texts: "leaning up against the wall" vs "leaning against the wall"

texts:
Please help me to understand the difference between "leaning up against the wall" and "leaning against the wall".

I found this usage in a short story called "Casting Away" by Alice Munro. Here's the context:

  When she entered the Town Hall she always felt he might be there before her, leaning up against the wall awaiting her arrival.

Generally what does "up" change when it is used with other verbs?


texts:
I always have many confusions for singular or plural, should the cat be a cat, cats or simply cat:

  Human adopted many pets in history, for example cat, dog, etc...

  Human adopted cats in history.

  What cat do you eat?

  What kind of cats do you eat?

I just want to say a thing or a concept called "cat", it's unimportant wether there are many cats or not, but maybe "cat" should be regarded as a collected whole, so "cat" is inherently cats hence it should be cats?

The same for "kind" above.

BTW, I remember there are some special word combinations (maybe using prepositions?) that you don't need "s" after nor "a" before countable nouns, but I can't remember specific details, it would be really helpful that someone makes some such examples. (I assume "what" is one of the example?)


texts: Why ever use "the" for things that are obviously not unique?

texts:
My gears are grinded any time I read "we specialize in the Blockchain" and "such language runs on the JVM" etc.

If there are more than one specific thing, why not use "Blockchains" or "JVMs"?


texts: use plural, or singular with definite article

texts:
The following sentence is from my favourite English teacher on the internet.

  'Women play a more important role than ever in raising the family'

Why is it that "the family" is used? Shouldn't it be (their) families since the subject is "Women" which is plural.

I also wonder why it couldn't be
'Women play a more important role than ever in raising families'
The sentence is speaking that women (in general) are raising families (in general)
I do not know why but it does not sound very right to say families.

Because I have my rule in my grammar set back in a few years ago

  'Men (plural) have dicks (plural)'

It was confirmed that the sentence is correct by native English speaker so I thought 'Aha! when subject is plural and possess the object, then the object also becomes  plural! because man => a dick, men => dicks'. But the rule does't seem to be quite correct in many contexts.

Thanks


texts:
I'm confused with the use of "an abundance of something" in the following sentences. Can it take a singular or plural verb? Are both correct?

There is an abundance of shops.
There are an abundance of shops.


texts: are the uses of 'bare infinitive' & 'participle' same here?

texts:
I saw him sing
I saw him singing
In the first example, the verb sing  is used as bare infinitive and in the following one it is exemplified as a present participle.
My question is  if both of them are expressing the same meaning?


texts: "What has happened?" vs "What happened?"

texts:
What is the diference between the folowing phrases? They are equivalent anyway. Since that only emphasis make difference (like phrase with auxiliary "do") and time they refer to. Although I have seen that natives usually use  "What happened?" instead of "What has happened?" I'm wondering why? Moreover what is it "What happened?". The point is that it isn't a Perfect, Simple or any other construction.
Maybe it's too obvious but still.

  What has happened?
  What happened?
  What did happend?


texts: Position of 'such' as a determiner, before a noun

texts:
[Source:] Additionally, Breyer wrote that the Constitution itself imposed speech obligations on professional employees. For example, a prosecutor has a constitutional obligation to preserve, and to communicate with the defense about exculpatory evidence in the possession of the government.[10] Therefore, where there are both ♦ professional and constitutional such obligations, "the need to protect the employee’s speech is augmented, the need for broad government authority is likely diminished, and administrable standards are quite likely available." ...

1. What are the similarities and differences between placing such: at the lozenge (♦) vs its present location? The present sounds strange and wrong to me, but is it?

2. Am I right that in either of the 2 positions, such functions as a determiner here?


texts:
Like how you can say:

'I said it first' to mean that you said something first.

Can you also say:

'I said it second' to mean that you said something second? and would it sound natural?

I apologise in advance if this question sounds ridiculous.


texts: Is 'went down well' correct conjugation of 'go down well'?

texts:
I'm trying to construct a sentence where I would like to use the 'go down' phrasal verb.

The sentence I am working with is follows this pattern:

  They decided to play Mozart; it usually went down well with most clientele.

Is this the correct use of 'go down'?


texts:
What the negative past for the modal verb 'have to'?

affirmative sentence (present simple)

  He has to do it

negative sentence (present simple)

  He doesn't have to do it

positive sentence (past simple)

  He had to do it

negative sentence (past simple)

  He didn't have to do it - IS IT RIGHT?


texts: Is the construction of this long sentence idiomatic?

texts:
I am having a hard time trying to make this sentence grammatical, idiomatic and easily parsed; all at the same time.

  The UI program provides temporary income support to eligible unemployed workers while they actively seek new employment or obtain vocational training [comma?] and to those who take time off from work due to sickness, pregnancy, childbirth, or to provide care to a critically ill child or a sick family member with a significant risk of death.

I was told to add a comma after training. Given they are not independent clauses (one subject, UI program; and one verb, provides) I don't understand why there should be a comma.
I am confused about the second part. Is the usage of "or to" correct?

  "and to those who take time off from work due to sickness, pregnancy, childbirth, or to provide care..."

After trying for hours, I was suggested to use a run-in list alternative:

  The UI program provides temporary income support to (1) eligible unemployed workers while they actively seek new employment or obtain vocational training; and to (2) those who take time off from work due to sickness, pregnancy, childbirth, or to provide care to a critically ill child or a sick family member with a significant risk of death.


texts:
Good afternoon! I have a question about using these two tense forms, which I've written above. There is a sentence:

  [B4] "Back in the days before the car was/had been invented, the only personal means of transport were the horse and the bicycle. The first cars got their power from steam and gas..."

What is the difference between "was" and "had been" in this sentence? Which one to use?


texts:
Fill in the blank using verbs given in bracket.

Thomas failed all his exams and left school with no qualifications, yet this 30 year old fire fighter ______(go) into the Guinness book of records by reciting from memory 22,500 digits of mathematical constant pi.

Answer. I filled it with "went" the answer given in solutions is has gone.
Can someone please tell me why my answer is wrong.


texts: Can pronouns be used if who it is referring to is clear from the context?

texts:
Consider these sentences:

  John and Bill met at the airport. He invited him to his home.

One cannot make out who invited whom. However:

  John and Mary met at the airport. He invited her to his home.

Here, we can tell who invited whom. But this is because we "know" that Mary is a woman's name. Is it really correct to use pronouns this way?


texts: Is there any semantical or grammatical problem with the pattern "You should not X so that Y would not Z"?

texts:
You should not let yourself be arrested by the authorities so that his sacrifice would not have been in vain.

I heard the above was incorrect, but the person couldn't tell me why it was incorrect. What's the issue with it and what are the different ways to reword it.

I am thinking you could say:

You should not let yourself be arrested by the authorities so that his sacrifice would not be in vain.

But I don't see a problem with the first one, because we don't know exactly when the sacrifice was in vain or can be considered to be as such.


texts:
'It is important to take a break twice a day'
'It' is a dummy subject here, 'important' is working as an Adjective and but how this Infinitive clause'to take a break...' is working. Is it an Adverb as it has just come after the adjective 'important'?
We can re-write it as 'To take a break twice a day is important..and here Infinitive clause is a noun.


texts: Is "I'm afraid" natural to use in this situation?

texts:
Your father wants you to be a doctor.

  To disagree I said: I'm afraid I can't be a doctor. It is a very difficult job.

My question is: Is it convenient to use "I'm afraid" in such context?

If no why not?

I want to know the real use of "I'm afraid (that)"


texts: A common word to group statistics method: count, mean, sum, min, max, median?

texts:
count, mean, sum, min, max, median are usually used in statistics.
Is there a common word to group them?


texts: confused between work on /work for/work against/work to

texts:
whatever the tactic we had, just didn't work for them.

context: yesterday Barcelona lost to Liverpool 0-4.

I'm speaking as a Barcelona fan.
I'm not sure what preposition should be followed after "work".

what I want to mean is that our tactic didn't seem effective against Liverpool


texts: "I guess (so).", "I guess (that) ..." and "... , I guess."

texts:
When NAm.En native speakers say or reply with "I guess (so)",  "i guess (that) ..." and "... , I guess.",  what are the common different ways in which they use the word "guess" here as a verb in the aforementioned contexts?

I mean, can you help me with fully mastering how to use it informally in these different contexts? I didn't really find any of the good online English dictionaries out there to be that much of help or that useful with using it in its informal contexts and the other good online English dictionaries probably wouldn't be either.

So perhaps you could provide any tips you think that might better help with that.


texts:
Then in 1969 Herbert Ehrman's The Case that will not die marshaled the case for the defense as thoroughly as Montgomery and Russel had put the case for the prosecution.

This is an excerpt from the book Postmortem: New Evidence in the Case of Sacco and Vanzetti by William Young and David E. Kaiser. I know roughly what author wants to say: Ehrman asserts that Sacco and Vanzetti were innocent and adopted the point of view of the defense (in contrast to Russel and Montgomery). But what is the exact meaning of the verb "marshal for"? I am familiar with the meaning of this verb but it would imply that the author (Ehrman) chose the facts for his purpose and thus his book is manipulative.


texts: Difference between "Let someone taste" and "Have someone taste"

texts:
I tried a new recipe for coming guests. After cooking I let my sister taste it. Can I also say, "I had my sister taste it"?

I don't know the difference of these two sentences in terms of meaning. Is there a big difference? Which sentence is more appropriate?


texts: Is 'after 20 years sober' correct in 'In 2006, after 20 years sober, he checked himself into rehab for alcoholism'?

texts:
The piece of news from the Huffington Post reads...

  In 2006, after 20 years sober, he checked himself into rehab for alcoholism. He opened up about his struggles with addiction to alcohol and cocaine in a powerful interview with The Guardian and on "Good Morning America."

What sort of use is that? An adjective after a noun clause without any preposition? Or better use noun for that reason? ...after 20 years of soberness... or something the like?

I checked all the examples of the word sober here, on MW but none of them fits the structure of HP.


texts: Sometimes when i was communicating with English speakers they was using different past. Someone said me that i should use "I made" if I`m actually speaking about past. And now I wanna know what is the actual different.


texts: Can the determiner, "that", appear as a formal subject in this sentence?

texts:
Soon after that, a very strange person stepped out from the trees into the light of the lamp-post.

