texts: "The possibility I am going to lose is low." instead of "There is a low possibility I am going to lose"?

texts: Can I say "The possibility I am going to lose is low." or "There is a low possibility of loss for me" or "The possibility of loss is low for me" instead of "There is a low possibility I am going to lose"?


texts: What's the passive form of this sentence?

texts:
Their students don't break the window.

I just tried almost everything but it still doesn't make sense.


texts: In TV listing content, how would you call the schedule for a channel, and the whole set of channel schedules?

texts:
I'm looking for the correct nouns to name two different concepts:

a TV channel schedule, e.g. "This is tomorrow [word-a] for Channel 5."
a table with a set of channels and their respective schedule, e.g. "This is the printed weekly [word-b] for cable channels."

Said otherwise, what are the correct nouns to use in this sentence: "I've seen Channel 5 [word-a] in next week printed [word-b] of cable channels.

Are those concepts already well identified with different nouns in American English? If not what would you suggest?

If that helps: In French those two concepts are not well differentiated, we merely use the same noun "programme" in singular and plural forms, e.g. "J'ai regardé le programme d'Arte dans les programmes de la semaine prochaine".


texts: Does the word "fold" in the following context mean "times"?

texts:
I'm reading a book and I saw there a sentence with the word "fold" but I am not sure about the meaning of this word in the context:

  Overall, glia outnumber neurons in the mammalian brain 10-to 50-fold.

Does this "fold" mean like "times"?


texts: What is the meaning of "a circuit to" in the following sentences?

texts:
What is the meaning of "a circuit to" in the following sentences,

  Resistance is a measure of the opposition of a circuit to the flow
  of a steady current, while impedance takes into account not only the
  resistance but also dynamic  effects (known as reactance).

( Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admittance )

Does "Resistance is a measure of the opposition of a circuit to the flow of a steady current" mean "Resistance is a measure of the opposition of a circuit that is the flow of a steady current"?

Does "a circuit to the flow " mean " a circuit that is the flow" ? If so (a cirucit = the flow ), does "to" in "a circuit to the flow" mean "that is" ?


texts:
My advisor told me to "share this report with Tom for his input"

What does my advisor mean here by "for his input"? Does he means to allow Tom to add his part in this report or does he means to allow Tom to read and know the information contained in this report?

The background is Tom should have no idea what's going on in this report but he knows what I am doing for a big picture.

Of course, Tom is a random name here...

Thank you!


texts: Sentence Structure - "I'm seeing very few people roam or roaming..."

texts:
I would like to check if my following sentence structure is correct.

I'm seeing very few people roam in the streets these days.

or

I'm seeing very few people roaming in the streets these days.


texts: What's the meaning of "Grandma doesn't do Anaheim" and why is it funny?

texts:
I was watching Two and a Half Men and ran across this joke I don't understand. There is a laugh track that makes me think it is supposed to be funny. What is the meaning and why should I think it is funny?

Two and a Half Men: Grandma doesn't do Anaheim

  Evelyn: Because when your brother’s marriage ended… Yes, I know Alan…
  blah, blah, blah… [to Charlie] and he chose to move in here, your coldness
  towards your mother became more than just the behaviour of an ungrateful
  son. It’s now an obstacle to my spending time with my beloved grandchild.

  Jake: Are you coming to Disneyland with us, Grandma?

  Evelyn: Oh darling, Grandma doesn’t do Anaheim. [Laughter from laugh-track.]

  Alan: Well, uh, we’d better hit the road. Try to beat the traffic. Thanks for
  dropping by, Mom. Come on, let’s go Jake. Race you to the car.


texts: Single words or compounds meaning "giving away of food" free of cost?

texts:
To distribute food items, especially cooked and  ready-to-eat, free of cost is a charity work. Is there any single word or an apt compound word or even a phrase for this distribution which involve a divine sanctity or charity sacredness.
Food distribution, food supply, do not include the charity aspect.

Are "food offering" and "food handouts" good terms?
Any helpful suggestions will be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.


texts: I can't understand the meaning of this sentence

texts:
"First of six total heats- each a little longer and hotter than the last to suck up the oxygen rich environment that scales love so much."

Link: http://m.imgur.com/gallery/w32RT

Above is the sentence I have ever seen in the article in the web.
But I didn't understand the translation of the sentence.
What is the meaning of the sentence above?
Please, tell me.


texts: 'both of whom' or 'both of them' after a semicolon?

texts:
I just came across a problem (not homework), from somebody I know.

I wish I knew the answer to this grammar problem but I actually have no clue about this one, so I couldn't answer it.

The question was this:

  Mr.Ferrara will be interviewing two candidates for the position of
  sales director today; both of ____ are qualified for the job.

  a) whom
  b) them

Could someone please tell me which one should fit in the blank?


texts:
Do the following sentences have the same meaning?

  Later Peter's daughter Elizabeth had the Grand Palace, park and fountains expanded.

and

  Later Peter's daughter Elizabeth had expanded the Grand Palace, park and fountains.

If they are not the same, why does "expanded" in the first sentence be in the end?


texts:
I have formulated several sentences in daily usage as below (describing time), but I am not sure which is or are correct.

  A: Can I take this coach (at or on) any time of tomorrow?
  B: Can I take it anytime tomorrow?

  C: We will arrive at the pier tomorrow afternoon.
  D: We will arrive at the pier on the afternoon of tomorrow.


texts:
There was a movie in 2008 called Eagle Eye. What is the difference between

Eagle eye
Eagle's eye


texts: Can "such ... as" be used to introduce a clause

texts:
Recently I'm learning the usage of the word "such". I looked up several dictionaries and found that in Collins Dictionary, one sense of "such" has the following usage:

You use such...as to link something or someone with a clause in which you give a description of the kind of thing or person that you mean.
Each member of the alliance agrees to take such action as it deems necessary.
Britain is not enjoying such prosperity as it was in the mid-1980s.
Such as is also used.
Children do not use inflections such as are used in mature adult speech.

However, I didn't see this in other dictionaries like Oxford Learner's Dictionaries and Longman Dictionary. Can "such" be used like this? If so, is this sentence correct: He is such a person as for everyone in the class his name is known.


texts: How do I use "Use" correctly in this sentence?

texts:
"I'm not use to this city life" OR
"I'm not used to this city life" ?


texts:
I can't seem to figure out the meaning of ''push'' here.

Is ''pushing a narrative'' a phrase?

  After decades of conflict, many no longer see the other side as
  people, only as threats and enemies. Both sides continue to push a
  narrative that plays to people’s fears and reinforces the worst
  stereotypes rather than working to change perceptions and build up
  belief in the possibility of peace.


texts:
I just read the transcrpit from Nightly Business News on NBR.

There is one paragraph I do not quite understand...

  Aggressive discounting, promotional offers weight on results meantime at Lands’ End, the apparel maker reported a nearly $6 million loss as well as the steep decline in sales.

The transcript can be found here.
The NBR video post can be found here.
You can listen at 17m35s until 17m39s on the Youtube post.

What is the meaning of "weight on results"?

Is "weight on results" a correct usage?

Or Should it be "wait on result"?

Could anyone kindly give me an answer?

Thanks


texts: What's the different between "DO" and "Really"

texts:
I have two different sentences as follows:

I do love her.
I really love her.

Question:
 1. Are do and really have the same meaning or interpretation?
 2. What are both of them?


texts: What does "Won't you take the time you were given" mean in the lyrics of "My Little Ruin"

texts:
I need your kind help understanding the line "Won't you take the time you were given" used in a song by Glen Hansard called My Little Ruin - full lyrics available here.

  Come on, my little ruin
  Won't you build yourself back up again
  Won't you take the time you were given
  You promised it to yourself
  You could stand among the best of them
  If you could hold your own
  But no one's gonna do it for you now
  But you and you alone


texts:
On stackoverflow, when a user has not written anything about him it says :

  Apparently, this user prefers to keep an air of mystery about them.

Why in this case 'him' or 'her' isn't used instead of 'them'. In my mind, them is used when it's about multiple persons.


texts: “collected in the papers" VS "collected the papers"

texts:
(A quiz had been taken ...)

  Half an hour later, Lockhart collected in the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.

  "Tut, tut -- hardly any of you remembered that my favourite colour is lilac. ..."

I'm not sure why 'in' is there. 'Collect' can be used as a transitive verb, so I think "collected the papers" is good enough. Why does it put: "collected in the papers" instead. Is there any difference between "collected the papers" and "collected in the papers"?

-- From Harry Potter.


texts:
Working in an unsanitized environment subjects people to infection from viruses.

Working in an unsanitized environment subjects people to infection by viruses.

Which preposition is correct?


texts:
This is from 'Mothers and Sons' by Colm Toibin.

  It was March and a thin frost was beginning to settle. The road had
  been widened for stretches, and the car lights beamed on wooden
  fences instead of the old ditches. The road was no more the hidden,
  almost guilty thing it had been, huddled away from the land around.
  There were fewer accidents now, she supposed.

I looked up the definition of stretch and still not sure which one. Is the road widened in terms of a width only or a continuous length?


texts: Sequence of tenses: is it optional if I have the exact time in the clause?

texts:
He said he had done it the week before.
He said he did it last week.

Are they correct and mean exactly the same?
My textbook says that the following two are identical in meaning:

He said that he went to the theater yesterday.
He said that he had gone to the theater the day before.

Does this work with the phrase last week?


texts: What is the appropriate tense for factual statements after a stative verb in the past tense?

texts:
Assuming that cats are evil (they aren't), which is the correct way of saying this?

"I believed that cats are evil."

"I believed that cats were evil."

My confusion arises because I want to express that the act of believing occurred in the past, but also that the belief was and is true.


texts:
I am not quite sure how to use "will had", "had" and "had been" to make sentences.  All I know is...

I will have eaten my breakfast by 2pm.
I have finished my project already.
I have been working on my assignment since last Monday.

But I'm not quite sure how to use "will had", "had", "had been"


texts:
How do you write a possessive of a noun that has a phrase describing it?

