texts: Making up illogical, unreasonable and unimportant excuses/objections

texts:
What do you call the the action of making up or seeking very illogical, unreasonable and unimportant ("excuses") or/and ("objections"). I wonder what idiom/expression/verb do you normally use for that?

Example for "objections":

  Husband: Surprise! I have concluded the contract and we will fly tomorrow to Rome.
  Wife: Wooow! Wonderful!
  Husband: Here are some photos from the five-stars hotel in the heart of the Rome. Have a look on them darling. Meanwhile, have you collected your stuff sweetheart? We should leave at 3 a.m. and we're really short of time.
  Wife: Oh, honey; I know that I told you I'g come along with you, but I've changed my mind now! I cannot accompany you!
  Husband: What?! What's the matter?!
  Wife: Nothing, I just don't like the color of the rooms within the hotel!
  Husband: Ah; .this is..................../ you're ........................

The only word that I know as a verb is nitpicking which based on dictionary definitions has nothing specific with making up / seeking "excuses" or "objections".

To nitpick:

  Giving too much attention to details that are not important, especially as a way of criticizing:

Example: If you spent less time nitpicking, you'd get more work done.

Please let me know what native speakers use in this sense?


texts: He/she(singular) replaces with they(plural) in one sentence

texts:
How does ‘they(plural)’ replace with singular’(he/she)’ in a sentence?
Example: If he or she doesn’t want to do it then it’s their wish.


texts: Does "leave" mean "by using" in some situations? If yes, what are they?

texts:
The tutorial is saying

  once the studs are laid out we're going to put them in place, leave their
  hammer or nail gun.

I guess leave means using here. That guy indeed use nail gun a few seconds later.

So, what are the situations where "leave" mean "by using"?


texts:
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, there is a line:

  A gory knife had been found close to the murdered man, and it had been recognized by somebody as belonging to Muff Potter— so the story ran. And it was said that a belated citizen had come upon Potter washing himself in the "branch" about one or two o’clock in the morning, and that Potter had at once sneaked off -- suspicious circumstances, especially the washing which was not a habit with Potter.

Does 'come upon' mean 'having come to meet'? Does 'washing himself' mean 'taking bath'? But then why would Potter sneak off?


texts: "Each one of them" and "Every one of them"

texts:
1 I gave every one of them a $10 tip when I checked out of the hotel.

2 I gave each one of them a $10 tip when I checked out of the hotel.

I am familiar with "each one of them". But I found #1 on BBC English learning website. Does sentences 2 is also correct?

3 He picked up forty of these publications and read each one of them.

In #3 can we replace "each" with "every" (as used in #1)


texts:
You both are really lucky then.

Let's say two people A and B, explains a situation (something bad) to C, and C tells them how lucky they are to escape from that bad situation. Now C responds, "You both are really lucky then."

What C is trying to say is that, as they escaped from a worse situation while many others didn't, they are lucky.

Now, is then at the end of the sentence grammatically correct or wrong? My doubt here is whether a sentence can end with then.


texts:
What are the  same meaning and opposite meaning of  serious student?

  I found the book tittled A handbook for serious students.

  Does it means hard-working students or thoughtful students?


texts: Exam question: changing from active to passive voice

texts:
the below-mentioned question is asked in my exam, I think my answer is correct, please tell if I am right, I have to challenge the question in 2 days if its answer given is wrong.

correct answer is given by examiner.
candidate answer is the answer I ticked as correct.

In the following question, a sentence has been given in Active/Passive voice. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Passive/Active voice.

  I will keep your secret.

Options:

1) Keeping of your secret will be done by me.
 2) I will be keeping the secret of you.
 3) Your secret would be kept by me.
 4) Your secret I will be keeping.

Correct Answer: Your secret would be kept by me.
Candidate Answer: Keeping of your secret will be done by me.


texts: Why does Grammarly say "arrive IN class" but "arrive AT the store"?

texts:
What time did you arrive at class?
What time did you arrive to class?

I looked up a grammar question and the top "at" sentence is what one of the users wrote in the comments. I think the first sentence is right but it sounds weird when I say it so I'm not sure. Grammarly's telling me to change the prepositions "at" and "to" to "in"! Is it right?

What time did you arrive at the store?
What time did you arrive to the store?

"At the store" sounds right to me, and even Grammarly's saying to change "to" in the 2nd sentence to "at" but what's the difference between this one and the classroom one? Why do I have to put "in" for class but for the store it's optional?


texts: On using an article at the beginning of a sentence

texts:
I have this sentence:

Section 2 anticipates the findings of this section.

Shall I add an article (The) before Section 2 which starts the sentence?


texts: What does "gas and alcohol don't mix" mean?

texts: I have heard the expression "gas and alcohol don't mix" from the Egyptian president Muhamed Morsy. What does it mean?


texts: When to trill the r in older British pronunciation

texts:
I am able to pronounce the r in pretty much the standard way, but I still feel the faintest discomfort, especially when there are many r sounds in a row. On the other hand the trilled r is very natural for me. Lately I have been listening to several English productions, such as this one:

Asimov, Foundation trilogy

The trilled r can be heard several times before 1:45. If actors are permitted to do this for clarity, it should be acceptable for me as well. Yet, it seems, even the speakers who trill the r do not trill all occurrences. For instance,  around 2 hours 51 minutes in the aforementioned video one of the actors always rolls the r in "prosperity", but not in most other words.  Furthermore, please consider this video right after 3:45. The Dowager Countess rolls the r in "experience", but not in a lot of other words! Therefore my question arises:

When using the older standard pronunciation with the trilled r, which is apparently still used by actors, may we trill all occurrences of r, except such that are part of a final er (as "father", "mother"...)?


texts: Any difference between "school-aged" and "school-age"?

texts:
I am wondering which one is correct:

  school-aged children

  school-age children


texts: A question about the sentence structures of the following examples

texts:
I need help in choosing between the constructs 'is' and 'to be'

I am trying to say:

Now that I have argued that there is a research need, I would like to fill something of a gap by  . . .

The choices:

  Having established what I argued to be a lack in research, I seek to
  . . .
  Having established what I argued is lack in research, I seek
  . . .

Would one is more digestible?


texts: Is it right not to put a "the" before some superlative adjectives such as "first"?

texts:
I find this example quite interesting without using a "the" before the word "first":

  7:05 p.m. First question is directed to Christie, who's asked what concrete steps he would take to get Americans back to work.1

I'm quite sure it is correct to say,"The first question is directed to Christie", then why is there a "first" alone? Is that acceptable in standard English? Is it right not to put a definite article "the" before some superlative adjectives such as "first"?

1. CBSnews


texts:
I need a word having the opposite meaning to the word timely, which means happening at a suitable moment.

But the word untimely means,

  describes something bad that happens unexpectedly early or at a time that is not suitable.

This is not the exactly opposite meaning since it describes something bad, I don't want to express this as a bad thing. So it isn't suitable for the below sentence.

  Reading printed magazines is just a way to get to know the latest updates around the world in a non-timely manner.

Is non-timely a good choice and what's other word suitable?


texts: What do you call 14th day of when the Moon appears fully illuminated from the Earth?

texts:
In my native language, we call it “chaudhanvi” (literal English: 14th day).

  “You are the Sun or the Moon of 14th day (i.e. you’re bloomed like the Moon) or whatever you are. I swear by God you are beyond compare.”

But actually, the Moon appears fully on its 15th day. In my language some poets use ‘14th day of the Moon’ to praise their beloveds as their beloveds are as beautiful and young as no one is.


texts: American equivalent of British "takeaway"

texts: What's the American English equivalent to the British "takeaway" when referring to prepared meals that are intended to be eaten elsewhere?


texts:
All they can do is get their children admission in any school and pay the fee for them.

or

  All they can do is to get their children admission in any school and pay the fee for them.

Which one is grammatical?


texts: Danielle writes an essay that’s she worked very hard on and sends it off to an academic journal after she finishes it.  The journal sends her comments on the essay, including one that claims her research has already been done and that she can’t publish her work, because another person already has.  If she does publish it, would it fall under plagiarism or copyright violation?


texts: "to keep the proverbial sexual wolf from the door"

texts:
"You should think of it. You don't want to be alone for the rest of your life. You'd die from sexual starvation for a start," Serenena quipped.

  "I could bring home a stranger occasionally, to keep the proverbial sexual wolf from the door."

  "Or at the door, depending how you look at it," Serena giggled.

Source: Joan O'Neill: "De-Stress". In Irish Girls About Town, 2004, pp. 30–31.

Maybe I am a bit slow on the uptake but I am not able to fully understand the bold passage of the above dialoge.
It is not clear to me how it is possible to keep proverbial sexual wolf (probably the reference to the Little Red Riding Hood) from the door when you are admitting that you are planning to have a occasional sex with a stranger. I would understand it when she would say "I could bring home a stranger occasionally to let in the proverbial sexual wolf". Or is it meant that when you will have an occasional sex it will protect you from not to be eaten by sexual wolf (unsatisfied sexual desire).


texts: Difference between "What is time? And "What is the time"?

texts: What is the difference between "What is time" and "What is the time"?


texts: "whose apple is that" or "whose is that apple"

texts:
Are both of the following sentence structures correct?

  Whose is that apple?

  Whose apple is that?

Can the word order be shuffled like this? There does not seem to be missing any clarity in either sentence.

I guess I would use such different word ordering to be able to put emphasis on certain words:

  Whose is that apple?

  Whose apple is that?

But is it allowed?


texts: Using "in" or "on" to indicate membership

texts:
While reading the definitions of "in" and "on", something puzzled me.

  About "in"

  One dictionary says this "forming a part of something" and gives
  examples about it:

  He used to be the lead singer in a rock band.

  He sings in the church choir.

  About "on"

  Another dictionary say this "if someone is on a team, committee, etc.,
  they are a member of it" and gives examples:

  There are only three directors on the board.

  I’m glad to have a player like you on our team.

