texts: "He was surpassed in all Hobbit records only by two famous characters of old." - How to interpret this sentence

texts:
In the Lords Of The Rings prologue there is a famous phrase:

  "Their height is variable, ranging between two and four feet of our
  measure.  They seldom now reach three feet; but they have dwindled,
  they say, and in ancient days they were taller.
  According to the Red
  Book, Bandobras Took (Bullroarer), son of Isengrim the Second, was
  four foot five and able to ride a horse.  He was surpassed in all
  Hobbit records only by two famous characters of old"

I am not sure how to interpret this sentence:

  He was surpassed in all Hobbit records only by two famous characters
  of old

What does it mean to be surpassed in all Hobbit records only by two famous characters of old ?
I understand it means he was one of the tallest of all times.


texts:
I don't even know if I've asked the question correctly because I can't even parse the sentence properly.

I know the sentence is long and a little bit difficult so it would be enough for me if you explained what the meaning and function of not so say is here. I'm sure it's connected to some other component but I fail to find out which one.

Here is the sentence:

  Private to him as this phenomenon was —it appears to have been felt by him alone— he took it as a further sign of the imminent return of the Twelfth Imam, not so say a further endorsement of his ambition to see the Islamic Republic of Iran, sunk as it was in beggary and repression and stagnation and corruption, as nonetheless a nuclear power.

 (Source: God is not Great by Christopher Hitchens, p.279)

He is talking about Ahmadinejad's experience of a green light during the speech he was giving at the United Nations General Assembly meeting, and about his interpretation of this green light.

I've searched the web, yet again I couldn't find anything worth considering. I've found a Facebook group named "It is so hard not so say 'I love you'. I don't get the meaning of even this one.

I thought it might be connected to the component at the very end, i.e. "as nonetheless a nuclear power" but failed again to build any intelligible association.

Long story short, I need a native speaker at this point to help me out.

Thank you very much.


texts: "It is doubtless from Evola that Dugin…"

texts:
It is doubtless from Evola that Dugin took the central strand of his emerging worldview – allegiance to the Tradition that supposedly has its origin in a primordial heroic age.

Source: Stephen Shenfield: Russian Fascism: Traditions, Tendencies and Movements. p. 192

Is it possible to change a little the word order in the above sentence in this way:

  It is doubtless Evola from that/whom Dugin took the central strand of his emerging worldview – allegiance to the Tradition that supposedly has its origin in a primordial heroic age.


texts: What's the word 'have' in "I'll have you lend me yours if you think mine is better"?

texts:
I'll have you lend me yours if you think mine is better!

If you were to rephrase this sentence, what other verb in place of that 'have' would you use instead?


texts: Clarify the difference between over/above

texts:
For instance:

  He lifted his bike above/over his head.

Please just clarify these prepositions with one example.


texts: Is "Or you don't care about that?" natural?

texts:
Person 1: I really hope you win.

Person 2: Win?

Person 1: Yeah. Or you don't care about that?

Person 2: Not really. I'm just here to have fun.

Is person 1's second statement phrased in a correct and natural way? Or would "Or do you not care about that?" be much better?


texts: Could I call "give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth" a saying, an aphorism, an apothegm and an adage?

texts:
From the Cambridge Dictionary

  saying: a well-known wise statement that often has a meaning that is different from the simple meanings of the words it contains

  adage: a wise saying

  aphorism: a short clever saying that is intended to express a general truth

  apothegm: a short clever saying that is intended to express a general truth

I understand the sentence "Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth" is what Archimedes said about the Law of the Lever, I'd just like to know whether I could call it a saying, an aphorism, an apothegm and an adage?


texts: know there is nothing to worry - what does "know" mean here?

texts:
I don't understand the use of "know" here. Who know? Does "to the American people — know there is nothing to worry about" mean "to the American people — (you should) know there is nothing to worry about"?
The problem is that I feel "you should" has a tone of more commanding than persuading. Perhaps with only "know" there the tone would be euphemized. I am not sure.
What does "know" mean there?

Biden tweeted 2h ago:

Today, I received the COVID-19 vaccine.

To the scientists and researchers who worked tirelessly to make this possible — thank you. We owe you an awful lot.

