texts: How could I find out the meanings of "name a child for her" or "name a child after her?"

texts:
There is a song (called "Kilkelly"), and in the song, "you" (the person the narrator is singing to) had a child. And there is a lyric:

  "And Bridgette is happy you named the child for her."

And, to my anglophone ears, I realize that this sentence could mean two different things. It could mean something like

"Bridgette had the responsibility of naming your own child,
instead of you choosing your child's name. But she didn't want this
responsibility, and is happy that you took the responsibility
instead", or
"You named your child to have the same name as
Bridgette".

And indeed, there is ambiguity in a different sentence:

  And Bridgette is happy you named the child after her.

This sentence could mean

the same as #2 above (ie, that you named the child to have the same name as Bridgette), or
The nurse asked Bridgette "What's the name of this child? I have to write a name on the child's birth certificate", and Bridgette gave her idea of a name. And then after she did that, you told the nurse "No, don't listen to Bridgette. I'm going to name the child, now".

Question:
1) Suppose I was learning English as a second language. What online resource could I use to find out each of the two meanings of each of these two sentences?

Extra remarks / background:

I am a native English speaker, and I am learning French.

The more I learn about French, the more I have questions that want an answer that teaches me about linguistics. However, every time, I never realize that I actually wanted that linguistic information until someone sees my French-related question, and then compares French, English, and other languages, to thus give me a linguistics-related answer.

I am having a lot of difficulty with prepositions, in my French learning. It feels that prepositions are fuzzy in meaning. And now, I am sometimes realizing that prepositions are fuzzy in meaning in English, too, where two different prepositions could be chosen, only with a slight nuance in meaning; or where the meaning of the preposition in a particular sentence could not have been guessed given that preposition's usual meaning.

I'm craving strategies that could 1) help me identify this murky discomfort about prepositions -- what exactly about them make me uncomfortable? What patterns exist that can be identified as making me uncomfortable? and 2) linguistic information/ideas that might help me make sense of how prepositions are used.


texts:
Usually mother takes her baby  in different way on different position on her body, and she holds her baby very tightly or loosely depends on the position of a baby. It could be on her lap when she  takes on thigh.  But when they take their baby on abdomen or top of the abdomen or other different position, we can we call in natural way?

I have added some positions so you can have  idea  that what I am looking for. :)


texts:
At this time/At this point, we can tell a boy and a man apart by what they do.

I want to express the situation like a disaster suddenly happened in a family.

Is my sentence right or wrong, can you understand it?


texts: How do I make a sentence with "Was + past participle" that is not passive?

texts:
Is it possible to make a sentence with "Was + past participle" that is not passive?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
The book is not a Sacco-Vanzetti encyclopedia. I touch only in passing on some important subjects that I considered secondary to the book’s main goals. I know that the book could, as Barbara Tuchman said of The Proud Tower, “be written all over again under the same title with entirely other subject matter.”

(Source: Susan Tejada: In Search of Sacco and Vanzetti, p. x.)

I am not sure what is the meaning of the phrase "secondary to" in my clause. In the case that it has the standard meaning – not so importatnt, not so relevant – the sentence niggles me a little. The book is supposed not to be encyclopedia and the author focuses only on the lives of Sacco and Vanzetti and importatnt subjects are mentioned only briefly. But the reason for their being mentioned should stem from their importance to the book's main goals so the usage of "secondary" seems to be odd to me.


texts:
I am hearing a lot about the problem of ragging these days.
I am hearing a lot of the problem of ragging these days.

What ia the difference?
Which is correct?


texts:
If we had the confidence he did not commit the crime we would have said so.

I read this sentence somewhere, shouldn't it be:

  If we had had the confidence he had not commited the crime we would
  have said so.

In the case of the first sentence, if I altered the "would have said" part like this:

  If we had the confidence he did not commit the crime we would say
  so.

Would it be correct?

The first correction represents the third conditional while the second correction represents the second conditional.


texts: When someone is trying to use your own words against you or just sophisticates the topic of discussion (In AmE)

texts:
In Puritanical philosophy there is a method for arguing which is called "sophistry".

In this technique, the arguer uses a clever so called specific method in which they would use some key points of the other arguer and put them in a loop in a way that the guy gives up (usually because they have said some truths and they had some very tiny conflicts and overlaps with each other and these overlaps which the first arguer has used them in his own favor and defeats the second arguer in this way though this is not what the truth is.
As far as I know, in AmE, people (specially youths or uneducated people) rarely have heard this word sophistry.

Now imagine someone is trying to use this technique in a debate with you. How a native speaker would say such a sentence in English:

  What you do is called sophistry. Don't sophisticating so much.

I feel they do not work at least in modern American English and I'm sure there is an alternative is every day speech vocabulary. I would appreciate it if someone could let me know what is in common use these days which can indicate the matter in my question.


texts:
I have the following sentence:

  The next section provides the background and motivation for our work, which is described in Section 3.

First I don't know if "the" before "background" is required.

But mainly I don't know if the "motivation" also needs "the"?

Can we say in conjunction if the first part has an article the second one doesn't need it?


texts: Is this an application of mediopassive voice in interrogative sentences?

texts:
I found a question written as in one of my books:

  What is the number of bytes needed for an instruction to store in  memory?

I believe the bold part makes the sentence in mediopassive voice. Isn't it more common to find this structure instead:

  What is the number of bytes needed for(or by) an instruction to get stored in  memory?

Is the original sentence is grammatically correct and in usage just as it stands? What do you think about the alternative provided by me, what's the difference?


texts:
I think "embody" should be used as "embody sth" or "be embodied in". So this sentence should be changed to "The passions – embodied in affects, desires, appetites – were forerunners ". Am I right?

  But in holding that the Enlightenment was a movement of reason opposed to the passions, apologists and critics are two sides of the same coin. Their collective error is what makes the cliché of the ‘age of reason’ so powerful.

  The passions – embodied affects, desires, appetites – were forerunners to the modern understanding of emotion. Since the ancient Stoics, philosophy has generally looked on the passions as threats to liberty: the weak are slaves to them; the strong assert their reason and will, and so remain free. The Enlightenment’s contribution was to add science to this picture of reason, and religious superstition to the notion of passionate enslavement.


texts: A common word or group or description of all the following: Love, Lust, Crush, Infatuation

texts:
You love a girl. You also have a crush on another girl who works in your office. You also lust after a neighborhood girl. What word would you use to describe all of them? Your "romances"? Your "affairs"? Your "heartthrobs"? Maybe "amorous affairs" looks good. Is it possible to come up with a single word to describe "amorous affairs"? What is the plural of amorous?

It looks like heartthrobs is used for only men. Is there any other word to mean both men and women crush, love and lust?

I'm looking for the word to describe the list of people that I have a crush, love, and lust. I'm looking for one single word if possible.

So far, the best words I got are sweethearts and romances. But I'm looking for a better, more accurate word.

Still, if you're not sure what I'm asking Read this. If I have borrowed money, a property, a thing from the list of people, I can use the word "lenders" to describe them, right? So,  if I a have crush on a list of people. On each of them, I have a different type of crushes like love, lust, infatuation, etc. Which single word I can use to describe them?


texts: Why “dressed in blue” instead of “dressing in blue”?

texts:
The girl dressed in blue is my girlfriend.
The girl dressing in blue is my girlfriend.

I know the first sentence is correct, but how about the second one? Why do we say "The girl who dresses in blue is my girlfriend." but no one seems to say "The girl dressing in blue..."?


texts:
Should I use the preposition "of" in the following context before the word "before" (or in the pronoun "it" after "before")?

  "The word "pillow" is a countable noun and therefore you should put an
  article before (of) it."

Now I understand that I have 3 choices:

  1) ...therefore you should put an article before."

  2) ...therefore you should put an article before it."

  3) ...therefore you should put an article before of it."

What is the correct choice?


texts: Can you use "“there’s more where that came from” to refer to people?

texts: For example, there's an article that lists promising young scientists and one of them is from our team. Would it be appropriate to say, "there's more where that came from" to mean that we have more promising scientists in our team? Or is there a better way of saying it? Using that to refer to people sounds off to me.


texts: use of gerund form in an imperative sentence

texts:
X traveled in a bus. He found no seat. He had to stand all the journey. How would this be described best ?

I. He traveled in a bus standing.

II. He traveled in a bus while standing.

III. He stood in the bus while traveling.

Similarly, which one is more natural out of the following three, if we are instructing someone that they should be seated when they're drinking water:

  A. Drink water while sitting.

  B. Be seated while drinking water.

  C. Drink water being seated.


texts: Is pronouncing "the" as "thee" to specify something a proper practice?

texts:
I am not a native speaker, when I was a child on of my friends use to pronounce "the" as "thee" all the time and the teacher kept telling her that you she should do that only if the word after "the" starts with a vowel. Like "Thee injection", "Thee orbit" other wise it's "The umbrella" and "The pen".

Years later I found out that English speakers specify or empathize by saying "Thee". Is this proper?


texts:
Today (Sunday):

P1: "Let's go to the cinema"

P2: "Oh! sorry. I had to go home"

Tomorrow (Monday):

P3: "Did you go to the cinema yesterday?"

P2: "My friend invited me, but ..."

How should I express being forced in the past? Should I say "but I did had to go home" or "but I was had to go home" or what?

What about being forced at the future?

P1: "Will you go to the cinema tomorrow?"

P2: "I want to go, but I ..."

Is this correct? "but I will had to go somewhere"


texts: What is the meaning of "stand one's ground"?

texts: At about 40 seconds into this video, the reporter says (as I can discern it) "Several of the women stood at their ground and were stabbed as they chanted slogans..." My impression is the "stood at their ground" part means that women did not retreat when aggressors wanted to suppress them. Nevertheless, the presenter's accent is British and I am not sure what he means.


texts:
When comparing two dates, what term is best used to say that one should come before the other?

For example, a user of my application can input two dates, that form a time interval. Obviously the "start date" has to be a valid date that comes before the "end date", so when the user enters these wrong I show him an error message. But, since English is not my native language, I don't know that comparison term to use.

