see the moon.

3.Saroj being late, I couldn't catch the bus.

4.The teacher being late, we had no school yesterday.

If these sentences are with absolute construction, these sentences can also be called participle clauses having the different subjects.participle with different subjects


texts:
We use "of" instead of "for" in some kinds of sentences because the adjective which is near infinitive describes the character (evaluation) of the person.
For example

  It was careless of you to leave your bag on the train.

but I don't understand why we use "of". Is that related to the features of prepositions?


texts: Other ways of asking “what’s in the news?”

texts: “What do they write in newspapers about?“ - does this sentence sound right for a native speaker? If not, what are the alternatives?


texts: Grammar meaning question: would and will

texts:
what is difference about meaning between these two sentences?:
sentence 1 : To get a high score you would have to study a lot
sentence 2 : To get a high score you will have to study a lot


texts: Is the term "restricted interest" not redundant?

texts:
Here is a quote from an article on Wikipedia on Asperger's Syndrome:

  People with Asperger syndrome often display restricted or specialized
  interests, such as this boy's interest in stacking cans.

As far as I know, the word "restricted" has two meanings in English: the first one is "forbidden" and the second one is "limited to a certain area or field".

Obviously, here it's not the first meaning.

But then I am not sure I understand how the second meaning works here. I mean an interest is by definition something limited to a certain field, isn't it?

For example, if I am interested in pop-music, than it is just natural that I don't have a similar degree of interest toward other fields like, say, culinary and photography.

In fact, if my interest were not limited to those fields that I am curious about and were equally distributed among all fields instead, then it would look more like I had not particular interest toward anything at all!

So, is the term "restricted interest" not redundant?


texts:
Left Ear (who is an explosives expert, but deaf in his right ear) : Okay, party people,
here's the status. It's an anti-scaling fence. It's hardened,
electro-plated steel. Yeah, I'm gonna have to paint that up with some
nitromin.
Charlie: Security on the property?
Left Ear: Got an armed guard here. Little rent-a-cop, with a 9mm on
his hip. But that booth, security booth look prime for a chemical
grenade.
Lyle: Nitromin, chemical grenades, that stuff is pretty hard to come
by.
Left Ear: Yeah, Lyle, it's a bear market...Sh*t. This dude got dogs. I don't do dogs. I had a real bad experience, man.
Charlie: What happened?
Left Ear: I had a bad experience. Da*n it. I'm deaf!
-- The Italian Job 2003

This scene occurs when Left Ear stays in his car surveilling Steve's house with professional binoculars.
I guess do here means deal with/handle. I checked the dictionaries but couldn't find any entries for this usage. Is this informal? Any other verbs which could be used to replace it?
Can you please give me a few more examples to help me gain a better understanding of it?


texts: What is the name of this thing in English?

texts: What is the name of the thing where objects are well connected and pass through different sections to finally help do one thing at the end in a creative way. Where an object moves along a specific path, hits another which has a new path which moves along and hits another etc? :)


texts: structure of "see something for the garbage that it is"

texts:
I ran across this sentence in a podcast prepared for English learners:

  She sees such magazines for the garbage that they are, and chooses not to read them.

I can see what it means, but still cannot get my head around how it is structured; see for is not a phrasal verb, nor could I find a meaning for for that can sit well in the sentence. What is your take on this, please?


texts: Meaning of "would" in requests and conditional sentences

texts:
Can we use would without an if clause as below. How can it be right?

  A) Would you help me to open the door?
  B) Yes, of course

or it's full form is

  If you had mind, Would you help me to open the door?

Please explain


texts:
In the sentence

  He ducked behind a tree before being spotted.

has he been spotted?

P.S. Context:  The search party was close behind.

P.P.S. Can we know from the sentence, as written, whether he has been spotted?

P.P.P.S.  Same question, this sentence:

  He ducked behind a tree before he could be spotted.


texts:
Can I use the answer "It better." in this example?

'I'm sure your dedication to the job will pay off soon,' said John.

'It better,' replied his friend.

Is this dialogue correct?
I'm not sure where I found this (It better), but I guess it means something like, "It (my dedication) better pay off soon otherwise I'm gonna be in trouble". Or "It must pay off soon, after all I've been through".
Am I right?


texts: Should I use "grown" or "grown to" in the following sentence?

texts:
The pile of garbage had grown (to) half his height.

To me, "had grown half his height" sounds natural. However, a native speaker told me I should add to.
Should I add a to? Why or why not?


texts:
I am confused whether I can use 'a' or 'the' in this sentence:

  While he was walking down ___  street.