I think "in" and "on" convey the pretty much the same meaning in both situations.
How can I choose the right preposition here? Does it depend on the noun following the preposition? I mean when you are using "team" you should use "on" but when using band, you should use "in"

For example, what is the correct preposition in the examples below?

  We have 20 members in/on our book club.

  We have new faces in/on our clan. (I used the clan as "a group
  of people who share an interest or goal")


texts:
Not sure if this was already discussed, but I am confused about the use of -ing form/infinitives as complements. I've found in several threads in Stack Exchange that the verb "to be" has to be followed with an infinitive form like in the example:

  What we want is to be free.

or

  All you can do is (to) wait for the results.

However, I've found on other resource that verbs in their -ing form are used as complements too, like in this sentence:

  The group’s main goal is eliminating poverty.

Even Practical English Usage by Michael Swan states that -ing forms can be used as complements (like: "My favorite activity is reading poetry").

Then I am wondering if the below sentences can be considered correct:

  What we want is being free.

  All you can do is waiting for the results.

If the above examples are ungrammatical, may I know the reason?


texts:
As I was told we couldn't say:

  1) Money isn't returned to here.

  2) Money isn't returned towards here.

  3) Money isn't returned within here.

We can only say:

  Money isn't returned here

And it's a total confusion...

1) If you go to the casino, spend your money and start complaning, people will say:

  "Money is not returned here"

It's like "within here".

2) If you will win some money and go away people will say:

Money that is won here and taken away is money which is not returned here"

It's like like "towards here", "to here", "in the direction of here".

In different words: to return something here you should be here yourself, you should be within here, on this very territory to return something here.

If you're not within this territory, you're not within here, then you return something to\towards here.

No? How should I distinguish them then if it's always just "here"


texts: Why a passive form could not be correct for this sentence?

texts:
why do we use an active form of present perfect in the following sentence but we do not use a passive of it i.e, has been evolved?

  The island of Mauritius has evolved from an agricultural to a
  semi-industrialized country over the past three decades.


texts:
I am trying to understand Subject Verb Agreement, but I am having trouble understanding why some subjects are plural and others are singular. So far, I understand that a verb is based on a noun's plurality/singularity.
Below are the sentences that I am having trouble understanding. They are from The College Panda SAT Writing workbook. Although the book gives answers to the question, it offers no explanation to them.

Some of the superpowers I dream of having
(includes/include) summoning jack o' lanterns on people's lawns
during Halloween and making people burst into the Gangnam style
dance.

I think the subject in this sentence is "dream", which is singular. Therefore, includes should be the correct answer, but it is not. My guess is because superpowers are the correct subject (because it is plural). I thought "of the superpowers" was a prepositional phrase because it started with and is followed by a noun.

Harry, along with Ron and Hermione, (attends/attend) Hogwarts
School of Wizardry.

Now "along" and "with" are both prepositions, it would make sense to cross them out. But I don't understand why Ron and Hermione are not apart of the subject. If it was the answer that would be "attend" (plural).

The extent of our universe and those beyond constantly (amazes/amaze) me.

Since there is an and joining two nouns I assumed the verb was plural. "extent" was the only other subject I could think of that would make sense. I don't understand how "extent" could be the subject? My theory is that "of our universe and those beyond constantly" is a prepositional phrase, but "of" is followed by our, which is not a noun.

Dreams within a dream that (is/are) spliced and diced up inside another dream (confuses/confuse) me.

I am just confused about which verb is related to which subject. I understood that "Dreams" and "confuse" go together. However, I didn't know that "dream" and "is" go together, how do I learn to pair them (bc dream is in a prepositional phrase)? The same thing for sentences like "The lines for the elevator that normally (carries/carry) just five passengers (was/were) reinstalled because the crowd of fat commuters (was/were) too heavy for it."


texts:
"Sitting in the shop, a car caught her eye. "

How to fix this to a right participial sentence? Not the car which is sitting in the shop, is the lady who is sitting in the shop.


texts: "Toutmai started the second officer's job at.." vs "Toutmai started a second officer's job at"

texts:
In 2011, she joined the XYZ Institute as a navigation officer. After
  over two years in the institute, in November 2013, Toutmai started the
  second officer's job at Siren for Fleet Ship Management.

  In 2011, she joined the XYZ Institute as a navigation officer. After
  over two years in the institute, in November 2013, Toutmai started a
  second officer's job at Siren for Fleet Ship Management.

I know that we say "I am a teacher". I digged deeper into articles and learned about another rule, that is, we use the before superlatives and ordinal numbers. In the quoted sentences these two rules seem to be in conflict. Should I use a because second officer is a job title, or should I use
the because of the presence of the ordinal number? Or does it depend on a context?
I cannot imagine answering the question,

  Who is the second officer on this ship?

with "I am a second officer." Seems not specific enough. Please clarify.


texts:
How does "easy-peasy" have the meaning of "very easy”?

In my dictionary, there is no word "peasy". What's the meaning of it?


texts:
What other word (easier one) can I use rather than "appreciate" in the phrase "I appreciate your help." ?

By easier I mean for someone who doesn't speak well english.


texts:
He took the shirt to me and said,

"Help me put on the shirt."

Does it grammatically correct and sound natural to a native speaker?


texts: I'm 16 and I am wondering if using "whom" in a conversation (with other people of my age, or even with an adult) or in a text isn't old fashioned for somebody of my age. I am asking myself this question because I read that "whom" is considered by many as something that won't be used anymore.


texts:
My language has a special word for "smells good". This word is equivalent to tasty, used for both foods and odors. In addition, there's a Latin cliché, equivalent of aromatic.

Is there an equivalent in English, preferably a single word?

Just smell must be an antagonym; a phrase "it smells" may have two opposite meanings;
A naive "smells good" does not sound plausible to me, either;
Aromatic, delicious, and fragrant also seem to be rarely used loanwords. Also, they rather suggest intensity of a smell, not its pleasant nature.

Is there a better word?


texts:
Tonight is the night when my brother come with his wife at my house. Could you say how is better to say this information and what is the difference?

Don’t forget that my brother and his wife will come to us tonight.

vs

Don’t forget that my brother and his wife are coming to us tonight.

Thanks.


texts: What is the meaning of "little long-term " in this sentence?

texts:
Many such drives from the government have been initiated with little long-term results.

I know the meaning of long-term.But what it means when "little" word is added before it?

TIA


texts: "I want that you do" vs. "I want you to do"

texts:
I want you to get me an orange.
  I want that you get me an orange.

Which is correct? and What is the difference between these two sentences?


texts:
I know the man that came here.
  I know the man who came here.

What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?


texts: How can I write a same meaning sentence without using Perfect Progressive?

texts:
For Instance:

In: "I learn English.", the action "learn" started 10 years ago, and I  still learn English now.


texts: "Write the name in the top line and below the address"

texts:
During the application process on "uni-assist" site, there was a phrase:

  The signed application and all required paper documents must reach uni-assist by the end of the application deadline. Write the name of the university you are applying for in the top line and below the address:

  uni-assist e.V.
  11507 Berlin
  GERMANY

So, does that mean that they literally want me to do something like this?

  TUM
  uni-assist e.V.
  11507 Berlin
  GERMANY
  TUM

P.S. I asked uni-assist too, but their response time is 2-3 days.


texts: What's the meaning of "falling" in this sentence?

texts:
He saved a little girl from falling into the water.

In this example sentence, what does the "falling" means?

  The girl was about to fall into the water, but didn't yet.
  The girl fell into the water, and then he rescued the drowning girl.
  Something else...


texts:
Then trade would have different influence on wages and employment.

This is a line I am writing. I know that "influence" is both a count and noncount noun and that it is used mostly uncountably to refer to effects. But since I am talking about different kinds of influence, I am wondering if I should say:

  Then trade would have different influences on wages and employment.


texts: Do two parts of a sentence have to use the same tense?

texts:
Do we have to use "has" in the second part of the sentence when we use it in the first part?

For example

  The central bank of China has cut its daily reference rate by 1.9 percent and made its biggest downward adjustment since 1994.

Do I have to say has made instead of made?


texts: How to write a date at the beginning of a sentence

texts:
What is a natural way of writing a date without indication of a year at the beginning of a sentence? Should I use 'On the 3 April', '3d April' or 'On 3 April'.

  3 April, the meeting was organized by the representatives of X in the city X.


texts: Difference between "speak of" and "speak about"

texts:
What is the difference in using of "speak of" and "speak about"? I сame across such usage in a book I'm reading:

  However, if we speak of the whole scene between Othello and Iago, we certainly cannot call it our type of art.

My question is why the author used "speak of", not "speak about"?


texts: Should I put a comma or should I keep it restrictive? (Commas with appositives)

texts:
In this sentence, should I put a comma (after previous film) to indicate there is only one last/previous film or should I withhold the comma to mean there may be more than one previous/last films?

She appeared in a pivotal role in her previous film Star. (She has acted in many films.)


texts: "What's he hiding?” vs. "What he's hiding?"

texts:
Which one is correct between:

  "What's he hiding?"

and:

  "What he's hiding?"

I heard the first one from a film but not sure if it's correct.


texts: A pair of scissors is or are? which one? My teacher at lyceum said that it is are but I want to make sure.


texts:
The following is from the Godfather:

  The Don was a real man at the age of twelve. Short, dark slender,
  living in the strange Moorish-looking village of Corleone in Sicily,
  he had been born Vito Adolini, but when strange men came to kill the
  son of the man they had murdered, his mother sent the young boy to
  America to stay with friends. And in the new land hi changed his name
  to Corleone to preserve some tie with his native village. It was one
  of the few gestures of sentiments he was ever to make.

How to understand the last phrase I emphasized?


texts: Meaning and usage of " no/any hard feelings "

texts:
Meaning and usage of "no/any hard feeling" with some examples

And when to use this phrase.