Can a date be said to be "smaller" than another date? Or should I use something like "anterior", or "earlier"?


texts: "My this/that book" vs "this/that book of mine"

texts:
I would like to make a sentence like "my that book". For example, if my friend asks me that he wants to take my (that) book and I want to tell him that he can take it. How do I say?

My that book?
That book of mine?

Now I would like to tell him that he can take that book of mine. We cannot use two adjacent determiners so I cannot say "my that book". But how do I use "that" and "my" in the same sentence?

You can take that book of mine?
You can take my that book?

Sentences number 1 and 4 are not possible because they use adjacent determiners. Do the other sentences sound idiomatic?
In short, if I want to use "that" (for indication) and "my" (for possession), how do I tell my friend that he can take my book?


texts: Why "the" should be used before 'sand sculptures'

texts:
In an exercise I came to following sentence for error detection. In the answer it is said to use 'the' before 'sand sculptures'. Isn't it a plural noun and plural nouns don't take "the" before them? Please explain

sentence - We saw sand sculptures in the beach.

Please illustrate if there are any other errors also.


texts:
What is the meaning of "relative importance" in the sentence below?

  Overseas connections were almost restricted to the western maritime
  powers, in particular to Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal and
  the Netherlands; and the relative importance of powers within
  this group had recently been greatly changed.

I know the meaning of "relative" and "importance" respectively, but somehow I can't understand the meaning of the collocation "relative importance" in the context above. Could you explain it in detail please?


texts: What is the difference between "there's no" and "there's not"? When to use "not" and when to use "no"?

texts:
As we know, not and no are different words, which is why I don't know if there is a difference between "there's no" and "there's not".

This diagram shows that the two forms are used and this makes me think that they are both acceptable.

My question is:  Are they both grammatically correct?  If so, is there any rule regarding the use of one over the other, lest we should use them wrongly?


texts: "It includes how to" is this expression grammatically right?

texts:
this professor is saying

  It includes how to collect your data, how to label your data, ...

is this expression grammatically right?

or following is more appropriate?

  It includes collecting your data, labeling your data, ...

or both work well?


texts:
Is it okay to use "when" immediately followed by a verb ending with -ing?

For example:

  When climbing the hill,...
  When writing a book,...


texts:
But where we stand today is equal in the eyes of the law, unequal in the eyes of the children, and it is up to us to finish the work. There is no scalable technology that can teach a child to read, only a teacher can do that; there is no law that can make kids love the wonder of mathematics; only a teacher can do that, there is no judge who can order a child to believe in herself against all evidence to the contrary; only a teacher can do that.

I don't understand the meaning of 'scalable' here. what does that sentence mean? Does that mean 'techonology is not comparable to teacher'?


texts: "starting a business" vs "to start a business"

texts:
Are you thinking of starting a business?

  Are you thinking to start a business?

I am confused about this question. Can both of the above be used?


texts:
I have this sentence but I'm not sure if my comma usage was correct

  In the final lines, he writes, “save outrage for something even more monstrous – the way we are contributing to the starvation of children and exacerbating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”


texts: I learn English from Friends series, am at the second episode of first season. I don't know how to define sentence: "like i wasn't dreading tomorrow enough having to give it back to him" and second sentence: "as far as my parents are concerned" -> can I define it like: "according to my parents"?


texts: Object and subject in the sentence with to be verbs

texts:
How can I determine the object and subject of sentences with to be verb?

For example, what are the object and subject of the below sentence?

  The impacts of new changes are insignificant


texts: Causality and intention : how to use "out of"

texts:
This text was written by coffee1054 in this question:

  Unfortunately this experiment about superconductive circuits was interrupted out of some political troubles.

The person who wrote the sentence above has learned that "out of" is not grammatical here. But why is it ungrammatical here?


texts: The difference between Past Perfect and Simple Past tense in a sentence not having clear timeline

texts:
I am learning Past Perfect and Simple Past tense on a paragraph below

  Leyton stared at the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean in front of him. He
  had finally come to the end of his journey.
      Several months ago he did not know whether the journey would really be possible. After all , he had recovered from
      his illness only weeks before he made the decision well, it was because of the illnese that he had decide to do this, to
      prove it was possible. Then, after a few weeks of planning and worrying, he...(set out)..., starting from the northernmost
      point. And here he was, at the end of his journey - he ...(achieve)... his aim. And he realised now that it was the most
      exciting thing he had never done - and probably ever would do - in his life.

As the answer from my book, both of the blank space are past perfect tense. But from what I understand that the past perfect tense need at least 2 sentences to compare timeline in the past to determine which ones happened first. But in 2 sentences:

Then, after a few weeks of planning and worrying, he...(set out)..., starting from the northernmost point.

the "set out" means "begin his journey" and just following the timeline "after a few week" not comparing the time. So I think this is a simple past tense NOT past perfect.

And the same as for the rest confusing sentence "And here he was, at the end of his journey - he ...(achieve)... his aim".

Could you please share your ideas that my understand is correct or not in this reading.

Thanks,
Learn.


texts: Is this sentence correct: "Who is coming on instead?"

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  Why is the coach substituting Ronaldo? Who is coming on instead?

my problem is "on"
Is it a part of the phrasal verb ("come on") or it's a preposition for "instead"? or it's incorrect entirely?


texts:
"In negative fashion, if I can establish that both positions fail for various reasons this would be sufficient to establish the two main theses of hard(-enough) determinism."

Free Will and Consciousness: A Determinist Account of the Illusion of Free Will
by Gregg D. Caruso

what does "negative fashion" mean?


texts:
Let's say I found a very nice description of all the aspects you have to describe when you want to write cooking instructions for a meal. Now I want to share that what I found is a nice description of all the parts you have to think of when writing cooking instructions.  Also I want to use the word entail.

Now, what I wrote down is the following.

  This is a really nice description of what cooking instructions entail.

Is this a correct way of using entail?


texts: Confusion about the usage of 'would' in 'Why would you lie about that?'

texts:
I've heard a lot about conditional grammar and how the word 'would' plays a role in those structures, but sometimes I run into this word out of conditional structures. For example :

  A: I told her a lie about my family.
  B: Why would you lie about that?

I'm confused in understanding such usage of "would".
Could you explain to me what kind of structure this is ?


texts:
Best companies have best mangment.

It's not a slogan or a headline - just a sentence from a text. Is it gramatically coorrect, or you still need 'the' before 'best' here? Somehow it sounds better without "the" to me since the meaning is genereal (best companies in general and best managment in general).


texts: how to use verb form (past tense or verb+ing) correctly?

texts:
I've been reading some books and been confused about the verb tense used in the sentences, for examples:

1: But I knew Lefty’s dumb sense of humor. “Nice try, Lefty,” I said, and followed him through the doorway.

Question: why couldn't use following instead?

2: I took another step into the room. And as I did, a dark figure stepped toward me.

Question: why couldn't use stepping  instead?

It’s a mirror, dork!” Lefty said, and started to laugh.

Question: why couldn't use starting instead?

which functions are those verbs being used in the examples above?

Please help to advise, Thanks a lot!


texts:
"There are 2 words one of which I don't know the meaning."

  "There are 2 words one of which I don't know the meaning of."

Which one is correct and why? If one of them is at all correct.


texts: Why not Past Perfect: "For a Muslim hacking collective ..., which previously disabled the ... service last month, it was “challenge accepted”

texts:
From the INDEPENDENT news "Muslim activists hack Isis mailing list hours after terrorists claimed it was unhackable" (highlighting by myself):

  After numerous cyber attacks and official takedowns targeting its Amaq “news agency”, Isis issued a message on Friday night claiming it had increased security.

  “In response to recent events, we have imposed more stringent security measures on our systems,” said the email in Arabic. “We can now handle email attacks or any type of hack.”

  For a Muslim hacking collective called Di5s3nSi0N, which previously disabled the automated email service last month, it was “challenge accepted”.

As "it was" is already past and the automated email service had been disabled previously, showing respect to all my English grammar books, a Past Perfect form of "disable" should be used in the sentence highlighted boldly above. Why it is not?


texts:
Boy: Germs, oh, what're germs?
Doctor: The things that cause infection.
Boy: Infection is caused by germs? Oh, are germs poisonous?
Doctor: Very.
Boy: I don't see any poisonous germs.
Doctor: Oh, much too small to be seen, but they're everywhere.
Boy: Oh, they are? Well you, you can't be too careful.
Prevention is better than cure. I'll say.

What does "I'll say" mean in this sentence?


texts: Does an inversion exist for 0-conditional?

texts:
For what I have studied in English there are 4 types of conditionals, sometimes referred to as: 0-conditional, first conditional, second conditional and fourth conditional.

0-CONDITIONAL

It is used when the result will always happen, for something that is always true. It is formed with

IF+PRESENT SIMPLE, PRESENT SIMPLE

For example:

If water reaches 100 celsius degrees at the sea level, it boils

This is something always true and generally if can be replaced with when without changing the meaning.

FIRST CONDITIONAL

It is used to talk about thing that might happen in the future.
The structure is

IF+PRESENT SIMPLE, WILL + INFINITIVE

For example:

If it rains, I won't go to the party.

Compared to the 0-conditional, it describes a particular situation. For example consider the two examples:

If you sit in the sun, you get burned.
If you sit in the sun, you will get burned.

The first example means every time you sit in the sun. In the second it is meant a particular situation, for example today is a very sunny day.

In more formal English, one can use inversion in the first conditional by replacing IF with SHOULD and using the verb with the bare infinitive. For example:

Should you sit in the sun, you will get burned.

SECOND CONDITIONAL

Its structure is

IF+PAST SIMPLE, WOULD+INFINITIVE

It is used in two cases:

to talk about things in the future that are unlikely to happen. For example:

If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.;
to talk about things in the present that are unrealistic or impossible to happen. For example:
If I were you, I would quit smoking.

The difference between 1 and the first conditional is the point of view. Consider the two examples:

If she studies harder, she'll pass the exam.
If she studied harder, she would pass the exam.

In 1 I think she can pass the exam, in 2 I think she won't study and fail the exam.