Example:

  [The dog at the park]'s food

The food belongs to the dog, not the park. What is the proper way to write something like this?


texts:
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/05/politics/nyt-trump-resistance-op-ed/index.html

  The op-ed offers a first-hand account that corroborates key themes of
  a new damning book about Trump’s presidency by the veteran journalist
  Bob Woodward: that some of the President’s top advisers have a dim
  view of the commander in chief and are quietly working to thwart
  Trump’s most reckless and impulsive decisions from becoming a reality.


texts:
The conference drew over 1,000 attendees.

This use of the word attendee seems wrong. I usually think of the "ee" suffix as indicating the subject or recipient of an action. (An employee is one who is employed, a payee is one who is paid, etc.) In the given sentence, it sounds as though the conference is seeing to the needs of the people who were there, when the meaning is probably intended to be "more than 1,000 people were there".

I would expect that the correct word to use here is attender, as in "one who attends". (Not attendant, "one who accompanies".) Is this a situation where the incorrect form is used so much that it becomes correct through force majeure? Is it not actually an instance of the "ee" suffix at all?


texts: Using a singular or plural verb with “either”?

texts:
Either my parents or my sisters IS/ARE going to visit...

Either my parents or my sister IS/ARE going to visit...

Which one is "certainly" correct?


texts: "went for a saunter" vs. "sauntered" - Two ways to say the same thing?

texts:
Do

  They went for a saunter in the park.

and

  They sauntered in the park.

have the same meaning?


texts:
This sentence is from some game manual:

  For example, if a player started a battle with a “XYZ” Order and then attempts diplomacy with the card bonus, he must retreat if he draws a "HJK"

Is that sentence correct?? Or should it be:

  For example, if a player starts a battle with a “XYZ” Order and then attempts diplomacy with the card bonus, he must retreat if he draws a "HJK"

Thank you for your answer.


texts:
I have read many sentences with the modifier "judging by..." followed by the subject "it".

Such as this example:
Judging by his appearance, it is clear that he doesn't comb his hair.

The sentence itself sounds right to me, but how do I explain that the modifier "judging by..." is not a misplaced modifier, or is it? since the subject "it" is not doing the judging. How do I explain this?


texts:
The expansion and definition of a brand is always, to a certain
  extent, work in progress. this example from Cambridge Dictionary

I want to know why 'on' cannot be used in the sentence.

In my opinion, 'Progress' means that 'Going to the aim', so that 'in' is more correct than 'on' because we cannot see obviously how the progress is going on at least in the sentence.
To sum up, I think if we can see obviously how a work is going on, 'on progress' is more appropriate, but if we can't see obviously how a work is going on, 'in progress' is better.

Is my thinking correct?


texts: I don't understand the sentence structure of the sentence

texts:
John Kim, Sendbird’s CEO and founder, said that additional
developments like moderation has seen a huge take-up, and services it
plans to add into the mix include payments and logistics features, and
that it is looking at adding in group audio conversations for
customers to build their own Clubhouse clones.

I almost understand the meaning, but I don't get the sentence structure ... Please teach me this.
Original text is here.


texts:
Can anyone tell me if it's better to use "was", "had been" or simple "had" in this kind of context as shown below?

  I was able to finish the test in only 1 hour and a half and then I had used the time left to proof read everything.

or

  I had been able to finish the test in only 1 hour and a half and then I had used the time left to proof read everything.

or

  I had finished the test in only 1 hour and a half and then used the time that had been left to proof read everything

I myself would personally consider the 1 or 3 to be the correct, but I wonder what other people think?


texts: How to dissect/parse 'that could not otherwise have been obtained without'?

texts:
Source: R. v. Tessling, 2004, Supreme Court of Canada, by Justice Ian Binnie

1                               On this point, as well, we part company with the U.S. Supreme Court majority in Kyllo insofar as Scalia J. declined to distinguish among types of information relating to the home.  He declares that “[i]n the home, our cases show, all details are intimate details, because the entire area is held safe from prying government eyes” (p. 37).  This view seems to be predicated on the “originalism” philosophy of Scalia J. for he writes (at pp. 34-35):

We think that obtaining by sense-enhancing technology any information regarding the interior of the home [1.] that could not otherwise have been obtained without physical “intrusion into a constitutionally protected area,” Silverman, 365 U.S., at 512, constitutes a search _ at least where (as here) the technology in question is not in general public use.

Sequences of negative words still smother my reading comprehension. So please explain and show all steps and thought processes? Do all negative words in the bolded phrase lie within each other's scope? Then, am I right to pair and eliminate instantly not and without?
Finally, can I just replace them with WITH ?
2. obtaining ...  information  ... that could not otherwise have been obtained WITH without ... intrusion
Now otherwise seems redundant? What are the similarities and differences between 2 and 3?
3. obtaining ...  information ... that could otherwise have been obtained WITH  ... intrusion


texts: Which sentence (out of four) is Grammatically correct?

texts:
I want to inform the policy holder of the loan balance on the policy. I am writing a letter and want to pick one correct sentence.

"No outstanding loan due on your policy."
"No outstanding loan is due on your policy."
"No outstanding loan balance due on your policy."
"No outstanding loan balance is due on your policy."


texts: "I am living in Berlin" (it's been 30 years)

texts: Would a native speaker say "I am living in Berlin" instead of "I live in Berlin"  if it's not their hometown and they have been living there for 30 years and they are still living there?


texts:
Can anyone please tell me what the difference between "have been" and "was" in the following sentence is?

Here is the text:

I have been/was a big fan of Tottenham football club but from now on I will never support the team. It is because of the rude behaviour to other footballers in the last match a have come to this conclusion.

Note that before that incident happened, I was a big fan of the team. I am not a fan any more.


texts:
His sight blurs in dizzy.

What wrong with "sight blurs in dizzy"? I don't find any google result for the phrase.  The context is the following: The person is old and sick, and he is walking on the road where is very hot; since he is sick and the weather is so hot, he gets dizzy and his sight blurs before he fall down.


texts:
Would anybody explain how to change the following sentences into the passive?

  He did it himself.
  He killed himself.
  He washed himself.


texts:
Here is my small paragraph.

  The accepted object is further verified by fitting a circle for a
  selected slice. If the circle fitting error is lower than the
  defined threshold, it is accepted as a circular object.

Can i use the article 'the' with some nouns even though we are using them for the first time within a sentence?


texts:
Is the sentence "That's what has him disappointed" equal to "That's what has disappointed him"?

Is it the present perfect in the "That's what has him disappointed"?


texts: What preposition to put between "to fall" and "window"?

texts:
Which of the sentences below is/are correct? It is a matter of prepositions.

I saw a ball fall out of a window.
I saw a ball fall from a window.
I saw a ball fall off a window.

I am not quite sure which preposition should be used in the case with "a window". Thank you.


texts: What does 'sb.' mean in this dictionary, NED, below?


texts: I was there for two days or I was there two days?

texts:
Which variant is correct?

  I was there for two days.

  I was there two days.

And what about use for with stay?

  I stayed there for two days.

  I stayed there two days.


texts:
[...] in the paper, there happens to be an entire section that is dedicated to creative writing. The section usually consists of 3-4 options for a creative writing task. Each option gives a topic/title to write either a descriptive essay, argumentative essay, or narrative essay on. Our teacher advises us to always choose writing a story (which would mean picking the narrative essay option), as apparently it's easier to pull more marks by virtue of the fact that you have a narrative at all.

I feel that using a comparative adjective twice here had been wrong.

  [...] it's easier to pull more marks [...]

And can you "pull" marks? Is it correct phrasing?


texts: "any" or "the" in the sentence with "too--to" structure

texts:
Given Sentence:

  The question is so difficult that no student in the class can answer it.

Question:

  The question is too ______.

Possible Answers:

  The question is too difficult for any student in the class to answer.
  The question is too difficult for the student in the class to answer.

Are there any difference in these two answers?
If so, explain it to me. Thanks in advance.


texts:
When a person is taking an examination which prohibits anyone to take a mobile phone or any other recording devices, examiners often ask the question,

  where is your mobile phone?

To answer this question in this context, which answer of the two below sounds natural? Or how should it be answered if neither is good enough?

  I've left it home.
  I left it at home.


texts: Which preposition should I use when saying "Idea of" or "Idea on"

texts:
Which preposition should I use when asking someone about their idea on/of something in a formal manner? Saying "idea on" sounds too informal, but "idea of" doesn't sound correct.

For example, which of these would be the correct usage:

  "If any of you might have an idea on what I should do..."

  "If any of you might have an idea of what I should do..."

In some examples, "idea of" sounds just as correct as "idea on," or at least does to me.

  "I have a rough idea on what you're talking about."

  "I have a rough idea of what you're talking about."

I understand that "of" shows belonging, and that "on" is used to show that something is above and touching something else.


texts: Looking for the label that books get when they out of use (at the library)

texts:
When a library has a lot of books or when a library doesn't want the book for any reason, then they used to put a stamp with a label that says that these books are not already belong to the library, and the person which hold them, hold them or buy or sell it, do it honestly. But there are specific words which accepted in this field in my language, it's something like "out of use in x library" or "taken out of the x library.

Can I know what's the normal or parallel way in the library of English spoken countries to do this label, that I talked about?


texts:
When I said

  "in my field, people earn triple in the US. for the same work in China."

a native speaker told me I should have got rid of that ".", is it a more modern style to refer to America?


texts:
Sue said, ''Johnsy, Don't move and promise me not to look out of the window.''

If I change this sentence into indirect speech,

Sue told Johnsy not to move and to promise her not to look out of the window.
Sue told Johnsy not to move and promise her not to look out of the window.

Can I leave out ''to'' as in sentence 2? Is it incorrect omission?


texts:
Read this conversation below:

  Lawyer :(Asking to a boy) So, Did you find anyone bullying her?

  A lady: Sorry, We're going to object. That asks him to qualify behaviour.

Does that mean that is "judging their behaviour and reaching conclusions about one's demeanour"?

I'm not quite sure. Is it a legal term?