So, my question is, can the determiner that appear as a formal subject in this sentence. It is pointing back on something that has happened before, isn't it?


texts: Whose and whereof (and of which), are they equivalent?

texts:
In simple terms, as grammar confuses me too easily, I am wondering if they are of the same nature, if they can be used interchangeably, regardless of the wish to be  formal.
To me they are not as the example shows:

the illness of which he died
the illness whereof he died

but not

the illness whose he died

But in a more usual sentence, I am not good enough in english to be  able pin down the reason why we can say:

my work, the purpose of which is ....
my work, whose the purpose is ....
my work, whereof the purpose is ....

When to use whereof and not whose, or whose and not whereof ?
Well whereof is also possessive, from OED,

II.II rel. Of which.

6.II.6 Of which, in objective senses (of X).
7.II.7 Of which or whom, in partitive sense (of XIII).    Also with ellipsis of antecedent as obj. of a vb.: = some or something of which
(of 45).
8.II.8 Of which, in possessive and related senses (of XIV).

Form this, it would be all right to say,

the man whereof the dog...
the man whose (the?) dog


texts:
dogs are small
dogs are small animals
a dog is small
a dog is a small animal

I am wondering if the above sentences make sense?


texts: Does "I'm on it" mean "I'm doing it" or "I'm going to do it"?

texts:
This is a simple question. As the title says, what would it mean in this given context:

  A: Can you check this?

  B: I'm on it.

In this case, when B says "I'm on it", does he mean he already started the checking and is continuing it, or he will be checking it sooner or later (but not sure when he will be checking it)? What is B trying to convey exactly here? Thanks!

Updated with my research on the web. It seems to me that the phrase could be interpreted either ways. What do your native speakers think?


texts:
The girl's clothes are more expensive than the boys.
      The camel is called as the ship of the dessert.

My sister said these things; are they correct? I'm wondering if the grammar is correct here.


texts:
a. Now would be a good time to play the guitar if my hand wasn't broken yesterday.

b. Now would have been a good time to play the guitar if my hand wasn't broken yesterday.

c. Now would have been a good time to play the guitar if my hand hadn't been broken yesterday.

d. Now would be a good time to play the guitar if my hand hadn't been broken yesterday.

Which of the sentences (a), (b), (c) and (d) is grammatically correct?

My hand was broken yesterday. If that hadn't happened now would be a good time to play the guitar. But I can't play the guitar now, and now is not a good time to play the guitar.

The event in the 'if-clause' is in the past, but the event in the main clause is in the present.

I changed the examples to clarify what I was after. I think we have a mixed conditional here.

Many thanks.


texts:
"I - so what if I did?" said Harry.

  "So, Dirk Cresswell is ten times the wizard you are," said Mr Weasley quietly, as the lift sank ever lower. "And if he survives Azkaban, you'll have to answer to him, not to mention his wife, his sons and his friends -"

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

What's "ten times the wizard you are" supposed to mean?


texts: does this series of adjectives need to be separated with "and" or a comma?

texts:
an eloquent delicate female voice

can I string these together without using "and"?


texts: Should I say "There are (a) very few animals there" with an article or not?

texts:
When I'm saying the sentence

  "There are (a) very few animals there"

should I add it an article (after the word "are") or not?


texts: hormone treatment (hence the well-built structure of today’s pre-teens) additives?

texts:
The italicized part evades me. What is the connection between hormone treatment additives and the well-built structure of today's pre-teens? I mean,
why is that a cause-effect relationship? Has the well-built structure of today’s pre-teens been brought about by hormone treatment additives? Maybe I lack common sense or something.

  If we are what we eat, what is your teenage child? A bag of chicken
  and chips? A kebab? Litres of fizzy drink? The benefits of healthy
  eating and exercise are well documented and it is silly of us, as
  parents, to think we can feed our teens mostly junk food then expect
  them to perform at their best. In this age of pesticides, hormone
  treatment (hence the well-built structure of today’s pre-teens)
  additives, etc. that are in foods, both parents and teens need to
  understand that mental and physical well-being are aligned with what
  we eat. Depression, aggression, lack of focus, headaches and so much
  more can be alleviated with the right foods. Be open to this, for
  yourself and your young person.

source : Top Tips for Raising Today's Teens: If You Are Raising Teenagers, Use These Strategies, Exercises and Top Tips
by Martha Matthews


texts: What's the meaning of "The prospect of big national savings is what's driving the case for more energy-efficient lighting"?

texts:
From NPR

Hefner replaced some low-efficiency bulbs in Cole's home with energy-saving bulbs. Then the host said it will save a lot of money for her on her electric bill, then:

  The prospect of big national savings is what's driving the case for more energy-efficient lighting.

I guess "case" means the situation where people use energy-saving bulbs, but what's the meaning of "driving" here? What's the meaning of the whole sentence?


texts: difference between like to be and like being (pleasure or not)

texts:
In West Side Story's America song there is this sentence (sung by the girls):

  “I like to be in America”

Why not:

  “I like being in America”

Is it like this other sentence:

  "I like to brush my teeth 3 times a day"

meaning it is a habit and if I don't do it, I don't feel good but it is not something I really like doing it is something I am used to now? Or is it because it is a temporary state (they won't live in the USA until they die)?


texts:
As fas as I know, "have to" is the commoner version of the two,
but I'm finding more and more that "having to" is also used instead of "have to".

She has to / is having to look after herself now.

Are both freely interchangeable without any difference in meaning?
If any,I want to know what is the difference between the two and when you use "having to" more preferably than the other.

Proper contexts with good examples to be given will be very helpful to me.


texts: Is it appropriate for Granny to say "**honey**" to Grandson?

texts:
Picture this, a granny prepares a dinner for her grandson.

  Grandson: thank you, granny.

Granny pats the child on the head and says

  Granny: That's OK my honey.

In this kind of scenario, is it appropriate for Granny to say "honey"?


texts: Is the sentence "What social problems exist in big cities" grammatically correct?

texts:
An English class use this as the topic for students.

  What social problems exist in big cities

Typically, to construct a wh-question, one needs to use an auxiliary verb, such as "do/does", which the quoted sentence doesn't have one. So, is the sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Comment adverbs: "obviously" and "understandably"

texts:
I'm doing an exercise on comment adverbs, and I got the wrong answer when I tried to connect "obviously" and "understandably" to their respective reason for using them.

Try it yourself first and please explain the reason for your guess.

-

Obviously, ...
Understandably, ...

-

I think this is generally clear and accepted by people
I think this idea makes sense.

-


texts: Is this construct 'acting opposite to' idiomatic?

texts:
Consider this expression

  He has been acting very weird lately. He is acting opposite to how he usually does.

What I am trying to say here is that 'He is usually very calm and relaxed, but he has been very very tensed lately.' So is the second expression idiomatic in the given context.


texts:
I text my friend:

  Hey,you still on for lunch?

Instead of this, can I use:

  Hey,you still up for lunch?

Are "on" and "up" interchangeable in this context?


texts: Can you help me with "Reason why s + v / Reason to ~" sentence pattern

texts:
I'd like to say there's not any reason why I go to a bank because I always use internet banking. In this situation, Can I say like this?

  I don't have any reasons to go to a bank.

To infinitive is modifying a reason, and I think it is right.

  I don't have a reason I have to go to a bank.

Clause( I have to go to a bank) is modifying a reason, and I think it's right.

  There's not any reason for me to go to a bank.

For ~ to infinitive is modifying any reason and I think it's right.

Am I right to think this way?


texts:
I felt surprisingly smooth and relaxed as I rounded the first turn and found myself making up the stagger on the runners on my outside.
  —http://blog.oregonlive.com/runoregon/2008/07/allcomers_meet_joes_report.html

What does “making up the stagger” mean in that context?


texts: The use of the Past Simple after the Present Perfect

texts:
Tell me please if I used the right tense in the following sentences.

  I have stumbled into the word that I cannot understand. I looked it up in a few dictionaries, but still have a hard time understanding it.

Would it be better to use the Present Perfect in the second sentence or the Past Simple is ok there?


texts: What should I use here: “sure if” or “sure that”?

texts:
We are not sure if he is coming to the party
We are not sure that he is coming to the party

Which one is grammatically correct and why?


texts: Verb: Cover the cost or get a higher return?

texts:
I wonder if there exists a verb that indicates covering the costs or getting a higher return. It would be either a transitive verb preceding "investment" or "cost", or simply an intransitive verb.
For instance, in this thread I see that the cost of training a model would be extremely expensive. I know big giants like Google and Facebook can afford that and can "earn back" the investment since they have large-scale deployments and massive users. But for most companies, it would be highly risky since they cannot get a net positive ROI basing on their market size.
I can use "回本" in Chinese to express that the return covers the cost(and most times implying that the return would be greater than the cost). For instance, "我回本了"(literally, I have [the verb] [the investment]), "这钱能回本吗？(literally, can this money [the verb]?)".
I know there maybe not exist such a verb, then how do you express that in a native way?


texts:
In my mother tongue, there is an idiom which is roughly translated as:

  The sun will rise even if the rooster doesn't crow.

It is a lesson that one shouldn't be arrogant in one's ability, because even though they think that they are doing something important, in reality, it might be something trivial and/or someone else might be even better at doing it. Is there an equivalent (or close enough) idiom in English that I could use?

I want to use it in a story where an rich man refuses to make a contribution to an important social cause, with an air of pomp and arrogance, followed by another character saying something like, "Don't be so arrogant and think that if you don't contribute, this (social cause) won't happen. We will find another way to do it. The sun will rise even if the rooster doesn't crow."

The story behind this idiom is that the rooster observed that the sun always rises after he crows in the morning, and so decided that it was his crowing that made the sun rise. He became arrogant on realising this and decided that if he doesn't get up and crow the next day, the sun won't rise and everyone will beg him to crow. Of course, things did not turn out that way, and his arrogance was shattered the next morning when the sun rose "anyway" and he realised that nobody even noticed that the rooster did not crow.


texts: Where is the stomach derived from or where the stomach is derived from?

texts:
What is the correct grammatical way to ask my question, when I mean to ask about the place (in embriology) that the organ is derived from?

a) Where is the stomach derived from?

b) What is the stomach derived from?

c) Where the stomach is derived from?

d) What the stomach is derived from?


texts:
which phrase really exists?