Also for second conditional we can use inversions:

For unlikely things, IF is replaced with WERE+SUBJECT+INFINITIVE. Using the same example of above:
Were I to meet the Queen of England, I would say hello.
For impossible things delete IF and invert the subject and the auxiliary. For example:
Were I you, I would stop smoking.

THIRD CONDITIONAL
It is used to describe a thing in the past that did not happen and to image the result. The form is IF+PAST PERFECT, WOULD+HAVE+PAST PARTICIPLE.
For example

*If she had studied, she would have passed the exam*

Also this type of conditional allows inversion:

*Had she studied, she would have passed the exam*

MY ORIGINAL QUESTION
I could find a rule for inversions in case of the first, second and third conditional. I do not know if it is possible and in such case how, to use inversion in the 0-conditional.

Does inversion for 0-conditional exist?


texts:
The long nose of an elephant is called a trunk.

I feel that I've read things like this in my childhood:

  The men blindly felt for the elephant. Someone touched its trunks and said, "So long and hard and thick. It seems to be a tree!"
  Bambo kicked that scrawny little thing out of his way with his trunks.
  Rani, the large Indian elephant Mr. Fox kept as pet, stomped its trunks in hunger.

which imply an elephant's legs are also referred to as trunks. I also thought tree trunks were just like an elephant's legs, so they're called trunks too. However, no dictionary says so. See trunk.

I don't know why but I just can't accept this. I clearly remember I did read things like that in children's stories.

Can "trunks of an elephant" mean both its legs and its long nose?


texts: What is the meaning of "its" in this context?

texts:
Writing Finnegans Wake (1928-38), his final work, in a largely
  idiosyncratic language, a book in which the words are skewed from
  normal meaning, Joyce transcribed his symptoms, according to Lacan; he
  converted his sickness into art, his compulsions into his way of life,
  his symptoms into his personal style as a human and as an artist. The
  meeting of Joyce with his symptom is an encounter with the Real made
  possible by
  its conversion into an artistic process.

This section is from an article named "Real and Immanence in Cinema" by Daniela Angelucci.

Here's the link: http://www.consecutio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/8-angelucci-online.pdf

There is no comma in the sentence. I couldn't figure out if it means 'his symptom' or 'the Real.'


texts:
Harry Potter
Harry did some very amazing thing. Pro. McGonagall complimented him.

  "He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor
  McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley
  couldn't have done it."

Why does here use "couldn't have done"?

What is the different meaning if here use "couldn't do it"?

could vs could have doesn't resolve my confusion.

  could means was able to
  could have means was capable of, but didn't do.

But my question is Couldn't. They both means "wasn't able to" or "was incapable of", of course include "didn't do".

That means they are the same meaning?


texts: 'I produce and rebuild' or 'I refurbish and fabricate'?

texts:
Which sentence is better?

In my present job, I produce and rebuild machine parts used in
the food sector.
In my present job, I refurbish and fabricate machinery parts for
food industry.


texts: Can I say 'to a society be correct, it needs coordination'?

texts:
Does the following sentence sound correct?

To a society be correct, it needs coordination.

If it is not correct, what is the correct way to say that?


texts: What is the difference between academic and general English? why is there academic English in the first place and not just general English?


texts: Where should I put "indeed" in this sentence?

texts:
I could definitely tell that his desire for reading was indeed insane.

  I could definitely tell that his desire for reading was insane indeed.

I've already saw this one,

and I've also googled it to find out where to put 'indeed', and I'm still confused because there are sentences which 'indeed' comes before an adjective, and also after an adjective.

Which one is correct between those two I wrote?


texts:
Good day, my question is which preposition is correct? (OF/ON)

  I hate co-workers who speak ill of me.

Or

  I hate co-workers who speak ill on me.

P.s: I already googled it just now, and there is no precise answer to this particular question I am asking. Tnx and pls. Help.


texts: Interpretation of 'against' in 'offend against'

texts:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/offend contains the definition.

  Are people whose jobs concern the fight against crime likely to be biased jurors? ... The court
  decided that the presence of serving police officers and a prosecuting solicitor (an employee
  of the Crown Prosecution Service) on separate juries in 2004 and 2005 had not offended
  against principles of fairness and there were no circumstances in the cases to give rise to
  concerns of bias.

Source: p 168, How the Law Works, Gary Slapper

Would someone please correct my initial 'gloss' on this verb + particle?

I attached against to principles of fairness, so
offended against principles of fairness
= offended + against principles of fairness
= offended + unfairness,
but this is the opposite meaning of offended against + principles of fairness.

What are the errors above? Are there terms for them?
When should the empty preposition or particle be parsed as above?


texts: What is "cook-house yarn "cook-house yarn "?

texts:
‘But he spoke as though my Eirene were a fig-basket. “Oh, she’s bound
  to go ashore, somewhere,” he said, “but not a life will be lost. Take
  this from me, the Servant of the One God.” Mad! Mad as a magician on
  market-day!’

  ‘No,’ said Sulinor. ‘Madmen see smooth harbours and full meals. I have
  had to — soothe that sort.’

  ‘After all,’ said Quabil, ‘he was only saying what had been in my head
  for a long time. I had no way to judge our drift, but we likely might
  hit something somewhere. Then he went away to spread his cook-house
  yarn among the crew. It did no harm, or I should have stopped him.’

This is from "The Manner of Men" by Kipling.
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/k/kipling/rudyard/limits/chapter19.html

I do not understand the meaning  of "cook-house yarn "

I am glad if some one would kindly teach me.


texts:
In Tegan and Sara's song BWU there's a line:

  Save your first and last born for me

Here born is obviously used as a noun, but what are the artists trying to convey by using the word this way? Neither me nor Google knows of any common meanings of born when it is used as a noun.

Please, look up the lyrics if you need more context, as I don't think it appropriate to post them here in full.


texts: Mr. A will bear all the expenses incurred OR Mr. A will incur all the expenses. Did I correctly use the word 'incur'?

texts:
Mr. A will bear all the expenses incurred during the process of making the new Bill Book.
Mr. A will incur all the expenses during the process of making the new Bill Book.

Did I use the word 'incur' properly in the above sentences? Which one is relevant or correct?

Context:

Mr. A lost the vehicle bill book and we need to inform and take approval from Sr. Officer to make a new Bill book from the government office. We also need to state that Mr. A will be paying for the expenses from his own pocket.


texts: What's the meaning of the phrasal verb "sped out"

texts:
As usual, I try to practice English grammar, vocabulary and speaking skills through some exercises. Today I've got stuck with the following phrasal verb "sped out" and after a Google search was not able to grasp properly its meaning.

Here's the complete sentence:

  Through an inadvertent error, the guided missile sped out of control.

I suppose the meaning sounds like "went out of control", or "stopped working properly" but not sure if this is the right definition though. Google mostly offers definition for "speed up". Or maybe it means that it became faster and unable to control?


texts: Do you use an apostrophe for possession in decades--not for plurals, just possession, as in "a 1960s style," that is, "a style of the 1960s"?


texts:
I don't quite understand the phrase "thin the influx of migrants" - "Thin" means "make the number of imgrants less", so "thin the influx of migrants" would mostly mean "make the number of migrants less" and a basic means to do so is to enhance the border to prevent migrants from crossing. I am not sure it is what the phrase means.
Why this question?  The reason is that a flow of imigrants is formed in a foreign country before crossing the border. So you cannot control the size of the flow. So "thinning the influx" can only refer to the control of the border crossing to thwart the influx. Here's the catch: I understood that the money would be used in humanitarian aid (helping the imigrants), now it seems to mean using force to block their ways to seek help (they are refugees).

Since Bosnia became a route for thousands of people hoping to reach Europe in 2018, the European Union has provided 89 million euros, or more than $108 million, to the country’s authorities or organizations working there as part of a larger strategy to thin the influx of migrants at its external borders. (Bosnia isn’t part of the European Union, but it borders Croatia, which is.)

Source: NYTimes


texts: 'strategic tactical way' vs. 'strategic tactic'

texts:
'It's not a 'mistake', but a strategic tactical way to make sure ...'

Is it proper English strategic tactical way or would it be more idiomatic to say strategic tactic?


texts: Does "but" and "however" make different meaning in the sentence

texts:
I would like to write a sentence, where I would like to use however or but. I would like to know do they make different meaning in the sentence.

The traditional models exist but they may be inappropriate to deal with complex situations.

The traditional models exist, however, they may be inappropriate to deal with complex situations


texts:
Recently I noticed that there are people that instead of saying "My client" or "My friend" they say "a client of mine" or "a friend of mine". Initially, a couple of months ago I heard it from a German guy which is obviously not a native English speaker, and it wasn't natural to my ears, but today I heard it once from an American English speaker too, and this brought me to the following question.

Assuming that the second way ('friend of mine') is correct, my question is if it's considered a formal or informal / slang? (especially in British English since I'm in touch with it more)


texts: Why is it acceptable to use the present tense when speaking about text?

texts: When speaking of something included in text, what rules make it acceptable to say "it says", rather than "it said" regardless of conditions such as age of text, or the existence of subsequent revisions of the text?


texts: Using Past-Perfect interchangeably with the Past Continuous

texts:
I've seen this sentence in another post here:

  Tom Cruise was thinking of a career in the church before finding a job in the movies.

Would it be fine to use the Past-Perfect as well? If so, which tense is better?

Here are a few options that came to my mind:

  Tom Cruise had been thinking of a career in the church before finding a job in the movies.
  or
  Tom Cruise had been thinking of a career in the church before he found a job in the movies.
  Tom Cruise had thought of a career in the church before he found a job in the movies.


texts:
Some people complain when they encounter a small misfortune in the course of their thoroughly happy life.

Using small with misfortune, does it make sense. Can misfortune be small or big?


texts:
Which one of the two prepositions should be used in the following sentence
The company released a statement on Saturday paying tribute to its founder, praising his philanthropic efforts and his vision on/for healthcare.
I think on is correct because we usually say his ideas on sth sth... and here also vision is somewhat related to ideas.


texts: Extent of topic complexity for 15-minute demo lesson

texts:
Following a recent job interview, I was invited to give a demo lesson. As is mostly the case, I suppose, the hiring staff are going to pose as students. The school did not give any specific instructions except that it should be between 10 and 15 minutes. By asking, I found out that competence levels of starting students range between A2 and B1 (CEFR).