Please explain the meaning and usage of "no hard feeling" taking account the  scene and situation. I am confused when to use phrase in other scenes and situation.


texts: Do verbs in interrogative sentences containing 'or' agree with the subject immediately after them?

texts:
Either my father or my brothers have paid for lunch.

Either my brothers or my father has paid for lunch.

I think both of these sentences are correct because the verb is supposed to agree with the subject following the 'or' (please correct me if I am wrong)
But what about these two questions:

Has my father or my brothers paid for lunch?

Have my brothers or my father paid for lunch?

Are these correct? Am I correct to assume that the 'to have verb' agrees with the subject immediately following it in these situations?


texts:
I am surprised, because this book says like this:

  Meaning of "please get me off here" is like "excite sexually".

This book proposed to say "please let me off here" instead of that.
I'm doubting this, because this book sometimes says untruthful things (Goobye is the same as "see you in hell!" etc.).

Getting me off here - Is this the same as exciting sexually?


texts:
Let's say you are giving instruction to a person who is trying to locate his friend's house. And you say:

  Go down this xxx street, then turn left onto the third street, and its just sits around the second or third house after you took the left turn

Or

  Go down this xxx street, then turn left onto the third street, and its just sits around the second or third house after you take the left turn

Which is correct? Took or take


texts:
Rhythm will be closing permanently from 5pm on 21st December. Many thanks to all our customers for your support over the years, for our market stall, monthly mail-order catalogue, and online. If you have any final orders, please send them as soon as possible, and we'll do our best to get them to you before we close.

Why will be closing   why no will be closed and there is a date.Can we have a progressive tense with a precise date


texts: Which preposition should I use: "from", "out of" or "out from"?

texts:
Which of the following is the best choice if I want to say that we must facilitate information flow within the company at the same time as we must not let parties outside the company get hold of any information?

We need to facilitate information flow within – but not from – the company.

We need to facilitate information flow within – but not out of – the company.

We need to facilitate information flow within – but not out from – the company.

Thank you!


texts: What are the things that allow gaming chair wheels to rotate?

texts: I was wondering if they were also called bearings, because I am not sure they look like bearings although I didn't specifically looked inside of a gaming chair to know whether they also use bearings to allow wheels to rotate freely.


texts:
a) She was reading a book ON the porch.

b) She was reading a book AT the porch.

Which is correct?


texts: what is the difference between two sentences*

texts: 1-)And soon they faced a crisis - one that would decide the future of egypt.  -2)And soon they faced a crisis - one would decide the future of egypt.


texts:
Is "foreigner" a word that some people may get offended at?

A Japanese person learning English used to use "foreigner" as a translation of 外国人 (gaikokujin). However, a native speaker of English told her that it shouldn't be used, and she's come across an entry in an English to Japanese dictionary saying (according to her) that the word has negative connotations.

Is this true? If so, are there more appropriate alternatives?


texts: How do we choose infinitive over gerund or vice versa?

texts:
In the fill up, "it is difficult ____ affection on her.", I chose "showering" out of the given options. But the answer is given as "to shower".

Now I look up on net and get that we mostly use "it is difficult to do something" rather than "it is difficult doing something"

But I wonder how can we increase accuracy on such questions. Of course, one way is wide reading but that's a long term goal, but I doubt even after that one could be sure on such things. And perhaps the other way is to cram all things. But that is hardly possible given how extensive English is.

So, I wonder if there is third way where we can learn the underlying concept or rule which would hold in most cases.

After all, it is not that we always use infinitive. At times we use gerund, like "I am looking forward to seeing you" rather than "I am looking forward to see you."

So, how do we choose infinitive over gerund or vice versa?


texts:
Which one is correct?

  You must think that she has the money
  You must think that she had the money

But she doesn't, Isn't the has a stative verb? it means that she really HAS the money, even though it's false, or the second example works better? But the tenses don't fit each other.

  You must've thought that she had the money

Personally I think the third example is correct but I am not sure.

Would someone explain to me how does must work in a sentence?.


texts: Can a preposition select a past participle?

texts:
“I took it for granted.” (John Steinbeck, East of Eden)

I know this is an idiom. But it’s very strange that the preposition selected a -en word. I can’t imagine any other cases for this kind of combination. Is this just an exception, or can we use any other examples?


texts: What kind of preposition should I use (in into '_')?

texts:
Question:

  Question: What kind of preposition should I use OR each of them is acceptable for different cases?

  IN or/and INTO or/and '_'

He turned into the red color
He turned in the red color
He turned red


texts: What is the meaning of " can have made" in this text?

texts:
Neither Ammianus nor Zosimus makes the slightest allusion to any negotiations at all at this period; and it is thus open to doubt whether the entire story told by Libanius is not the product of his imagination. But at any rate it is quite impossible that the Persian king can have made any abject offers of submission, or have been in a state of mind at all akin to despair.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts: Is it correct to say: I wish to day were being Saturday?

texts:
I found the above phrase as an answer for a question in TOEFL preparatory book but I think it is weird. The question was:

  I wish today.......Saturday.

  was
  is
  were
  were being


texts: Can you tell if this conditional is wrong

texts:
I was writing a conditional sentence when I found out that it was not in any conditionals grammar(type 0,1,2,3). I also think it is grammatically incorrect.

If I were the Prime Minister, I would never have killed the democracy.

If I were to go to Shimla, I would have travelled by train.

Do you think this sentence is wrong. I think, it's wrong because the If condition is referring to present and the result is referring to the unreal past. kindly tell if its wrong. I have corrected it to this :
If I were the Prime Minister, I would never kill the democracy.


texts: Is "My concern is ..." equivalent to "I think ..."?

texts:
I heard from broadcast that some native English speakers introduced their ideas by "My concern is...". I am wondering is this introduction equivalent to "I think..."?

Also, apart from these two ways of beginning a conversation I would like to know the alternative choices.


texts: While littering means throwing away rubbish, is it wrong to say, "Don't litter rubbish?", or just "Don't litter."?


texts: Difference between the use of "a" and "any" in these examples?

texts:
I didn't have an idea.

  I did not have any idea.

I am much more familiar with the second one. The first one sounds a bit odd to me, but sounds fine if I say:

  I did not have even an idea.

But, the first one is also one of the widely used sentences by natives. What is the difference between the two?


texts: conditional sentence containing both past and present tense. if clause(past)_main (present)

texts:
I was teaching and I asked students to do some class activity, but one of the students already had done that exercise at home so he didn't have anything to do in class.

I wanted to tell him something like he wasn't supposed to do that exercise at home.

How could I say this to him in conditional form?

Please imagine this is happening right now in the classroom.

Here are sentences that I've considered.

  If you didn't do them at home, you could do it now like other students.
  If you didn't do them at home, you could be doing it now like other students.
  If you hadn't done them at home, you could be doing it now like other students.


texts:
What does "whence" mean in the following?

They returned whence they had come.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines it as "from where":

But Oxford Dictionary Online lists as one of its senses "to the place from which."

If we follow the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary's definition, does the sentence mean "They returned from where they had come"? Is that a correct definition?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Difference between using "changed" and "did change" in this sentence

texts:
Which one is the correct way of asking this question? When?

a) Why you changed your job?

b) Why did you change your Job?

c) Let me know why you changed your job?

d) Let me know why did you change your job?


texts: Position of more than one prepositions in sentence

texts:
I am a bit confused that how to place the preposition "for".

  I took some apples for you from India.
  I took some apples from India for you.

The placement of "for you" is correct in which sentences?


texts:
In the same context, I have come across the usage of 'discussion' and 'discussions'

For example:

  We thank abc and xyz for useful discussion
  We thank abc and xyz for useful discussions

Is one of them more correct than the other?


texts:
I was listening to this British English (BrE) clip, but I could not make out the bold words section by myself. I slowed down the clip but still couldn't make out that sound.

Do BrE speakers drop the "k" sound when you talk in normal speed, aka relaxed speech?
If it is not so much, could someone write down the IPA of that bold section, or record your own voice (via the link below) if you think your explanation might be tricky.

The clip:

Listen to the 6 sec clip here

The script:

  I've been feeling tired and headachy all week


texts: "I almost forgot I had," vs "I'd almost forgot I had"

texts:
The scene stirred memories. Memories I almost forgot I had.
The scene stirred memories. Memories I'd almost forgot I had.

What's the right option? Given the text is in the first-person past tense?


texts:
A stanza from Leslie Norris' poem The Tiger:

He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.

Who does the quiet belong to-- the velvet or the tiger?


texts: What purpose of "as he did so" in the sentence

texts:
Harry shook his head, noticing as he did so that the ache in his right temple was getting worse.

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I feel as he did so is kind of redundant. What additional information does it add here?


texts: How to understand "wincing as they felt their raw pink faces" in this context?

texts:
Harry noticed too that the castle seemed to be undergoing an extra-thorough cleaning. Several grimy portraits had been scrubbed, much to the displeasure of their subjects, who sat huddled in their frames muttering darkly and wincing as they felt their raw pink faces.

I don't quite get the last part of the sentence "wincing as they felt their raw pink faces" in this context. Is it because they had their faces scrubbed, so their faces went pink and they were wincing? How should we understand it?


texts: A word looks similar to "frail" but means something like "whip"

texts: I remember there is a word that looks similar to "frail" but means something like "whip". Do you happen to know the word? Thanks!


texts: How to say 'Already I know you' in a formal way?

texts:
I attended a seminar given by a great scholar few years back. Then I had a chance to meet him in one of  my colleague family function. My friend introduced me to him. I said:

  Already I know you. I have attended one of your seminar.

But I thought it was little bit rude and too straightforward.

Is there any other way to start a conversation or introduce ourselves to a  famous person?


texts: Why can we use *waiting* (present participle) with *grew* (past simple)?

texts:
Why can we use waiting (present participle) with grew (past simple)?

  The children, waiting for the play to begin, grew bored.