Note : I've searched and didn't find anything suitable.


texts: Can I use "I start school at 8 o'clock every day" meaning "I start classes at 8 o'clock every day"?

texts: Can "start school at 8.00 every day" be used with the same meaning as "start classes at 8.00 every day"? I know that it usually means begin school at a certain age, say five or six. Can school mean the classes I go to?


texts: Why 'to bid fair' and NOT 'to bid fairness'?

texts:
ODO: bid fair to {archaic or literary} = Seem likely to

Am I right that 'fair' has never been a noun meaning 'fairness'? fair {noun} lists only 'A beautiful woman.' as one archaic meaning, which's noncontextual here.  If so, ought this expression be the more correct: 'bid fairness to' ? Why does this jar with use of the noun (instead) for the idiom 'bid defiance' ?

Footnote: I encountered the idiom above while reading this.


texts:
I am wondering whether "was" or "Were" should be used in the following:

A small percentage of the revenues was / were donated to charity.

But a dictionary has the following example:

A high percentage of married women have part-time jobs.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: "Questions", Construction with "do" and "be"

texts:
I always tend to use constructions like in the examples below. Where I'm mixing "do" and "be" by way similar to that when the "do" and "have" are used together. (e.g. Does it have?). Why it is wrong? How it break the sense of what I want to say by it?

  a) Does the feature is still available?

  b) Do markets are open?

Thank you.


texts:
What I wanna know here is if I'm able to say this phrase:

  They have been moving me to other regions, ever since.

in this way (I guess it's passive voice):

  I have been moved to other regions, ever since

without making a grammatical mistake.

When I first formulated this phrase, I didn't have this doubt. But when I looked at it again, I got this questioning and by searching it on google, I couldn't find any types of phrases like this "passive one", so I really think it is a mistake. What I find tho, are phrases like:

  I have been moving to other regions, ever since

that have a completely different meaning.


texts:
I am wondering whether the comma after from the students is really necessary? And if a comma is required before as I can ?

For instance, in the subject Geography, I required from the students, a scale model about the different landscapes analyzed during a field trip. Hassim surprised me with a model that was different from that of anyone else because included not only the landscapes but also each one of their soils. This additional feature allowed our class to understand the way a landscape changes according to the ground on which it develops. An exceptional outcome that made me realize her capacity to investigate beyond the expected to seek new knowledge, which is an essential quality in a researcher, as I can testify from my own experience.


texts: What is the meaning of the expression "I can see where you're coming from"?

texts:
When I heard,

  "I can see where you're coming from?"

in the first time, I thought that they were saying something about my place of origin.

But now I think it means,

  "I can understand your point of view."

Is it the meaning of this American expression?


texts:
The Roman readers, many of whom would at one time have been in the army, would have had no trouble with Caesar's austere narrative; they would have found it complete as it is. They would have known how to read the shorthand.  -V S Naipaul

My question is what changes in meaning will occur if I use might have or the simple past instead of would have. What does would have mean in a sentence which does not have an if clause?
It seems that Naipaul has not used would have for an unreal past.

Commonly, we use would have + past participle to talk about something you wanted to do but didn't. This is nearly similar to the third conditional, but we don't need an 'if clause'.

1) I would have called you, but I did not have your number.

But in Naipaul's paragraph, the Roman Readers "were" in the army and there was no "did not" there.


texts:
The word ‘gay’ is commonly used as an insult in British playgrounds. With
  homophobia on the increase in schools, should teachers be doing more to stop such
  name- calling? Calling something, or someone, gay is one of the most popular
  put- downs in school. A pair of trainers can be gay, so can a broken drinks machine
  and anyone who does not quite fit in can be deemed gay too. Teachers, health workers
  and the police are increasingly concerned at the effect the pervasive use of the word
  gay as a negative term is having on children...
  (Here's why I omit the rest, but tell me if more context is needed)

  9. What can be gathered from the fact that inanimate objects are referred to as
  being gay?
  (a) The use of the word is very prevalent
  (b) Children do not understand what the word means
  (c) Children do not use the word in its literal sense
  (d) The word now has no meaning
  (e) The word is not intended as an insult

  (a) INCORRECT. The fact that the word is used in relation to inanimate objects
  does not in itself say anything about the prevalence of usage.
  (b) INCORRECT. Words are frequently used in different senses to their actual
  meaning and it does not necessarily follow that children do not understand its
  meaning.
  (c) CORRECT. In the context described, to use the word ‘gay’ in its literal sense
  would be to refer to something as being homosexual. Given that this is a
  characteristic that cannot be exhibited by inanimate objects, it follows that
  children do not use the word in its literal sense.

Why's (a) wrong? Doesn't it equal the last sentence above? After consulting the dictionary, 'prevalent' and 'pervasive' look synonymous?
Why's (b) wrong? I agree with the answer's general observation, but the answer to (c) confirms that 'this is a
characteristic that cannot be exhibited by inanimate objects'. Thus these children misuse this word, and ?thus misunderstand it?


texts:
They have liked the idea of me starting my own business.

I've liked the song since my childhood.

I've been liking the song since my childhood.

Q1) I think sentence (3) is not absolutely correct because it uses the stative verb "like" in  progressive form. So, the present perfect tense (sentence (2)) would be used to convey the meaning of sentence (3). Am I right?
Q2) Does sentence (1) suggest they have recently liked the idea (as in "I have done the homework"), or does it suggest they have continuously liked the idea and will continue to like it, the same way as sentence (2)?


texts: How to understand "there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge" in this context?

texts:
“Percy's been acting very oddly this summer,” said George, frowning. “And he has been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room… I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge… You're driving too far west, Fred,” he added, pointing at a compass on the dashboard. Fred twiddled the steering wheel.

The thing I don't quite understand from that sentence:

  What does "only so many times" convey exactly? Is it saying Percy
  didn't get many chances to polish a prefect badge?

-- Excerpted from Harry Potter.


texts: A person with a mindset of mutual growth

texts:
What is the one word for a person who not only causes his own growth of talent by his work, but also helps the community by helping the community members?

I am looking to apply the word in context of a school student. For example, such  school student would not only study his favorite subjects himself, but also start clubs at his school to help other similar minded students. Thus, he shows willingness to share knowledge while doing most of the hard work himself, and cause improvement in the entire lot of students instead of just himself.

I searched online but I don't think "collaborative" or "communal" are the best words in this case.


texts: Difference between star (verb) and starring

texts:
Definition from the dictionary:

  star - (of a movie, play, or other show) have (someone) as a principal performer.

Ok, sometimes I meet this word, used as follows:

  The movie stars Dustin Hoffman as an autistic man link

but much more often I face this word, used like this:

  A film starring Liza Minnelli

So what's the difference between this two words, when should I use each of them?


texts:
The board has two surface.

One is white board and another side is black board.

He was holding a chalk and wanted to draw on white board.

  "No, draw it on white board."

  "No, draw on white board."

Do we need to add a pronoun after verb?

He may draw anything or just scribble.


texts:
I wrote a sentence like this " She is homesick and uncertain when to go back to her home country."

Is that sentence correct? Is there a usage of "when to do something"?


texts: "Water will boil at 100°C" and "The vine wouldn't grow"

texts:
I have read in Longman English Grammar, page No 246,
 that we use 'will' and 'would' to describe natural tendency

  Like the simple present tense [> 9.6-8] will (with a 3rd person subject)
  can refer to general truths or to the qualities of things; would can
  sometimes refer to the past.

  Water will boil at 100°C It won't boil at under 100°C

Q1: How is this sentence different from: Water boils at 100'C?

  I planted a vine last year but it wouldn't grow because it didn't get
  enough sun.

Q 2: How is “But it wouldn't grow”  different in meaning from “But it refused to grow” and “But it didn't grow”?


texts: What do we call the question underpinning a thesis or research?

texts: Research can start with a specific question. What is the name of that specific question? Is it "the fundamental question", or is there another name for it that's used as standard?


texts:
I am not sure if people say "peanut shell" and "peanut skin" in everyday English?
People in some countries get raw peanut seeds and fry them until they are crunchy as shown in the below picture.

And when they eat, they remove peanut skin by rubbing the peanut with their fingers to make its skin fall off and eat the seeds inside (they don't eat the skin) as shown in the below picture

How to express to remove peanuts' skin with your fingers in English?
Maybe, "to rub the skin off the peanuts before eating"?
Also, while doing that the peanut may fly far away because the peanut is slippery and may slip out of the fingers.
Do we have a common term to express that action, for example, "the peanut slipped far away as I rubbed its skin off"?


texts: Grammar issues in the phrase "don't vote-dupe targeting closed questions"

texts:
I posted this as a comment on another stack. One user asked me to say it "in English". Since I thought that was already in English, i think some grammar issue is at hand.

  @user1337 don't vote-dupe targeting closed questions.

What is the grammatical problem of the phrase above?

The meaning I attempted to convey is:

  one should not vote to close a question as a duplicate of another question that is closed.

So, vote-dupe = voting to close as duplicate

P.S.: The issue of whether a stack user should or should not vote to close a question as a duplicate of a closed question is orthogonal to the grammatical question posed here. Please do not go into that can of worms.


texts:
"I appreciate for your status update"

vs

  "I appreciate the update"

The latter may sound more normal but when grading someone's writing, what are the technicalities that I can use to explain why the first one is a little off?


texts:
requesting your help

This is because the data packets are transmitted electronically, which means that these messages can be exchanged at a much higher rate than any physical medium.

Is the structure of above sentence is correct? can passive voice be used in this way without "by" clause?

I checked on the below link and understood that Grammarly can be wrong in case of a passive voice.
Passive voice (consider revising). Why?


texts:
My question is about absolute phrases.

  The weather being nice, we decided to have a picnic.

Can we add "with" in front of the absolute phrase?

  With the weather being nice, we decided to have a picnic.


texts: How to understand "Very suave, Robert" in this context?

texts:
Langdon sighed. Placing his palms flat on the polished parquet, he lay on his stomach and pulled himself forward. As he slid underneath, the nape of his Harris tweed snagged on the bottom of the grate, and he cracked the back of his head on the iron.