The way I see it, I have two options: either to fully address a simple theme that could lend itself to being taught in 15 minutes; or to partially tackle a more complex topic. At first I was leaning toward the latter, because it would allow the committee to decide how successful I am at breaking down complexity. A much more experienced teacher than I am also advised me to take this route: ‘If I was a hiring manager, I would definitely give you extra points for not choosing something simple.’ I was thinking of doing the difference between the present perfect simple and past simple. But then I thought that such a lesson would have to assume the students are comfortable with a wider range of structures (Affirmative, interrogative and negative structures of both the PP simple and past simple; irregular verbs; WH-questions, strong and weak forms …). It would not go well if, after the lesson, each time the committee asked me why I did not address a certain point, I responded by saying I ‘assumed’ the students had already learnt it.

Now, I am considering going with the first option. I am thinking I could do some/any, gone/been, should/shouldn’t … These subjects require much less background knowledge and can fit a 15-minute time frame.

Here are my questions:

If you were in my place, which option would you go for?
Could you suggest some additional topics?

Any general advice would also be highly appreciated.

Many thanks,

absconditus


texts:
The speaker appears to have used "Hajj" as a collective term for all Muslims (while normally Hajj is officially defined as the pilgrimage by a Muslin to Mecca). Am I on the right track?

Anyway you take this empty vessel and you scare the living shit out of him, break him down to nothing, cultivate a brotherhood and camaraderie with those he suffers with,  and fill his head with racist nonsense like all Arabs, Iraqis Afghans are Hajj. Hajj hates you. Hajj wants to hurt your family. Hajj children are the worst because they beg all the time. Just some of the most hurtful and ridiculous propaganda, but you'd be amazed at how effective it's been in fostering my generation of soldiers.

Source: The Untold History of the United States pp582
(This thread is following the previous thread - the content is an excerpt from an American soldier's memory)


texts:
I'm reading "The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation", and there are some tests in the first chapter. There is this sentence, which needs to be corrected:
That was Yusuf and me whom you saw.

The correct answers is: That was Yusuf and I whom you saw.

But why? I can't understand the reason.

I also have two other related questions:
I was listening to a song and the lyrics were "no one hurts this pretty girl but her"
Is her correct? Shouldn't it be a subject pronoun?

Another song related question.
The title of a song is "The Devil in I". Is it correct or should it be "The Devil in Me"?

*both songs are by Slipknot, for anyone who is interested.

Thanks.


texts:
What is the usage of this pattern?

  Not all students are smart

  Not all consultants are expert

When do you say that?
For example what's its difference with:

  All consultants are not expert.

I can understand its emphasis but would like to hear when do you use it. (To begin what sentences?)

What are other similar patterns? Can we say

  Not every consultant is expert


texts: Ambiguous to-infinitive: "Obama rejects G20 pressure to abandon Syria air strike plan."

texts:
Obama rejects G20 pressure to abandon Syria air strike plan.

I think this news headline is ambiguous because the infinitive clause could attach to either G20's pressure as its complement(?), or to Obama, in which case it would have the sense of in order to.

Can you suggest a fix that eliminates the ambiguity?


texts: "...rumours online, and AROUND, and ABOUT that it will...."

texts:
I was watching a show, where a famous actor is hosted and TV presenter asks him about what will happen in the new episodes to come.

And TV presenter said to actor "There are rumours ONLINE, and AROUND, and ABOUT that another wedding will take place".

I understand her question generally but really wondered why she emphasized seperately the prepositions "AROUND" and "ABOUT" to refer to the rumor. I can understand why she emphasized the word "online" by which she referred to the rumor on the internet. But where did she refer to using the words "AROUND" and and and "ABOUT"?

When I listed all 3 words TV presenter used referring to the rumor, I was able to find two of what might she have referred to, but I think I was not able to find the last one.

To sum up;
- rumors online (rumors on the internet),
- rumors around (rumors in real life, amongst real people)
- rumors about, (?????)

Regards


texts: Is "which are" omitted from this sentence?

texts:
I have a sentence here:

  Software quality assurance is a planned and systematic pattern of all actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that an item or product conforms to established technical requirements.

Did the writer omit a relative pronoun? Could the sentence be written as: "…of all actions which are necessary to provide…" ?


texts: "Although XX, it makes XXX" - unsure about logic in this sentence

texts:
I am trying to say:

  Although by assuming XX
  won't hurt us, in the sense that YY, it(XX) makes the proof of most
  theorems become trivial and less interesting, and remove this
  assumption (XX) will allow us to dig out more properties behind those
  theorems.

I am not sure I use the right logic in "Although" sentence... I want to emphasize the second half of this sentence. Should I change the second "and" to "but"?

Also, if you see any other grammar error or wired usage of words, please comment out!

Thank you!


texts: To let someone else follow you into your fantasy

texts:
— You're here to corrupt one of my brightest and best.

  — You know what I'm offering. You have to let them decide for themselves.

  — Money?

  — Not just money. You remember. It's the chance to build cathedrals,
  entire cities. Things that never existed, things that couldn't exist
  in the real world.

  — So you want me to let someone else follow you into your fantasy.

I can't get the point of the last sentence. How can let someone else follow you into your fantasy can be bounded to the context that's appeared? What can be mean fantasy here?


texts: Preposition usage with “system”, or a circumstance

texts:
As a programmer, my job frequently asks me to write reports. I'm confused about the usage of prepositions with “system” and other circumstance terms.

For instance, which should it be?

  … background image is missing in the QA system.

or

  … background image is missing under the QA system.

  I wouldn't jog in this weather.

or

  I wouldn't jog under this weather.


texts:
We say:

If he comes, I will help him

What if we add "She knew"?

She knew that if he came I would help him

Is it correct?

What if we say:

If he has arrived by April, I would help him

And then "she knew" goes

She knew that if he had arrived by April, I would help him

Correct?


texts: What is the meaning of "You're not much use to me". I couldn't find the meaning of it anywhere on internet


texts:
I have problem in recognizing when to use "the" before a noun. In this sentence:

  Another problem is the delay between devices.

Should I use the before delay or not?


texts: Pronunciation of "beaches" and "bitches"

texts:
For me it is often hard to distinguish between these two words while speaking. The t in the bitch is almost neglectable in speech.

What is the correct pronunciation of these two words?


texts:
The following quoted sentence is a dialogue, spoken by a therapist to the male protagonist from the series 'The Affair'.

  These feelings you have for Alison (male protagonist’s wife) judging you, not trusting you, that they really have more to do with your not trusting yourself.

Why is "your" used here and not "you"? Is there any difference between "with you" and "with your" in this context?


texts: is this sentence correct? "he felt that he must first excel in history."

texts:
is this sentence correct:

  Clarence Darrow wanted to become a prominent lawyer, but he felt that
  he must first excel in history.

i have a feeling that the correct form of the sentence should be something like this:

  Clarence Darrow wanted to become a prominent lawyer, but he felt that he had to first exceled in history.


texts:
Should I use "give" or "gives" in this statement:

Our team of Ag professionals, with countless years of  experience, give you the kind of home field advantage that goes unmatched.


texts: How would I negate "I used to be able to do it"?

texts:
i)

  "I used to be able to do it."

What's the negative form of the abovementioned sentence? Is it natural to say - "I used to be able to not do it."?

ii)

is there any grammatical (like punctuation) error in (i)


texts: Magic Transit or Magical Transit, Poxy Everything or Proxy Anything

texts: Cloudflare uses 'Magic Transit' and 'Proxy Anything' and I want to know why.


texts:
I am trying to understand after got should the verd be in past tense
Ex.
got done or did,
Got shift or shifted,
Got move or moved,
I got confuse or confused

Please help me thanks in advance


texts: correct usage comma/ definition of clause

texts:
He felt that the close first person perspective leaves the reader "too uncritically accepting of her worldview", and often leads reading and conversation about the novel towards supporting Jane.

Is the comma just for clarity here & accurate? When the conjunction joins a dependent clause can the comma be optional for clarity or is this example wrong ?


texts: Should "materials" and "processing agents" be plural or singular after "any" in this sentence?

texts:
The products do not come into contact with any materials or processing agents that contain gluten.

VS.

  The products do not come into contact with any material or processing agent that contains gluten.

Which phrase is better? Why? The goal is to state that these products are gluten-free.

My boss actually changed my first sentence into the second one, and I am trying to understand why.


texts: What is the difference between "I did" and "I have done"

texts:
I am always confused about when to use "I did something..." and when to use "I have done something..."

Please kindly explain and provide some examples.


texts: Can we use "yet" in conditional (and affirmative) sentence?

texts:
I knew that:

yet should be used in negative sentences and questions.
still should be used in affirmative sentences.
We can use yet in affirmative sentences containing this pattern:have yet to

However, I was reading a passage and came across with this sentence:

  So much sentimentality is attached to the rose in popular culture that it is difficult to separate the original mythological and folkloric beliefs from the emotional excess that surrounds the flower. Yet if we look into the beliefs, we find that the rose is much more than the mere symbol of romantic love invoked by every minor poet and painter.

the author continues to enumerate several different meanings or
connotations of the "rose" in different cultures.

Is it grammatical to use "yet" or we should use "still"?
What would be the difference if one put "still" there?


texts: Is the use of "supermarket" the same as the one of "school / jail / prison / court / church"?

texts:
Oxford Dictionary says that

  When a school is being referred to as an institution, you do not need
  to use the: When do the children finish school? When you are talking
  about a particular building, the is used: I’ll meet you outside the
  school. Prison, jail, court, and church work in the same way: Her
  husband spent three years in prison.

So, when you say "I go to school", "school" is an uncountable noun & means a general teaching institution.

But, when you say "I go to the school" "school" is a countable noun & means a physical school building.