Sentence is from Participial Phrase Worksheet at Sinclair.edu.


texts: This has bugged me forever. The meaning of "particularly" is unclear

texts:
Example:

Lee Kuan Yew once said, in Asian culture, particularly the Chinese,
is always to wait for somebody to say it, and if anything goes wrong,
pretend you've never agreed with it.

Are the rest of the Asians like this, just to a less degree, or is it unstated (same as "to be specific")?!
Because from the dictionaries, I think both are possible. But that puts every sentence with that word unclear!!


texts: I didn't understand the meaning of the sentence?

texts: "The mob was reportedly incensed after another car driven by a Sudanese youth ran over and killed a 35-year-old local".What does this sentence means?Here what the author wants to convey us?


texts: 'I'd appreciate you copied me in the e-mail'?

texts: Is it correct to say: 'I'd appreciate you copied me in the e-mail?' If not, then why and what is the correct phrase?


texts:
Yet always makes me not understand any context. It seems that it has millions of meanings.
I have this sentence in a TOEFL reading passage.

  Finally, even if the scroll didn't point to real treasure, it has yet to be found. This is because the sixty-four locations the scroll describes are referred to vaguely or have ancient place names whose meanings and locations are no longer known.

What does yet mean in that sentence?


texts: Is there any meaning to distinguish spend in / spend on?

texts:
I am a Chinese. The usage of the spend is :

spend sth(money or time) in doing
spend sth(money or time) on sth

I think this rule is quite tedious.
If I just use in or on for the both situation above, will cause the grammar error from the aspect of the native speaker?


texts: How can someone/something be described as both old (not new) and old (attained an advanced age), a friend and a friendship for example?

texts:
Some adjectives--for example: new, old, bad, good—may have two meanings, one of which taken separately, may or may not deny the other, for example:

Old:   of long duration (not new), and attained an advanced age

New:  not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered, and other than the former one

Good:  of moral excellence, and with or in a close or intimate relationship

Bad: capable of harming, and characterized by wickedness or immorality

More generally, the question is this:

Can a noun be modified by the same two adjectives that, taken separately, have different meanings, the other meaning is capable of just been guessed? Would it help the interlocutor to guess the difference in meaning of the two by adding some adverb—really, actually, genuinely for example, like in"He is an old and really/ actually/ genuinely old friend of mine?

Specifically, the question is:

How can something both old (of long duration; not new) and old (attained an advanced age) such as a friend be described?


texts: What's the meaning of "Ordinary shampoos need not apply!" on a shampoo bottle?

texts:
I can't seem to understand this weird sentence I saw as the first sentence on this shampoo bottle

  Ordinary shampoos need not apply! [...]

There seems to be missing a part of the sentence, right? I have never seen such a sentence before, it seems so weird, I'm pretty sure something is missing. But again, I'm still learning English, so I can be totally wrong :)

Is a "to" missing?

  Ordinary shampoos need not to apply!

But that seems weird as well.

I think it means the same as

  You don't need to apply ordinary shampoos! (because ours is the best? - maybe?)

Is the "translation" correct? If the first sentence is right (it probably is), are there other examples of such "weird" sentences?

The question Meaning of “X need not apply”? on English Language & Usage suggests that it is used for jobs, i.e.

  Pencils need not apply! Only humans can.

For a job that pencils shouldn't bother applying, because the job is only for humans.

Is it the same as in the shampoo bottle example? That the bottle is way better than the other bottles, so they don't need to bother "applying" to a "shampoo bottle competition" (or similar), because they will lose?


texts: 'X makes the device operate' or 'X makes the device operates'

texts:
If I use the word "make" before a verb, shall I add "s" to the verb coming after it?

The mechanism makes the device operates and retries.

Or

The mechanism makes the device operate and retry.


texts: A new furniture for an empty room. Is the article correct?

texts:
A new furniture for an empty room.

It's a grammar assignment related to articles. What made me confused here is either 'a' new furniture or 'the' new furniture. Which one is correct?


texts:
This letter is to ______________ you with the problems faced by the society members.

Options:
1) acquaint
2) illustrate
3) convince
4) demonstrate

I think demonstrate should be the right option but in my book acquaint is given as an answer. Can you please explain why?


texts:
This is from a newspaper article: "we would like to hear from people who have been protesting against the controversial ruling." "If you have taken part in protests we would like to hear from you".
So first the present perfect continuous is used and then the present perfect simple. Any idea why? Could they just as well have said: "Have you been taking part in protests"?
My question is: is the continuous used because people continue to protest or could it be they have taken part in one protest and the continuous is used to emphasize the duration of the recent activity?


texts: take off programming with a language like Java -- I don't understand this

texts:
An excerpt from Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code by Jacquie Barker:

  This is, sad to say, the way many programmers wind up building an OO application when they don’t have appropriate training in the fundamental properties of the building blocks of such an application—namely, software objects. Worse yet, the vast majority of would-be OO programmers are blissfully ignorant of the need to understand objects in order to program in
  an OO language. So, they take off programming with a language like Java and wind up with a far from ideal result: an application that lacks flexibility when an inevitable “midcourse correction” occurs in response to changing requirements after the application has been deployed.

I'm not really sure how to understand that. Any idea?


texts:
Let's suppose someone has a goal and they work on achieving that goal. Would it be idiomatic to say:

  He is purposeful.

  He is motivated.

Do these two phrases mean the same? If they don't, could you please explain the difference?


texts: Verb "to be" without a subject not allowed?

texts:
I wrote the following sentence:

  The agent makes a choice and is rewarded.

A reviewer said this sentence is not correct, because the verb "to be" cannot be used without a subject. It should be:

  The agent makes a choice and it is rewarded.

Is only the second sentence correct or is the first one also okay?


texts: What does "There's another door around the back of the house" mean?

texts:
In the dictionary, The preposition "around" means "on or to another side of something".
For example, "There's another door around the back of the house."
So that sentence means "There's another door on the other side of the back of the house."
"The back of the house" has just 1 side, where is the other side of the back of the house?
Or does it mean "there's another door on the side of the house"?
That is very confusing!
Say, you are standing on 1 side of a corner and you say "the elevator is just around the corner" which means you go to the other side of the corner.
And "the back of the house" is a straight line and has no corner.


texts: I've heard the phrase in a movie: "I don't want to see that happen" and i'm a bit confused with the form of "happen" in this context. I've though that the correct form is infinitive: "I don't want that to happen" or " I don't want to see that happened".  Can someone make it clear? Many thanks in advance!


texts:
The chill air was whipping through Harry's hair, and before he'd
  stopped enjoying the ride, it was over. (Harry Potter and the
  Chamber of Secrets)

The conditional clause - before he'd stopped enjoying the ride – has the perfect tense, and its main clause past one. I guess this perfect tense does not denote that conditional clause precedes the main clause in time sequence, but the tense emphasizes the completion of the conditional act. So ‘it was over’ precedes ‘before he’d stopped enjoying the ride.’ Is this right guessing?


texts: Meaning of the phrase "Meet the new boss same as the old boss"

texts:
I was listening to The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" and there was a phrase

  "Meet the new boss same as the old boss"

and I was wondering about what this represents?


texts:
From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school,
  Harry was suddenly the most hated.  (Harry Potter and the
  Sorcerer's Stone)

I’ve thought a ‘the + adjective’ means a group of people not a person. But the case has a singular meaning. Is the form used in both ways?


texts:
And then had come the unlooked-for tidings of the imminent proceedings
  for divorce. And such a divorce! There were cross-suits and
  allegations and counter-allegations, charges of cruelty and desertion,
  everything in fact that was necessary to make the case one of the most
  complicated and sensational of its kind.

from www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/UnkiBlow802.shtml

What does "cross-suits" and "of its kind" mean? I found "cross" and "suit", but I couldn't find "cross-suits". I don't understand the role of "of its kind" in this sentence.


texts: Is it natural/correct to use "while" to describe that two things are achieved

texts:
This method will reduce cost while improving quality.
  This method will reduce cost and also improve quality.

Could you advise me on whether which of the above is better?

I want only to say the method can reduce cost and improve quality, but I am urged to use "while" when translating my language into English.  If using "while" will cause no problem, I want to use "while".


texts: What does "right on the line" mean in this context?

texts:
Others are right on the line. Robo advisors Betterment LLC and Wealthfront Inc. are each sitting at $700 million, and online money transfer startup WorldRemit has a valuation of $500 million.

source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-06/why-fintech-startups-might-not-want-to-become-unicorns


texts: What is the correct spelling for -ize? Is it using 'z' or 's'?

texts: I learn from school (in south east asia) that we use -ize, ex: vaporize, organize, etc. But lately, my word processor application and browsers started to suggest a fix for me: to use -ise, ex: vaporise, organise, etc. I can feel this has something to do with US English and UK English, but I can see all over the internet that people still mixing between -ize and -ise, so I don't know which one is actually the correct one, or if both of them are correct, which one is more mainstream and more widely used? I'm already used to use -ize, and feel weird when 'forced' to change into -ise just to silence the spelling errors warning, but I'm learning. I just want to know that I'm not learning something wrong before I internalise this into habit.


texts: Written like this, using "as", will it be understood that...?

texts:
Mike slips around a corner in the hallway just as two police officers enter from the stairwell.

Written like this, using "as", will it be understood that Mike makes it around the corner without being seen by the two police officers?
I know that using "before" could make it more clear, but I want it to mean that he slips around the corner the second they enter.


texts: Can I use "I don't get" for "I don't understand"

texts:
I am wondering if it is possible to say "I don't get what you mean" as a synonym of "I don't understand what you mean".
If it's possible, is it more colloquially to say "I don't get" or is it as polite than "I don't understand" ?


texts: Words with similar singular and plural forms

texts: The plural of "heir" is "heir". There are many other words like this. Is there any rule how we can understand when a word cannot have a different plural form? Or do I have to mug up those words? Please help me.


texts: How do we respectfully address kids whose names we don't know?

texts:
When it's about adults, we have plenty of choices... Mr., Ms., Mrs., or even Sir and Madam. But then what about kids? Kids aging 7 to 12 (approx). What about in our practice, a day-to-day practice?