And to the American people — know there is nothing to worry about. When the vaccine is available, I urge you to take it.


texts: What does "the buck stops with me"（by pronunciation） spoken by President Obama mean？

texts:
I overheard that on CNN just now, "the buck stops with me" was what I heard and written down  according to the pronunciation from the speech of Barack Obama. What does that mean?

P.S. The topic discussed on TV was about the "Obama Care". The president was also saying something like "you can keep your plan","Nobody is taking your doctors away from you"...


texts: Definite articles with adverb words like "very" and "much"

texts:
Can we use definite articles with adverb words like as, rather, very, much, quite, so, and such, too?

Which one of these is grammatically correct:

  (A) He is a very good person.

  (B) He is the very good person.

Please elaborate.


texts: "where I could hold myself unmanacled to meet it" - particular meaning of "hold myself" in this sentence?

texts:
I would like to ask for help with understanding the "hold myself" in the following snippet:

A sense of glad relief came over me that I had left the closeness of
the little attic chamber, and that I should eventually meet this huge
New-comer in the wide, free spaces of the mountains. There must be
room where I could hold myself unmanacled to meet it…

For the context, the main protagonist is expecting an alien messenger that needs to be met somewhere in the open (because narrow walls could disrupt the message brought by him). The snippet comes from a part where he had already climbed a mountain, and he is still rising up.


texts: Please help me understand this. If you're snapping at someone are you then complete losing control and yelling at them or are you just mildly irritated with them?


texts: "Come and sit on the bed along with us", is it correct?

texts:
We were sitting on the bed and were eating something while my son was about to sit on the floor.

I told my son:

  Come and sit on the bed along with us

My question is, is it the right way to ask him to come and sit beside us and start eating?


texts: Why did Hemingway place a comma before "to"?

texts:
While reading Hemingway's "Hills like White Elephants," I questioned a comma he inserted before a clause beginning with "to," which I emboldened below. Is this construction necessary as a grammatical rule, was it used as an indication of a pause, or was it both?

  "What did she say?" asked the girl.

  "That the train is coming in five minutes."

  The girl smiled brightly at the woman, to thank her.


texts:
I searched the meaning of frolic on Google, I found one meaning of frolic is gay. I found it here.

I don't know if this means homosexual man or not.

One more question is the meaning of below sentence.

  Their frolic in the surf threatened to become ugly.

This is the example given under the definition of frolic. The meaning of this sentence is 'The play in the surf looked like dangerous'?


texts: How should I interpret this "for" phrase?

texts:
You will receive early access to upcoming product features and releases
  for beta testing.

This sentence is from an email, and "for beta testing" is confusing. Does this sentence mean:

  ... (upcoming product features for beta testing) and (releases for
  beta testing)

or

  ...(upcoming product features and releases) for (beta testing).


texts:
What does this phrase mean? Is it a phrasal verb?

  Saturn is seen in Leo.


texts:
We usually use the for nouns (or words that act as nouns) that are specific/known.
For example:
The boy.
The movie (we watched).

Here the refers to the nouns boy & movie respectively.
But what about the situation where there an adjective is between the definite article and the noun, like:

The nice boy.
The interesting movie.

Here, to what word does the definite article refer, to boy or nice or the construct nice boy, and to interesting or movie or both?

That is, I meant, what word is specific/known in these sentences that we used the definite article for them?


texts:
Mitch McConnell’s re-election campaign slapped with FEC flag over suspected accounting errors

It's an article title from Salon. I know the usual meaning of flag but in the sentence it doesn't seem to make sense. If the flag is a verb with flagging I can understand it as marking but the noun doesn't have the meaning in my english dictionaries.
What does the flag mean in the title?


texts: What should I say : The novel took the writer 3 months to write . or The novel took the writer 3 months to write it . And Why ??


texts: How can I make these sentences active/passive?

texts:
I am having trouble turning these sentences into active/passive voice. I have tried but the active/passive meaning contradicts with the main meaning.

  1. I saw him reading a book.(Passive)
  2. Dr. Yunus was awarded the Nobel Prize for micro-credit system.(Active)
  3. He was expected to be faithful.(Active)
  4. It is time to close the door.(Passive)
  5. Let me do it.(Passive)


texts:
I'm confused because I think the use of word "now" is kind of idiomatic in phrase 1, but on the other hand I think it should be as phrase 2.
So, is it normal to use "now" with the past simple ????