The word "street" has been used in the beginning of the sentence.


texts: Any difference between “shouldn’t have done something” and "shouldn’t have to do something”?

texts:
Is there any difference between these two?

I shouldn’t have done that.
I shouldn’t have to do that.


texts:
In TV series and films I sometimes come across enumerations that lack the "and" or the "or", and sometimes even have something very different used instead.

What do you want coffee with? Milk, chocolate?

So where are we going to? France, England, Germany, maybe Italy?

I want to make pasta with mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese.

Is it a an acceptable way to enumerate in both formal and informal English or only in informal English? What is the grammar behind this style?


texts:
For example:

  My little brother went to my mom

  He's like mom can you give me 5 dollars?

  My mom's like honey I gave you $10 last weekend.

Do I need to use quotation marks after he's like/she's like?

I never do because as far as I know
we always use direct speech in this construction.

I maybe wrong.

Just asking to ensure.

I found this another example:

LYRICS FROM WE'RE NEVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER BY TAYLOR SWIFT:

  Huh, so he calls me up and he's like, I still love you
  And I'm like I just I mean this is exhausting, you know, like
  We are never getting back together like, ever

(I don't see any quotation marks here as well)


texts:
The nursery rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down” includes a line

  Iron and steel will bend and bow

To me as a non-native speaker, both “bend” and “bow” evoke essentially the same kind of mental image in this context. Is there a difference which can be put into words? Or are they fully synonymous here, and just combined for the sake of the rhyme?

Writing this I realized that while apparently both words work for iron and steel (perhaps with some artistic liberty?), I'd only bow to a king and bend rays of light using a lens, not the other way round. But I don't know why, except that I'm copying phrases I have read in these contexts. So perhaps an explanation of situations where just one word is appropriate can help point out distinguishing nuances for situations where both are possible.


texts: I have come across many sentences involving phrases like "litte to bad", "little too comfortable", "I am little too busy". What exactly does it mean ?


texts: Ambiguity between "you are" and "you would be"

texts:
Is it possible in English to create ambiguity between the expressions "you are" and "you would be" as an equivalent of the Italian expressive construct "saresti"?
This construct is useful in Italian, because, if the listener thinks the speaker means "you are", the listener coils get offended, but the speaker could escape an offensive contattack fin the listener explaining they meant, "you would be". In the other hand, if the listener thinks the speaker is wondering whether the listener would belong to a particular category of actions, had they done something else, and the listener indeed belongs, they could reply "yes I am". In the other two cases, the speaker thinks "you would be" and the listener agrees with "yes I would be if", or the speaker means "you are", in a distanced and cautious manner, and the listener responds with "yes I am".
I wonder if there is a way to introduce a similar construct, based on ambiguity of interpretation, in english, it if these ambiguity-based interaction modalities are local to Italian only.
Thanks.


texts:
1 The car went through the red light. (I think only THE is possible)
2 The car stopped at the red light. (I wonder whether there are any contexts in which A would work? Or would it take not a specific car for that? Cars stop at a red light)


texts: Consider one's priorities vs. prioritize one's needs

texts:
In the context of the sentence:

  You need to carefully consider your priorities in order to choose the most suitable solution.

Can I replace "consider your priorities" with "prioritize your needs"?


texts: Is "dressed" a verb or an adjective here?

texts:
One summer morning at the beginning of harvest, in 1771, I think it was, Mr. Earnshaw, the old master, came down, dressed for a journey.

What is the usage of "dressed"? Is it used as verb or adjective?


texts: American vs British pronunciation of `i`

texts:
Have you ever noticed that the American pronunciation of the letter i in various words is exactly "opposite" of the British way. Look at the following two word groups to understand what I mean...

Word group 1

Anti-
Semi-
Hemi-
Quasi-

Word group 2

Mobile
Fragile
Docile

What I would really like to know is if this is a well known pattern and can be used to derive American pronunciations from their British counterparts (and vice-versa)?


texts: Difference between "result", "consequence", "outcome"

texts: Can you tell me the difference between result, consequence, outcome and the use of each words?


texts:
Did you get hit on your leg?
Did you get a hit on your leg?