(Situation between two persons)

  Question: how far does a mother's love can be?

  Answer: more than you can imagine

  or

  more than you could have ever imagined

Do these two exist or just one?


texts:
The phrase "have one too many" means "be slightly drunk."
But I am curious about the structure of "one too many."
Specifically, what kind of role does "one" play in the phrase?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
Which disease you suffer from?

On the internet I came across this title. Is it grammatically OK? I know that in some types of questions (for example: who loves you?) is "do" ommitted. But I think that my sentence in not that case. So what is the correct question: Which disease you suffer from? or Which disease do you suffer from?


texts:
According to a South African study, men who ate their morning meals over the course of several hours ate 30% fewer calories at lunch and reported reduced feelings of hunger.

I am not quite sure how to parse the sentence.

And I am also not sure the meaning of 'ate their morning meals over the course of several hours'. Does it mean  'ate morning meals for several hours'?

What's the grammar for 'reported reduced feelings of hunger'?


texts:
At a bank
Teller: "Well, let's see... this money that you're depositing comes to almost $100."
Boy: "Right".
Teller: "So, if you put this into a savings account and save it for several months, we have the use of your money for those months."
Boy: "Oh, so you borrow my money for several months."
Teller: "Yes, but that's where the interest comes in, because we pay you for lending us your money. We pay you interest."

What does "the interest comes in" mean?


texts: Can I use a comma between "so «adjective»" and "that «clause»"?

texts:
Now I am writing a scientific paper, and I want to write a sentence as follows:

  A has a chemical composition so similar to that of B that it also has a high potential.

As you can see, the first 'that' is used to substitute for 'chemical composition', and the second 'that' is used to introduce the following clause.

However, I am so worried because it seems to confusing due to the repetition of 'that'. (Because I am not a native, I cannot make a sentence with assurance...)

So, I tried to use a comma before the second 'that', but I don't know if it will be a correct sentence.


texts: Regarding the definite article 'the' in "out of the question"

texts:
Although she is a hard working girl, her victory in this competition is out of the question.

Why is the definite article 'The' used in the above sentence before 'question'?  Is there any rule behind this?


texts:
Someone told me " I got it "equals " I have got it "?

But why in the class I heard my teacher say: "Did you get it?"

"Do you get it?" is fine?


texts: they went in search of "a" wagon, to take him to "the" zoo

texts:
Sometime later, a few hunters captured the lion, and tied him to a tree. After that they went in search of a wagon, to take him to the zoo. The Lion and the Mouse

Why does the writer use a (indefinite article) with wagon and the (definite article) with zoo?

What I think: they want to find any wagon and get it to move the loin to specific zoo. and this zoo either associated (maybe they work at it) with them somehow or there is one zoo in the region.


texts: "Help + noun/pronoun+ to verb, to verb, verb " or "Help + noun/pronoun+ to verb, verb, verb "

texts:
The United States has provided billions of dollars to help
  them train more teachers, to modernize
  transportation, to improve health care, to promote the
  rights of workers and women, and produce food more
  efficiently.

Look at this sentence - According to the rule the writer has used bare infinitive before (train) but why she used (to) infinitive for others serial comma.And again she has chosen bare infinitive before (produce). I am confused.

What if I write:

The United States has provided billions of dollars to help
them train more teachers, modernize
transportation, improve health care, promote the
rights of workers and women, and produce food more
efficiently.

Does it sound bad?


texts:
In comedy movie Seeking a Friend for the end of the world, Penny say this words to Dodge in car:

  Penny: My dry cleaner. Meatball subs at Zuzu's. Mmm.

  Dodge: Mmm. . . Mmm-hmm.

  Penny:Uh. . . Ducks pond in the summertime. Mmm, riding the subway.

  Dodge: Oh, you lost me there. Nobody misses the subway.


texts:
In a poem named Choosing Their Names by Thomas Hood I found the word scratchaway which according to the summary means quarrelsome.

One is a tortoise-shell, yellow and black,
With plenty of white about him;
If you tease him, at once he sets up his back:
He’s a quarrelsome one, ne’er doubt him.
I think we shall call him this –
I think we shall call him that –
Now don’t you think that Scratchaway
Is a nice name for a cat?

But I found nothing about this on googling this.


texts: What does "This account may be true in itself" mean?

texts:
I don't understand what the sentence below say, please help me.

  in and of itself
  It is also put simply as in itself, as in: “This account may be true in itself.”

Reference: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/in-and-of-itself.


texts:
We have two sets of sentences:

  1.a) I have been living here for 3 months.

  1.b) I have lived here for 3 months.

and

  2.a) I have been building the house for 3 months.

  2.b) I have built the house for 3 months.

In the first set, do the first and second sentences mean the same?
What about the second set? Do the sentences mean the same? If not, what are the difference between them?


texts: Can the definite article be used with special days or holidays?

texts:
Is it possible to use the definite article with holidays and special days like Flag Day and Valentine's Day? For instance, are "the Flag Day", "the Valentine's Day", or "the Christmas" correct?

I'm wondering because people can use either "the earth" or "Earth" and be grammatically correct with either one.


texts: the meaning of "I would not for twenty thousand pounds"

texts:
There left him and rode south, to find the king at Hampton Court. Who
  says to George, ‘I would not for twenty thousand pounds that the
  cardinal had died.’

  — Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

It seems that the king is shocked and expresses disbelief of the cardinal's death. Why twenty thousand pounds? can it be any large amount?


texts:
We talked about the boy with a gun from the countryside.

PP Phrases add information to nouns or verbs, but if there is more than one noun in a clause,
Does it cause ambiguity?

Like the example sentence above(may be kind of silly),
is it the boy that is from the countryside or is it the gun that is from the countryside?

  The world of turmoil in China.

Same question here, of turmoil will obvioulsy describe world,
but what about the PP in China,does it describe turmoil or the world?


texts: 'Gaining' instead of 'gain' in "while gain nothing for themselves at all"

texts:
Individuals sacrifice their own benefits for others while gain nothing for themselves at all.

In this sentence which I composed myself, I feel gain should be changed to gaining, but I cannot explain why, so what's the correct form? why?


texts: Can a preposition be used without an object?

texts:
I'm confused about the role of "from" in the sentence

  Where I'm from, nobody talks to me like that.

According to Merriam-Webster, "from" is always a preposition (unlike e.g. "on", which can be a preposition, an adverb or an adjective.) But if "from" is a preposition in the sentence above, then where is its object?


texts: do the modal verb + have + past participle sentences always imply imagination, regret or the opposition of reality, etc?

texts:
I want to use the form 'shouldn't have p.p' for a sentence which has a sense of obligation
Google search says, 'Shouldn't have + past participle' means that something wasn't a good idea, but you did it anyway.
Even In this explanation, it more focuses on the subjunctive usage.
But for me, the shouldn't verb + have + p.p form looks more like 'should not' in the past tense
(I know 'should not' could be used for the past tense, even though it doesn't look at all to me.)
So is it possible that the 'shouldn't have p.p' form has the same meaning as 'were not supposed to' or 'should not'? As above, just the meaning itself 'something wasn't a good idea', without the feeling of regret or the sense of subjunctive?


texts:
I have to comment on the following situation using an if clause (i.e. write a conditional sentence regarding the given situation) :

  They never agree to anything I suggest. That's how they lost that house which was a bargain.

I cannot decide between

  If they agreed to my suggestion, they wouldn't have lost that house which was a bargain.

and

  If they had agreed to my suggestion, they wouldn't have lost that house which was a bargain.

Semantically, I believe that the first sentence is correct, but it doesn't sound grammatically correct to me. This is why I want to see what you think about this.


texts: "I take it you're not sorry?" meaning in this context

texts:
“You buried the elf,” he said, sounding unexpectedly rancorous. “I watched you from the window of the bedroom next door.”

  “Yes,” said Harry. Griphook looked at him out of the corners of his slanting black eyes. “You are an unusual wizard, Harry Potter.”

  “In what way?” asked Harry, rubbing his scar absently.

  “You dug the grave.” “So?”

  Griphook did not answer. Harry rather thought he was being sneered at for acting like a Muggle, but it did not much matter to him whether Griphook approved of Dobby's grave or not. He gathered himself for the attack.

  "Griphook, I need to ask - "

  "You also rescued a goblin. "

  "What?"

  "You brought me here. Saved me."

  "Well, I take it you're not sorry?" said Harry, a little impatiently.

  "No, Harry Potter," said Griphook, and with one finger he twisted the thin, black beard upon his chin, "but you are a very odd wizard."

  .... ...

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I don't understand what Harry means by "I take it you're not sorry?" in this context. How should we understand it?


texts:
I want to say that a specific error is not new, and has been there in the past. Here is how I would say it:

This error was there before.

It feels to me like this is not how a native English speaker would say it. What would be a better phrasing?


texts: In terms of meaning "recently", what is the difference between just & only?

texts:
Note: This post is different to that one (https://ell.stackexchange.com/a/168095/95044), which does not talk about the meaning of "recently".

Imagine, there is an appointment at a caffe, I am late for 10 minutes, when I arrive at the caffe, my friend is already in there. I say: "I'm so sorry! I am late". My friend says: "Nah, I am just arrived".

In the scenario above, "just" is more appropriate than "only", why?


texts:
“In the feast of Christmas,” says Stow in his “Survey,” “there was in the King's House, wheresoever he lodged, a Lord of Misrule, or Master of merry disports, and the like had ye in the house of every nobleman of honour or good worship, were he spiritual or temporal.

So a lord of misrule is in the King's house? What does "and the like had ye in the house of every nobleman of honour or good worship, were he spiritual or temporal." mean and which part of the sentence does it link to?


texts: Are some offensive words always masculine?

texts:
I have an interesting question which has got me thinking lately. You see, there are some nouns that I have always seen be used as masculine such as the words "fucker" and "motherfucker" (which I am sorry for mentioning). So to keep it short, I would like to know whether they can be used as feminine or not. Like always used to insult men and not used to offend women.