1-Your sound disappeared and came back now .

2-Your sound disappeared and has come back now.


texts: is it ok to say "if you bend / duck your head all the way down onto the floor right after meal like that, you may throw up"?

texts:
duck [intransitive, transitive] to move your head or body downwards to
  avoid being hit or seen

  He had to duck as he came through the door.

  duck (down) (behind/under something) We ducked down behind the wall
  so they wouldn't see us.

  He ducked under the overhanging branches.

  He just managed to duck out of sight.

  duck something She ducked her head and got into the car.

  She ducked under the railings and ran towards him.

  bend 1 [intransitive, transitive] to move part of your body so that it
  is not straight or so that you are not upright

  Lee bent and kissed her.

  She bent her head.

  Bend your knees, but keep your back straight.

  bend over

  Emma bent over to pick up the coins.

  bend down

  I bent down to lift the box off the floor.

  bend towards/across etc

  He bent towards me and whispered in my ear.

My child often "bends or ducks her head all the way down onto the floor right after meal", which may make her throw up.

She could stand and bend her head all the way down like this

or, She could sit and put her head down on the floor like this

or She could stand and bend her head with her hands on the floor like this

Could I say generally for all similar situations like this

"If you bend / duck your head all the way down onto the floor right after meal like that, you may throw up"?


texts: "Conveince": A word commonly used in Pakistan having to do with transportation but no English person knows about it

texts:
In Pakistan, when we don't have any transportation then we say "I don't have any conveince". This spelling is wrong but I never used in written English so I don't know.

None of my English fellows in London knows about it. And secondly since I only know the pronunciation and my Asian accent is difficult to catch so they understood what this word is.

Can someone please guide me if this word is completely wrong or is this word lost in translation.


texts: One word for body's intimate/private parts?

texts:
How to refer to a body's private/intimate parts with one word? Can't seem to find on the web.

As in this sentence, for instance:

  Hey, please stop shaking your the word.

More looking for "flamboyant" words that can be used in funny contexts.


texts:
Which are appropriate phrases to define a ball?

Let $B$ be the open ball of radius $r$ centered at $x$.
Let $B$ be the open ball of radius $r$ around $x$.
Let $B$ be the open ball of radius $r$ about $x$.
Let $B$ be the open ball of radius $r$ with the center at $x$.

Or, without $,

Let B be the open ball of radius r centered at x.
Let B be the open ball of radius r around x.
Let B be the open ball of radius r about x.
Let B be the open ball of radius r with the center at x.

Remark I mean a ball in an arbitrary metric space.


texts:
I have a question about the usage of "would rather". We usually say: "I would rather do somthing" and it's correct. But can we say: "I would rather something"?

For example, in these situations item b is correct, but what about item a?

We can have tea or coffee.
a: I'd rather coffee.
b: I'd rather have coffee.
We can see a comedy or a documentary.
a: I would rather the comedy.
b: I would rather see the comedy.


texts:
I saw this in a book called The Garden Party:

  Away she skimmed, over the lawn, up the path, up the steps, across the veranda, and into the porch.

Can someone explain this phrase in simple English?


texts: Punctuation after conjunction like "or" and "and"

texts:
I am wondering when we put commas, because in most situations after a conjunction we don't put a comma.

Example:

  This must be true or at least truer than the last proposition.

However, we may have a longer sentence.

  This must be true or at least, excluding some of the recent findings, truer than the last proposition.

Do we put a comma after findings and before excluding or not?

  This must be true or at least excluding some of the recent findings truer than the last proposition.


texts: Can you explain the verb tense used in this sentence?

texts:
I was reading an article on the BBC site, and I came across this sentence: "Mr Musk has been critical of government policies during the coronavirus pandemic."

Does it say that Mr Musk criticises the government? If so, why did the author use "has been" ? Isn't this the past tense of "to be" ?


texts: Which one is more correct and natural: "the country of Canada", "the country Canada", or "Canada country"?

texts:
Which one is more correct and natural: the country of Canada, the country Canada, or Canada country? For example:

  We will learn a lot about the country of Canada in the next lesson.