Is #2 correct as well? How do they different and when do you use hit with no article and with an article?


texts: Which preposition should precede "schooling": at or in?

texts:
Which preposition precedes the noun "schooling" Is it

medium of instruction at schooling

or

medium of instruction in schooling.


texts: "Hearing this makes me sad." vs "To hear this makes me sad."

texts:
I hope you see the intended meaning of both of those sentences.(I dont actually know if both of these are valid, I just made them up)
I know gerunds assume the role of a noun but would you really understand the first sentence as "The hearing of this makes me sad" or are they identical?
This question is bound to be perceived as unclear but since you would very rarely use a noun ( (the) hearing ) in my native language this is especially confusing to me. Is one of the two sentences more likely to be used?


texts: Article usage: "We are offering the product at the price of $20 per pound." Or "at a price of $20 per pound"?

texts:
We are offering our product to you at the price of $20 (twenty dollars) per pound.

Wouldn't it be better to write

  We are offering our product to you at a price of $20 (twenty dollars) per pound.

When googling, I seem to find both variants, and can't make out the difference.

The Google Ngram for "at the price of" vs. "at a price of" is puzzling too:


texts: "I bought children books for my children" - is it grammatical?

texts:
Is it grammatical to use children as a possessive adjective in a phrase like this:

  I bought children books for my children

If it's incorrect, what is the proper way to say the same, and is there any rule of thumb to remember?


texts: Why can’t we drop “The reason” and just say “Why she is still single is because...”?

texts:
I know a relative adverb "why" can be followed by a clause and make the clause a noun phrase. It can play a role as an object or a subject in another sentence.
For example)

I know the reason why she is still single.

Sometimes, the antecedent is okay to be dropped, if readers can guess there has to be the antecedent "the reason" with the context.

I know (the reason) why she is still single.

Likewise, the under-written sentence is possible.

The reason why she is still single is because she is ugly.

However no native speaker says like this:

(The reason) Why she is still single is because she is ugly.

Wrong???
Why? Is there any specific reason?


texts: talk to you later today about ... or talk to you about ... later today

texts:
I am going to make up two sentences.

  I want to talk to you about my travel plan later today.
  I want to talk to you later today about my travel plan.

Which one is grammatically correct?


texts: which is correct? need help with English

texts:
which one of two sentences is correct:

  1: I was once chased by wild dogs!

  2: I have been chased by wild dogs!


texts: How different are "come up to mind", "come down to mind" and "come to mind"?

texts:
According to the hits of google search "come to mind" is most often used and "come down to mind" is least used.

What difference have these three phrases?
Should I only use the "come to mind" that is most used?


texts: How sound does it make when a tree falls?

texts:
I was going through a footpath there was a tree, suddenly that began falling but it waited for a moment , then it started falling, yet again it waited for a moment, then it started falling, like this it was constant for some moments. Finally the tree fell completely .

How was there the sound of falling the tree?

That tree all fell, waiting but if a tree falls without waiting, what would you call that sound too?


texts: How to say "Not all of them do something"

texts:
I wrote:

  However, not every data region is used for data extraction; some of them are employed to restrict the scope of other regions to certain portions of the page.

Data region is a label for a thing in the software, I want to say the purpose of all of them is not the same thing. How can I say such sentences, for another example

  Not all of them ? are designated ? to do something, some of them are supposed to do it...

I have two problem, one is that I don't know the structure to except somethings from a task, and second is that I don't know a good synonym for "designated "


texts:
Object A is located parallel to object B and is located between
object C and object D.

I am trying to simplify the above sentence I created. I would like to know which of the following is better:

Object A is located parallel to object B, between object C and object D.
Object A is located parallel to object B and between object C and object D.

In particular, is there any possibility that the first sentence may be misinterpreted that object B is located between object C and object D?
I found a similar question, but it seems to differ from my question.


texts: Is "described on the face" or "is described on the face" correct in this sentence?

texts:
The passions described on the face of the statue survive the hands that made it.

Is this sentence correct or we have to say "is described"?
If it is correct, why did we not put "is described" to make it in passive voice?


texts: Make people succeed vs make people successful

texts:
I want to know the difference between these sentences.

  A warm, kind heart makes people succeed.
  A warm, kind heart makes people successful.


texts:
I know "out of breath" means having difficulty breathing after exercise

What does ‘running’ in the following sentence mean? Does it mean ‘becoming’?

  George is trying really hard but he’s running out of breath.


texts: When I write a sentence " Around 90% of population are Hinduism"

texts:
In the above sentence, Is it correct grammatically ? When I write it is said its wrong.
Where is the wrong


texts: What's the name of the process of making wood smooth?

texts:
Example sentence:

  Sandpaper is used to __ wood.

I thought of polishing but I think that's the process of making wood shiny (e.g. using wax or varnish).