I understand this can be taken as rude but I just thought I would ask.


texts:
I moved to the UK (Scotland), as non native English speaker.
Since then I discovered, for example, that when somebody offers you something, and you don’t want it, you can’t just simply say “No” (as in my native language). To not sound rude/passive aggressive you need to say “No, thank you”.

Similar problem, I was asked in free time by person in charge of me (manager) and who is two times older “Can I have a lighter, please”. If I translate this question to my native language, “please”  in this case seems very submissive and is a big no-no in this exact question.

Same thing with ability to being able to speak “per you”/without adding title/small talk with older people or saying hi/hello, instead of more formal forms while greeting strangers.

Asking this kind of question in real world make me look like some ghetto man/barbarian, natives at first often don’t realize that some things are just different in different cultures.

The question is, can I learn about English language related manners not the hard way? How to not sound rude/passive aggressive without being too official?


texts:
There is a sentence "It is dark down below", which I met in a song.
Why is there the word "below"? What are the differences between

  It is dark down below

and

  It is dark down

?


texts:
"It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere –– the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.
-- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

What does smiles become fixed mean?
(1) They all are happy enough to keep their smiles.
(2) They become nervous after the headmaster’s notice, the third-floor corridor is out of bounds. For it suggests protecting philosopher’s stone, and it also means imminent attack for it from You-Know-Who.


texts: Are there any solid reasons for the "-st", "-nd", "-rd", and "-th" suffixes for numbers?

texts: Is there any reason why we say 1st, 2nd, 3rd and the rest (4, 5,.. 10,..) are all -th except the one ending in 1, 2, 3? Why does it change specifically for 1, 2, 3?


texts:
Can I say

  go to the centre?

Or there is difference in the meaning between

  into the centre
  to the centre


texts:
I have been told that the following sentence is wrong:

  I'd like you to indicate me the place

Supposedly, I should say "I'd like you to indicate the place to me" instead. Is that right? If so, why ? For instance, I could use the synonym "to show" in that exact way: I'd like you to show me the place. I thought I could always choose the order of the direct and indirect objects after a bitransitive verb.


texts: When in order to prevent someone from getting upset you want to clarify the subject of your words

texts:
How to say: the person who I'm talking about is not you, so take no offence?
I have several similar and self-made sentences listed below, but have no any idea which one works correctly in this sense and which one doesn't and what is the best/most common way to convey this message:

  I wasn't implying that it was you!
  I wasn't implying you by that.
  I'm not implying that it is you!
  I'm not implying you by that.
  I don't mean that it was you.
  I don't mean you by that.


texts: Can progressive (to be +verbing ) be used to indicate the importance of an action or an event?

texts:
We are very pleased to be releasing this new MIDNITE SNAXXX
  record! It is a classic two song single, same recording session as the
  single that was released on Goodbye Boozy Records a couple of months
  ago.

Why to be releasing? Because when this ad was written, the record had been already finished and pressed and was in the shop, so the action of releasing was completed.

Is it to express the importance of the release, that is a record not to miss?


texts:
Can ' The ' be used infront of Full moon?
Yesterday I saw.... Fullmoon.   Or Yesterday I saw the Full moon.


texts: Why should we say "play the piano" instead of "play a piano"?

texts: We can say "ride a bike", "drive a car", why should we say "play the piano" instead of "play a piano"?


texts: what does "theme" and "come out" mean in this context?

texts:
But I do a lot of expert witness testimony
  What's your recommendation for handling cross-examination
  [LAUGH] Specifically, specifically a hostile one.
  I feel like I'm being cross-examined.
  It's very hostile.
  [LAUGH].
  In any speaking situation that you go into that has some planned element to it I
  recommend identifying certain themes, that you think are important or
  believe need to come out.
  And then with each one of those themes have some examples and
  concrete evidence that you can use to support it.


texts: Do I have to repeat possessive pronouns in a list?

texts:
Would it be okay to write:

Nevertheless, we will analyze it because of its straightforward computation, prevalence in research and lack of qualitatively different results with other measures.

or do I have to repeat the possessive pronoun?

Nevertheless, we will analyze it because of its straightforward computation, its prevalence in research and lack of qualitatively different results with other measures.


texts: Using definite article before abbreviations

texts:
Consider this part of a technical article.

  Approaches to boilerplate detection typically exploit DOM-
  level features of segments by means of handcrafted rules or trained classifiers, or they identify common, i.e., frequently used segments or patterns/shingles on a website ..... Yi et al. simplify the DOM structure by deriving a so-called Site Style Tree which is then used for classification [26]. Baluja [2] employs decision tree learning and entropy reduction for template detection at DOM level.

DOM is abbreviation for Document Object Model, in this article sometimes it is used with "the" and sometimes without it, Why? As I checked another document, they may use the DOM tree but DOM trees.

I guess as the DOM tree and the DOM structure is unique, they use "the"

In general, are there rules for definite article and abbreviations?


texts:
Does the phrase "I once was going an appendectomy" mean "I once was going to receive an operation - appendectomy"? But what follows appears to point out the speaker himself is a doctor who does appendectomy for his patients. Does the phrase mean that the doctor himself became a patient to receive the operation?

I once was going an appendectomy. I cut into my patient’s abdomen and immediately get a weird feeling. When I looked inside, my heart dropped.

Source: Factinate tweeted


texts: Meaning of "gathering stone" in song lyrics

texts:
I need explanation of a line in lyrics by Glen Hansard from the song "Moving On." I struggle to understand the meaning of "(not here) gathering stone".

  Well, If you've got blood in your heart
  If you've got flesh on your bones
  You should be playing your part here
  Not rushing off all alone
  We should be planning on our windfall
  Not here gathering stone

Or listen to the song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSM52xsuyXs

Vaclav -- Czech Rep.

I'm tired sitting around and waiting
For things that ain't gonna come
I want it all on the table
I wanna know what Ive done
I should be singing your praises
Not here banging this drum
Im tired sitting around and waiting
I am moving on
Moving on
I remember the first time I met you
Your heart was cold like a stone
You said Id better forget you řekla
Id better leave you alone
But then you reached right inside me
You showed my heart where was home
I remember the first time I met you
I felt my time had come
I felt my time had come
I felt my time had come
Well, If youve got blood in your heart
If youve got flesh on your bones
You should be playing your part here
Not rushing off all alone
We should be planning on our windfall
Not here gathering stone
If youve got blood in your heart
Yeah, your time has come
I am tired thinking about you baby jsem unavený
I am waiting for you to come
One day youre gonna leave me maybe
and I will be long gone
I should be planning on our windfall
And not here banging this drum
I am tired thinking about you baby
I am moving on
I am moving on
I am moving on


texts: Is "You're damn right it is." correct grammatically? Whether right or not, would you give me an explanation about this line, please?

texts:
I would like to ask you a question about a line from a movie.

  You're damn right it is.

The above line is from the tail-part (Is this word proper? maybe 'back' or 'last' would be right instead of 'tail'. Please would you also let me know about this?) of the movie, Spit on Your Grave 3.
It is what the angry female main character says.

Is that sentence correct grammatically? It looks like it consists of two clauses.
Is a conjunction "that" omitted in between "right" and "it"?

Thank you.


texts:
Is or can be

  Have you been, Jack?

short for

  How have you been, Jack?


texts: I saw a sentence on instagram: "make yourself protagonist". Shouldn't it be "make yourself be a protagonist"?


texts: What is the word for an example to illustrate the contrast?

texts:
For example, “She has a big blue book” can be said as “She has a big and blue book”, so you cannot use a hyphen between “big” and “blue.” As a counter example, "He is a world-famous singer" cannot be said as "He is a world and famous singer", so you should join the words with a hyphen.

I am writing the sentence above, but cannot come up with an appropriate expression to alternatively use in the place of the bold-faced one. I googled the expression as a counter example, but I think this expression is maybe so uncommon that little articles used such an expression. Can anyone recommend some expressions that I can use instead of that?


texts:
For every proposition p, (p or not-p) is true.
For any proposition p, (p or not-p) is true.

The meaning is that "no matter what proposition you put instead of p, (p or not-p) is true.

Which one is a better choice? On the Internet there is more with "any" that with "every". Which is more idiomatic?


texts:
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/scrap_2

Carriers face the potential of taking drastic action — including permanent cuts in capacity and increased scrapping — if there is a prolonged downturn in demand caused by successive outbreaks of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), maritime consultancy Drewry said Tuesday.

Source: https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/container-lines/carriers-could-make-permanent-capacity-cuts-prolonged-downturn-drewry_20200714.html


texts: "To follow his example, we will best be rewarded if we strive instead to listen always to the dictates of reason."

texts:
I got this sentence of a book.

To follow his example, we will best be rewarded if we strive instead to listen always to the dictates of reason.

The position of the adverb "always" seems odd to me, Is that so because the emphasis is on the main verb (after the main verb)?


texts: Is there any difference between "I won't do" "I'm not going to do" and "I am not doing" when refusing to do something you've been told to?

texts:
Is there any difference between I won't do I'm not going to do and I am not doing when refusing to do something you've been told to? For example:

Sara asked me to do her homework. I won't do that.
Sara asked me to do her homework. I'm not going to do that.
Sara asked me to do her homework. I'm not doing that.


texts: "She is floating in (OR) on the water" when two-thirds of her body is below the water surface?

texts:
Is it natural to say, "She is floating in the water" or "She is floating on the water", when two-thirds of her body is below the water surface?

The dictionaries say "There was something floating in the river." (source) and

"The boat floated on the calm sea." (source)


texts: "no words occurred to him that did not seem hollow and insincere" meaning

texts:
He looked at Mrs Tonks, wanting to apologise for the state of fear in which he left her and for which he felt so terribly responsible, but no words occurred to him that did not seem hollow and insincere.