My question is that:

Do we apply that same principle to the word "supermarket"?

For example, "I go to supermarket everyday" (supermarket here is an uncountable noun & means a general supermarket)

"I go to the supermarket everyday" (supermarket here is a countable noun & means a physical supermarket building)

But in Longman DIctionary, "supermarket" is a countable noun only.


texts: Meaning of " Welcome to it" in this context

texts:
But then he smiled and stood up. “Wait! I
  forgot about our custom! We never hang a
  man until the women have been given a
  chance to marry him. This way, ladies! A
  husband for free! Who wants him?”
  An old hag, terribly ugly, eagerly stepped
  forward. “Do you have any money in your
  purse?” she asked Gringoire in a raspy voice.
  Gringoire looked down at her. “No—not a
  single cent,” he answered truthfully.
  The old hag scowled. “Hang, then, and
  welcome to it!” she said in disgust.

Dose it mean one of the following sentence?

1)Hang him because there is no choice

2)Hang him and be happy with it

3) hang him because he himself want.


texts: She's someone's sister vs. She's someones' sister

texts: I recently found on a website a picture from a gathering. An individual had a sign saying She's someone's sister. As a non-native English speaker, I'm wondering why isn't She's someones' sister the correct version?


texts: Can I use -ing in "have to" show a compulsion in present continuous?

texts:
We use 'have to' to express a compulsion in the present, like "I have to speak English." For past we use "I had to speak English."

For the present continuous can we say "I am having to speak English"?


texts:
Here's the sentence:

  Then he arranged the chairs on the opposite side of the desk from his
  own.

What does "from his own" mean in the context?
Thank you in advance


texts: I see/saw my baby crying OR my baby cry?

texts:
I'm quite confused how to use "I see (noun) (verb/ing)" in these situations:

My baby's crying now:

1a. I see my baby crying.
1b. I see my baby cry.

(Does the 2nd option mean that the baby will cry again?)

My baby cried in the maternity ward:

2a. I saw my baby crying.
2b. I saw my baby cry.

Which option is correct in each of these situations?


texts: Meaning of "where others have failed" in the following sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of "where others have failed" in the following sentence,

  One country that appears to have succeeded with the coronavirus
  where others have failed is South Korea.

(Source: BBC WORLD NEWS)

Does it mean "One country that appear to have succeeded with the
coronavirus where(=in one country) is South Korea. and Others have failed with coronavirus" ?

If so, why did BBC New put "Others have failed" not out of the sentence,but into the sentence, "One country that appear to have succeeded with the coronavirus where is South Korea"? Is this still grammatically correct? What kind of grammar are these?


texts: The correct use of the word Reformulation

texts:
Noun or Verb?

In the first sentence-

  And although the reformulation model sounds attractive, the industry is not littered with success stories.

  And although the reformulated model sounds attractive, the industry is not littered with success stories.

Which one fits better reformulation or reformulated? Why?

Maximum number of sentences using the word in question have used the Noun form-reformulation, but I felt Verb form reformulate-ed fits better.

  New Labour was not about a representation of traditional right-wing policies - it was about a reformulation of politics.

  New Labour was not about a representation of traditional right-wing policies - it was about **reformulating** politics.


texts: Pronoun usage in "It ought to be him/he with whom you share your secrets, not me/I"?

texts:
It ought to be him with whom you share your secrets, not me.

Should "him" be replaced by "he" and "me" be replaced by "I"?


texts: "one of those men who doesn't" vs. "one of those men who don't"

texts:
Which is the correct form:

one of those men who doesn't
one of those men who don't

I searched in Google Books and found 9 results for doesn't and 5 results for don't. Maybe both options are acceptable? If yes, is there a difference in meaning?

Examples:

  “Perhaps Dr.Winter is one of those men who doesn't believe females should be exposed to the unpleasantness of illness,” Dr. Hubbell suggested acerbically. (Victoria Thompson)

  ... now and then, a story that would frighten you to death if you were one of those men who don't know how to smile in time. (Joseph Conrad)


texts: I find it hard to describe things about sea(or seas)

texts:
I am always have trouble expressing ideas about sea(or seas?)

Like, if I was talking with our friends about whether or not  we could see sea in our hometowns.

I was struggling to express the idea that my hometown is not near the sea so it was really hard for me to see sea.

The problem is that I don't know whether to use sea or seas because I wasn't referring to a specific sea, I was referring to any seas


texts:
She spends the next hour and a half preparing food to cook. From 6:30 to 8:30, she cooks.

Does food to cook equal food which is to be cooked. What's the grammar? Any other examples?


texts: Transition from simple past to present perfect

texts:
This is a part of my self introduction:

I taught English and Arabic, and this has led me to the decision that I have to give translation a try.

What I mean to express is that I have recently considered my past career, which leads me to this "novel" decision that I want to try my hand at translation.
Does this transition from simple past to present perfect follow the correct use of English tenses? And does it convey what I mean to say?


texts: Does the question mark mean this is a question?

texts:
Imagine the following written conversation, as recently occurred via SMS between me and a friend (edited for brevity):

A: What are you going to do today?
B:  I don't know.  Go shopping?

What is the meaning of the question mark in the reply?  Is person B asking a question of person A?  If so, why would person B expect person A to know the answer in this case? If not, why use the question mark?


texts: "my car doesn't start" vs. "my car won't start"

texts:
Assume Kimberly is calling AAA

  AAA: "What can I do for you?"

  Kimberly: "my car doesn't start, its engine doesn't work"

  Kimberly: "my car won't start, I don't know why"

Are those answers both clear and natural?

I make up the context to understand the difference between "doesn't start" and "won't start". The former indicates Kimberly knows the reason/cause, the latter doesn't.

Is my understanding correct?


texts: nothing that I can do will help you -- is everything alright with the grammar and semantics here?

texts:
Source: Absolute FreeBSD: The Complete Guide to FreeBSD, 2nd Edition by Michael W. Lucas (2008)

Example:

  If your machine doesn't have a serial console, nothing any operating system can do will give you access to the PC-style BIOS messages across the serial port.

I'm not sure if I fully understand what that's trying to say. What's specifically casing trouble for me is the part between nothing and will give you. I don't think I understand how exactly it figures into the overall structure of the sentence. I suppose that we can even get rid of it and the sentence will still read well:

  If your machine doesn't have a serial console, nothing will give you access to the PC-style BIOS messages across the serial port.

The original construction, however, sounds a little bit awkward to me. I could try and write my own example sentence using the exact same grammar:

  Nothing that I can do will help you in this situation. Sorry, buddy, you're on your own here.

Do you think this type of phrasing is totally legitimate in English? Does it make sense grammatically and semantically to you guys? I don't know, but I do find it somewhat difficult to understand.


texts: What do you say when you want to join a line (queue )

texts:
Do you say: Who is the last in the line?

As far as I remember I have seen some objections to this phrase on the part of native speakers of English. I don't remember what exactly they didn't like about it but they didn't like something.


texts:
While having a conversation with an HR about a job location, I constructed the next sentence

  Yes, I'd like to relocate to the UK. The city doesn't really matter.

which is bugging me now.

Why did I use the definite article there?

  The city I am going to move to doesn't matter.

I thought, from the context, it was easy to figure out what the city I was referring to.

On the other hand, the place I will be relocated to isn't known yet for both me and the listener. For instance, it could be London, or it could be any other city in the country.

  A city doesn't matter.

Would I have been correct if I had said that?
Which one is correct?
What would you say?


texts:
What is the correct way to ask this?

  Which website were you trying to open?

or

  Which website you were trying to open?


texts:
Source

"Designing vulgar structures is typical of that architect."

Where are the following parts of speech are located: Subject, AVP/LVP, DO, IO, Subject Complement

Edit:Designing and is are both verbs. Designing - Action Verb; Is - Linking Verb. I know that if there are two verbs, you go with the second verb. So,  "Designing vulgar structures is (LVP) typical of that architect."
The subject confuses me because both structures and architect are nouns. In my opinion, since is is the LVP, the subject could be architect. So,  "Designing vulgar structures is (LVP) typical of that architect (S)."
What I don't know is where the DO and IO are located. This sentence does not have a prepositional phrase, so it could (probably does) include both DO & IO.
Sorry if there is some confusion, English is not my native language.


texts:
I'm trying to say that a temperature can reach -X °C as a minimum, in a sentence that would look like

  ... with temperatures up to 40 °C.

for a maximum.

For what I've seen "down to" doesn't apply for this kind of sentence, but I'm not sure.

So what is the "up to" equivalent for a minimum ?


texts: past simple or present perfect for an action connected to the future

texts:
My friends told me that they planned to see me next Sunday before going back home. I told  them that it was very nice but completely forgot to add that I won't be there next Sunday,  the day they planned to see me.

Is past simple a good choice for "plan"  or would it be better to use present perfect for the second "planned"  because they may change  the date.


texts: The main clause in future tense, the sub clause in present tense

texts:
On Monday, Chicago will make history when Lori Lightfoot becomes the
  city’s first black female mayor.

Why?


texts:
The narrator has been living with her boyfriend in an apartment.

So you don't know when these 2 people started living together, but they still live together.
Or does present perfect continuous require "for/since" in this case?
Thanks in advance


texts:
As the grammar says, we should always use a singular verb with a singular noun and a plural verb with a plural noun.
We say:

I speak.

He speaks.

Are they both (speak and speaks) singular verbs at the same time as they are being used with singular nouns.
But nouns' number unlike verbs' doesn't change with subjects.
Please tell me the key differences between noun's number and verb's number.


texts: What is the difference between "confirm" and "approve"?

texts:
I am stuck here, I don't know which one to choose. I am a programmer and I have to name a button which deletes some data. Before deleting it, I am asking user "Do you confirm/approve deleting the data?". And the button name should follow the word used in the sentence.

Which one should I use in this case? Their meaning is very similar and I can't distinguish the difference between the two.


texts:
I traveled from Houston to Dallas last August.  If you ask me how I got there, I may say:

A. I was riding in a bus with air conditioner.

B. I was riding in a bus with air conditioning.

C. I was riding in an air-conditioned bus.

Do any of the sentences have problems?