What's the correct word to use here?


texts:
There is a rumor that  this multinational company will  set up its regional headquarters in India - - - - -

At shortly

Shortly

In short

In this question we need to add "at" before "shortly" or in short  its OK without at


texts: A man is trying "setting up" (or "to set up") password - difference in meaning?

texts:
We know that there's a difference in meaning between try used with the infinitive and  try used with the gerund:

  I tried sending her flowers. (Meaning: An experiment: I sent her flowers to see what will happen).
  I tried to send her flowers. (Meaning: I tried to go through the procedure necessary to send flowers to her. The procedure might have been difficult.)
  (per Michael Swan's PEU, Unit 299.6)

Will the same distinction hold if we use trying:

  A man is trying setting up a password on his computer. (Is he experimenting, wanting to see what will happen?)
  A man is trying to set up a password on his computer. (Is he trying to go through all the necessary steps, probably difficult, of setting up a password?)


texts: I cooked dinner for me myself - is that right to say that?

texts:
It seems like that into the sentence

  I cooked the dinner for me myself

I need to insert another myself because the actor and the receiver of the action is the same person (me).

But in such a case the sentence becomes weird

  I cooked the dinner for myself myself

Is it right to say it that way?


texts: How should I read these numerical phrases?

texts:
How should I read these sentences that contain numerical (?) phrases?

  A: "I have gone there 3-4 times."

1- I have gone there three, four times.

2- I have gone there three to four times.

3- I have gone there three or four times.

4-?

  B: "Bring me 10-15 apples".

1- Bring me ten, fifteen apples.

2- Bring me ten to fifteen apples.

3- Bring me ten or fifteen apples.

4-?


texts: What's the difference between "continues doing" and "continues to do"?

texts:
I realized I don't really know. I've just been using them interchangeably.

If I were to guess, perhaps "continues doing" hints a bit more at a continuous process (continues hitting him for ten minutes) as opposed to repeatable incident (continues to hit him every time he makes a mistake). Though the opposite combinations sound okay too.


texts: When telling a grammar rule, should I use plural or singular?

texts:
Alice doesn't know about linking verb at all, so she asks Michael to explain the meaning and the usage of linking verb.

Michael says

  A linking verb is a verb that is used to describe a state of being

  Linking verbs are a group of verbs that are used to describe a state of being

which one should I use, plural or singular?


texts: Does "job nature" mean "job circumstances and surroundings"?

texts:
I don't know if there is such a phrase exists, but I translated it literally from my native language to English. So, I would like to know if it is correct and means "job circumstances and surroundings".

The sentence I want to use that phrase in:

  She has to be in an appearance that is consistent with her job nature,
  so she can do it perfectly as you claimed.

I searched for it on the web but found nothing except the phrase "job description" which is a document that describes the general tasks, or other related duties.

PS: X is saying that sentence to Y about Z who works as a chef. What X means by the sentence (not my personal opinion) is that Z can't wear a full face of makeup and let her long hair down, when she is working in the kitchen because of the nature of her job.


texts: Adverb placement "which unfortunately I.."

texts:
I have read Book ABC and a few pages of Book XYZ, which unfortunately
  I left abruptly/ which I unfortunately left abruptly.

Which one is correct? If both are correct, which one to use when?


texts: What does the sentence "Her welcome was as warm as Tom's three years earlier had been frosty" mean?

texts: I cannot understand the sentence above. What does it mean?


texts: tense agreement: "I was talking how the people who had been (have been) brave enough to take part in WW2 were (are) people we should look up to."

texts:
Just the other day, I was talking to my mom about how the people who had been brave enough to take part in world war 2 were people we should look up to.
Just the other day, I was talking to my mom about how the people who have been brave enough to take part in world war 2 were people we should look up to.
Just the other day, I was talking to my mom about how the people who had been brave enough to take part in world war 2 are people we should up to.

Which one amongst the above sentences is grammatically the most accurate?
I asked this question once before, I still am kinda doubtful as to whether the first one is the best one to use.


texts:
He beat more furiously than ever upon the cage and slipped his great
  fingers through the bars, trying to reach the Professor, and poured
  out volumes of ape-chatter.

  Why, why did men shoot at him, he asked. He made himself terrible,
  therefore men ought to love him. That was the whole burden of what the Professor calls its argument.

This is a novel about a gorilla who could speak with a professor.
I do not understand the meaning of the sentence below.

  That was the whole burden of what the Professor calls its argument

What does "burden" mean in this context?

Does "argument " mean "a quarrel" here?


texts: Does the following sentence contain a double predicate?

texts:
They married young.