  Very suave, Robert, he thought, fumbling and then finally pulling himself through. As he stood up, Langdon was beginning to suspect it was going to be a very long night.

  The Da Vinci Code

I don't quite understand "Very suave, Robert" in the context.  What does it mean here?


texts: Difference between going for and going on

texts:
We went for a picnic on Sunday.
  We went on a picnic on Sunday.

Which is correct to use?


texts: why "from childhood " without any articles or possessive pronouns

texts:
As titled, I've seen the phrases  like ''from childhood", "since childhood" leave out articles or possessive  pronouns.

Are there any reasons?


texts: How & When to change tense in Reporting Speech?

texts:
From the Times of India:

  Father of a 16-year-old girl has alleged that her daughter was raped and impregnated by Chandankumar Yadav of Ramol who promised to marry her.

It is not clear from this lead sentence whether the alleged rapist promised to marry her before or after the rape. Why didn't the reporter use the past perfect tense, since he had made the marriage promise before impregnating her?

If I formed the sentence like this, is it correct?

  The father of a 16-year-old girl has alleged that his daughter was raped and impregnated by Chandankumar Yadav of Ramol who had promised to marry her.

Please help me understand:

a) This is the person who helped your father.

b) This is the person who had helped your father.


texts: ties go to the incumbent -- what does this idiom mean?

texts:
Source: The TCP-IP Guide—A Comprehensive, Illustrated Internet Protocols Reference by Charles M. Kozierok (2005)

Example:

  Note that RIP is designed so that a routing entry is replaced only if information is received about a shorter route; ties go to the incumbent, if you will. This means that once Router RD creates an entry for Network N1 with a cost of 3 going through Router RB, if it receives information that it can reach Network N1 at the same cost of 3 through Router RC, it will ignore it. Similarly, if it gets Router RC’s information first, it will ignore the information from Router RB.

This seems to be a variation on the baseball-related expression tie goes to the runner. But even after having looked it up, I'm still not one hundred percent sure if I understand what the author is trying to say there. Could you please dissect it for me bit by bit?


texts: "I have been saying it" vs "I have been said it"

texts:
I am confused with the following sentences:

  You are right, I have been saying it.

  You are right, I have been said it.

What would be the difference between the two sentences?


texts: What verb tenses should I use with enumeration?

texts:
I have the following sentence. All of the actions described I've performed today.

  I've paid a visit, played chess, drank an espresso and bought a couple of souvenirs.

My first tense is present perfect:

  I've paid a visit

But I have other actions in the sentence. Now they are simple past. Is it correct? What tenses should I use?

I've read this question already "Visit" vs "pay a visit to"


texts: The question is, "Which boy sings folk songs very well ?" or "Which guy does sing folk songs very well ?". Which one should we use ? Thanks in advance :)


texts: "admitted to having spent" or "admitted to spending"

texts:
Jack finally admitted to having spent it all.
Jack finally admitted to spending it all.

In the second sentence having has been omitted. Do they mean same? If not, please tell me the differences between them.


texts: Is 'suspected' a verb and "had been an arrangement....." noun complement of marriage in this sentence?

texts:
In the end, most people suspected the marriage had been an arrangement of sorts between Ali and Sanubar.
  -(The Kite Runner)

Is 'suspected' a verb and "had been an arrangement....." noun complement of marriage?


texts: Is there a saying in English that expresses "Life is a mercy to get born"?

texts:
Life is a mercy to get born

It's coming from this thinking that this life is an opportunity, but this opportunity is given to us based on absolute love (mercy).
"To get born" in this sentence is coming from this thinking that we are unaware conscious/souls that we actually will be born when we become aware of our true selves (that's how a conscious should get born when it become aware).
I'm not sure how to translate to convey the meaning. Any suggestion is appreciated.
In Persian the original sentence is:

زندگی رحمتی است برای متولد شدن


texts:
Now I'm reading Orwell's 1984 and can't understand why there's no article before "boiled cabbage" in the sentence:

  "The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats."

Why not "The hallway smelt of a boiled cabbage and old rag mats"?


texts: Is this conditional clause grammatically correct?

texts:
I remember that some linguistic instances could allow for the so-called mixed conditionals.

Is this sentence Ok?

  If I can think of one way to describe the experience of approaching to him, it was an act of seeking the help of a stone.

Thank you.


texts:
Quite often I would come across conversations similar to the one below:

"Is it a difficult test?"

"Not for you it isn't."

So it's commonplace to hear constructions such as "Not for you it isn't" and "Not to me it doesn't" etc. But from my standpoint it seems like a case of double negative, as there are more than one negative element/form involved. Should I rephrase it to "For you it isn't" ? Or is it that it has become idiomatic and removing one negative element would sound clumsy in comparison?

Many thanks in advance.


texts:
I want to write a question to mean that if a company wants to become customer-oriented, its culture must change and commitment to customer orientation must first be created in the higher top level of the organization. I want to rephrase this to start the sentence with to+infinitive as it seems more beautiful. My sentence follows:

  To become customer-oriented, the organization’s culture must change and commitment to customer-orientation must first be created in higher levels of the organization.

Is the sentence above correct? Can anyone explain a little bit when a sentence can start with to+infinitive?


texts: What does the writer mean in this paragraph?

texts:
Success is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood topics in the world, so let me start by laying a solid foundation for understanding how things really are, because I doubt you already know. If we were on the same page and you knew what I know, it is unlikely that you would be reading this.

What does "If we were on the same page and you knew what I know, it is unlikely that you would be reading this" mean? Does it mean " If you and I have the same thinking and you knew what I know, you would not want to read this book"?


texts:
He took pictures of his children having soiled their pants.

I am wondering if this is the best way to say it.

Do we use "having soiled" or do we use "soiling", because soiling seems to imply he took pictures while they just started soiling and not after the fact, while "having soiled" means it occurred after the fact. Is there a better way to say this?


texts:
Are the following sentence natural?

You'd better study harder for fear that you might fail the exam.
You'd better study harder lest you should fail the exam.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines for fear... as "to avoid the danger of something happening." I am wondering whether this definition can explain whether the first sentence is natural.


texts:
1- We’re still only halfway to finishing the job

  2- We’re still only halfway finishing the job

  3- If she was still at Keele she would be halfway through to
  getting the various breakfasts by now.

  4- If she was still at Keele she would be halfway through getting
  the various breakfasts by now.

Which version of each sentence is grammatically correct? the ones with "to" or without "to" ? + Does each version mean the same thing?


texts:
In general, what are the similarities and differences?

For example, what about assembly vs assemblage?

  The rural
  proletariat moved to the urban centers and helped reproduce new forms of rural
  spaces. The arcade is overturning this assemblage of aesthetics and ethics and
  makes consumption a spatial practice distinguished from that of the spaces of
  production.

Source: p 146, Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law, Mark Shepherd


texts:
When I get a call, sometimes I can't get what is the reason of the call.
Even if he explained it at first place.

How can I ask about that?

"Can you say it again what is this call about?"
Is this good expression in case like this?


texts:
I have a doubt on the following question.

  1) I ______________ want to be a practising doctor but now I'm more interested in research.

  Options:
  A. was used to
  B. used to
  c. would

I was going with would but the correct answer is used to.

  Tips:
  1.We use used to + infinitive to talk about permanent situations that are usually no longer true.

  2. We do not use used to if we want to talk about how long the situation lasted.

  Reference: Cambridge Grammar for IELTS

Now although I read this two tips, but still this answer is not clear to me. Is this question related to any permanent situation?

I still don't understand the reason behind the choice used to, rather than would.


texts: Which one must I use "see/am seeing" and what is your reason?

texts:
Right now I am looking at the board. I see/am seeing some words on the board.

Would you possibly readily or simply tell me which one? And why?


texts: The only thing she’s done wrong is [show it to me]

texts:
The only thing she’s done wrong is show it to me.
  (The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith)

  The last thing he wanted to do was rescue her.
  (The Town, Chuck Hogan)

Both the sentences seem to have non-finite clauses as complements just as pseudo-clefts do (CGEL,p.1422, What you must do is apply for special leave.) Can I understand them as pseudo-cleft constructions?.


texts: When will it rain vs when does it going to rain?

texts:
When will it rain?

When does it going to rain?

Do the above sentences have the same meaning?


texts: What is the difference between "usually" and "often"?

texts:
What is the difference between usually and often?

For example, I don't understand what is the difference between then in the following sentences:

  "I go there often"

  "I go there usually"


texts:
What is a "high-pressure business"?

I suppose it is a business in which people are often under high pressure, or a highly competitive business, but I still wanted to check here.

I came across it in a dialogue from a crime series:

  Lee works in a high-pressure business with lots of money at stake.
  The phone could go any minute, telling him he had to be on a plane
  the other side of the world on some multimillion deal.
  There were things he couldn't tell me about who he met, where he was going.
  He had security reviews three or four times a year. He didn't have a laptop
  in case he put sensitive information on it and it was stolen.
  Things like that.

Since Lee was murdered, and from the paragraph above, it is obvious that
Lee's job was risky and dangerous. I was wondering whether, in general
and not necessary in the context of previous paragraph, expression "high-pressure business" has some other connotation.

LATER EDIT: My dictionary gives, among others, these two meanings

  high-pressure (adj.) fig.: Urgent; intense; as, a high-pressure business or social life

  high-pressure (adj.) Using intense psychological pressure or other incentives to convince others to do things; aggressively persistent; as, high-pressure salesmen; high-pressure tactics.

In paragraph above, does "high-pressure business" refers to urgent, intense nature of the business (a phone could ring in the middle of the night, and in the next moment person is in the plane flying to the other side of the world to make a business deal), or high-pressure tactics used in the business that in the end escalated to Lee's murder? Or is it actually ambiguous?


texts:
I found this sentence watching one of the videos about “would” on YouTube:

  He wouldn’t have been much help anyway

For me it sounds weird. Why “help” and not “helpful”? What rules in there? That video was made by native English speakers and I believe them, but i just don’t understand.


texts:
I'll throw you a party

What does the above sentence means and how it is different from the sentence given below?