Hey kid,... does not sound 'respected.' Excuse me works but that's a witty escape. I want a prefix for kids which addresses them respectfully.

I want answer for both - a girl and a boy. I remember little boys being called 'Master' but then what about little girls? Miss only? So, a kid to an adolescent to a woman (unmarried) she's Miss but a boy is Master to Mister.?


texts:
Are there more common, native, general expressions that describe given relationship occurring in reverse as well?

"You know I love you. You tease me, you give me hints, give me hope, and then you shield yourself with that lie, you deny every feeling you displayed so far. Did you plan to break my heart from the very beginning?"
"I'm sorry! I... I didn't! And it's not a lie!"
I held her head by her hair, firmly, forcing her to look at me.
"You are hurting me," she whimpered.
"And vice versa," I replied, releasing her.

What other expressions, preferably not foreign like "Vice versa" could I use in this place?
(note "so are you" might be misread as "You are hurting yourself too", replacing only "you"; I need a full reversal: I->You, You->Me)


texts:
I was reading a document and there was a sentence as this one:

  "It is aimed mainly at cutting costs, reducing complexity ..".

Microsoft word spell checker proposed rephrasing because of the passive voice. I wonder why.  This sentence looks fine for me as a foreigner.


texts:
Why does the author use "would + have + P.P"? Is it kind of a conditional sentence? Can we use simple past too?

  Rob: When was the last time you saw a horse and carriage?

  Nil: Well that would have been a while ago- they are quite rare these days.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish...lish/ep-180405


texts: "The" before the word “deprivation” and “of”

texts:
Is it correcr to put "the" in the following sentence.

  {The} deprivation of water leads to serious health problems.

I came across a sentence where it had been used without "the". Here is the sentence:

"Poverty is characterised by severe deprivation of education, food, water..."

I am so confused by the use of "the" before mass nouns and the word "of" because sometimes "the" is redundant and sometimes necessary. I have asked similar questions and some said it is a matter of style. But can anyone tell me how can I feel when to use "the" in such cases and when not?


texts:
What's the role of "to" in following sentence?Is it to-infinitive or conjunction?

  Harold resisted the opportunity to poke fun at the weird man.


texts: What is the meaning of overwhelming in this context?

texts:
What is the meaning of overwhelming in below context?
Source of information: https://youtu.be/TZgxhGk3N20?t=106
Isn't this overwhelming to know that there are billions of people out there who are willing to share their happiness and sadness with you.
I understand that meaning of overwhelming is something in great extent.


texts: A sentence in Present tense was understood as future tense

texts:
I came across a Chinese web site selling skirts and then paid for two skirts in different colors. After I had paid for the skirts, I sent a short message to them:

  please let me know when you send them to me.

And the Chinese seller made this reply to me: I don't know when will send to you.

I have no idea what is wrong with my simple sentence. Did I make any big grammartical mistakes in the sentence that made the seller think I was asking for the exact date and time when they would start to send the goods to me? I wanted a notification from them so that I could predict when my goods would arrive, I did not rush them.
Could it be that they mixed up my message with this one or it was my mistake?

  please let me know when you will send them to me.


texts:
It would be a great help to me,if someone avoid my doubt in the following two sentences, considering each separately.

  1) It is being cautious.(typical sentence for an animal),

  2) It is being organized.(it refers to some event)

Are both of these sentences in present continuous tense (in active voice or passive voice)?


texts: Deleting "and" before adverb like "furthermore"

texts:
Plastic surgery is vain and unwise, (and) thus it should be banned.

We can delete the word "and" with an adverb like "thus" as shown above.

But why is it impossible do the same thing with a word like "furthermore" when they are same adverb? For example, in this case:

  People say that plastic surgery is vain, and furthermore they also assert that they should ban it.

If I delete "and" with "furthermore", whole sentence becomes so wrong. Why is that?


texts:
I'm learning a Merriam-Webster tutorial.

When talking about writing, I guess there are some terms to refer to main parts of a post.
Here are some words I can imagine.

is the title of the post
is the subtitle of the post
is the summary/brief of the post
is the opening of the post
is the title of the first section

Am I using them correctly?


texts:
what does "reserved for" imply here in the following sentences ? I delved into the definitions to come up with something but none seem to be coherent or fitting.

"What I now call the “loser mentality” is not reserved for extreme cases like drug addicts, felons, and so forth.  Sometimes otherwise nice, decent people are actually living a “loser” life"

"I could never understand ethnic or national pride, because to me pride should be reserved for something you achieve our attain on your own"


texts: When is the preposition combination 'on in' used together?

texts:
Source.

  Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth are finally getting married on in Australia this summer.

Why it not same 'getting married in Australia'?

Another example:Virat Kohli playing on in the field.

This was written below an image of Virat.


texts:
All the trunks from that car there, twelve from here and the safe, to the parlor suite, rooms B-52, 54, 56.

From the dictionary, I know that parlor means a room in a house which has comfortable chairs and is used for meeting guests, this also means parlor is part of a house. But of course, parlor suite is a whole suite, not a part of a room. What's the meaning of it?


texts: sentence construction after preposition, such as "due to", "because of"

texts:
Are the following sentences wrong? When I read them, I can't sense any wrong and all the same. Would you mind explaining their reasons if a wrong exists?

The official was on leave yesterday owing to your being absent.
The official was on leave yesterday owing to you being absent.
The official was on leave yesterday owing to your absence.

To be clear, how are they grammatically right? For example, your best friend is a worker in a restaurant in which you are an employee as well. Since I know you will be on leave tomorrow he doesn't want to come to work on that day too and he will be on leave too. Assume the sentences are said by 3rd guy.


texts:
I can see the following sign around,

  The elevator is under repair.

Then, how about this?

  The elevator is under repairing.

I'd like to know subtle difference between them, if both are available.


texts: What's the difference between "I feel much happy now" and "I feel much happier now"?

texts:
What is the grammatical difference between:

I feel much happy now.
I feel much happier now.

What is the difference between them in meaning?
Can I say that both sentences are correct?


texts: Can “could have had to” be possible to use in the past?

texts:
We use “have/has to” in the habitual Present-Tense that the subject doesn’t want to do an action willingly.

For instance:

  I have to go to the market.

  She has to get up in the morning.

So can we use “could have had to” to talk about the past that it was compulsively possible to do the action but I had not to do it?

e.g.

  I could have had to go to the market.

  She could have had to get up in the morning.


texts: How to say correctly in English, "He will understand it by himself now"?

texts:
I'm subtitiling a road rage video where two cars, one after another, are driving in a place where there is no driving (pedestrian zone.) A pedestrian steps in front of them, they stop, and the driver of the first car says:

I'll back up. Just have that car behind me move first.

To which the pedestrian replies:

I think he'll understand it now by himself (meaning that he thinks the second driver will understand that he needs to start backing up, so that the first car could back up too.)

So I wanted to ask, is this phrase grammatical or would you say it differently?

Maybe:

"I think he gets it" or "I think he'll figure it out" or simpy "I think he'll understand"? Or maybe something completely different?


texts:
I came to Paris.
  I got to Paris.

Have any difference of the above sentence?


texts: As a native speaker it's embarrassing for me to not know the difference between "of" and "in", in certain contexts. I'm currently in school right now and sometimes  there are certain phrases which I see on the board which I have no clue of. Can someone give me a good explanation of the differences between "of" and "in" and their general rules?


texts:
I want to write a sentence:

  I have the right to voice my __

The word I'm looking for to fill the gap means unsatisfaction and resentment/complain but in a more subtle and formal way.

I vaguely remember a word starting with the alphabets: disc--, which perhaps would suffice here, but can't seem to remember or find. However, I'm not limited to that word only; any suggestions would be welcome.


texts:
There's this construct in informal speech:

How about + clause.

When used in the affirmative, things are clear enough:

 - "How about you shut up?"
 - "How about we give them a hand, huh?" etc.

But not so much when used in the negative. This is what my question is about. Should the negative be a subjunctive or not?
That is:

 - How about you don't do a damn thing until I tell you to?
 - How about you not do a damn thing until I tell you to?


texts: Which one ("most of it" or "all of it") is correct in the given context?

texts:
Which one of the sentences below is correct both grammatically and conceptually?

  My teacher said that most of it was correct, with only one exception.

  My teacher said that all of it was correct, with only one exception.


texts:
My husband stated, "we will both qualify for medicare in 2018" does this mean we do not qualify until that year? Or does it mean: as he thinks that by 2018 we will both qualify? He will in 2017 and I do not until 2018.

Otherwise I think he should have said we will both have qualified in 2018


texts: How to address a person, whose gender is unknown, in the email body?

texts:
I usually start with 'Dear Sir/Madam' in emails when I don't know the gender of the recipient. However, when I have to reply, it seems awkward to use 'sir/madam'. Unfortunately, I am unfamiliar with recipients' names, and I might not make a correct guess about the gender.

An example:

  Sender:
  Dear Ms Doe,
  This will not be a problem anymore
  ...
  Me: Thank you sir/madam.


texts: why do we see far more questions about rewriting active as passive than the other way around?

texts:
I haven't been on the forum for a long time, but long enough to see that there are far more questions about recasting sentences in the active voice into the passive than the other way around.

I assume non-native English speakers find the passive to be the more difficult voice to master, hence that preponderance. But I am beginning to wonder if active-into-passive exercises are more numerous than passive-into-active exercises in the standard learning-English-as-a-second-language textbooks. Are they?

P.S. I understand that there are times when the passive is called for, and am not against it in a pig-headed way. But I would recommend that learners not go out of their way to use the passive if an idiomatic active form has presented itself.


texts:
Personal protective equipment shall be worn by employees who may be
  exposed to foot injuries from hot surfaces, corrosive materials,
  crushing or penetrating actions which may cause injuries, or who are required to work in wet locations.