I think it means "They married when they were young". Am I right?


texts: How to use 'not'? Can you use 'not' after a verb?

texts:
Can you use not after a verb? Is there a correct way to use not? Are these examples correct/ interchangeable? If not what is the difference?

Speak not against my father / do not speak against my father
Fear not the dark/ Do not fear the dark
I did not go there/ I went not there
I do not like apples/ I like not apples
I do not like this book/ I like not this book
We will have not an early frost/ We will not have an early frost/ Have not an early frost we will
Close not the door/ Do not close the door
I do not prefer it/ I prefer it not/ I prefer not it
I knew not about his whereabouts/ I did not know about his whereabouts

Here is a tricky one:

I know not to run with scissors

can have two meanings: I do not know how to run with scissors Versus I know that running with scissors is a bad idea


texts: Does "be able" reduce probability when used with "might"?

texts:
Consider these two sentences:

Jane might be able to help you.
Jane might help you.

Does the second sentence give more probability to get help? For me the first sentence says that she will be able to do it, she will be free, but it does not mean that she will consider doing it or will do it at all.


texts: What's correct between "To turn it on is forbidden" and "Turning it on is forbidden"?

texts:
to turn it on is forbidden
  turning it on is forbidden

I always have troubles when I have to use infinite forms of verbs. In particular like in this example, where a verb describes something more in the next sentence.

I mean when a verb is the subject of a sentence, i.e.: "Walking is healthy" vs "To walk is healthy". I seem to hear more the first version, but some times I wonder if the -ing form is always the correct way.


texts: Is the grammar used in following sentence applicable to any similar situations?

texts:
This is my sentence:

  How much a month is the rent for this house?

Similar situations

  How much a two nights is the rent for this room?
  How much an every two nights is the rent for this room?
  How much an hour is the rent for this bicycle?


texts: Can I say "pink is fragile" to express that it symbolizes softness/something that can be destroyed easily?

texts:
I was arguing with few of my friends about the different colors. So I said "Pink is fragile", and one of my friends started making fun of me.  He didn't get the actual meaning of my sentence.

What I meant was that pink color symbolizes softness and can be destroyed easily and it does not have that impact. Was my way of expressing my opinion completely wrong? I don't want opinions on pink color, but the degree of correctness of the sentence.

It was a priority task in which we had to arrange different colors according to our perspective.


texts:
I  found that "firework" is countable  noun  but sometimes  it may be uncountable.  So,  now I'm wondering how to use this word.

would you say:

I've never seen so many fireworks

or

I've never seen so much fireworks

??


texts:
Do we say "best scene in the movie" or "best scene from the movie"? I feel like both are grammatical and idiomatic, but the second phrasing sounds better, but I was wondering if both were completely valid phrases.

For example:

  It's the best scene in the movie.

  It's the best scene in this underrated movie.

  Best scene in the most underrated movie of the year by far!


texts:
I am reading the script of a TV series "How I Met Your Mother"

The script has this sentence:

  Hey, you want to do somethin' tonight? Okay, meet me at the bar in 15 minutes.
  And suit up! Where's your suit? Just once, when I say suit up, I wish you'd put on a suit.

What does "suit up" means please?

I tried to use a dictionary but it seems it is not a formal phrase.


texts: where does the primary stress fall in "save on fares"?

texts:
In the phrase "save on fares," does the primary stress fall on "save" or "on"?
I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Does it mean that the market is up or stays steady in a high level?


texts: “Had to" “have to" “has to" “will have to" uses?

texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct ?

Sorry dad i wasn't able to pick up your phone as i was busy and had to complete my work.

Correct to use present tense after had to ?


texts: The proper way of answering "What's this?" question

texts: To such a question like "What's this?", can I answer simply "A red pen" or should I always say "It's a red pen"?


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

texts:
“He was transferred to another branch to see out the last few remaining years of his career.”
Also, what are some synonyms for “see out” that can be used here?


texts: Which case of pronouns should be used with prepositions?

texts:
I have a problem in understanding the role about which form of pronouns should be used with prepositions

  I am going to school with him


texts: Difficulties interpreting this complex sentence

texts:
James had been a high priest of technocracy ever since coming to NASA in 1961, arguing for the authority of experts, well-organized and led, and with sufficient resources to resolve the many problems that pressed the nation.

The phrase in bold is the one I don't quite understand. I am assuming "arguing for the authority of experts" describes James. But "well-organized and led" is confusing.

Does it mean James is a well-organized and "led" (what?) person? The final part "and with resources..." I am assuming also describes James. So there is a parallelism between "with resources" and "arguing...".