  We will learn a lot about the country Canada in the next lesson.

  We will learn a lot about Canada country in the next lesson.


texts: Is "basically" work as a filler? Is this a new trend?

texts: Here in Sydney, I hear "basically" a lot. But it seems to add no thing to the meaning and is used in an unnecessary way. Am I correct? Is it a filler to give some time to think? In written English, most of the time I find this word used appropriatly though.


texts: prepositional phrases :what it describes

texts:
What happened next offered an astonishing lesson in developing an emotionally charged event.

What does the PP go with, does it act as an ADJ to add extra information to the noun lesson,

or does it act as an ADV to add information to the verb offered?


texts:
live

  adjective

  5. (informal) full of life and energySource: Collins Dictionary – definition of "live"

For the meaning above, which of the following usages is correct? Which one would you use?

  A live person
  An alive person

I think "live" is for plants, animals or things where their life is not noticeable.


texts:
What is the correct saying?

  No matter the cost

vs

  No matter what the cost

As in, "I have to do this no matter the cost"?


texts:
"I have a fear of flying" vs "I have the fear of flying."
Do they both mean exactly the same thing? Or have slightly different meanings? Or is it just that the "fear" has been mentioned before, so use "the".


texts: Opposite of 'park' : to leave vehicle in place

texts:
What's the name of the procedure reverse of parking?

To park a car is to guide it from the road into a parking spot and then stop the engine.

To ____ a car is to start the engine, and reverse it out of the parking spot onto the road so it's ready to drive.


texts: Why should I use the word "we" instead of "I" in scientific papers written alone?

texts: In many scientific articles there are sentences of the form "In this paper we will show ..." For me that sounds natural if there are many authors. But if a researchers writes an article such that she is the only author, why she might also write "In this paper we will show ..." instead of "In this paper I will show ..." Is it because she uses other results that someone else has achieved?


texts:
I am not sure what difference there is between

This is the first time I've lost my passport.
This is a first time I've lost my passport.

Would appreciate your explanation.


texts: Interpreting "Only Bill did any of the homework."

texts:
Does any of within:

  "Only Bill did any of the homework."

mean some of ?


texts: What does the end of this sentence mean?

texts:
http://www.berfrois.com/2013/11/ron-rosenbaum-on-auden-larkin-and-love/
I don't understand the structure of the second half of this.

The stanza in which the line occurs is admittedly not his best, concerning itself as it does with the poet speaking truth to power in a self-congratulatory way.


texts:
Especially, what does 'period' mean? Here is the context:

  Bran is not just the anti-Aragorn, he’s an anti-character period.

Here is the link: ‘Game of Thrones’ Ends Not With a Bang but a Whimper


texts: Is have/has linking verb or helping verb?

texts:
Is have/has a linking verb or a helping verb in the following sentence?

I have a book.

The verb "to be" can be classified as a helping verb and linking verb but I have not read yet this is true for the verb  have. However, It also can be used by own it as in my example without any main verb. Did I misunderstand something?

I am a teacher. ( Is is linking verb)

I am going to the school. ( Am is helping verb)

I have gone to the school. ( Have is helping verb)

I have a book.(?)


texts:
What does ";^P" mean? Google search led to "P!nk" and my question remains unresolved.
Sam Harris (American neuroscientist, the author of The End of Faith) liked (Jim Carrey tweeted):

Nightmare-in-chief Donald Trump assembled a cast of freaks so cartoonishly evil they strain credulity.Don't ever say my acting is over the top again. ;^P


texts:
I was answering an IELTS question. It was a bar chart showing the growth in the number of attendees at a stadium. I wrote:

The sporting event has experienced the most stable growth since 2017.

Is the sentence correct? Can the word 'experience' be used for non-living things?


texts:
Can which-clause function as a subject predicate like this?

  That is which we had to overcome and penetrate.

It sounds weird to me, but is it a correct use of grammar?


texts: A comparison between the structures "would rather" and "would prefer"

texts:
I know that "i'd rather", like "I'd prefer" is used for specific situation and not general ones. On the other hand I know that the second sentence below doesn't work here. But the question ins that why the second sentence doesn't work here?