  I'll give you party


texts: Why present indefinite tense has no auxiliary verb?

texts:
Every sentence contains an auxiliary. Why we don't use auxiliaries in the affirmative sentence of present indefinite tense?

Ex: I eat rice

No auxiliary.Why?


texts: Why is the verb form "am been" always grammatically incorrect?

texts:
As I understand it, "I am been" is a sentence similar to "I am mistaken". How can one of the sentences in the two sentences of similar structure be incorrect? Doesn't "I am been" mean that someone is being me or perhaps someone was me? Is it incorrect just because it is not used for communication?

I guess, there can be one use of am been. Suppose, there were a robot which could transform itself into any human, say me. Now I will say:

  I am been the robot.

Means that, I was being that robot.

I was told that the phrase "I am been something" means that something was being me which is incorrect, because no one can be me. But I created a hypothetical robot which can be me.

Many people have told me that am been can never be correct. I've seen phrases like "I am told", "I am fallen", "I am sick" etc. I don't understand why I am been is incorrect.

Please explain in simple English; I do not know grammar.


texts:
Please, could you clarify for me is it necessary to put an article (whether indefinite or definite) before a title of someone's position, job title, etc?

For example in context of official documents or articles:

  (The/a) CIO needs to sign for implement a procedure.

  The service check is performed by (the/a) Head of Security on a
  monthly basis.

  The central hospital examination needs to be initiated by (the/a)
  Minister of Healthcare.

All articles I've found regarding this question are very ambiguous. So I just wonder is there any rule for such case.


texts:
What does static gray mean, in following paragraph?

  Over time the crossings allowed the genes for white fur from the Angora to become a stable part of the Persian line, changing the coloring of the Persian from a static gray.


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

texts:
Depending on the location, consideration should be given to providing
  medical transportation, with qualified medical personnel, up to and
  including advanced life support.

I am not sure if the bold part means "including advanced life support device" or if it refers to the medical personnel, which means that the medical personnel should also be qualified for advanced life support. Or does it mean "including advanced life support personnel"?


texts: ".. what is the type and nature of job you are looking for." Why isn't "is" at the end?

texts:
I found this sentence:

  First step is to decide what is the type and nature of job you are looking for.

(Source.)

I was expecting the second "is" to be at the end of the sentence instead of where it is.

Could anyone explain me this? Thanks!


texts: In case of repeating a preposition, can we omit one?

texts:
I am trying to figure out an idea of mine as follows,

  Being the strategy of corresponding candidate matching is to intersect
  viewing ray planes belonging to the two images at a time, specific
  constraints are needed for the rejection of fault matching and
  also for the reaching of optimal construction (i.e. 3D lines).

My question is, I want to say that I need constraints for two things

the rejection of fault matching, and
the reaching of optimal construction
(i.e. 3D lines).

  If these two things are written as shown in my sentence, then

should I need to use for for explaning both requrements?
Also, should the second phrase be follow the same structure as first phrase?
(that mean: for something of something)


texts: Could there be any difference between "all in one" and "in one"?

texts:
I found these two expressions here Oxford Dictionary and I don't know why one is used and not the other one.

  1 - She's a mother and company director in one.

  2 - It's a public relations office, a press office and a private
  office all in one.

Perhaps "all in one" is only used with 3 or more elements or "all in one" is more emphasized, I don't know.


texts: I'm positive that vs I strongly believe that

texts:
In general, which one is conveys a stronger conviction/opinion? I did some quick google search but didn't find any interesting results.

  I'm positive that

or

  I strongly believe that


texts: "As for" replaced by concerning/as to in a context

texts:
I would like to know whether the following is correct:

  There was a disagreement as to the causes of the accident.

I ordered my questions so an answer could address individual points:

As for would not work here from I have been told. I guess it is because I not follow up on a topic/subject that was mentioned before. Also it is in the middle of the sentence which I have not seen with as for. Is that correct? So I need to use "as to".
Although I cannot use "as for" which means concerning/with regard to, I could use those words in this sentence: There was a disagreement concerning the causes of the accident. That would work I hope.
I could you as for if I rephrase the sentence: As for the causes of the accident, there was a disagreement..


texts: I don't understand "You Bet Giraffe I ❤ Giraffes"

texts:
I saw this mug to buy on Amazon

  You Bet Giraffe I ❤ Giraffes

My question is, how does a native speaker interprets this sentence?


texts: What is the best "had or had expected " in this case

texts:
It turned out that what happened was different from what I expected in my mind.

I would like to know if my sentence is idiomatic and if we can write the following?

It turned out that what happened was different from what I had expected in my  mind.

because what I expected first ended at the moment the situation turned out differently, so my first expectation only lasted until the situation was different from what I had expected.


texts:
What do you call the angle of the direction of an airplane? I am thinking of "tilt" or "slant", but I am not if there's a more specific word for planes. I am thinking there's a more technical word for it, but I am not sure.

For example:

  The pilot changed the tilt of the aircraft nose by pushing the
  joystick forward.


texts:
A teacher at a university is still teacher or lecturer?

I'm a little bit confused in light of two different sources

The 1st source - (the book "Check Your English Vocabulary For Living In UK") says the following things:

But on the other hand, Oxford dictionary states:

sity is still teacher, unlike what the first source says.  I must to say, that some universities that I know the lecture is the one who gives the lecture in a big hall for many classes of students while a teacher is the one who responsible for examination or practical part and he works with each class separately unlike the lecturer. In your countries do you have also such distinguishing?


texts: We will get [back to you] as soon as we have more [information to share]

texts:
We will get back to you as soon as we have more information
  to share.

Is this sentence construction, is it OK as per the sentence construction parameter I have in my audit sheet?

It seems slightly off the track, but not sure what it is?


texts: What is the proper way to pronounce basket?

texts: For the word basket, is the second syllable pronounced like get or git?


texts:
I believe a saw an entry in one of the dictionaries addressing this issue but I just cannot find it now. Can "by far" be used in negative sentences, for example:

  He isn't by far the smartest person in that group.

Is that correct? I would like to express that he is not the smartest person in that group - not by a long shot, but I would like to use "by far".
Is that possible?


texts:
In the following example sentence:

  You must choose something else.

Can I say it with the following:

  You must choose something another.

I was told that something another is not correct, but not sure about the reason.

Or more generally, does another have to be put before the noun, or is it fine to put after a noun but not after some specific nouns like something?


texts: "Deep in the forest a call was sounding", existential construction?

texts:
“Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and as often as he heard this call, mysteriously thrilling and luring, he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it, and to plunge into the forest, and on and on, he knew not where or why; nor did he wonder where or why, the call sounding imperiously, deep in the forest.”
  ― Jack London, The Call of the Wild.

Deep, adverb(?) I may not get what it may modify? Do you discern Deep in the forest like a prepositional phrase, or maybe mostly in the forest? From there, may this seem a complete sentence? A call (noun phrase[?]) subject, was copular verb, sounding (does this get utilized like a noun here?), object? I guess this may seem like an existential construction *A call was sounding.?


texts:
I agree, it might have been better to leave Thor out of this, but as I said, I am a bit hot-tempered - impulsive shall we call it? There was a grumble and a rumble, a few thunderbolts which Thor liked to throw for fun, and then a flash of lightning. Thor stood in front of me, towering with rage, and swinging his hammer about. It really was time to go. “Curse the lot of you,” I cried “May you and yours be consumed in the endless Fire both now and at the end of days!”

is this a question sentence ?


texts: "Going by train always makes me feel tired", what is the subject?

texts:
The subject of a sentence is the noun, pronoun or noun phrase that precedes and governs the main verb. The subject is the part of the sentence that performs an action or which is associated with the action. English Language Guide

  Noun Phrases

  Often a noun phrase is just a noun or a pronoun...

  or a determiner and a noun …

  British Council - Learn English

In the following question what is the subject of the sentence?

  Going by train always makes me feel tired.


texts: Is there a word for these types of tattoos?

texts: I kept googling "sleeve tattoos", but I can't find sleeve tattoos like the ones in the picture above with that term. Is there a keyword or a word that refers to that particular tattoo style?


texts: Past simple or past perfect in this case

texts:
Look at this sentence from an exercise "choose the correct form"

  I did not know about it. Nobody (told/had told) me about what had happened

I choose 'told' and the correct answer was 'had told' but I am almost sure that my choice is possible. What do you think?


texts: Meaning of “for” in Psalm: "For justice will prevail…"

texts:
In the Bible, Psalm 94:15 reads,

  For justice will prevail and all the morally upright will be vindicated.

What does the “for” mean here, and what might be the grammatical use of it?


texts:
I'm kind of confused by what our teacher taught us today. He specifically said that "could" is the past form of "can", and the same for "shall" and "will". I also recall that he gave as this example:

"That kid could produce a few words when he was 2." – to mean "That kid was able to produce a few words when he was 2."

I only know that could is more polite (when it comes to permission) but is that a valid sentence?


texts: Should I use 'not to have' or 'not having'

texts:
Which one is correct?

It is not fair for not having X'mas party?

It is not fair not to have X'mas party?


texts: Tea cultivation is very popular in some country. It generally follows step cultivation. If I want to express areas where tea is cultivated what would be best way to express the areas. Is that tea cultivation land or tea bed? Is there any word like tea bed?


texts: What does "stage of your Broadway blockbuster" mean in the following context?

texts:
I couldn't make heads or tails of the following expression in bold.

EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED
What’s really going on here?
It’s simple. You, like everybody else, are weighed down by
expectation.
I’m not talking about the usual kind of everyday expectations you’re
aware of. It’s also not like we’re literally saying to ourselves, “I
expect this” or “I expected that” in a conscious way. It’s something
that’s happening just below the surface, where you’ll only see it if
you take the time to look closely.
No, I’m talking about the ugly, undermining, hidden and treacherous
expectations that dwell in the wings and under the stage of your
Broadway blockbuster. The kind of expectations you didn’t even know
you had until they came out of nowhere and blindsided you and sucked
the air from your lungs.


texts: Word order when writing about (computer program) functions?

texts:
I have read a number of books about computer programming, and never thought about this before. However, from one day to another, I started to notice that subprograms, functions, and other specific objects in computer programs, are often mentioned in a rather backward way.
Instead of writing
"A long list of objects can be sorted by calling the function QuickSort from the library DataManagement.",
authors often reverse the word order, like this:
"A long list of objects can be sorted by calling the QuickSort function in the DataManagement library."
To me, this is as jarring and illogical as writing "The ball was fetched by the Spot dog", or "The criminal was caught by the Peter policeman".
Is the "backwards" word-order formally OK? What have I misunderstood?


texts: Using Past Perfect and Past Simple (making emphasis)

texts:
I know that in general we use Past Perfect to say that one action happened before another past action or moment in the past. Past Simple is used, for instance, for succession of past actions. Nevertheless we could use past simple with adverbs such as "before", "after", or "when" to show this successsion.

Today I've faced with one interesting moment. As far as I understood we should use Past Perfect with some additional information. I mean for example the following two sentences:

"I had made decision to do this exercise before she did it".
"I made decision to do this exercise before she did it".

Since we use Past Perfect something has changed in our attitude. e.g.: "I had made decision to do this exercise before she did it. I will practice another one" (completed additional meaning). And as for second statement it doesn't matter whether she had already done it or not, I'll do it anyway.

Am I right?


texts: Do I need to use a comma if a subject follows "and" in a sentence?

texts:
Mike went to the shop, and he bought vegetables.

or

  Mike went to the shop and bought vegetables.

My understanding is that when the subject is there after 'and', the comma is required.

My understanding is that when there is no subject after 'and', the comma is not required.

Am I correct on the understanding?


texts:
From Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace:

  Three faces have resolved into place above summer-weight sportcoats
  and half-Windsors across a polished pine conference table shiny with
  the spidered light of an Arizona noon. These are three Deans — of
  Admissions, Academic Affairs, Athletic Affairs. I do not know which
  face belongs to whom.

What kind of light is it? Is it referring to the shape of a spider?


texts:
I’ve always considered you my best friend if you didn’t know.

Is the above sentence correct?
If so, where did “if v2, would v1” go?
If not, what would be the sentence with the most similar meaning to that?
Thanks.


texts: "Which one has the answer yes" vs. "Which one is affirmatively answerable"

texts:
When I edited an earlier question I wasn't sure whether to completely change the "A" form into the "B" form:

A. How do the below three sentences differ in their meaning and which one has the answer 'yes'?
B. How do the below three sentences differ in their meaning and which one is affirmatively answerable?

Since I suppose both are grammatical, I wonder which one, "A" or "B", sounds more natural English? If none of the above sounds natural, what is the reason?


texts: What is the difference between "behavior" and "behaviour"?

texts:
In the online version of Cambridge Dictionary, there are these definitions for the next two words:

  Behaviour = the way that someone behaves

  Behavior = a particular way of acting

What would be a difference between behavior and behaviour by some example?


texts: the Unified Modeling Language vs. Unified Modeling Language

texts:
Example with a context (The Object-Oriented Thought Process by Matt Weisfeld, 3rd Edition):

  Visual modeling tools provide a mechanism to create and manipulate class diagrams using the Unified Modeling Language (UML). UML is discussed throughout this book, and you can find a description of this notation in Chapter 10, “Creating Object Models with UML.”

As you can see, Unified Modeling Language has the definite article the in front of it, which, I believe, is absolutely correct. That's exactly how it's used in the Wikipedia article for UML as well as it just makes perfect grammatical sense to use one in this situation. However, a few pages further down, for no rhyme or reason the author all of a sudden completely does away with the article:

  Over the years, many tools and modeling methodologies have been developed to assist in designing software systems. One of the most popular tools in use today is Unified Modeling Language (UML). Although it is beyond the scope of this book to describe UML in fine detail,we will use UML class diagrams to illustrate the classes that we build.

Can you think of an explanation as to what he might have done that for?


texts: What are common adjectives to express a person who is difficult, unfriendly, likes to argue, do not cooperate? harsh or sharp-tongued or shrewish?

texts:
Some people are very difficult, unfriendly, likes to argue, disagree, do not cooperate, often talk with loud voice.

What are common adjectives to express these kinds of people?

harsh or sharp-tongued or shrewish?

  shrew‧ish /ˈʃruːɪʃ/ adjective old use

  a shrewish [person] is one who always argues and disagrees with people

  sharp-ˈtongued adjective [usually before noun]      saying things in a
  disapproving or unfriendly way which often upsets people

  his sharp-tongued friend

  harsh 2 TREATMENT/CRITICISM severe, cruel, or unkind harsh
  criticism/treatment/punishment etc

  His theory met with harsh criticism from colleagues.

  the harsh measures taken against the protesters

  ‘She’s an idiot!’ ‘Aren’t you being a bit harsh?’

  a harsh authoritarian regime

  He had harsh words (=severe criticism) for the Government.


texts: What does "to look for most is a..." mean in this passage? Is it correct?

texts:
What does the sentence in bold mean? Is that correct sentence? If not, please, write with other words. Text:

  Most students ask teachers, club advisors, coaches, and mentors.
  To get the best letters possible, make sure you identify people who are supportive of you. When you ask them, let them know where you are applying and why. The goal is to choose someone who will stress the strengths you have already highlighted, or provide an opportunity to add something new about you that the admissions officer does not yet know.
  It definitely has an impact. You should always pay attention to your grades, especially those in your junior year of high school. But don't fret. What universities look for most is an upward trend, someone who is constantly getting better and improving.
  If there is an unexpected event that caused your grades to drop, that will also be taken into consideration. And, if you have only done well in a particular subject, you can highlight that strength, stressing that you will use college as a way to really hone in and excel at your strengths and your passions.


texts:
Sally says "The thing that scares me the most are the little oranges in its stomach."
at 4:50 in the TV drama "3rd Rock From the Sun S1E3 Dick's First Birthday".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgj83qt7fqA

Please notice that "thing" is singular whereas "oranges" is plural.
I'm wondering which one of the following statements about the sentence is correct.

It is grammatically correct and perfectly makes sense.
It is grammatically incorrect and most people frown upon it.
It is grammatically incorrect, but most people think it is natural and don't care.
Else.


texts: What is the difference between ‘interest in' & ‘interest for' ?

texts:
When I should use 'for' after the noun 'interest' & when 'in' should be used after that?

For example, is it correct to say "I have no interest for drug"?

If you can give an elucidation with example, it will be better for me to understand.


texts: Does 'lameduck' mean 'patronize', 'compassion', 'help' or something different?

texts:
Could you explain the term lameduck in this passage? Are the words patronize, compassion or help similar or different in this context?

Does lameduck have an opposite meaning (negative verb) as lame?

  Violence and force are wrong. If I use violence I descend to his
  level. It means that I have no real belief in the power of reason, and
  sympathy and humanity. That I lameduck people only because it flatters
  me, not because I believe they need my sympathy. I’ve been thinking
  back to Ladymont, to people I lameducked there. Sally Margison. I
  lameducked her just to show the Vestal Virgins that I was cleverer
  than they. That I could get her to do things for me that she wouldn’t
  do for them. Donald and Piers (because I’ve lameducked him in a sense,
  too) — but they’re both attractive young men. There were probably
  hundreds of other people who needed lameducking, my sympathy, far more
  than those two. And anyway, most girls would have jumped at the chance
  of lameducking them.

From John Fowles, The Collector, p. 139.


texts: Using "way too...” to suggest a lack of something

texts:
We know that we can use "way" as an adverb of emphasis to mean "to a great degree" for example

  way too much
  way too expensive
  way too complicated

My question is does it make sense to use it in such way:

  Life is way too short.

I ask because the other adjectives are refereng to excess of something, but "short" is refering to a lack of something.

And if not , what is an alternative to it to mean the same here?


texts:
When do we use keep + to inf and keep + ing?
I searched on the internet and did not find anything really accurate and precise on the topic.


texts: Can we use "sth that forms", "where sth collects", or "is deposited" for non-living items?

texts:
Source
  Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers.

  Source
  They are usually found in flat areas where water collects in pools.

I think that it should be that are formed and water gets collected. Is there personification used? Is it right to say,

  "Mudflats are coastal wetlands that form when mud deposits by tides or rivers"?


texts: Put your hands "in" or "into" your pockets?

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct, and why?

"Put your hands in your pockets."
"Put your hands into your pockets."


texts: Verb (as adjective) + subject vs subject + verb

texts:
Which one is correct or seems more natural?

Please, walk on the path provided.
Please, walk on the provided path.

I've looked it up on google and the former seems more common than the latter, but I can't see much difference between them.


texts: Is it to be expected that it will end in a kerfuffle if previous mentioned conditions occur?

texts:
Is this phrase correct? ..."No wonder all the thing ending in a kerfuffle" meaning that if previous mentioned conditions occur, is to be expected it will end in a kerfuffle.

In context: "My neighbour is a blabbing klutz, better don't canoodle when she's around or you will get flummoxed by her barking quackery on morals. No wonder all the thing ending in a kerfuffle."


texts: What's the English for different kinds of notebooks?

texts:
What are the common terms for these kinds of notebooks?
For the one that has lines:

And for the one that has squares:


texts: Need a common term for walking around a barrier or obstacle

texts:
I need a word for walking around something.

Is "to circumvent something" a common term for walking around a barrier?


texts: How to use 'could' in following sentences?

texts:
I have two examples:

  ‘I haven't been able to find my keys for two years. (which means I don't have them now)
  ‘I hadn't been able to find my keys for two years. (which means I finally found them)

But how should I write them if I want to replace be able to with could?