Which one do you think makes most sense to you?  Or which one sounds more natural?


texts: What is the meaning of ‘cultural understanding’ in this sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of ‘cultural understanding’ in the following sentence? What is ‘cultural understanding’? Is it public understanding? Is it an understanding that has cultural features?

The problem this book addresses is how the development of scientific
and cultural understandings of extinction over the past two hundred
years have influenced—and been shaped by—the way Western culture has
understood the health and stability of its current society and its
prospects for the future. (This book p5.)


texts: What prepositions are to be used with verb 'fawn'?

texts:
How do we use verb fawn (flattery) in a sentence?

In most of uses, I see use of 'over'. e.g. Philip fawned over Solomon for promotion. Sometime I see 'upon'. Philip fawns upon Solomon.
I also see use of 'on'.

Can I just omit preposition altogether. e.g. Philip fawned Solomon for promotion


texts:
What does the phrase:

  I slept late yesterday.

or

  He sleeps late on Sundays.

mean?


texts:
I was wondering how the two choices below differ in meaning and whether they are both idiomatic here:
Sam) I can't make it to your house today Randy; I'm sorry. But I promise to come tomorrow instead.
Randy) Well, just why?!
Sam) ....................
a. I have guests today.
b. I have guests over today.
I have an intuition that when we say: "I have a guest / some guests over" it means they have not arrived yet, and I am waiting for their arrival or expect they come soon, while when we say "I have guests," it means my guests are at my place right now.
This is why I think despite the intention is clear by both options below and you may confirm that they are both idiomaticaly correct here, "b" is more natural.


texts: Is "have a conversation between us X" idiomatic?

texts:
I am not sure why, but I find the expression "have a conversation between us X" where X is a number, a bit weird. Is the expression idiomatic?

Just so that we're fully clear on what I am asking, here's an example:

  Let's have a conversation between us five right now instead of waiting for John.


texts:
I understand that aspirated consonants (or unvoiced stops) after 'S' are pronounced as unaspirated. For instance, STAIN is pronounced as SDAIN, EXTEND is pronounced as EXDEND.

However, for the word SIXTEEN, there seems to be inconsistencies. According to http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sixteen?q=sixteen , the American version of SIXTEEN is pronounced with an aspirated T. Why is that? Are there any other similar words?

Is there a list of such rules and exceptions available out there?


texts: Is it always possible to replace "where" with "in which"?

texts: I read on this site, that we put the words "in which" instead of "where". (Now I don't find the cite). Is that true?


texts: What does "they" refer to in this context?

texts:
"Even if that hurdle can be surmounted, there’s another, deeper reason why the RBI should consider holding off. Now that the minutes of the monetary policy committee’s June meeting are available, one intriguing passage stands out. The central bank’s deputy governor, the economist Viral Acharya, apparently answering a suggestion that easier monetary policy would help stressed banks recapitalize, correctly points out that would be a terrible idea: “It is best for the sake of policy credibility to not mix instruments with objectives they are not meant to target.”"

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-07-27/there-s-one-good-reason-india-shouldn-t-cut-rates


texts: Do we need comma after "At the age of..." when it comes at the beginning of a sentence?

texts:
"At the age of 10 I started swimming" or
"At the age of 10, I started swimming"
Which one is correct?


texts: Can I use "I was" in the second conditional structure?

texts:
I know that I should write "I were" in the following sentence, but I wonder whether writing "I was" is grammatically acceptable.

I'd prepare well for the interview if I was in your shoes because I heard that they have a tough one.


texts: What do you call the act of going out publicly as the president in order to celeberate with the people?

texts:
JFK was assassinated while he was out on a *.

I am wondering if there's a word for going out on a car for a public celebration, like JFK did before he was assassinated? I am not sure if there's a word for it.


texts:
The Free Dictionary says:

  To do (someone or oneself) a favor means:

  To help someone else, typically at their request. In this usage, the person being helped is stated between "do" and "a."

  Example: Hey, do me a favor and take these bags into the kitchen while I get the others from the car.

while, the Cambridge Dictionary says:

  do me/us a favour! as an informal phrase, means:

  Something you say in answer to a stupid and impossible suggestion:

  Example: "Why don't you tell the police what happened?" "Oh, do me a favour!"

These are two absolutely different matters, and I'm looking for a formal (Cambridge introduces this phrase as an informal one), and not something ambiguous (while different dictionaries have different explanations of it).

Is this expression frequently used in "formal situations" in my first example sense?
If not, then I wonder if there is any better formal and NOT ambiguous substitute for that in my first scenario.


texts:
I am coming up with a slogan.

A better you, _____.

a bigger world
a broader world
a better world
a bigger stage
a bigger difference
A bigger playground

Which of them make(s) sense to western readers?

Here is my intended meaning:

Suppose a person lives in a remote area. If they go out to big cities to work, they can see more life, have broader horizons and make a bigger difference to the world.


texts: Questions about omission of be-verbs, adjectives, and prepositions

texts:
My sentence is as follows:

The values of the functions f and g are both 1 if ~~~ is equal to 100 and ~~~ is equal to 300, respectively.

Can the above sentence be shortened as follows?

The values of the functions f and g are both 1 if ~~~~ is equal to 100 and ~~~ 300, respectively.


texts:
I was talking to my friend who isn't an English native speaker (A) and this is our conversation:

  A: Do you want to go with me to an Italian restaurant?
  B: Yes, where?
  A: In the shopping mall.
  B: I know which one!

My questions:

Do the articles are used in a correct way? I mean, could he have used the in the first sentence?
If there is only one Italian restaurant can I still use a? He wasn't sure if I knew which one he was talking about.


texts: "Here is the following homework for today:”

texts:
Here is the following homework for today:
#1 Spelling worksheet
#2 Handwriting page3

I don’t think “Here is the following homework for today:” is not appropriate, but grammatically correct?
I thought the followings would be better.

1.Today’s homework:
2.Today’s homework is:
3.Today’s homework is as follows:
4.Here is today’s homework:
5.Followings are today's homework:

Can I change "today's homework" of all of the above (1~5) to "homework for today"?


texts:
In Schindler's List (1993), Oskar confronts Goeth, who is killing his factory workers:

Oskar: I go to work the other day. Nobody's there. Nobody tells me
about this.  I have to find out. I have to go in. Everybody's gone.
Goeth: They're not gone. They're here.
Oskar: They're mine! Every day that goes by, I'm losing money. Every
worker that is shot costs me money. I have to find somebody else. I
have to train them.

What does "that in "that goes by" refer to?


texts:
I found the following sentence in a movie. The context is there is a boy who do not like to fly and the girl tell him the following sentence. In fact, I cannot understand the grammar associated with the following sentence. I mean, could someone please let me know why they have used "had" instead of "have" in the second half of the sentence.

I would make sure you had a good flight.


texts: Does Clarence Thomas mean to say “uncategorically” in this video?

texts:
In this video, at around 0:30 Clarence Thomas says, “I’d like to start by saying unequivocally, uncategorically that I deny...”.

The word “uncategorically” is a malapropism for categorically and is not even listed in some dictionaries. So I think he might want to say: “unequivocally and categorically”.
Does he really mean to say “uncategorically”?


texts: "Go to the next step" or "go on to the next step"?

texts:
Go to the next step has more Google hits than go on to the next step.

However, a native speaker (from Britain) told me that I should use go on. Maybe this is a case of American vs British English?


texts:
I do not want to use "a very detailed plan" would this work?

  I do have a very detailed plan for what I want to accomplish and working in the lab is on the top of the list.

or

  I do have a well planned map for what I want to accomplish and working in the lab is on the top of the list.


texts: Does "I got offered a job in New York." mean the job is in New York, or I was in New York when it was offered?

texts:
I got offered a job in New York.

Does this sentence mean: "I got offered a job to work in New York" Or "I got offered a job when I was in New York"?

Can this sentence carry both of these meanings by any chance, so that its meaning depends on context? How do you interpret this sentence?


texts: 1 hour ago though it is already about 110 minutes

texts:
I tried a small experiment. I posted a post on Facebook at exactly: 21:01 and waited to see how many hours ago it will say. When it was 22:50 it still said that my post was posted 1 hour ago.

Though some days back on this forum some people told me that when something started at 21:01 and it is 22:50 that I should say it started 2 hours ago.

So whom should I trust now?

All social networks like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube etc. use the system where it would say 1 hour ago even if it was 119 minutes already, so meaning they will never say it was 2 hours ago unless at least 120 minutes passed.

This was the way I used to express 1 hour ago as well. However, since I heard the answers from many other people I feel unsure about it right now...

I am talking about casual speech with friends etc. In such scenario. What would you say? 1 or 2 hours ago? Is Facebook/YouTube/Instagram wrong or?

if we decide to agree on the theory that if it is more than 1 hour and 40 minutes it is a good idea to round to 2 hours ago.

So what time span would you imagine if something happened let say 10:10, now it is 11:50.

If somebody said to me that something happened 2 hours ago and I looked on time saying 11:50 I would image that it happened some time between. (9:30-9:50)

That is why it feels so weird for me to say 2 hours ago thought it has not been more two hours yet.

I dont know why but more logical for me it feels to say 1 hour ago though it can already be more than 100 minutes  and still just say that it happened an hour ago when talking with friends, teachers, whoever in casual speech unless it is something super important i would say exactly hours and minutes.

How do you say it in your life? How do you express time in such situations? Do you express time the same way as Facebook or?

I know that some of you may think this is some kind of joke, unfortunately it is not and I am going crazy and depressed without knowing system for this... It has been already 2 months and I still feel overwhelmed with this ideas and questions... I cannot help myself, please help me, please.

Thanks for your help.


texts: What is the correct way to use "would" and "should"?

texts:
I have used these two words for ages that I sometimes forget that these words are past form of "will" and "shall". For example, I prefer:

  I would like to introduce two members to our group.

Rather than:

  I will like to introduce two members to our group.

Or even:

  I like to introduce two members to our group.

Which sometimes I suspect it has the silent 'd word hidden somewhere that is shortened form of would.