1 - I’d prefer coffee to tea tonight.
2 - I’d rather coffee to tea tonight.

My next question is that if "I'd rather" is in common use in AE.


texts:
As you know the two verbs "prepare" and "make/get ready" are two completely similar verbs and have lots of semantic overlaps in usage. Aside from some broader usages of the verb "prepare", the only main thing that distinguishes these two verbs from one another is that the verb "prepare" is a little more formal than "make/get ready".

In order to define that, I will provide you with some examples. I wonder if you could let me know which word is suited to which sentence and which word doesn't and why?

Examples:

  We know all the possible consequences of the matter, and we have already ........... for bad news.

a. prepared ourselves
b. made ourselves ready
c. gotten ourselves ready

  Wait, please! Can you give me some time to ............. — No, we're running out of time. We've got to go; now!

a. prepare myself?
b. make myself ready?
c. get myself ready?

  Don't worry! This course will ............ for the exam.

a. prepare you
b. make you ready
c. get you ready

  The coach is ............. for the upcoming competitions.

a. preparing his team
b. making his team ready
c. getting his team ready

P.S. I have already seen the similar threads on the forum.


texts:
Which option fits best for the following sentence?

  I don't think you ... appreciate the significance of the meetings that
  are currently being held.

  Totally
  Utterly
  Absolutely
  Entirely

For me all of them work especially 1, 2 and 3. I get results after searching on the Internet, people use them. I don't know what the point is about this question.


texts: Is it correct to use honorifics or titles after someone's name rather than before?

texts:
In India, it is common to place the honorific sir after a person's name. The same is true of the words uncle and aunt. However, when I asked a native English speaker about it, she said that it is correct to place honorifics before a person's name..
This seems to be an American and British style of honorific usage, but could the Asian style be correct as well? Are these examples passable in American or British usage, or not acceptable at all?

I asked Manmohan Sir about the economic crises in the country.
Last night, I went to Sunita Patel Aunt(y)'s house for a birthday party.


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "multi-faceted approach"?

texts:
In this article: https://www.drugtargetreview.com/article/60516/developing-immunotherapies-for-hard-to-treat-cancers/

I don't know the meaning of the phrase "multi-faceted approach" in these sentences:

Exploring how therapies with multi-faceted approaches could improve options for treatment-refractory cancers, like pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancer.
The multi-faceted approach to these immunotherapies should make it harder for cancers to develop resistance, meaning it could be applied to treat a range of cancers in the future.

Also, after reading this article, I saw that the author mentioned only one approach called 'triangle offense'. However, in the summary, the author wrote "Exploring how therapies with multi-faceted approaches could improve options ..." (plural) and ,in the conclusions, he changed to "The multi-faceted approach to these immunotherapies should make it ..." (singular). Why?
Moreover, the author also used "these immunotherapies" an awful lot but really I just only saw one immunotherapy that the author mentioned in this article.

Maybe I had not read it carefully, please point out the wrong place for me.

Really appreciate your help!


texts:
I've seen that words like "day" sound like "die", "pray" sounds like "pry" and so on. I just googled where does day sound like die but didn't get anything.

So, are day and die homephones in some variety of English, and if so in what country?

I talked to an Irish guy cause I thought it was Irish but apparently not. He didn't think so.


texts: Wiktionary claims it is "magics", from how I read its page, but e.g. Ask.com claims it has no plural form. Considering that Wiktionary also claims that it is "usually uncountable", are there only certain situations it has a plural form in?


texts:
When I'am writing a paper, I did not know what is the difference between "is" and "are".

Should I write:

  "DNA is a part of....."

instead of:

  "DNA are a part of....."

?


texts: Is 'stolen' used as an adjective or noun?

texts:
Stolen is past participle of 'steal' but is it used as an adjective or noun! I couldn't find anything on the net. just this:

  The 71-year-old then allegedly tried to return the stolen items for cash or store credit on the same day.

or in a movie

  Please insert your stolen card now.


texts:
On "The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton, it says:

When a subject was accused of a crime of sufficient importance to
interest the king, public notice was given that on an appointed day
the fate of tile accused person would be decided in the king's
arena,--a structure which well deserved its name; for, although its
form and plan were borrowed -from afar, its purpose emanated solely
from the brain of this man, who, every barleycorn a king, knew no
tradition to which he owed more allegiance than pleased his fancy, and
who ingrafted on every adopted form of human thought and action the
rich growth of his barbaric idealism.