  "I'll tell Tonks - Dora - to send word, when she ... thanks for patching us up, that's for everything. I -"

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I don't quite understand the structure of the sentence, especially the that-clause. Is that-clause modifying something? What's the sentence saying exactly? Can we replace 'that' with 'which' in this case?


texts: Question about meaning of "footprint" , "uniform" , ""uniformity" , "apply" and "scope" in this piece of news

texts:
Beef cattle need 28 times more land and 11 times more irrigation water than pork, poultry, eggs or dairy. The research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. While it has long been known that beef has a greater environmental impact than other meats, the authors of this paper say theirs is the first to quantify the scale in a comparative way.
Beef footprint
The researchers developed a uniform methodology that they were able to apply to all five livestock categories and to four measures of environmental performance. "We have a sharp view of the comparative impact that beef, pork, poultry, dairy and eggs have in terms of land and water use, reactive nitrogen discharge, and greenhouse gas emissions," lead author Prof Gidon Eshel, from Bard College in New York, told BBC News. "The uniformity and expansive scope is novel, unique, and important," he said. The scientists used data from from 2000-2010 from the US department of agriculture to calculate the amount of resources required for all the feed consumed by edible livestock. They then worked out the amount of hay, silage and concentrates such as soybeans required by the different species to put on a kilo of weight.

Based on my perception perception the word apply might mean use . But I am not sure whether I'm right or not. My perception also tells me that the word uniform has to do with  the words alike or similar.
I am wondering if anybody here could simplify the meaning of these words for me, not the meaning of the sentences, just the meaning of these words in simple English.
A million thanks in advance.


texts:
I came across this phrase/these words while reading a novel. What does it mean?
Like If I say :

  I cried myself.
  I wanted to cry myself.

Does it mean crying over oneself? I mean crying over something wrong one has done?

Here is the quote where I read it:

  A queer look came over John Arable's face. He seemed almost ready to cry himself.

Chapter 1, Charlotte's Web


texts: Can the pronoun "it" be used in this case?

texts:
I answered a question on a Q&A site.  I got a message of gratitude from the questioner.

She said the following sentence to me.

  Thank you! I didn’t believe someone would actually answer to such a long question

So I responded like this:

  no problem! hoping it'll help you.

I said "it'll help you" without thinking much. After this responding, I wondered if that "it" works properly.

I used "it" to indicate "my answer" because "it" refers to what both a speaker and a listener know, so I thought  "it" can be used on that rule.

However, I'm not sure but I think I should have used "my answer" instead of "it".

Please tell me if this use of "it" is correct.


texts:
Can I use these shortened expressions without a subject?

Closed in 10 days after 20.7.
Closing after 10 days from 20.7.

When I want to say, e.g.: The bank account will be closed after 10 days from 20. July.


texts:
Do ordered to and ordered from have different meanings?

I feel like you use ordered from if you have received the order already.

Use ordered to if you have not received the order yet.

For example,

When your friend asks "Where did you get this pizza? This is delicious!". You would say "This pizza was ordered from Pizza Hut"

When your parent asked you to order a pizza. After you have placed an order, your parent asks you which pizza brand you ordered and you tell them "I ordered it to Pizza Hut"

Is this right? Or do you use ordered from for both examples?


texts:
I just want to know that why I can't use "very" in this sentence instead of "so":

  "She became very frustrated with the lack of feedback from her boss that she decided to look for another job."

In my opinion, "so" and "very" both have the same meaning, don't they?


texts: Difference between 'three time' and 'three times'

texts:
He is a [three time] member of lok sabha.

  He is a [three times] member of lok sabha.

What is the difference between above two?


texts:
I wonder if 'audience' has an extended or practical meaning. In the following tech document I see a phrase Developer Audience but I can't understand what it means.
I know what Audience means but presume the meaning as 'notice' in the context. Or is it the formal expression of 'listen!'?
Developer Audience


texts:
Can we use myself at the beginning of a number of nouns, as in the following sentence:

  My family consists of myself, my wife and our three children.


texts:
Which one is more correct:

  “Ageing is more and more difficult for many people”

or

  “Ageing is the more and more difficult for many people”


texts: What does "The skis who dreamed it all up" mean?

texts:
I heard in a YouTube video this line:

  There's a particular schadenfreude to imagining a bunch of rich kids eating sad cheese sandwiches and sleeping in FEMA tents, and an even bigger schadenfreude to imagining the skis eating chili in the mess hall. (source)

The skis supposedly refers to the con artist Billy McFarland. But what does "skis" mean here? Or did I mishear it? I don't think it is "git" or "kid".


texts: When it comes to some repetitive/repetitious (words / excuses) in an argument

texts:
Let's imagine you are arguing with someone pursuant to an old matter after a short time gap. Some new events make you feel that you will probably hear some new excuses/words from the person you are arguing with. But again he starts talking about the same old words and just repeats the excuses he/she had made before!
What would you say here as a disapproval?

  — These are all repetitive words/excuses.
  — These are all repetitious words/excuses.

Also, I wonder if it would be possible to say:

  Your words / excuses have become repetitive to me.
  Your words / excuses have become repetitious to me.

Based on dictionaries, they both work semantically, but I guess they are not the ways a native would say the same thing.

Repetitive:

  Involvingdoing or saying the same thing several times, especially in a way that is boring:
  A repetitive job/task.

Repetitious:

  Filled with unnecessary and boring things expressed or happening in the same way many times:
  The movie got a little repetitious after the third car chase.


texts:
Hold on, I am not asking the difference between when to use "the", "a", or "an".

My question is, when to use the.  For example:

  Do not cross in front of bus;

or

  Do not cross in front of the bus;

Similarly,

  Check if we can reach target from source;

of

  Check if we can reach the target from the source;

Are there some definitive rules about when (and when not) to use the articles (especially the the)?

Me?  Well, I have the habit of using (or rather overusing) the article the.  Hence the question.


texts:
I can't recall exactly.. someone was saying something like..
To mean "Thanks for that" is it "I have you to thank for that" or "You have me to thank for that"?


texts:
Can I use at the latest in a question while asking for nearest possible deadline as in the following:

  When can you complete it at the latest?

(I want to mean:  What is the nearest day in future before which there is no possibility to complete it?)

If not, then how should I reword it?


texts: Can I tell someone I am 'Glad you have it resolved'?

texts:
having a bit of a confusion how to properly format a sentence:

  Glad you have it resolved

But this seems right too:

  Glad you have resolved it

My gut tells me both are correct, although not sure about the first one. Or should it be

  Glad you got it resolved

What is the most proper way?


texts:
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crimea-euphoria-fades-russians-104555489--business.html

  After weeks of saying visa bans and asset freezes imposed by the European Union and United States against a number of firms and officials close to Putin could not harm the economy, Russian leaders are increasingly testy over the damage wrought if not by the current sanctions, then by the threat of more.

Is that a common phrase? What does that exactly mean?


texts: Can the pattern "How+modifier+noun" be used like this: "How old a kid stole the package?"

texts:
In the following sentence:

  A seven year old kid stole the package.

How can I ask about the kid's age?

I know structures like

  How old was the kid who stole the package?

But what about

  How old a kid stole the package?

I've come across the pattern "How+modifier+noun" in this question:

  How big a tv should I buy?

But I am not sure if it was asked by a native speaker.
I'd like to know if the pattern can be used in my example about age, since every part of speech seems to be the same in both.

Also, I Know this structure:

  What size shirt do you wear?

Can we use this pattern to ask about age, as in

  What age kid stole the package?


texts: Some words starting with vowels, preceded by 'an' instead or 'a'

texts:
We've all been taught in primary school how we're supposed to use 'an' instead of 'a' when we talk about an object whose name starts with a vowel, in its singular form.

  -> An Apple -> An Ostrich-> An Elephant

But when we refer to one university, universe or even adjectives like useless, we use 'a' instead of 'an'.

  -> A University-> A Useless Boy-> A Unique sight

Why is that so ? I get the fact that we use 'an' for words which start with consonants occasionally, for words like 'Hour','Honor', because the 'H' is silent. But what of the exceptions in the case of words starting with A,E,I,O,U ? Or is the just for certain words that start with 'U' ?


texts:
I have a question about passive voice. I want my sentence to mean: "I took a punishment".

Which one is correct?

The punishment was given to me.
I was given punishment.


texts:
Source: How Russia Is Revolutionizing Information Warfare (news article)

  “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors … and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”

Does the phrase as you will mean something like if you will?


texts: Why is "the" used as in "at the start(or from the start)" and why is "the" not used as in "at start up"

texts:
i'm Korean who struggling with the usages articles in English.
On cambridge dictionary, It describe one of the meanings of "start-up" as followed.
start-up: the act or process of starting or making something start
and as for "start"
start: the beginning of something, the act of beginning to do something
to me, those two are kinda the same.
"Once you have disabled the program, reboot the computer to see if its absence causes a problem on startup." it's an example from the dictionary.
i would say like "~ on the startup" because, 'startup' is quite specific in the context. Like "the startup of the program when you've disable the program"
as i understand, "the" as in "from the start" is used because of the same reason.
I don't want you guys saying "it's just a phrase" or "that's the way it is". :(


texts: What's the difference between "Here we go" and "Here/there it is"

texts:
About the difference between "Here we go" and "Here/there it is".

For example, my friend lost his wallet at my home.

I was finding his wallet, and found it on the table.

So when I found it, I said "Here we go" or "Here/there it is".

Which one is better?
Are these same meaning?

I used "Here/there it is" when the situation is like this so far.

If the stuff I was looking for was close to me, I use "Here it is".

If the stuff I was looking for was far to me, I use "There it is".

But, according to the free dictionary, "here we go" means "Said when something or someone has been found or identified".
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/here+we+go

I thought that means I can use "here we go" when I found something.
So I'm confused with the difference "Here we go" and "Here/There it is".

Thank you for your help.


texts:
I miss going out with my friends
I miss to go out with my friends.
According to this https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxt-xAK6Fb0
1 is correct. Now I want to know which one is correct if we use 'would'
I think I would miss going out with my friends.
I think I would miss to go out with my friends.


texts:
In patent context, I came across an expression "a one end of a conductor and an other end of the conductor."

I am wondering why it is "a one end", instead of just "one end", since you don't need an article a/an in front of "one."


texts: Converting "My travel ban was lifted" to present tense

texts:
I'm a English learner, and I'm trying to convert the following sentence to present tense.