  ‘I couldn't have found my keys’
  ‘I couldn't had found my keys’

Is it correct? I think the second one is incorrect. So is there any correct form of it?


texts: Is this expression natural in self-introduction?

texts:
I found this English example conversation in a textbook for Japanese learners of English:

A: Hi, my name is xxx. What’s yours?

B: Mine is xxx...

I’m okay with “What’s yours?”, but in this situation, the expression “Mine is...” is not familiar to me. Is it often used by English native speakers? I feel it’s better using “My name is...” here.


texts: Gerund or infinitive? Can you figure out a particular example for me?

texts:
I'm puzzled, really.

In the following example, how come the word ending in the -ing form is a verb.

-- I don't like dancing.

I know that 'like' here is a linking verb and can't be let alone without the thing being not liked. But, I can still say sth like, 'I don't like you...cheese...computers.' And clearly, the objects are rather nouny more than verb-like, right?

I can understand the sentence when having been reformulated as 'I don't like to dance'. Here it is crystal clear that to dance is an infinitive form of a verb, and as such being a verb.

Anyone?


texts: What's the difference between "react on" and "react to"

texts:
I came across both usages but can't really tell when one is used over the other or discern any subtle difference. Is it a question of American or British English?
"React on" seems certainly much lesser used than "react to" (see Youtube & Co.). Could someone maybe give some more examples, in case it's just about common phrases like in a figure of speech? Dictionaries only seem to know the latter [1] [2] [3]. Somewhat related, this about whether it is also possible to use at. Answers here indicate that one can only use "to" in combination with "react". Does that mean "on" is always wrong?


texts: When not "all" neither "some" is stated, what is implied?

texts:
For example, in sentence "Multinational companies are unethically exploiting the plant genetic resources of developing countries." is it implied that ALL multinational companies do that, or that SOME multinational companies do that?

My math teacher once told me, that in math "all" is always implied, and "some" is never implied, but I guess English rules may be different from math rules.


texts: Present Continuous vs.Present Simple (Passive Voice)

texts:
When one uses a verb in the passive voice in the present simple, does a statement always mean regular actions, but not a particular time or a situation?

  Professional liability of a specialist is [being] insured with a certain insurance company for one year.

The meaning is that the liability was insured once in a certain period on a certain date. And it is not insured on a regular basis (for example, every month). Should I use the present continuous with a passive form to mean that the status (being insured) is currently permanent, but will change later?

  In the report the supervisor particularly notes [is noting] that a number of serious errors are not [being] corrected by a worker in spite of the remarks and recommendations made by the management staff before.

In the above example I mean a particular situation in which the errors are not being corrected now, and the company's documents will change in the future after correcting. Correction is supposed to occur once in this case.


texts: State verb and past perfect make me apprehensive

texts:
A: He thought he had remembered everything until he got to the church and realized the ring was at home.
B: He had been thinking he had remembered everything until he got to the church and realized the ring was at home.

Which sounds more natural, A or B? I think B describes my thinking better, but my grammar book says it is not acceptable to make a continuous form when the verb is a state verb - in this case 'think' is that.
If B is possible, another question comes up to me: if it is OK to have two past perfect expressions in one sentence as B does. Does B make sense?


texts: What is the correct usage of the verb "to be" in the following sentence?

texts: Is it correct to say, "I sent them an email and am waiting to hear back" or "I sent them an email and I'm waiting to hear back"?


texts: "Maintain our contact" or "stay in contact"

texts:
Which of these phrases sound more natural to a native speaker in a professional/formal letter?

I would like to maintain our contact
I would like to stay in contact

I would like to express the desire to keep the recipients contact details in case of future opportunities for cooperation. To me, "stay in contact" sounds like I am pursuing an ongoing, active exchange.


texts: How to make clear in the speech that a short English vowel is stressed?

texts:
I'll try now to explain.
Let us take the word Berlin (name of the capital of Germany). It is pronounced [bɜːˈlɪn] or [bɝːˈlɪn] (I followed this link). In any of two cases, the first vowel is long but unstressed, and the second one is short but stressed.
I wonder how to pronounce correctly such words, how to evidentiate that the second vowel of the word carries stress but is short. In Russian, we almost always make the stressed vowel two or even three times longer that any unstressed; it's the longest sound in the word. In English, however, as I know, you cannot change the length of a vowel as you want. It may lead to wrong pronunciation or even change of the word's meaning.
I tried to ask a similar question at another site. I think I didn't receive a very good answer there; all that I understood is that English unstressed vowels are diffuse. I would appreciate a clearer answer.


texts: What is the meaning of "behind by thirty-five cents" and "ahead by sixty-five cents"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "behind by thirty-five cents" and "ahead by sixty-five cents" in the following sentence,

  "Wait!" shouted Mrs. Proons. She opened the violin case and gave the
  farmer a dollar. "Your reward," she said and jumped back into the car.
  The farmer looked at the money. He looked at Millie. "This morning,'
  he said, "when we were paying our bills, we were behind by thirty-five
  cents. Now we're ahead by sixty-five cents. Doesn't that seem a bit odd?"

Does "We were behind by thirty-five cents. Now we're ahead by sixty-five cents"
mean "We had less than thirty-five cents. Now We have more than sixty-five cents" ?


texts: Either you are wrong, or I. Can I change it to 'Either you or I am wrong.'?

texts:
Either you are wrong, or I

Can I change it to Either you or I am wrong.?
Or can I change it to Either you are or I am wrong.
In Either you or I am wrong., it contains the meaning: You are wrong or I am wrong. But there is not are in Either you or I am wrong..


texts: Is it natural to use the word "fast" to say that someone arrived earlier than expected?

texts:
Was the word fast used naturally in the following contex?

  The guy is fast today. Usually he is late for work.

If it isn't natural, what would be a natural way to say it?


texts: a comparison between overlook and ignore

texts:
I need to know whether the bold verbs below can alter the meaning of the following sentence or not (for me they both mean the same and exchangeable at least in this particular example:

  I am really grateful to the coach; he overlooked my mistake against the opposing team in the final game.
  I am really grateful to the coach; he ignored my mistake against the opposing team in the final game.


texts:
I read a news article. I don't quite understand "have long said". Does it mean the prosecutors had a long speech or they said it a long time ago?

  But prosecutors have long said they believe he killed many more people, last year putting the figure at 43 at least.


texts: "Hardly anything has changed." -- what is 'Hardly' used for here?

texts:
Hardly anything has changed.

The above format is common. However, I do not understand the role of 'Hardly' here.

According to SpaCy it is used as an adverb-modifier (advmod) of the main-verb: 'changed'.


texts: Is it presented or present in a classroom

texts:
I found this confusing. Is it "presented" or "present" in the sentence given below:

All the boys presented in the classroom were bored.


texts:
Does winter 2015 designate winter 2014-2015 or winter 2015-2016? Or is it ambiguous?

Example 1:

Example 2: http://huwisu.de/courses/winter/ :

  HUWISU Winter Courses 2017

Example 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Fresh:_The_Hits_of_Winter_2001

  So Fresh: The Hits of Winter 2001 is a compilation of songs that were popular in Australia in winter 2001.

Example 4: http://www.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2001/

  Editor’s Column Winter 2001


texts:
If someone asks me, "what did you during the summer break?," what's the correct answer among these?

A. I stayed in New York last June for a month.

B. I've been to New York for a month.

C. I was in New York last June for a month.


texts: How to politely (and correctly) apologize for not speaking English?

texts:
Suppose you are giving a talk and in your audience there is a person who does not speak your mother tongue. Let's call them John.

Neither your mother tongue nor John's mother tongue is English. However, you can say some words in English and John can understand them.

As you are not comfortable speaking English, you are giving your talk in your mother tongue.

What should you say to John in order to apologize for not speaking English? I'd like examples of some possible sentences because I'm not sure I can construct a grammatically correct one. I'd also like the sentence to explain the reason given in last paragraph.


texts:
Cambridge Dictionary gives these definitions and examples about "familiar"

  easy to recognize because of being seen before

    The street was familiar to me.

  to know something or someone well

    I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with your poetry.

In the following context, which one should I use?

  British English is familiar to Chinese kids, since they are taught in school with British English.

or

  Chinese kids are familiar with British English, since they are taught in school with British English.

Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts:
The....... has been in existence for about three and a half years now, while before that Kai had been a member of a group called ......., and even before that was also involved with another group called........

Why for the most recent event the author used past perfect and for the least recent event he used past simple, he should have done the contrary or simply sticked to past simple as before indicates which event comes first


texts:
Which is the correct one?

  You must visit the statue, at 400 metres high.
  You must visit the statue, at 400 metres height.
  You must visit the statue, at 400 metres of height.


texts: was VS. were after even though, even if, unless, wish et cetera

texts:
Comprehensively updated
Thanks. Nonetheless, my specific question is something like this one:She came to terms with the fact that, even though this was a bad situation, God does not make mistakes, and He knit this baby fearfully and wonderfully within her daughter's womb ..
First off, could we write were instead of was in the bold part? if so, what is the different in the meaning?-- I think the probability would be stronger, wouldn't be? as I know you use both of was and were in conversation, but I think you could tell me how the meaning would change.
What is more, could you please explain in a more detailed way the bold and italic part?-- although I almost know what the sentence would mean, in fact, I still need your explanation.
Any help would be greatly appreciated


texts:
I'm not a native speaker of English. I would like to know the difference of  "have to" and "need to" when used in a sentence. Thank you!

I have to go to work now.
I need to go to work now.


texts: What does it mean to have a sixer on the jukebox?

texts:
I've come across it in the 22nd episode of the 7th episode of The Office. Here is the context:

Deangelo: Listen. I’ve got a sixer. “Automatic for the People” on the jukebox. Let’s hit the park after sundown. Come on! Pick up some sausage if you want.

I've looked up every word separatey but still can't figure out what he means there.


texts: Which one is more natural between the two?

texts:
The #1 is an example sentence of the word "inadvertent".
But I feel like it doesn't make sense. Is it a correct sentence?

And which one is more natural below?

  She made an inadvertent error when she knocked over the nail polish.
  She made an inadvertent error that she knocked over the nail polish.