Barleycorn is a kind of corn or wheat as far as i understand.What did he mean when saying "every barleycorn king"?


texts: Is "Tax return" right term even if I must pay more tax at the procedure?

texts:
I must file a tax return for this year.

But I feel it's a bit strange to use a word "return" when I must pay the tax.
(Because income tax is not deducted in advance, I must pay it end of the fiscal year.)

Is there a expression like "file a tax pay"?


texts:
In my language have has exactly two different meanings. First is possess. In the following sentences I can replace have with posses,

I have a pen = I possess a pen
I have a car = I possess a car
I have this book = I possess this book

the second meaning is forced to do or
must do. In simple language have means, that I have no other choice, I must do this. In the following sentences I can replace have with forced.

I have to go now = I am forced to go now
I have to kill him = I am forced to kill him

I guess that in English have is not equivalent to forced to. Actually it seems that have in the above written two sentences means that I posses that job.

I have to go = I possess a job, and the job is to go
I have to kill him = I possess a job, and the job is to kill him

I also do not understand why sometimes in English got is used with have, e.g.

I have got to go now.
I have got this car.

What does got mean in: "I got to go" or "I get to go". Is get=got=have? As I understand get means possess.


texts: Are this two tenses convenient to use for the same purpose, for the event in the past that began, lasted and finished?


texts:
My Merriam-Webster dictionary says the prefix stem in words such as the one in "equilateral triangle" (triangle with equal sides), is "equi-", meaning "same".

What I would like to know is, similarly, is there another prefix that can be attached at the beginning of a word to convey the meaning of "different"?

Thanks.


texts:
who is your sister sees ?
  who your sister sees  ?

  who are you looking for  ?
  who you are looking for ?

What I know is, All WH questions* require a finite auxiliary verb before the subject,but in this sentence "who your sister likes" ,there is no auxiliary verb.is this sentence in currect format or not.


texts: Should I use "in" or "at" in the following sentence? "Join us at/in our Spanish patio."

texts:
Which should I use in the next sentence?

  Join us at/in our Spanish patio.


texts: Is "there is no absolute best answer to" idiomatic? Is there any better alternative for it?

texts:
As implied by the question's title, I want to know weather the following phrase is idiomatic or not?

"there is no absolute best answer to"

For instance, in this sentence:

  I believe that there is no absolute best answer to this question, however, based on my personal conjecture ....

Is it a better idea to use "general", "ultimate", or "universal" instead of "absolute" or not?


texts:
I was wondering which tense should be used in the following indirect questions?
First case:
1.1. Where are you going? → I asked where you are going
1.2. Where are you going? → I asked where you were going
Second case:
2.1. Why are you crying? → He asked me why I am crying
2.2. Why are you crying? → He asked me why I was crying
I think since the tense of main verb within the indirect question is simple past, the correct sentences would be "#1.2" and "#2.2".
I wonder if you could correct me if I am mistaken.


texts: What are those labels called that have a person's name in offices?

texts: Is there a specific term for the labels used in offices and other places, which are mounted outside a person's office or cubicle and carry his name and other details?


texts:
When I was reading a novel, I got confused by this sentence:

  "When he is around, she doesn't dream."

Clearly it's not the literal meaning. Then what does it mean? Can you help me?
My guess is "sleep well" or "carefree"


texts: what does " to finish doing something" mean exactly?

texts:
"I have repaired my car." This means that the car is working again.

"I have been repairing my car". This means I have been doing repairs, but it doesn't mean the car is working.

"I have finished repairing my car".

Does this mean the car is repaired and in working order again or does it mean I stopped doing the activity?  I am confused.


texts:
Is -que the same as -ck?

Does it mean something different?

For example, is cheque the same as check?


texts: Is "The question" at the front of this sentence extraneous?

texts:
Is "The question" in:

  "The question whether we should go or stay comes next."

extraneous?