  I'd like to introduce two members to our group.

From my logic perspective, I still haven't introduce those two members, so if I really want to use the word, I must use "will", and not "would", as it happens in the near future. Or just omit the word and use "I like". But to use "would" in the sentence feels so right. I don't know why, maybe because I feel I have read this so often. Can anybody help to point out what's the correct practice to use would and should in this case and in general case. Thanks.


texts: Can I omit the second “is” in “is… and is…”?

texts:
What is the correct syntax:

  This column is a primary key and null.

or

  This column is a primary key and is null.

Should I write is again?


texts: What does "hope you're not 2-timing me" mean?

texts:
I hope you're not 2-timing me

I know this is grammatically incorrect, but I would like to understand what this means. One of my friends commented this, and I don't know what it means no matter how hard I try.


texts:
I can't tell exactly when an article "the" should go before a proper noun. For example both sound right to me in the following examples:

  These stuffs are imported from United States.
  These stuffs are imported from the United States.
  History of Britain can date back to Medieval.
  History of Britain can date back to the Medieval.
  A question is asked on ELL.SE.
  A question is asked on the ELL.SE.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I want to say that a particular effect may have negative consequences. I have used the word disastrous:

  May have disastrous consequences.

However, it is too strong. I need another word. Any suggestion?


texts:
Could you please tell me know what is the correct form of English usge of following sentence ?

  This is so myself ...

OR

  This is so I ...

I want to say like this: This is so I in this picture
There is an image online which I could point myself and say that is me.

Which is the correct way of using it ? Thanks


texts: "the same" vs. "equal" (about numerical quantities)

texts:
Are these sentences both correct ?

"913 and 67 have the same sum of digits"  vs.

"913 and 67 have equal sum of digits".

Or should it be "an equal sum of digits" ??

Note that I cannot easily move the parts of the sentence, because
actually "913 and 67" can be something more articulate, like
"x is the least number greater than 1 such that x and x^2 have the same sum of digits".

Thanks.


texts:
When shall is used with second person subject, it implies a promise.

You shall have all you wish for.
you shall be the first one to know.
*you shall pay a fine.

A)what do the above examples mean when they're used as a promise? (or how shall is used to give a promise?)

B)Is it possible to use third person subjects in promises?
                  For example, *He shall get his morney back.


texts: What do you do 'when/if'? What's the difference?

texts:
I am confused about which conjunction I should use when I want to express a conditional sentence.
For instance:

a) what do I do when I am bored or
b) what do I do if I am bored.

I don't quite understand the concept of both conjunctions.


texts: What's the difference between "to find an answer to it" and "to find an answer of it"?

texts:
To solve something is to find an answer to it.

This is the definition of "solve" in my dictionary.
Honestly I can't quite catch the meaning of the part "to it".

  To solve something is to find an answer to it.
  To solve something is to find an answer of it.

Do they have the same meaning, or not?
If not, what's the difference between them?


texts: take as a has code for X an integer interpretation of its bits, Meaning

texts:
I read a following sentence in the book Data Structure & Algorithm in Python(Page 412):

  To begin, we note that, for any data type X that is represented using at most as many bits as our integer hash codes, we can simply take as a hash code for X an integer interpretation of its bits.

What I have seen sentence forms about take as, as follows:

A is taken as B. For example: The shape of heart is taken as love.
subject take A as B. For example: Jim takes her gift as kindness.

However the phrase take as ... in the context, there are two noun phrases joined together, So I have a little of confusion. Here is my understanding:

we can simply take an integer interpretation of its bit as a hash code for X.

Am I right?


texts:
I found the word dogfish in a dialog between two soldiers in A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (page 195). Here is the relevant part of the dialog,

  "Has the food really been short?"
  "I myself have never had enough to eat but I am a big eater and I have not starved. The mess is average. The regiments in the line get pretty good food but those in support don't get so much. Something is wrong somewhere. There should be plenty of food."
  "The dogfish are selling it somewhere else."
  "Yes, they give the battalions in the front line as much as they can but the ones in back are very short. They have eaten all the Austrians' potatoes and chestnuts from the woods. They ought to feed them better. We are big eaters. I am sure there is plenty of food. It is very bad for the soldiers to be short of food. Have you ever noticed the difference it makes in the way you think?"

The dialog makes me think of this dogfish as people, not fish as defined in all dictionaries I tried. Perhaps it refers to people who speculated the price of food during the war, but I'm not sure.

What does this dogfish mean?


texts: A process is a series of actions, so I think ... mental works require iterative process ..., but I see a sentence ... mental works require iterative processes .... Which is right, or better?


texts: Can an English sentence exist without the subject?

texts:
In the sentence with underline in the below picture, I can't find the subject, and I think it's not a inverted sentence. I don't know if it's right?
The recent paper of Verdun et al is particularly relevant to the present work, where [rest of clause].


texts: Any suggestion for a better email subject?

texts:
My senior asked me to send her an email as soon as I got to the office and just before I leave the office so she can keep track on my hours.

Is there any good suggestions for email subjects for those emails?
I'm currently using "Logged in" and "Logging off". But I feel like those are not really nice.

Any suggestions please.


texts: Use of comma with 'which' in this sentence

texts:
I would like a ask a very small question -

  He asked a riddle which I was unable to solve.

I am confused whether I would put a comma before 'which' or not. Putting a comma before which sounds ok and in fact, the sentece looks good, but, not using comma doesn't make it absurd either. What I am asking is, should I write -

  He asked me a riddle, which I was unable to solve. or He asked me a riddle which I was unable to solve.

The first one sounds better to me, however I am unsure of any rule which supports my opinion.


texts:
What does "the churn" mean in this passage?

It may not have the guns, but it certainly has the glamour and the gangsters: football's player-transfer market is the latter-day equivalent of post-war Las Vegas. In the same way that the mobsters' Syndicate used the churn of casino cash to wash its dirty money on the Strip, so has organized crime cottoned on to the possibilities presented by player transfers. No one has ever conducted a consolidated audit of the amount of money spent each year on the acquisition of talent...

I've found this definition in thefreedictionary.com:

the unethical and usually illegal excessive buying and selling of shares of stock for a customer by a stockbroker or sales agent for the purpose of obtaining high sales commissions

But this word is difficult to translate into Russian.


texts: you don't learn what other words they fit together with -- why do we need "what" in that sentence?

texts:
Most people are taught to study lists of words by themselves: apple, surrender, enormous. But when you learn words by themselves, a few things happen:
  - You learn what the words mean, but you don't learn how they're used. You don't learn what other words they fit together with.
  - The words get saved in your brain one by one. So when it's time to make a sentence, you have to pull them out again one by one. That makes it slow.
  - You don't get a real connection to the words. They're just boring words in a list, so it's easy to forget them.

I asked an English native speaker and he said that this phrase could be equally used both ways—with "what" or without it. Actually, without it, the sentence makes more grammatical sense to me. I have no problem reading it. But I can't quite understand it when there's "what". Could you please explain why it is there?


texts: What is the meaning of "fall out of favor"?

texts:
In Biography English movie Marie Antoinette (2006), Scene where Ambassador Mercy warns Marie about
ignoring Du Barry, King's pleasure giving wife.
Marie Antoinette married Louis XVI, King's grandson.

  Mercy: Du Barry has been complaining to the king that you will not
  address her. And you cannot afford to fall out of favor with the king.
  Especially as your marriage not exactly on solid ground.

  Marie: Fine. I'll talk to her.


texts: Is the begining of the sentence with the zero article correct?

texts:
Can I use the zero article before Video in the following sentence? If yes, then why.

  Video baby monitor is also great for prevention from sudden infant
  death syndrome (SIDS).


texts: 'Nirmala questions rich nations' - what does questions mean in this context?

texts:
Please look at the following

Source:  http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/nirmala-questions-rich-nations/article8545194.ece

  Nirmala questions rich nations.

This is a headline of an article from a newspaper, the link to the article I have quoted.

After reading the article, I didn't understand how "questions" is used. I want to know in what sense question is being used. Does it mean she expressed doubts?


texts: “Great advancement” vs. “Great advancements”

texts:
I have seen great advancement in technology in recent times.
I have seen great advancements in technology in recent times.

What is the difference between #1, and #2? To me, both seem to mean “advancement in general”. Is there any specific difference?


texts:
They don't write songs the way they used to.

  It's amazing the way she manages to stay calm.

  The way he was yelling, you'd have thought he was badly hurt.

  I love you the way you are.

These are examples, I found, of the use of "the way".

I was using "in the way" in that way "the way" is used there.
But the thing is,

people say, for the last sentence of examples, I can't use "in the way" in place of "the way". That means natives never use "I love you in the way you are" and I'm more confused as thinking the first one is okay with the use of "in the way" instead.

so,

What is the exact difference between "the way" and "in the way"?
and

Which case those two are un-interchangeable?


texts: How to ask about time: ____ are you open?

texts:
This is a dialogue between two persons in a museum,

  A: Is it the Egyptian museum?
  B: Yes,It is the Egyptian museum.
  A: ........are you open?
  B: we are open at 5:00 O'CLOCK

my question is to complete the missing words by asking about time, which is the correct answer? what you open? or when are you open?complete the dialogue by the correct word to ask about time grammatically.


texts:
What does the word saga mean in the following passage? Can we use any other word for it?