My travel ban was lifted.

When we convert this to present tense, is the following correct?

My travel ban gets lifted.


texts: "position in many markets" VS "positions in many markets"

texts:
It broadens GE’s offering and strengthens the position of GE in attractive market segments.

  2.It broadens GE’s offering and strengthens the positions of GE in attractive market segments.

Since there are more than one market segments, will it be necesssary to make position plural?


texts: What does "blanket selling" mean in this context?

texts:
The U.S. stock market may be worried about a potential rise in interest rates,
but blanket selling in anticipation of a move by the Federal Reserve—which is
widely expected to happen before the end of the year—isn't the right move for
investors, according to a Goldman Sachs research report released Wednesday.

source: www.marketwatch.com


texts: Why does a song say "put me six foot down"?

texts:
Here is the lyric:

  I told you on the day we wed
  I was gonna love you 'til I's dead
  Made you wait 'til our wedding night
  That's the first and the last time I wear white

  So if the ties that bind ever do come loose
  Tie them in a knot like a hangman's noose
  'Cause I'll go to heaven or I'll go to hell
  Before I'll see you with someone else

  Put me in the ground
  Put me six foot down

As far as I can tell it should rather be "put me six feet down", what am I missing?


texts: Is past perfect a better solution in that case

texts:
Just received a phone call of X from Florida. He said that some of the books
  I bought/had bought and that he was stocking/had been stocking in his basement were destroyed in the hurricane. I thought that the Book of XXXX could be in  the list, so would it be  possible for you to find another copy of it?

Just would like to know  if "had bought" and "had been stocking" would better. I'm not sure  because it seem obvious that before being destroyed in the hurricane, the records had been bought and stocked. I think in this case the context is clear enough to understand without past perfect


texts: Why is ''To Be'' verbs a thing even if the predicate is a verb?

texts:
I know that in English there can't be a sentence without a predicate. So we use these ''To Be'' verbs to make a valid sentence.
But I wonder why we use them even if the predicate is a verb?

What is the real difference between ''They eating'' and ''They are eating''?


texts:
I would like to inquire about the correct usage of prepositions in/on in the following sentences:

I plan to finish this work quickly because I have additional tasks in my agenda
I plan to finish this work quickly because I have additional tasks on my agenda
I plan to finish this work quickly because I have additional tasks scheduled on my agenda.

please which sentence is more accurate in terms of prepositions usage?


texts:
I have just come across the following sentence on The Sun:

  A neighbour said: “I heard a whomp so I went to look out the window. At first I thought it was a tramp asleep. He had all his clothes on and everything.”

I checked all the possible dictionary entries for these two words, yet I cannot make head or tail of it. Could someone please explain to me what it means here?

Here is a link to the source article.


texts: Is it incorrect if we just say "some people [may be / are] very busy" without a time adverb

texts:
I tried to comfort Jan by saying:
"I will let you know once she receives the card. Don't worry! The postmen may have been very busy."

I understand that "I will be very busy tomorrow" is alright,
so is "The postmen will be very busy tomorrow".

Now given the following two sentences (1) and (2):
(1): The postmen may be very busy
(2): The postmen are very busy

I am not sure if it is grammatically incorrect by just saying "The postmen may be very busy" or "The postmen are very busy" without a single-word time adverb.


texts:
Suppose I sorted something, for example fruits, into groups, say apples, bananas, oranges.
Is it correct to say "the distribution of the fruits into the groups shows that the group of fruits consists of significantly more apples than oranges"?
I'm unsure about the "into". It feels like it might be something like "distribution onto groups" instead. However that feels wrong, too.


texts:
Does the word God get the pronoun "it" or "he"?

  For example: I want to say thanks to God for what it / he gave
  me.

I am talking about the God of Monotheism (force majeure) - like what the Jews and Muslims believe in. [I don't know whether the Christian God is considered the same God, because of the Trinity.]


texts: if someone asks me "Who is the founder of apple?" Should I reply in present tense or past tense?Like, "The founder of the apple is/was Steve jobs": 'Was' or 'is', which one should I use? As I know the person is not alive, I think I should use past tense. But the questioner asks the question in present tense, then what form should I use? I've also seen in exams that questions often comes in present tense in this kind of context despite knowing that The person about whom information is being sought is not alive? Can someone tell me the reason? If I ask someone 'who was the founder of Apple', will I be wrong?


texts: Internet is a million computers. And internet is millions of computers. Which option is correct and why?


texts:
If the verb ends with a vowel plus -l (as in travel or equal), then you need to double the l before adding -ed and -ing in British English. Oxford Dictionaries

Is it a general rule in British English? or there are some exceptions (feeling, kneeling ...)


texts: How to use the second conditional in the past?

texts:
Here is the story. This noon while I was traveling home, I saw a dead mouse lying on the middle of the street. After having arrived home, I wanted to write that event into my diary. But I don't know whether the dead mouse carried any diseases or not, so I'm wondering how to use the second conditional to talk about that past event. Is writing like this

  If that mouse carried any diseases, the car which ran over it would be infected.

or like this

  If that mouse had carried any diseases, the car which ran over it would have been infected?

correct?


texts:
Especially, when they find every way to get underneath your skin.

First, I think "Get underneath your skin" means to annoy or bother you.

Second, what's the meaning of "Every way"?

They know all the methods that can be used to annoy you (and they use one of them at a time).
They use all the ways that annoy you (at the same time).

If you would like to know the context, here it is: https://youtu.be/T2Flh02eSzM?t=1m39s


texts: What the difference between in beginning a phrase with infinitive form or -ing form?

texts:
What the difference between in beginning a phrase with to-infinitive form or -ing form?

To create a signing configuration and assign it to your release build
type using Android Studio, complete the following steps:

On the phrase above could I use with "Creating" over "To create" too? Could anyone explain the grammar rule involved in that phrase too?


texts: Should the recipient of "tell" be mentioned always or there are some exceptions?

texts:
excerption from the book

  It is altogether against my will that I tell my reasons for opposing this contemplated invasion of the antarctic - with its vast fossil hunt and its wholesale boring and melting of the ancient ice caps

As far as I know, we should mention the recipient when we use the word 'tell' (tell him, told us...) or it could be passive voice (it had been told)- at this point, we can omit the recipient side.

Question:

  Should he use this structure? (that I tell them my reasons); In case of 'no', then why?


texts: Are resolve/fix/handle/deal with interchangeable in this sentence?

texts:
You have some issues right now that you need to resolve/fix/handle/deal with, so I don't think we should start dating anytime soon.

Are these interchangeable and equally natural? Which one do you prefer?


texts: Combine regular time spans with restricted time spans

texts:
I know that we use the present simple to talk about actions that happen regularly, and the present progressive to talk about actions that are happening as we speak. For example:
I am going to school at the moment
And
I go to school every day
But what do we do when we want to combine "Every Day" with "This Year", for example:
I am reading a book every day this year
Or
I read(reed) a book every day this year
This year, when I go to school, I drive
Or
This year, when I go to school, I am driving
I eat rice every day this week when I  am eating lunch
Or
I am eating rice every day this week when I am eating lunch
What I am asking is what tense we should use with things that happen regularly, but in a restricted time span?


texts:
How to ensure your own success over the priorities of others.
  (Source: link)

What is the meaning of "over the priorities of others"? Does it mean the judgement or success of others"


texts: Are "dude" and "man" disrespectful words?

texts:
What is the exact nuance of dude or man?

I'm studying English from Japan.
I want to know how people feel about dude or man.
Is it just a friendly way to call close friends?  Like addressing a boyfriend or girlfriend as honey? Or does it include disrespectful meaning?

In Japanese people don't use you if they're not close friends.  Usually they call by name or just don't say you because people know talking to you.
But many people call close friends anta, omae, that is meaning 'you' a lot. But anata is a little disrespectful and omae is a really disrespectful word. Maybe it's like strong "You!" or "HEY YOU!" in English.

But using like dude or man a lot.
But in English, dude and man aren't disrespectful words? People don't feel annoyed if friends use the words?


texts:
On my request Amar introduced me to his friend who is a singer and a scientist.

My book says since both the nouns belong to same person the a before scientist can be eliminated.

  One of my friends is both a novelist and a poet.

Does this rule apply to above sentence also ? Or Since it is mentioned both we need to use article with both nouns ?


texts:
I read this sentence:

  This covering up of pipes is all a mistake, they should be exposed
  everywhere, if necessary painted well and handsomely.

It uses a use of "if necessary" I have never seen before. I searched it up, but found no results. Don't we usually use "if necessary" by itself? I don't know how a past participle can be used after "if necessary".

I think the full version of the phrase should be something like

if (it is) necessary (to be) painted.

But is it a common usage? Is it grammatical? It was written in 19th century, so I don't know if this usage is still used.

The book is called The Devil In The White City, and it is said by Peter Chardon Brooks III in a letter (a real letter -- the book is non fiction).


texts: HOW : relative pronoun or relative adverb?

texts:
Relative pronoun : who, whom, whose, which, that

  Relative adverb : when, where, why

Is "how" neither a relative pronoun nor an relative adverb? Then, which category does 'how' belong to?


texts: as soon as January due to... -- I don't understand this part of the sentence

texts:
Example (Source):

  Standard & Poor's credit ratings agency said this week it could downgrade Russia to junk as soon as January due to a rapid deterioration in "monetary flexibility".

I understand this much: Standard & Poor's credit ratings agency is likely to reduce Russia's financial image as it were useless junk. But for the life of me I don't get the rest of the sentence (expecially the part that's highlighted in a bold font).


texts:
The original text:

  It is no accident that the twentieth century should be the century of
  highly centralized governments and totalitarian dictatorships; it
  had to be so for the simple reason that the twentieth century is the
  century of planetary overcrowding.

My question is on the boldfaced "it." I would like to confirm "it" refers to "the twentieth century" in the first sentence and "so" refers to "the century of highly centralized governments and totalitarian dictatorships."


texts:
In the phrase below...