LanguageTool suggests to remove "The question" from the sentence. However, I think "The question" is fine in there. Why do you think Language Tool is suggesting that?


texts: Which tense is the correct tense for this sentence?

texts:
Your son has been assigned a detention to be served on a convenient day next week.

or

  Your son was assigned a detention to be served on a convenient day next week?


texts:
As far as I know, when a soccer player commits a foul, the referee penalizes him / her. But when I google the self-made sentence: "The referee penalized that player" I get only 5 results. I guess there is another verb for this purpose. What is the common verb which a native speaker would use instead of the bold verb below:

  The referee penalized that player and gave him a yellow card.

  He fouled and was / got penalized.


texts:
What's the difference between say:

  "The project will be on GitHub",

  "The project will be in GitHub" and

  "The project will be at GitHub"?


texts:
lean [transitive] to make something rest against something in a sloping position

  lean something against something Can I lean my bike against the
  wall?

  She leaned her head against his shoulder.

  lean something on something He leaned his elbows on the table and
  sighed.

  He sat down and leaned his chin on his right hand.

  corner: the place inside a room or a box where two sides join; the area around this place

  A large desk occupies another corner of the room.

  He found a quiet corner and got on with his work.

  in the corner They made straight for the table in the corner.

  in the corner of something She spotted him sitting in the corner
  of the bar.

  We found an empty booth in a dark corner of the pub.

  There was a television in the far corner of the bedroom.

  a corner table/seat/cupboard

See this picture of a broom leaning AGAINST / ON / IN the corner.

Do we say "to lean the broom AGAINST / ON the corner of the room" or "to lean the broom IN the corner of the room"?

It is very hard to comprehend prepositions in English.

We normally use "LEAN" with "AGAINST" or "ON"

Eg, "to lean the roll of mat AGAINST / ON the wall"

But we often use "CORNER" with "IN"

Eg, "There is a roll of mat IN the corner of the room"


texts: How to know the sentence/phrase should using gerund or continuous?

texts:
I'm currently learning about gerund and I tried to create a sentences such as

"When your parents are getting old"
or
"When your parents getting old"

which one of those is correct? is the second example is gerund?


texts:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2013/09/where-nokia-went-wrong.html

What do they following mean?

Does the following mean, because after a year(2014) this company may be found to have been worth nothing in the previous year(which is this year), this company(Nokia) is selling it to Microsoft because they want it out of their operations since it's worthless?

  Nokia’s agreement on Tuesday to sell its handset business to Microsoft for $7.2 billion is something of a minor business coup for Nokia, since a year from now that business might well turn out to have been worth nothing.

This next one means that Microsoft is making a fatal mistake but doing nothing(relying on other companies for the manufacture of their phones and whatnot) is more fatal than buying up this Nokika company.
Am I right??

  While buying Nokia’s phone business, and truly becoming a different kind of company than it has been for most of its nearly forty-year history, could be a mistake that ultimately proves fatal to Microsoft as we know it, continuing to rely on other companies to determine its fate in a post-PC world seems like it would be the most fatal mistake of all.


texts:
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

He was appointed as the President of the company.
He was appointed President of the company.


texts: English for Sales and Purchasing is part of the Express Series. It is an ideal course for students in employment, who want to communicate better in English.


texts:
What is a circular sentence? I cannot find any meaningful explanations on the web. Is it considered good or bad?
Could you give any examples?

Thanks


texts: Searching for an idiom to describe truth which is not exactly the truth, or a "tricky truth"

texts:
I can say almost anything what I want in English by simply thinking it first in my regional language. That's easy but the trap is idioms. In every language idioms are so wonderful as they convince the matter with beautiful words in short. In a few words, you can describe many things.
We, in our regional language, have a wonderful idiom which literally translates to

Truth but not exactly the truth; a tricky truth [I wonder, whether this translation itself is an idiom!]

But it's not exactly what the idiom describes. Being diplomatic is quite close to this because you tell the truth in a way, in a smart way that does not look like an authentic statement, but still, is not a lie either!
Let me think of an example to make it clearer.

"[On phone] Dad, bring me those yummy chocolates from Denmark."   "Sure, but only if I travel by an airplane." [This is that idiom but the listener does not know about it yet].   "Yeah, no problem!" — The kid is pretty sure. (How else would her dad travel?)