The structure of this sentence is a bit confusing. Does it mean:

  Personal protective equipment shall be worn by employees who may be
  exposed to foot injuries from hot surfaces, corrosive materials,

  or who may be exposed to crushing or penetrating actions which may
  cause injuries,

  or who are required to work in wet locations.

What's confusing for me is the bold part. Does the bold part apply to "crushing or penetrating actions" only, or does it also apply to "hot surfaces, corrosive materials, crushing or penetrating actions"?


texts: the meaning of "gird my fury against him"

texts:
"I want to write down every exaggeration, half truth, fib, and bald-facer he utters, so I can gird my fury against him" p.389 Gone Girl

Could someone please explain the meaning of girding your fury against someone? Googling the word, I found that it commonly means to "get ready/prepare for a dangerous situation", but what does it mean in this context? The protagonist is not preparing for a dangerous situation and therefore I still feel perplexed. Is it perhaps an idiom?


texts: Confusion with the definition of the form of the verb

texts:
I'm just starting to learn English. And I get confused with the definition of the forms and tenses of verbs.

Task: Define the form of the verb.

Cellular phones are now dialing up the Internet to provide e-mail.

"To provide" - the verb has the first form.
And "dialing up" - Present Progressive Tense. Is this a present participle? So there is no need to define the form?


texts: Which is correct: "have been completed" or "are completed"

texts:
Part of my work includes making modifications to a software application.

After making the requested modifications, I typically send an email to those in charge of user acceptance testing, informing them that they should log in to the UAT system to check the work.

In these emails I often write something like this:

  The requested modifications have been completed.

But sometimes I may instead write the sentence like this:

  The requested modifications are completed.

Are these both correct English? If not, please explain why.


texts: "Going to school" vs "going to his/her school"

texts:
Are the two phrases the same? Or they differ in meaning?

Example sentence:

  I suspect she isn't going to school.

  I suspect she isn't going to her school.

What I want to convey is this: She just told me she's heading to (her) school. But I think she isn't.


texts:
Recently I've seen many people on Twitter use "of" instead of "have".
Eg. Ben Stokes tweeted after the world cup final, " So proud to of represented my country in a world cup final"

I don't want to generalise, but I think I've seen this used by primarily British people. Is it slang or are my basics weak?


texts: whether the definite article the should be used or not

texts:
There are ten mangoes in the basket. Now which sentence is right:

  the big mangoes should be taken

or

  big mangoes should be taken


texts:
Does anyone want a drink? vs. Would anyone like a drink?

The first sentence is perfectly fine. I just want to know whether the second one is correct and if so whether it's preferred to the first or not i.e more polite.

If the sentence was "Would you like a drink?", I would not ask the question because it is correct and common. What itches me is "anyone" in the second sentence.


texts: “as” or “since” they may experience similar economic growths in the future?

texts:
I would like to know if it is preferable to use as or since in the following sentence:

  The monitoring of Mexico’s economic growth is of interest not only to
  the United States, but it may also be of interest to Latin
  American countries, as / since they may experience similar economic
  growths in the future.

I'm aware that "as" and "since" are interchangeable when denoting "because", but I'm not sure if in this sentence "as" or "since" could be interpreted ambiguously also as time.


texts:
Party A is playing computer games during work hours.
Party B approaches and says:
"Isn't it too soon to be playing?"

The intended meaning being that since it is still during work hours, party A should be working instead, or at least should not be playing games already.
In this context, is the usage of "too soon" correct or would the usage of "too early" be the appropriate one?
Would someone be able to explain the theory behind the usage of both expressions in clear terms?
From my understanding, too soon implies the event it is related to has already passed.
Google results are not explicit enough to be able to convince either party.


texts: Why did they use "iron ore exports" instead of "iron ore export"

texts: I am learning English like an ESL so if I wrote this sentence above i would use iron ore export because "port Hedland" is a singular word. Why did they do it? what does it mean?


texts: "her dream that" or "her dream that was that"?

texts:
Which one of the two following options sounds correct?

  She told him her dream that her husband would buy her a pair of diamond earrings.

  She told him her dream that was that her husband would buy her a pair of diamond earrings.


texts:
Let's say I buy a bunch of fruits like bananas or something soft and put them in a bag. By the time I take them out of the bag they have been spoiled because I pressed my back against the bag when I was travelling.

What would I call these fruits (or the state they are in)? The closest word I came up with was squeeze, but it does not apply here.


texts:
What do you usually call someone who usually does anything so slowly that sometimes it can even get on someone's nervs?

We call such a person a "slow-motion" and say:

  He's a reall slow-motion!

How would you convey the same message?

Added: in my language this word can be attributed to the person either in a humorous way or sarcastically; even to somebody who walks so slowly.


texts:
Everything begins with investing in a culture of employee and customer-centricity where ESNs and social networks in general become enablers for a new vision, empowerment, supported by defined outcomes and rewards. Yes, it’s part technology. But, tools only take you so far. It’s the philosophy and eventually vision and leadership behind the implementation that serves as the foundation for internal engagement.

What does the phrase in bold mean?


texts: What does 'extraction' mean in the context?

texts:
What does extraction mean in the context? Does it mean 'the things that are extracted from fish, that is, fish organs' or 'utilization'?

Although aquaculture occurs in a controlled environment, cases of
escapes, contamination, and spread of disease have been documented,
all of which may harm the natural ecosystem in the surrounding area.
For example, studies in Chile have shown that escaped salmonids can
colonize their new, nonnative environment, resulting in resource
competition and potentially altering local ecosystem processes. Shrimp
production in Asia and other parts of the world has resulted in the
deforestation of mangroves and wetlands in order to create space for
shrimp ponds. The cultivation of carnivorous fish depends on the
extraction of wild fin-fish that are converted to meal for fish food. In some parts of the world, this has meant depleted stocks for
local fishermen, who still depend on these species for a supplement to
their diet or for income. Experts have recently recommended that
native herbivorous or filter feeders be farmed, rather than nonnative
carnivorous species, in order to avoid some of these potential
problems.  Another suggested solution is to farm exclusively in
terrestrial, man-made tanks where all stages of production could be
managed, including the disposal of waste.

Encyclopedia of Environment and Society: FIVE-VOLUME SET


texts: What is called the first container of a thing

texts:
Consider the figure below,

 -----------
| A
|   ----------
|  | B
|  |   --------
|  |  |  C     |
|  |   --------
|   ---------------
 ------------------

what is called "B"?

the closest container of C
the direct container of C
the first container of C
you suggest

It is not actually the parent.


texts: "in the corner of the mouth" or "at the corner of the mouth"?

texts:
Tell me please which preposition I should use in the following context.

  Person A: What is that on your face?

  Person B: Where?

  Person A: Right at/in the corner of the mouth.

I tried to use Ngram to see which is corect, but results came up.


texts:
Lieutenant is a word of French origin, and it is read as /lefˈtenənt/.

I've never learnt French and I don't know anything about French reading rules, unfortunately. But I guess the English reading is related to the original French one.

Why is "lieutenant" read as /lefˈtenənt/ when there is no f in the word?


texts: Need help understanding confusing info in tax publication

texts:
My English is not very good since I came to the country few years ago.  I want to prepare taxes and I am just looking at some information from IRS publication 970.  In particular, can someone please explain to me simply what the following passage means from the publication.

  A scholarship or fellowship grant is tax free only to the
  extent:
  It doesn't exceed your qualified education expenses;
  It isn't designated or earmarked for other purposes
  (such as room and board), and doesn't require (by its
  terms) that it can't be used for qualified education expenses;
  and
  It doesn't represent payment for teaching, research, or
  other services required as a condition for receiving the
  scholarship. For exceptions, see Payment for services,
  later.

In particular, I am confused by phrase "It isn't designated or earmarked for other purposes (such as room and board)."  So If I receive a scholarship for $2000 for room or board, it is taxable?


texts: "I cannot watch how animals or some living things" Should I use "how"?

texts:
Which sentence is better? Are my comments about "thing" correct?

I cannot watch how animals or some living things (not thing) suffer, let alone kill or hurt an animal.

I cannot watch animals or any living things (or "thing" if it's correct) suffer, let alone kill or hurt them.

I would use the second sentence. "How" is unnecessary. I think it should be "any living things" or "thing", but I am not sure.


texts: Which word ('pampered' or 'spoonfed') is more appropriate in the following context?

texts:
Someone says that today's young generation i.e. 'we'

  want what we want when we want it.

I want to describe that group of people in one word.

  [She] says that today’s teens are too much too _____ and as a result, lazy.

'Pampered' and 'spoonfed' are two possible options. Their meanings are more or less identical. But, I feel each of them has a different connotation.

A pampered kid sounds like someone who has rich parents at his side all the time, fulfilling their child's every wish.

Spoonfed brings to mind the picture of a toddler being spoonfed. That sounds like a weak prince who has servants to do literally everything for him and never has to face any challenge on his own.

Which one should I use?

EDIT

A word that conveys the exact meaning as the first sentence won't do. I also need to reflect upbringing (as well as attitude). Here's the full context:

  Kelly Benoit, a 20-year-old political science student, went as far as calling her peers ‘lazy’. ‘I think it can be due to our upbringing. We want what we want when we want it,’ said Benoit, who has worked in her State to try to ban the use of plastic bags in stores. She thinks members of her generation, like a lot of people, simply don’t want to give up conveniences.

Paraphrasing it:

  The environmentally conscious have several criticisms to make of American teens in general. [She] says that today’s teens are much too pampered and as a result, lazy. [...] while most teens are aware of the need to preserve nature and its resources, they are not interested in actually taking any steps at their own cost.

Note that it's not a exact paraphrase of her words. This piece of text is part of a broader writing (which is about how much eco-conscious young people in America are).


texts: What is the difference between (to be) available and (to be) made available?

texts:
Consider for instance:

  It is vital that food is made available to the famine areas

OR

  It is vital that food is available to the famine areas.