  How to improve your spoken English

is the word "spoken" an adjective? Can the word "spoken" usually take the form of an adjective? I see this construction very often, but when I looked it up in the Cambridge dictionary I got that it is just a verb.


texts:
I marked my age as above 40 .

While answering a questionnaire I ansewered a question which asked the age range  in the way above .Is use of “as” correct in sentence. What kind of grammer is use of as in this sentence , if it is wrong what should I say as an alternative ?


texts:
Can I use more than one "and" in a list? Which sentence is correct, and why is it correct? Thank you for reading.

"I am a good person, an exemplary citizen, and I want to make the system work better."

or

"I am a good person and an exemplary citizen, and I want to make the system work better."


texts:
(A)
Which one of the following choices work in my example:
Example: Christianity started in Israel and then it has spread all over the world. Hence, once some people started .......... the Christianity culture out of the Israel.

-1- propagating
-2- divulging
-3- diffusing
-4- disseminating
-5- fostering
-6- purveying

(B)
and subsequently which one of the choices bellow is used as a fixed expression in AmE to convey the spreading out of a culture e.g. all over the world or in another country or even a society:

-1-  Cultural propagation
-2- Cultural divulging
-3- Cultural diffusion
-4- Cultural dissemination

PS. another example of it is e.g. when the tradition of the German Christmas pickle becoming popular in the United States.


texts: To-Infinitive Phrase with an explicit subject?

texts:
Hey guys.

In these sentences:

  I wanted her to do it;

  I need you to do it;

How should the bolded parts be treated?

Either as:

  a To-Infinitive Phrase (To do it) with an explicit subject (Her/You) acting as the direct object of the main verbs

or, simply as:

  an objective pronoun acting as the direct object of the main verbs with a To-Infinitive Phrase as an adverbial complement?


texts: Is "get back" a phrasal verb in "I have to get back to work"?

texts: For me, it sounds like it is. I would like to know your opinion though. In this sentence: "I have to get back to work.", 'get back' means to return. If I understand correctly when we pronounce phrasal verbs in a sentence we usually stress the particle a bit more than the verb. Am I right?


texts: "another way for achieving" vs "another way of achieving"

texts:
Should it be for or of? And why?

I have to find another way for achieving success.
I have to find another way of achieving success.


texts:
I read a sentence in "Word Power Made Easy" which was:

  In the etymology section, you will learn what Greek or Latin root give the word its unique meaning and what other words contain the same or related roots.

I don't know why I am having this strong feeling that there should be "which" instead of "what" to precede "Greek or Latin root". Am I right?


texts:
I'm wondering if there's any difference between "get dressed" and "put on clothes".

For example,

  I'm getting dressed right now.

  I'm putting on my clothes right now.

Which one is better?
Are they used in different situations?

Also, when I use "get dressed", How can I say what I'm getting dressed?
Is it " I'm getting dressed in a shirt." or "I'm getting dressed a shirt" or something else?


texts:
When writing a sentence about a gentleman in his organisation, I come across a question of plural form usage.

...he retains his current role as the CEO of Company A and other JVs."

Should the word role be in singular or plural form?
I believe that the "role" should be in singular form for both of the following scenarios:

"the CEO of Company A and other JVs" where "Company A and other JVs" is considered a single entry;
"the CEO of Company A and other JVs" actually means CEO of Company A, CEO of JV(1), CEO of JV(2) and so on.


texts: Why use present continuous instead of present simple here?

texts: Many of students need to learn a new language to impove their job prospects but some of them are learning a new language purely for pleasure.


texts: Which one is grammatically correct and why?

texts:
The work 'is' to be completed within 1 day.
The work 'has' to be completed within 1 day.
The work to be completed within 1 day.

I have read all three types of sentences but I don't know which one is grammatically right?


texts:
This is the exact picture of my building. (2) & (3) are raised flat surface. (3) is higher than (2) and (2) is higher than (1).
To go to the pool  or building, I have to walk across (1), then walk on (2), then walk on (3). From (3), I can walk to the pool or inot the building.
Are (2) and (3) called "patio", "platform" or "level" in general?
Is (1) called "driveway"?
For example, "You are standing on the driveway, get on the patio".


texts: What is the principle circulating sugar in the blood and is the major energy source of the body?


texts:
Should I use the in the following sentences or not?

Every colony of ants has worker ants. The worker ants/ worker ants protect their colony and the queen ant.
Colonies of ants have worker ants. The worker ants/ worker ants protect their colonies and queen ants.

I think in the first context, the is needed because it somehow implies 'The worker ants of every colony'. And in the second context the is not needed.

And here is another example:

Tigers are very ferocious. Tigers/the tigers are great killers too and the biggest species of cat family.

I know you'd suggest using the pronoun they instead in all the above sentences. I would use they there too. But when I was teaching my nephew he asked me If he could use those words instead. I was not sure which one to choose: the ones with the or the ones without the.


texts: "Turquoise-haired"—(-ed) suffix attached to a noun

texts:
I found this sentence on Complex

  Amber Rose hangs out with (a) turquoise-haired mystery girl.

I couldn't find 'turquoise-haired' in any dictionary, but a similar construction, "dark-haired", has its place in Collin dictionary.

I don't understand how it's possible to attach the -ed suffix to a noun. Do we have a fancy term for this?


texts:
While studying math, I found strange part;
Credit card companies use negative balances to represent when the credit card company owes the customer money, and positive balances to represent the customer owes the credit card company money.

At the beginning, the noun is plural: Credit card companies.
And then the singular nouns are used: the credit card company, the customer.

Aren't they wrong?


texts: "An abandoned shoe, a rotten tooth, a snub nose, the cook spitting in the soup of his masters are to love what a battle flag is to nationality."

texts:
An abandoned shoe, a rotten tooth, a snub nose, the cook spitting in the soup of his masters are to love what a battle flag is to nationality.

It is from The Solar Anus, a translation of, L’anus solaire (a very peculiar work in the surrealistic genre). It was written in 1927 by the French author Georges Bataille  https://holybooks.com/the-solar-anus/
Does it mean:

To Love, an abandoned shoe, a rotten tooth, a snub nose, the cook spitting in the soup of his masters are a battle flag to nationality.


texts: can any one explain why there can have two verbs for me? what you ate is not stinky tofu in Taiwan

texts:
I have no idea why there can exit two verbs in a one sentence

  what you ate is not stinky tofu in Taiwan.


texts:
This is my original sentence:

  1A) Babies will reach out for toys when sitting, point at small items with their index finger, and use their index finger, middle fingers and thumb to form a pincer grip to pick up items and hold them in their hand.

I looked over it and I realised that I’m referring to babies therefore the body parts must be plural. So I changed it to:

  1B) Babies will reach out for toys when sitting, point at small items with their index fingers, and use their index fingers, middle fingers and thumbs to form a pincer grip to pick up items and hold them in their hands.

Is this sentence grammatically correct? Can I write it like this or does it sound odd?

If it is fine, would I have to change feet to feets and hand to hands in these two sentences?

  2) They will ride a tricycle by pushing along with their feets.

  3) They will have progressed to drawing circles, lines, and dots using their preferred hands.


texts: "fish" vs "fishes" Which one is correct here?

texts:
I know fish and fishes are both correct depending on the situation. But, what would you say in the following situation?

How many fish/fishes can you see in the lake? -> 5 fish/fishes


texts: What does "anything but ho-ho-hum" mean?

texts:
Does it mean increasing?
Traffic and sales this year at tree outlets have been anything but ho-ho-hum. Merchants are reporting a big season that started early and has continued to accelerate into the early part of December.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/03/christmas-tree-sales-are-telling-a-holly-jolly-economic-story.html


texts:
Why not use the article?

  The starting point of all achievements is the/a desire


texts: "We only feel bad when our hands are numb." vs. "We only feel badly when our hands are numb."

texts:
We only feel bad when our hands are numb.

  We only feel badly when our hands are numb.

Which one is correct and why?


texts:
I just saw a sentence which made me think, consult my dictionary, and finally form a question that I can't find an answer to.

What's the difference between these two sentences:

  I'll post those letters for you.

  I'll post those letters to you.


texts:
I'm translating the subtitle of a documentary about the artist "David Hockney" by B.B.C and someone says at about minute 9:

  "And he said this guy was just like this on his thing, and sort of
  putting his feet up on the donkey, you know, and all this"

There isn't any donkey anywhere. They are sitting in an school, someone is drawing and the other one is teasing him by inappropriate and rude gestures and attitude, and this sentence is about the way he is sitting in front of the other person.

I can't understand what is the meaning of "putting his feet up on the donkey"

It is talking about a rude person who is teasing someone and act rudely and it is describing his way of sitting and attitude. it should has something to do with the way of sitting.

can you please help me here?


texts:
a. I like skiing.

I think that would most likely mean

b. I like to ski.

but could be used in other contexts. Maybe I am sitting in front of the TV and am watching a ski competition and say (a) meaning I like to watch skiing.

But how about:

c. I like skiing in the Alpes.

d. I like skiing rapidly.

e. I like rapid skiing.

Does the presence of the adverbs in (c) and (d) change anything?

How about the presence of the adjective in (e)?

Many thanks.


texts: What does "kicking out" have to do with "shattered dreams"?

texts:
Please help me understand this sentence i.e what is the person who's writing this trying to say  and also tell me if this sentence is grammatically correct or not.

  The first time they kicked me out, they left me with nothing but shattered dreams.

What does this kicking out has to do with shattered dreams. I actually can't understand the tone of these lines i.e what actually these lines want to say together as a whole.


texts:
I encountered the sentence bleow in a speech.

Please watch at 1:22 and you can see the sentence

  The speaker said : I think part of fashion is just finding what that balance is for you and what's going to make you feel comfortable and interesting when you walk down the street

Is 'interesting' connected to 'comfortable'?

If so, does it mean 'what will make you feel comfortable and feel interesting'?

And there's another question. Do you use 'I feel interesting'?

Well sometimes people use 'I am interesting' to say I am kind of a person who interest people.

Is it proper to say 'feel' instead of 'be'?


texts: What is the actual usage of "If I would" and "If I could"?

texts:
What is the actual usage of "If I would" and "if I could"?