Thank you in advance.


texts:
Is this sentence correct? Especially the part that when..

  Many Mothers can confirm that when their kids  grow, they want to be
  mostly in the kitchen.


texts: Article selection for the first sentence in the description of a class in the software documentation

texts:
I am in the process of writing a documentation for a software project. I would like to understand what would be the best article to use at the beginning of the first sentence in the description of a class (or another software element).
For example, consider the following documentation sections:

class Algorithm
The/A base class for the definition of the classes that represent algorithms in the ssa library. An algorithm is a class that is designed for conversion of the data from one type to another, as opposed to the data storage. ...

...

class Filter
The/An abstract base class template that provides an interface for the definition of classes that are meant to represent filters in the dataflow network. ...

What would be the best article to use in each case?


texts: When converting a statement to a question, where in the sentence should I put "to be"?

texts:
For example, take a statement like this:

  You have no idea what the thing is.

If we ask it as a question, where should the is go?

  1) Have you any idea what the thing is?

  2) Have you any idea what is the thing?

I dimly remember that the second sentence is grammatically correct.


texts: Difference between "hear" and "hear out"?

texts:
I'm totally confused why in some sentences the phrasal verb "hear out" is used instead of "hear".

For example:

  Stewie: Look, I’m going to propose something and I need you to hear me out. Will you promise me you’ll do that?


texts:
What does the acronym "btf" mean in the following sentence:

  This project was a labour of love that took developers btf five years to
  accomplish.


texts: The "such" in "such type of plants" and "such a person"?

texts:
I know that I can say "such type of plants" instead of "such a type of plants", but why cannot I say "such person" instead of "such a person"?

Is there any reason for these two different usages of "such"?


texts:
I wrote:

  Automatic grammar development can be done by extracting the grammar from a Treebank which has an implicit representation of the target grammar

"grammar" just mentioned in "automatic grammar development". Does this make it definite so that I use "the grammar" in the next occurrence shown.


texts:
Unlike HTML, which reveals itself in flashy text and graphics, XML is more of an under-the-hood kind of technology. If HTML is the fire engine red paint and supple leather interior of a sports car, XML is the turbocharged engine and sport suspension. Okay, maybe the sports car analogy is a bit much, but you get the idea that XML's impact on the Web is hard to see with the naked eye. However, the benefits are directly realized in all kinds of different ways.

My understanding is fire engine red is used as an adjective:
- What kind of paint?
- Red paint. What kind of red paint?
- Fire engine red paint. Meaning, the kind of red they use to paint fire trucks.

Is that correct?


texts:
I met many interesting people while I was living in Vancouver.

Can I change the sentence above to the sentences below? Do they have slightly different meanings?

  I met many interesting people when I lived in Vancouver.

or

  I met many interesting people when I was living in Vancouver.


texts: What is the meaning of "order" in this quote?

texts:
Piskarev felt one of the elderly, venerable-looking gentlemen grab one
  of his coat buttons and submit a most just observation for his
  judgement, but he rudely thrust him aside, without even noticing that
  he was wearing a fairly important order around his neck.

Can anyone explain to me the meaning of "wearing order" in this quote?


texts:
Care no only skin surface trouble, but also in-depth skin

Is it correct? I think "not only ~ but also" is correct.


texts: "Be" in this sentence is correct or wrong?

texts:
Please tell me why this sentence use be's original form.

One of the players, Frank Mahan, suggested that the game be called Naismithball.


texts:
I always read some statement like this :

You can also now use feature in product Y
You can also now listen to songs from the X station
You can also now download our music on XYZ

Just google using with the double quote "You can also now" you will find it is used all over the place.

It is also possible to say

You can now/also use feature in product Y
You can now/also listen to songs from the X station

But are above sentences/statement appropriate on a Website, which the say features/offer is known afterwards?


texts: [The]: Why "I know the tower's height" but "I know Bryan’s height"?

texts:
I know the tower's height — with the
I know the Bryan’s height — without the

Questions:

What's the general rule for using the with possessive ('s)?
In the first sentence the is used because of definite tower or definite height?


texts: Can "finish" be used in the following way?

texts:
Example dialogue:

  Speaker A: "I like the work. It's just that---"

  Speaker B: The pay is too low? I wanted to finish.

Is that usage correct? Or I have to use another word? Or writing something like finish the sentence?


texts:
Consider:

  Iranian have a traditional medical system whose basis is eating the right foods.

Is it correct? Now what if I want to say "one of its basis"? How can I use "whose" there?

What about these options:

  Iranian have a traditional medical system in which eating the right foods is one of the basis.

  Iranian have a traditional medical system where eating the right foods is one of the basis.

  Iranian have a traditional medical system that eating the right foods is one of the basis.

  Iranian have a traditional medical system that eating the right foods is one of its basis.

  Iranian have a traditional medical system that one of its basis is eating the right foods.


texts: How do I express दिल लगाना in English? It literally means 'attaching heart.'

texts:
I am Indian, not a native English speaker.

I can't figure out the English expression. We Indians use दिल लगाना literal translation  'to attach heart' which implies to be in love with someone in Hindi. Please help me to understand this or provide other English expressions that implies to be in love

For example:

  He has attached his heart to her,  now he cannot live without her because he loves her so much


texts:
I have been thinking about the sentence "He brought a bag for someone to take (it)" because if I used "so that", I think "it" would be required.
"He brought a bag so that someone can take it". I have not been able to find any information explaining what happens when the noun right before for corresponds to the complement of the infinitive, at least as a grammatical argument.

Any advice is much appreciated!


texts: Do we say "A movie of Tarantino's" or "A movie of Tarantino"?

texts:
What do i say when i want to mean the same as i would mean by saying "The movie of his"?

"Big bat of his", "Good looking face of hers" etc...
Should i say "Big bat of the guy's" and "Good looking face of girl's"... or without 's's?

You get what i mean.

And also, i somewhy assume there's official (Queen's, literature) english's version of it and there's unofficial, some slang and stuff. If native speakers like to break the rules of this thing, tell me so.


texts:
Just read this in net:

  If you have wireless/bluetooth speakers, ALWAYS check if they connected before playing ANYTHING...

Is there an "are" missed wrongly before the word "connected in the sentence above?
Or there's a grammatical point about it?


texts:
The Rapoport's Rules are a set of rules intended to encourage productive, critical discourse. In particular, the rules seek to avoid straw man representations of an opponent's argument (similar to the ""steel man" concept[1]) and to avoid the backfire effect that criticism often provokes. The rules are most commonly seen in Daniel Dennett's reformulation:

You should attempt to re-express your target's position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, "Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way."
You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement).
You should mention anything you have learned from your target.
Only then are you permitted to say so much as a word of rebuttal or criticism.

What does "matter of general" mean? Also, what are the differences between "as a word of rebuttal or criticism" and a simple "rebuttal or criticism"? I search for them but there is no useful explanation.


texts: Present continuous tense and the population of the world (e.g.)

texts:
We say "The population of the world is increasing very fast".

Can we say that using present simple tense? I'm confused with that, because the increase of human population is a thing that happens permanently. Every day.

So, can we say that like "The population of the world increases very fast"?
And if so, what's the difference between these two?


texts:
He is such a boy as doesnot help anybody.
Vs
He is such a boy that doesnot help anybody.
Vs
He is such a boy who doesnt help anybody.

Which one is correct among the above three? Explain the meaning of correct statement


texts: I'm having trouble understanding why "go pear shaped" has the negative meaning

texts:
"Go pear shaped"  (The plan isn't working / plan is going wrong)

Might I trouble you for helping me to understand why/how "go pear shaped" has the meaning like that? Could it be British people disliking a pear, which is delicious?


texts: "Book seats on air flights" vs. "Book seats in air flights"

texts:
I rely on computers to book seats on/in air flights.

The answer to the above question is given as on but I believe it should be  in. Please suggest.


texts:
She has been diagnosed with illness following a period of
  self-isolation and subsequent testing.

in this sentence is (following) means (after a period) or (coming a period) ?


texts: Better leave room - how to understand this sentence in context?

texts:
Look this sentence:

  Better leave room for more important things, like which wild animals to avoid and whether naked snowboarding is a bad idea'

I saw this sentence in a Python book. I know every single word means, but I can't undersand this whole sentence.

If my point going right, it means that don't stay in your home, it's not a good idea, you should go out to do something more important. Then it says 'like which wild animals'. Does it suggest we go out to look wild animals?

What does the whole sentence mean?

Complete sentence:

  Here you are trying to learn something, while here your brain is, doing you a favor by making sure the learning doesn’t stick. Your brain’s thinking, better leave room for more important things, like which wild animals to avoid and whether naked snowboarding is a bad idea. So how do you trick your brain into thinking that your life depends on knowing how to program in Python?


texts:
1.I will study hard until I get a high score on this exam.
2.I will study hard until I've gotten a high score on this exam.

I think these sentences are grammatically correct. but if I add a specific time, I think these sentences have to be only this one:

3.I will study hard until I get a high score on this exam on July 25th.

And how about these?

a. I'd like to watch all of the holocaust movies present in the world until I've become an expert on it.
b. I'd like to watch all of the holocaust movies present in the world until I become an expert on it.

Since there's no a word representing a specific time, both of them are okay, right?
And what I'd like to know is the difference between "have gotten" and "get". What I know about them is we can use "future perfect" to refer to unspecific future event that might happen before some accident. but "get" refers to future event that could be either a specific scheduled event or unspecific future event. that's why if I add a specific time mentioning, I have to use "get".


texts:
Source

  In addition, users with this privilege level can also begin reviewing suggested edits (which previously you would have had to suggest). These edits remain in a pending state until they get enough votes to either approve them and make the edits take effect or reject them and discard the edit. Two votes in either direction will finalize the action, except on Stack Overflow where three votes are required.

I have heard have had and had had before but encountered would have had for the first time. I think had could have done a good job in the sentence. Can you explain the meaning of the bold part in the passage?

Also, "would have" is which kind of a phrase?