Another example:

  Old sources of major components of Magenta are still made available on my GitHub.

OR

  Old sources of major components of Magenta are still available on my GitHub.


texts: What does "Make my life easier" meaning?

texts:
"Make my life easier" and "Make life easier" are the same thing? Could I putting a pronoun or determiner between "Make" and "Life"?

Example: I wanna make her life easier.

Example: He want to make my life easier.

I need a definition for the expression too.


texts:
I'm reading a book.

And at the same time:

  I'm listening to music.

Combining these, we have:

  I'm reading a book while listening to music.

Am I correct?

What are the other ways to express this?

I'm talking only about present continuous tense.

Thank you.


texts: I just realized that I have been reading this word since long ago, but I am not sure of its correct pronunciation in American and British English.


texts:
Which ones are correct and why?

1-Everyone should have a bed in their house.

2-Everyone should have a bed in their houses.

3-It's up to everyone's personal choice.

4-It's up to everyone's personal choices.


texts:
I am wondering which conjunction and or or to use after without. How the negation affects to the choice of conjunction? Which one of the following is correct or does it depend on the context?

She drank tea without milk and honey.
She drank tea without milk or honey.


texts: He gains happiness "by" or "from" watching flowers?

texts:
What is the right preposition in this sentence, by or from?

He gains happiness by watching flowers.
He gains happiness from watching flowers.


texts:
Question from non-native English speaker.
I am building a website where users would be able to list their property for the long term rent. I need names for both types of users. I know that Tenant can have Landlord and vice versa, but some people considers the word "Landlord" being offensive, so I wanted to use word Host instead.
Question is whether it is correct in English to pair word "tenant" with the word "host" (like the obvious pair of guest/host)
If no, is the pair guest/host good for long term rent?
If no, please suggest some better pairs, without using the word "Landlord"


texts: When you talk about an experience at some place, do you use past tense?

texts:
When I talk about a meal which I had at a restaurant, and given that the restaurant still exists; Should I use the past tense or the present tense? For example:

  I had a meal called "chicken roller" for the first time at a
  restaurant called "Bashkeer".  The restaurant was spacious and the
  lighting was fabulous, and the waiters went the extra mile to make us comfortable.


texts: Is this a comparative correlative and does it need a comma?

texts:
It seems that most conventional examples of comparative correlative, e.g.

The further you go, the harder it gets.

can be transformed in the following way:

It gets (the) harder[,] the further you go.

Another example (a simplification of what I need for my text):

The smaller the size of the object, the greater its index.

→

The index of the object is the greater[,] the smaller that object's size is.

My questions are:

Are the second versions still comparative correlatives?
Either way, are the commas in brackets needed there?


texts:
Which is correct: "The teacher spoke to my father and I" or "The teacher spoke to my father and me"?

I don't have any solid reason but I feel "The teacher spoke to my father and me." is the correct one out of the two.

But some claim that the latter is the correct version, i.e. "The teacher spoke to my father and I". Could someone please give reasons as to which one is correct and why? Thank you!


texts: I was accompanied by my friends "for" or "to" a picnic

texts:
A) I was accompanied by my friends for a picnic.

  B) I was accompanied by my friends to the picnic.

Which of two is correct? Can we use 'for' with the word 'accompanied'>


texts:
Which are the good ways to apologize to friends, boss and relatives?

Consider some situations like:

I was tired last night and I got mad at my friend.  On the next day he asked me something. What could I say? I wanted to say sorry.
How to apologize to my boss when I am late in office?


texts:
I want to learn which tense should be used in this situation; if someone tells us I will be there in 5 minutes whenever we call him. Which of the sentence below is correct?

  He always says he will be there in 5 minutes

or

  He always says he is there in 5 minutes


texts: What does "half the friendship in the world" mean in this passage?

texts:
What does "half the friendship in the world" mean in this passage from George MacDonald's Paul Faber Surgeon (search here for more context)?

  But for money and the need of it, there would not be half the
  friendship in the world. It is powerful for good when divinely used.
  Give it plenty of air, and it is sweet as the hawthorn; shut it up and
  it cankers and breeds worms.

I understand that the second half of this passage is referring to the polarity of money as either good or evil, depending on how it is used. But what is the first sentence talking about? Money and the need of it provides friendship in the world? Is it saying that without money and its need, there would not be half the friendship in the world? Or is it saying that money and its need diminishes friendship in the world?


texts: "to underline" as a noun. Is it "an underlining"?

texts:
The word "a lining" has got nothing to do with drawn lines (it's something about fur and fabrics apparently...). There is also no verb "to line" that means "the act of drawing a line".

But there does exist the verb "to underline" which means "the act of drawing a line under words in a text". What is the corresponding noun? Is "an underlining" correct? As in:

  When I underline important words I make a nice underlining.


texts: What is the word for something that makes you resentful or indignant?

texts: Let's someone treated me badly. He broke my cup on purpose, and I am indignant at that. How to describe that behaviour that caused me to be indignant? Can I say that that person's behaviour is bitter?


texts: Should I use "in weekdays" or "on weekdays"?

texts:
In my school my teacher do a test for all the class. I have 9.8 in the test because I put in weekdays. She said:

  Mariana, we use on weekdays...

What is the correct sentence?


texts:
Which preposition is correct to the following context?
I want to write to my friend to read the story and to answer questions which comes after the story. Now the options that I can think about are:

  "Read the following story and answer the questions afterward"

  "Read the following story and answer the following questions" (too
  much "following")

  "Read the following story and answer the questions follow this story"

Which style is correct or common and easy to understand, if any? or you have other suggestion for my need.


texts: it isn't impossible for me to be swindled by anyone

texts:
a. It isn't impossible for me to be swindled by anyone.
b. It is possible for me to be swindled by anyone.
I think the meaning of (b) is clear. It seems to be saying that anyone can swindle me.
However, I find (a) ambiguous. I think it might mean the same as (b) and it might also mean

It is not true that it's impossible for me to be swindled by anyone. (In other words: There are people who can swindle me.)

Am I correct?
Is (a) ambiguous and (b) unambiguous?
Many thanks.


texts: One of my colleagues used this as their subject in the mail while leaving the office. Is there any other place it can be used, and is this wise to use this in general speech?


texts:
Construction workers in high-rise buildings face greater risk of death on the job than office workers do. By comparing wages in risky and less risky occupations, controlling for, education, experience, and other determinants of wages, economists can get some sense about what value people put on their own lives. Studies using this approach conclude that the value of a human life is about $10 million.

What does controlling for mean?


texts: "patients with X disease" vs "patients of X disease"

texts:
It appears that both expressions exist in the internet although "patients with X disease" seems more common than "patients of X disease".
Of note, Google Ngram finds the expression of "patients with" but cannot find that for "patients of".
Are both correct? If yes, what are the differences, if any, between them?
Example 1
most patients of Alzheimer's disease are 65 years and older
Example 2
most patients with Alzheimer's diease are 65 years and older


texts: Can I use "chances" instead of "odds" in this sentence?

texts:
Can I use chances instead of odds in this sentence? (For kids' better and easy understanding)

  Your odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 1,000,000.

If I use chances, then the sentence will be like this:

  Your chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 1,000,000.

Is it also acceptable? Are "odds" and "chances" interchangeable in this sentence?


texts: "Performing clinical examinations of patients" or "Performing clinical examinations on patients" which one is right?


texts: Why do we express Past Simple Tense in such ways?

texts:
At 16, Brian Banks, a star football player on his way to USC,
  had his life destroyed when he was arrested and charged with rape.

  Wanetta Gibson, his classmate, falsely accused him of dragging her
  into a stairway and raping her. Gibson then sued the Long Beach
  Unified School District, claiming the school’s lax security provided
  an unsafe environment that led to the fraudulent rape. She would
  eventually receive a settlement of 1.5 million dollars.

What is the synonym of "had" in the "had his life destroyed when he was arrested" sentence? and why the writer did not simply say "his life destroyed when he was arrested and charged with rape."?

Another question is belonging to the sentence "She would eventually receive a settlement of 1.5 million dollars."
Did the girl receive the settlement?
If "would receive is the past tense of receive then why did not the writer simply say "She received"?


texts:
I wrote

  To make the process easier, the video frames are first converted to grayscale images, and then by applying a threshold they are converted to binary images.

Can I omit they or I should keep it?


texts: what is the difference between 'attend' and 'take part in'?

texts: I came across a question when I was writing an essay. So what is the difference between word attend and phrase take part in?


texts: The relational model’s conceptual simplicity was bought at the expense of computer overhead - meaning of bought?

texts:
In 1970, Codd’s work was considered ingenious but impractical. The relational model’s conceptual simplicity was bought at the expense of computer overhead; computers at that time lacked the power to implement the relational model. Fortunately, computer power grew exponentially, as did operating system efficiency. Better yet, the cost of computers diminished rapidly as their power grew.

I don't quite understand what bought means in the second sentence.


texts: Do you native speakers pronounce "don't ask" as /doʊnæsk/?

texts:
This page said

  The /t/ is optionally silent when it follows /n/ and precedes a vowel
  sound, /r/ (including all r-controlled vowels) or a syllabic /l/.

do you native speakers say "don't ask" as /doʊnæsk/?


texts:
Consider this sentence, please:

Last night I dreamed of a wonderful vacation. I could never have dreamed of a better vacation!

Is the second sentence talking about my inability to dream of a better vacation only in the past or is it talking about my inability to dream at any time?

Can I use the following sentence to talk about my future inability?

I could never dream of a better vacation.


texts: What does the following question(bold) mean?

texts: Are ‘free’ social networking sites user-owned, or are they spaces through which the forces of big capital are further extending into our everyday lives?


texts:
Could you explain the difference between these two examples?

1) Mary's and George's children are...
2) Mary and George's children are...

Also,

I have seen in a newspaper a sentence where there was this: "The Trump administration". Why isn't there 's? I thought it should be "The Trump's administration".


texts:
I want to reduce these two sentences into one sentence.