For example:

  "If I could reach the end of the sky,..."

or

  "If I would reach the end of the sky,..."

which one sounds better?


texts:
______ thousand species of butterflies have been identified.

Which is the correct phrase to use here ? I tried to find answer googling but internet is flooded with many vs much differences, couldn't find any site where they have explained the usage of as many vs as many as.


texts:
I have yet to meet the man I wish to marry.

Could you clarify to me the meaning of the word "yet" in the sentence above which works here in a different way than it does usually. What is the meaning of the whole sentence? Is it something like "I have to finally meet the man I wish to marry"?


texts: What are the meaning and structure of "leaders also are viewed as conflict averse over concerns"?

texts:
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/chinas-powerful-general-xi-jinping-henchman-meets-mattis/

  PLA leaders also are viewed as conflict averse over concerns any major conflict would cost the lives of their sole sons or daughters—an outgrowth of the decades long Chinese population control policies.

relatives: What's the structure of the sentence?


texts: Is “various/many kinds of” implied in “plenty of”?

texts:
Does “plenty of” imply “many kinds of” in the following sentence?

Our company made good money this year so our New Year party was the best wing-ding. There was plenty to eat and drink and most of us stayed later than we ever had before.

Thank you.


texts:
Our professor told us that the following sentence contains a noun clause, because it tells an idea about "the story" and does not modify it.

  The story that the beach would be closed filled her with fear.

Is this correct or is it an adjective clause?


texts: what can I say instead of "out of school" here?

texts:
I want to say that "now, I'm studying things other than what I learn in school" with this present perfect sentence: Due to quarentine, I have begun to study things out of school, especially languages.
Is out of school idiomatic in this context?
What could sound better?
Thank you


texts: Can a single word refer to two or more things at once?

texts:
a. A body of persons sent to conduct negotiations or establish relations with a foreign country.

  b. The business with which such a body of persons is charged.

  c. A permanent diplomatic office abroad.

  d. A body of experts or dignitaries sent to a foreign country.

I am wondering if the word mission for example can be used to refer to all of a), b), c), d) all at once.

For example:

The U.S. used all of its missions (diplomatic, inspectors, dignatories, diplomatic offices, etc.) to put pressure on Iran.


texts: Can you switch between past tense and historical present?

texts:
Both past tense and historical present are talking about things that happened in the past. Yet I've been told before it's incorrect to use them together.

Is it incorrect to use them either in the same sentence, or in close proximity to each other within a paragraph?

An example of this might be:

  He walked into the bar and found a stool to sit at next to me. He looks at me and then punches me in the gut.

or

  He walked into the bar and punches me in the gut.


texts: Difference between "reach out to" and "reach to"

texts:
He himself runs a show in the evening wherein his team reaches out to dangerous places.

It is written "reaches out" ,so, can I use simply "reaches to" instead of reaches out? Would it be grammatically right?


texts: The Difference between Heritage, Heredity, and Inheritance

texts:
Could someone please explain to me what's the difference in meaning between heritage, heredity and inheritance and give an example of each?

I've read the posts about differences between them as pairwise (inheritance vs heredity or heritage vs inheritance) but I couldn't find a general difference between them as a triad difference.

Here's an example for one each:

  John's brown eyes are the result of heredity.

  John inherited(as verb) his brown eyes from his father.

  He gave cards to all grandchildren of Greek heritage.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the meaning of "You no understand"?

texts:
I was talking with some native English speaker. She said something and I replied:

  I don't understand.

Then she replied:

  You no understand?

What does that line mean? I'm not sure whether there was a question mark at the end or not. I guess it means:

  Don't you understand?

Edit

I don't think she knew that I am non-native English speaker. There were a lot of people chatting and I threw my first message, "I don't understand" and then she replied, "You no understand". Perhaps there was something on that website via which she could know that I was chatting from a non-English country. I don't think she was trying to mock me. There must have been some other reason.


texts: The mobile phone set is almost the same AS mine Or LIKE mine?

texts:
Which alternative is correct?

a) The mobile phone set is almost the same as mine.

b) The mobile phone set is almost the same like mine.


texts: the difference between "come of" and "come from"

texts:
He came of a rich family.
  He came from a rich family.

Which is correct?  came of or came from? Explain to me.


texts:
Suppose that you have a group of items and you make a hierarchy structure for them. Now, you call this structure, "item hierarchy" or "items hierarchy"?

However, my real phrase is "context hierarchy" vs. "contexts hierarchy"

In general there are some noun-noun constructions which address a group of things. Then the first noun is plural or singular?


texts: the dinner vs. dinner (grammar question)

texts:
From the sitcom Seinfeld (episode The Couch):

  KRAMER: (scanning a menu) So, how was the dinner last night?
  JERRY: Oh, well…
  KRAMER: Did you enjoy the duck? (Elaine comes over…) Oh, Elaine! I was just
  asking how dinner went last night.
  ELAINE: (sitting down) Oh, well…
  KRAMER: Alright, what did you do to Poppie?
  ELAINE: Nothing.
  KRAMER: Well, he's in the hospital. And the cook says you put him there.
  ELAINE: What's wrong with him?
  KRAMER: I don't know. I'm gonna go and visit him later. It would be nice if
  you got him something. (Punches the table to accentuate this and leaves.)
  JERRY: We should get him something.
  ELAINE: Yeah. You're right.

I don't understand why Kramer first says the dinner, but when he says it a second time, he drops the article. What's the reason behind that?


texts: Cannot find word misoneism which I thought means hatred of change.  What is the 1)meaning  2) origin?


texts: To put/take/place your finger in/into/inside your nose

texts:
Which word do you think is appropriate for the following context?
"Jim is very rude. He always puts/takes his finger in/into/inside his nose."
Or, should I say, "He always places his finger inside his nose."?
Edit: I also know the word "nostril". Maybe I should use this word instead of "nose".


texts: Problem with employing "well on the way"

texts:
Could you tell me either sentence might be correct ?

They are well on the way to reach success.
They reach success well on the way.


texts: Word for a job with frequent location changes

texts: Which adjective word can I use to describe my friend's father's military job in which he need to frequently resettle in a new place after every 2-3 years?


texts: In and at uses in city and places or any alternative?

texts:
What is right?

I live in Seattle?
I live at Seattle?

and can I use Hails instead and how?


texts: The use of "take", "take back", "have back" and "get back" in context

texts:
Let's say my tablet stopped working and I took it to a rapair shop and said it would be fixed in three days. After three days I came back and what do I say to the shop assistant to tell them that I want my tablet back? Which ones of the following sentences sound the most natural?

  Can I take my tablet please?

  Can I take my tablet back please?

  Can I have my tablet back please?

  Can I get my tablet back please?

If none of them sounds natural, then what would a native English speaker say?


texts:
Why has the writer used "will" rather than "simple present" in the following sentences:

  1) Many people learn English because they think it will be useful in
  some way for international communication and travel.

  2) The purposes students have for learning will have an effect on
  what it is they want and to learn-and as a result will influence what
  they are taught.

  3) Business English students for example, will want to spend a lot of
  time concentrating on the language needed for specific business
  transactions and situations.

  4) Students living in a target-language community will need to use
  English to achieve their immediate practical and social needs.

  5) Students of general English will not have such such specific
  needs, of course, and so their lessons will almost certainly look
  different from those for students with more clearly identifiable
  needs.

  6) Private language schools, on the other hand, tend to be better
  equipped than some government schools. They will frequently have
  smaller class sizes, crucially, the students in them may well have
  chosen to come and study. This will affect their motivation at the
  beginning of the process.

  7) Clearly the size of the class will affect how we teach.

I think the reason why the writer has used "will" is to express her belief about the topics or to make her prediction or guess about the future. Am I right?


texts: My father taught me vs my father learned me

texts:
I have read like these sentences:

  My dad has also taught me a lot about love.
  My dad taught me a lot of things.

I am wondering if we can say "learned me" instead. So as to be

  My dad has also learned me a lot about love.

Actually, I do not notice it in sentences when the subject is "My father". why is that?


texts:
In the following sentence, the present perfect "has changed since" does not sound right:

A shocking event happened on my 18th birthday, and my life has changed since.

In contrast, the present perfect "has married since" sounds okay in the following:

But I shall see them in London, as they will be there for the season. And so Ivy has married since her old lover, Leslie Noble, died.

Does anyone know why the present perfect is okay in one example but not in the other?


texts: "Be having one's hair cut" or "have one's hair being cut" in context?

texts:
Let's say I am at a barbershop and a barber is cutting my hair. Is it natural to say the following?

  I am having my hair cut.

What I am trying to say that at the moment a barber is cutting my hair. If the sentence is correct, would it mean the same if I said the following?

  I have my hair being cut.


texts: Differences between "a X of a Y" and "the X of a Y"?

texts:
A car usually is equipped with four wheels.
And below "wheel" doesn't mean a steering wheel.

(1) a wheel of a car

Does (1) implies there is more than one wheel?

(2) the wheel of a car

Does (2) implies there is only one wheel?

(3) a backseat of a car.

Does (3) implies there is more than one backseat?

(4) the backseat of a car.

Does (4) implies there is only one backseat?

Interestingly, I found stock photos often uses "a X of a Y" like the case below

Businessman sitting on a backseat of the car using smart phone.

Source:
https://www.westend61.de/en/imageView/CJMF00085/businessman-sitting-on-a-backseat-of-the-car-using-smartphone?window=1

Businessman sitting on a backseat of a car using smartphone and looking around.

Source:
https://www.westend61.de/en/imageView/CJMF00083/businessman-sitting-on-a-backseat-of-a-car-using-smartphone-and-looking-around?window=1


texts: Could "People", "Some people" and "Lots of people" be used interchangeably?

texts:
I used this kind of expression at another post (Does there exist a grammar formula in grammar book?)

  Lots of people refer to "subject + verb + adjective" as a formula.

similarly, I could say

  People refer to "subject + verb + adjective" as a formula.

or

  Some people refer to "subject + verb + adjective" as a formula.

I guess there is no big difference among "People", "Some people" and "Lots of people" in terms of meaning, is my following understanding about this correct?

They could be used interchangeably both in writhing and speaking.
They would be used in informal cases.