  Toyota said it was recalling just under five million cars, including
  the Corolla, Vitz and other models made between March 2003 and
  November 2007. Nissan is recalling about 1.56 million cars over the
  same issue. Both carmakers said the recall was for investigative
  purposes and no accidents or injuries have been reported. Toyota, the
  world's biggest carmaker, said the recall affected 35 of its models
  made around the world and that it would include 1.36 million cars in
  Japan. The move is the latest in the saga of potentially exploding
  airbags made by Japanese car parts maker Takata that has been linked
  to at least six deaths - all in Honda cars

  Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, said the recall affected 35 of
  its models made around the world and that it would include 1.36
  million cars in Japan.
  The move is the latest in the saga of potentially exploding airbags made by Japanese car parts maker Takata that has been linked
  to at least six deaths - all in Honda cars.


texts: If A and B are in the same ship and it has been mentioned, and they are boys, can I just say 'he is in a ship'? Or should I say 'they are in a ship'? For example if two people are in a ship, 'one person is in a ship' is wrong expression, but 'two people are in a ship is correct expression. So, only 'they are in a ship' is correct?


texts:
In Braveheart (1995), Wallace motivates frightened Scottish men who ready to desert. Then he mounts up and
rides out with the Scottish nobles to meet the English contingent Cheltham:

Cheltham: You are outmatched. You have no heavy cavalry. In two
centuries, no  army has won...
William Wallace: I'm not finished! Before we let you leave, your
commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put
his head between his legs, and kiss his own arse.
(Outraged Cheltham gallops back to his lines)
Mornay: I'd say that was rather less cordial than he was used to.

Who exactly is "he" here?


texts:
I read the following sentence today, in a newspaper,

  Recently while promoting his upcoming release Secret Superstar in Vadodara, Aamir Khan opened up about his dream project, Mahabharata.

My question is that whether we should place a comma before 'Mahabharat,' or not?

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/comma/

In the abovementioned link of a Grammarly post, the sub-section Comma with appositives states this rule that when the appositive is an essential one, then it shouldn't be separated with a comma.

In the above sentence, Mahabharat is the name of the dream project which Aamir opens up about. And hence, it seems to be an essential appositive.

Following the same track, this is a sentence from a Wikipedia's Good Article:

  Having made his directorial debut with Following (1998), Nolan gained considerable attention for his second feature, Memento (2000).

Should a comma be placed before the name of the film Memento?


texts: Meaning 'people who will bear watching' in this context?

texts:
"The urge of sex has been grossly misunderstood, slandered, and burlesqued by the ignorant and the evil minded, for so long that the very word sex is seldom used in polite society. Men and women who are known to be blessed - yes, BLESSED - with highly sexed natures, are usually looked upon as being people who will bear watching. Instead of being called blessed, they are usually called cursed."

Source: Think and Grow Rich (book by Napoleon Hill)

What does 'people who will bear watching' mean in this context?


texts:
What's the difference between "grammatical mistake" and "grammatical error"?

Based on Cambridge dictionary:

Mistake:  an action, decision, or judgment that produces an unwanted or unintentional result.

Error: a mistake.

Does it mean that I can use both (grammatical mistake and grammatical error) interchangeably and they are just synonyms or a matter of taste?

The context is for example when I see that there's no an article in a place where it should be (e.g. "He took table." instead "He took a table") or when I see missing of s' in 3rd person singular verb in present simple tense (e.g. "He learn English" instead of "He learns English") etc. and I want to say that it is a grammatical error / mistake.

Google Ngram viewer shows much more results for grammatical error, does it say that it is favorable in my context too?


texts: It will be delivered to you 'with' or 'in' two days at the most

texts:
It will be delivered to you with two days at the most.
  It will be delivered to you in two days at the most.

which preposition is correct in the sentence?
Is it "with" or "in' after delivered


texts: You prefer to "eat soup" or "drink soup"?

texts:
Background: We have a local food that's something between "broth" and "noodles". Unfortunately, English language experts in Iran don't bother to introduce a suitable word that deals with the problem. But that isn't the problem. To know how I'll be able to use a suitable word (if any), I first need to make sure of the following:

Problem: As well phrased by the title, is there a regulation or a norm which disallows us from "drinking/eating soup"? Or is this totally context-based (as abiding the rule that if we refer to the liquid, it must be "drinking" and if we refer to the solid ingredients, it's "eating"?)There's also a third possibility in which natives take the "viscosity" or the solid nature of food into consideration and decide which verb to use, but I have got no clues.

FYI, This is the local food that has given rise to this question:


texts: Improve English writing by oneself without human feedback?

texts:
I was born in China and currently live and work in Hong Kong. English is my second language. My IELTS writing score (academic module) is in the 6 - 6.5 band range.

I have always wanted to write good English essays and other formats such as email, and therefore I tried to write about 200 - 400 words every day (diary, topics I find interesting, a summary of the news piece, forum post, etc.). However, I feel that my efforts are somewhat in vain when human feedback is absent. I can use computers (such as Microsoft Word or Grammarly) to correct my grammar and punctuation, but I do not know if my usage of wordings and style are proper. I do not want to bother my westerner friends too often, because I think they will be annoyed in a similar way as when I tried to correct their Chinese essays. The price for correcting an IELTS essay is about 15 USD for 250 words, which I find too expensive if I would like my daily exercise to be checked.

I tried reading the New York Times and non-fiction books (skim or intensive read). But I never like reading fiction (except Harry Potter). I think it improves my reading comprehension substantially, but not much in writing.

There is an old Chinese saying "You cannot write a good essay on the first time; you need to revise the essay repeatedly to achieve goodness" (I paraphrase a bit). So here is my question: how should I revise my English essays by myself, or continuously improve my English writing, if I do not even know what good or bad writing is? Actually, I have the same dilemma when writing in Chinese, but Chinese is not my concern at the moment.

I hope my question is not too vague to be answered. Further information can be provided if required.


texts:
Ever since I was born, I'd lived with an American family. They were missionaries from  Atlanta and they lived with me and my family for over 14 years. So I literally grew up with their kids and they taught me English and my brother and I would teach them Portuguese (I'm Brazilian btw). They went back to Atlanta in 2010 and I sign up for an English school just to get a certificate or a diploma or something to prove that I speak English.

Later on, I got a scholarship to study  high school  in Canada for  6 months, only to find out that everybody, literally everybody, I talked to would presume I was American. Some people would even argue with me.

So anyways, ever since I came back, I've been working as an English teacher, I mostly teach kids and advanced students. But what intrigues me is that I hear a lot of people saying they are fluent or advanced English speakers (some of them are even English teachers) and their accents is just terrible. They sure know a lot of words, grammar and can speak and talk naturally, but they all have accents.  And so one time I wrote on my resume "native speaker" and all of my friends made fun of me. They still do actually. I just don't know if "fluent"  is enough of word to describe my English.


texts: What is the meaning of "I meet a tiger of escaping"?

texts:
What is the meaning of this sentence?

  "I meet a tiger of escaping"

Does it mean "I meet a tiger, and I am escaping from a tiger"?
Does it mean "I meet a tiger, and the tiger is escaping from me"?

I have often met "Subect + verb + noun + "of + ~ing ".
Is "of escaping" a subject complement or a object complement?


texts: Soundproofing or sound insulation? What is the difference?

texts:
I would like to understand what the difference is between soundproofing and sound insulation?

Which word would you use in this sentence?

'The soundproofing/sound insulation could be better in the room. I could hear every single word behind the walls.'


texts: What is omitted between "than" and "would be"?

texts:
I read a sentence as below

  This strategy tends to result in higher efficiency than would be possible with that one.

I can understand the meaning of the sentence, which is "This strategy tends to result in higher efficiency compared with that strategy.", and I know something is omitted between "than" and "would be possible", but I'm not sure what it is. "the efficiency"?

Edit:

I think there is an omission here because in my opinion than is a conjunction, and the part after than is a clause. There must be a subject to make the clause complete.

If there is indeed an omission here, I'm also not sure if the missing subject is the efficiency or not, because I think higher is a bit contradicting with possible. The sentence is meant to compare level of efficiency, not possibility.


texts:
How is it different 'as of ' from 'from' in this context
"EU businesses must acquaint themselves with the formalities and procedures for doing business with the United Kingdom as a third country as of 1 January 2021"
Can I say 'from' 1st January instead of 'as of' with no change in meaning??


texts: What's a preferred alternative to the phrase 'do the needful'?

texts:
In India, this is used zillions of times every day especially while referring someone some task or to do favor.

  Mr. Singh, I'm sending my cousin who is interested in learning guitar. As you have better contacts with musicians, kindly do the needful.

do the needful is used when we want to cut the story short. In fact, at times, we just write do the needful and the favorer understands everything!

Wikipedia says that the phrase is now obsolete and slang (this is news for me!). What are the alternative phrases I can use that perfectly fits it?


texts: What's the diference between "make yourself known" vs "to introduce oneself"

texts:
When can I replace "to introduce oneself" with "make oneself known"?
For example, do these sentences make sense if instead of having "make yourself known" I had "introduce your self"?

1 Just go to the hotel reception and make yourself known (to the receptionist).

2 The candidate made herself known to voters through an aggressive ad campaign.

Does anyone know what the difference is?


texts: In a software development environment, things have versions, or historic snapshots of how they evolve over time. Can I say "You need to version this or that" so as to refer that something needs historic evolution tracking?


texts: What is the meaning, usage and formality of the greeting "What's up"?

texts:
"What does it really mean when one asks - what’s up?"
What should be my reply? What I am busy with or upto? I am assuming its informal usage.
Also I doubt if one should use it in formal meetings. Any guidance/suggestions ?

Thanks


texts:
Is there any significant difference in meaning between the following?

  known to locals
  (and)
  known by locals

I'm tempted to say there isn't, and that they are interchangeable. Am I right?

Examples

They may officially call it Mary's Restaurant, but for the past 40 years it's been known to locals as Mary's Country Kitchen. source
Be careful in this corner of town, known to locals as the Bar-muda Triangle. Come evening, choose from Asian to haute cuisine. For such a wee town, Telluride has a dizzying array of dinnertime options. source
In the vicinity of the Indasala Cave is a flight of stairs leading up to a cave known by locals as Guvha Mandir (do not mistake this cave to be the Indasala Cave). source
Thirty years later, it was a journey so familiar that I failed to be entranced by the rebelliously fast water traffic and, beyond, the CBD skyline, all radiant and spiky, with buildings topped by spires so thrusting they are variously known by locals as the Chopsticks and the Hypodermic. source


texts: What do you call a language that doesn't use the European alphabet?

texts:
What do you call a language that doesn't use the European alphabet (abcd...), like Mandarin and Japanese?

Is there a word for it, or maybe an adjective that characterizes as being "non-alphabetic"?

I really can't think of a word.