I was excited + because ı was going to see her.

1-I was excited to see her.

2-I was excited about seeing her.

And ı have onether question . Does the first sentence have future meaning as I tried to do or ıt has only present meaning?


texts:
This is the context:

  This is a difficult issue, to ask about animal subjective experience. For many animals, we can’t
  be with them without thinking they have subjective experience. To those of you who
  have a pet dog, I bet you implicitly assume that the dog has a deep and rich subjective experience,
  even though you just don’t know. Even if we ignore the subjective experience question and ask, What
  are animals thinking?—which I believe we have better measures to gain some traction on—it is still
  puzzling.

  source: The enigma of human consciousness.New York Academy of Sciences.

What is the meaning of "gain traction on" in this context? I've looked and there were two definitions that looked suitable. one is

  1a: things are starting to happen towards whatever the goal is.

  2b: advancement, as toward a desired result.

and

  the extent to which an idea, product, etc. gains popularity or acceptance.

which one is correct in this context? or if none of them is correct, what is the correct meaning?


texts: Difference between "on the way" and "along the way"

texts:
I would like to know the difference between "on the way" and " along the way". After reading this sentence from a story: "As she headed home, she met her friends along the way."I thought why has the writer used " along" and not "on"?
Does "on the way" mean at one place/spot and "along the way" mean at different places/spots?


texts: Does an indefinite-article mean always 'one'?

texts:
Suppose I am an event organiser and while conducting a game I announce that -
"Whoever wins this game, I will get him a chocolate".

Here I used the word 'a chocolate' so does it mean 'one chocolate' or 'any chocolate' or 'more than one chocolate' or 'anyone chocolate' ?


texts: Is there any difference between "I'm two pages in" and "I'm in two pages"?

texts:
First one: "I'm two pages in and I still have no idea what you are saying"

Second one: "I'm in two pages and I still have no idea what you are saying"


texts: What is "leave with pre-trained" in learning to listening context?

texts:
Paragraph taken from The Key to Learning Pronunciation, written by Fluent Forever. It discusses about a method to improve the ability of listening for language learners: learning with feedback. The limit of this method is 80% accuracy.

  What if we had this tool in every language? What if we could start out by taking a few audio tests with feedback and leave with pre-trained, 80% accuracy ears, even before we began to learn the rest of our language?

If the ears are trained from 50% accuracy to 80% accuracy, why is it called pre-trained? And since we use those ears to learn the rest of the language, why does the author use leave?


texts:
This closed-gap solution can help to bridge the gap between now to
  the point of time where the real solution is discovered.

Is closed-gap solution the right word to use for tentative solution?
Is to the point of time grammatical and idiomatic?


texts: Is this sentence correct? "We practice songs in here?"

texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  We practice songs in here.

Some one told me that the preposition 'in' shouldn't stand before the word 'here'. I would like to know what you think.


texts: Is it "hadn't been meant for me to read" or "hadn't been meant for me to read it"?

texts:
What the correct form?

Example sentence:

  The letter hadn’t been meant for me to read (it), but wouldn’t it be
  worse if no one did?


texts:
I can't stop thinking about the meaning of this part of a song text I recently heard:

'Never mind, I'll find someone like you.'

I've already taken a look on the internet but I found different translations to my native language (German).
Does 'Never mind' in this case means the same as: 'I don't care, I'm sure I'll find someone like you' or does it rather mean:
'I will never find someone like you'. Or has it a completely different meaning?


texts:
if I use according to in a sentence, is it following with noun always? And is it coming in first or in last.

  According to the police report, you are a traitor.
  Or
  You are traitor, according to the police report.

Is it right if I use (as stated) instead of according to

  As stated in a police report, you are a traitor.


texts: Does "Before [month]" include that month?

texts:
For example, if someone said

They want it to be finished before September.

Does that mean the work should be finished by Aug 31 or Sep 30 at least?


texts:
I was reading the 1984, a novel.. And I encountered with that words..

"... making her mouth look redder than ever" it says..

What does it mean ?

The entire phrase is

  Her face had turned a milky yellow colour, making her mouth look redder than ever.


texts: Would you mind if I + past simple/base form (When you want to ask for permission to say something in the class)

texts:
My first question is:

What are we talking about, Present or Future?

  Student: Excuse me sir, would you mind if I say something?

  Teacher: No, I wouldn't. What's the matter?

  Student: Excuse me sir, would you mind if I said something?

  Teacher: No, I wouldn't. What's the matter?

What's the right choice, say or said?
Is there a difference in meaning?

I've read these posts:
"Would you mind if I use" vs. "would you mind if I used"

"It would be better if you drink/drank all the water"

And even this:

How do the tenses and aspects in English correspond temporally to one another?

But I think there is still an element of ambiguity here, in this particular case, I mean.

I wonder if the second example is imaginary

  (like these examples which they have the same structure "would+base form, if+past simple":

  A. It would be better if you drank all the water.

  B. I would buy a sports car if I had a million dollars.)

or real,

and even if it's referring to present

  (by this meaning: "I want to say something right now if you let me.")

or future

  (by this meaning: "At some point in the future I will say something if you let me.")

My second question is:

Are there some better ways to ask for permission(from teacher) to say something in the class?

For example something like May I please say something? or Shall I say something?

What's the most idiomatic way to asking for permission(from your teachers in school) to talk about a particular thing with them in a situation like this
(except for Excuse me teacher, I need to talk to you!)?

Is this idiomatic?(I think it's a little bit weird)

  Let me say something, shall I?

Is it possible to use a passive form?

For example I wonder if we can say something like the following sentence by this meaning I'm gonna say something.:

  There's something to be said.


texts: Is there an antonym for emotionally drifting apart?

texts:
The term "drifting apart" is often used for situations when two people who were close together (usually emotionally) slowly and gradually lose interest in each other, without one specific trauma separating them. It just happens slowly over time.

What is the opposite of this effect? Can "drifting together" be used? I've seen the former term used a lot, but never the latter one.


texts:
James said if he wasn't a start for the competition that he be left
  out completely.

  said if he

is it (conditional in indirect speech) and mean about present?


texts:
Does AP Style recommend a hyphen between the words philosophically-inclined?
I have searched several editing and grammar sites and still do not know the correct answer.


texts: Getting he/she intuitively right if native language has only gender-neutral pronouns

texts:
At times I can speak English fluently enough. The biggest issue bothering me is that when not carefully speaking, I mix 'he' and 'she' pronouns randomly. Example: "Jane's not here today. He's on a holiday."

When writing, I don't have this problem. The reason for this issue is that my native language has only gender-neutral pronouns so my brain is not wired for this kind of thing.

The question is: How to teach myself to use 'he' and 'she' automatically correctly when speaking?


texts:
In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner.

The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell.

Before the act, sometimes we use in, and sometimes we use on. How to confirm which is to use in a occasion？


texts: "The numbness and chill contracted by sixteen hours’ exposure" from "Jane Eyre"

texts:
I have a question about the following extract from the novel "Jane Eyre":

  A new chapter in a novel is something like a new scene in a play; and when I draw up the curtain this time, reader, you must fancy you see a room in the George Inn at Millcote, with such large figured papering on the walls as inn rooms have; such a carpet, such furniture, such ornaments on the mantelpiece, such prints, including a portrait of George the Third, and another of the Prince of Wales, and a representation of the death of Wolfe. All this is visible to you by the light of an oil lamp hanging from the ceiling, and by that of an excellent fire, near which I sit in my cloak and bonnet; my muff and umbrella lie on the table, and I am warming away the numbness and chill contracted by sixteen hours’ exposure to the rawness of an October day: I left Lowton at four o’clock a.m., and the Millcote town clock is now just striking eight.

Specifically what is the meaning of the word contract in the clause:

  "and I am warming away the numbness and chill contracted by sixteen hours’ exposure to the rawness of an October day"

I looked up the word "contract" in the Oxford Dictionaries, but I can't determine which meaning of the word is used in the sentence.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/contract


texts: Making sentences negative without changing the meanings

texts:
I have a question related to grammar. What's the negative of the sentence "He is going to the market" without changing the meaning?

I think it should be:

It is not that he is not going to the market.

Am I right? Actually there is an example in my textbook which says make the sentence "He is going to the market" without changing the meaning.


texts: "She's the author of" or "She's author of"? - which one is correct?

texts:
What's the difference in the usage of the article "the" with the word "author"? Why is the article "the" left in the second sentence?

  She's the author of "The Power of Glamour," "The Future and Its
  Enemies" and "The Substance of Style."

  She's author of the new book,
  “The Intimidation Game: How the Left is Silencing Free Speech.”


texts: Is it idiomatic to put "nonetheless" at the end of a sentence?

texts:
this comes from "NoSQL ＆ SQL Data Modeling" by Ted Hills.

  The rectangle represents a logical record type. This is not a type in
  the sense of a generalization/specialization hierarchy. It is a type
  in the sense that it designates a set. A logical record type is a list
  of data attributes aggregated together, and it implicitly designates
  the set of all possible values of those data attributes taken
  together—the Cartesian product of the data attributes’ types.
  Sometimes the display of these data attributes is suppressed, and only
  the name of the entity is visible, but the rectangle represents the
  data attributes nonetheless

is it idiomatic to put "nonetheless" at the end of a sentence?


texts: How do they call this security device mostly used in trains?

texts:
Some locomotives have a special sensor that the train operator must rub periodically to let the monitoring system know they did not fall asleep. How do they call this sensor?

A simple search reveals a lot of anecdotes or news featuring aslept train operators, but I could not find any reference to that kind of sensor. I believe that it is called “main morte” in French but I could not confirm this and this expression also refers to some law from the middle-age, which makes validation or translation difficult.


texts: conversion of direct indirect speech having "let me..."

texts:
He said, "Let me ask you a question."

How can be this sentence be converted to indirect speech? Should it be:

  He said that he should ask me a question.