After reaching home

"Dad, where are my chocolates?"  "Hey, I didn't bring them!"   "Why??? You said you'd bring them if you travel by airplane and you did travel, didn't you?"  "Yeah but I traveled by car as well! How do you think I reached home?"   The kid is sad. Now she knows that that sentence was actually [an idiom here].  "Hey, don't be sad... here are your chocolates, my darling!"  The kid's happy!

The most important thing to mention: This idiom is not restricted to be used to create a pun, but in some extreme cases can be fatal or catastrophically damaging.
The great epic (Mahabharata mentions this in the Day 15 of the Kurukshetra War):

After King Drupada and King Virata were slain by Drona, Bhima, and Dhristadyumna fought him on the fifteenth day. Because Drona was very powerful and inconquerable having the irresistible brahmadanda, Krishna hinted to Yudhisthira that Drona would give up his arms if his son Ashwathama was dead. Bhima proceeded to kill an elephant named Ashwathama, and loudly proclaimed that Ashwathama was dead. Drona approached Yudhisthira to seek the truth of his son's death. Yudhisthira proclaimed Ashwathama Hatahath, naro va Kunjaro va (-the idiom), implying Ashwathama had died but he was nor sure whether it was a Drona's son or an elephant, The latter part of his proclamation (Naro va Kunjaro va) were drowned out by sound of the conch blown by Krishna intentionally (a different version of the story is that Yudhisthira pronounced the last words so feebly that Drona could not hear the word elephant). Prior to this incident, the chariot of Yudhisthira, proclaimed as Dharma raja (King of righteousness), hovered a few inches off the ground. After the event, the chariot landed on the ground as he lied.

And solely due to [that idiom] this was the result:

Drona was disheartened, and laid down his weapons. He was then killed by Dhristadyumna to avenge his father's death and satisfy his vow.


texts: What is the meaning of, "The stronger the issues, the more powerful the catharsis" according to the conversation mentioned down below?

texts:
CONVERSATION FROM INCEPTION MOVIE

EAMES: That boy's relationship with his father is even worse than we imagined.

ARTHUR: This helps us how?

COBB: The stronger the issues, the more powerful the catharsis.


texts:
I don't quite understand the phrase "More than a million boys’ periodicals were sold a week" - it seems to mean "More than a million copies of the penny dreadfuls (periodicals) subscribed by boys were sold a week." I am not sure at all.
What does the phrase mean?

The penny dreadfuls were printed on cheap wood pulp paper and were aimed at young working class men.[4] More than a million boys’ periodicals were sold a week, but the popularity of penny dreadfuls was challenged in the 1890s by the rise of competing literature, especially the half-penny periodicals published by Alfred Harmsworth.[3][5]

Source: Wiki


texts:
When not a teacher, he lived a life of a monk.

This sentence is perfectly possible and is missing a subject, so I was just curious if I can say this also.

  Students were absentminded, thinking what to do when (they) get home
  early.

  If (they are) not doing homework, they get lazy.

Is it OK to delete "they" (or "they are") in these sentences?


texts:
Context:

Inside the burning building, David fights his way down the smokey stairwell.

In this sentence , Is "fights his way down" natural if I want to emphasize that it's a struggle?


texts:
If you take me to a place that I would like, I will give you this.
  If you take me to a place that I will like, I will give this.

Or simply

  Take me to a place that I would like.
  Take me to a place that I will like.

Which one is the correct one?


texts: Past perfect or simple in: "500 copies (of Coldplay's first release) were/had been released."

texts:
Please have a look at this (I'm speaking about Coldplay's first release.)

"All I can say is that he bought it in Piccadilly records in Manchester a long time ago (1998) before they became very famous. At this time he was living in England and used to go once a week to that store.

The next sentence can be either

"500 copies had been released not 50"

or

"500 copies were released not 50".

Which solution is the best?

I think the first one, past perfect, is the best because first the record was released then he bought it, but it seems evident that you can't buy a record before it is released so past simple might fit too.


texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences?

I have a car.
I have had a car.
I have a car from 2 January 2020.
I have had a car since 2 January 2020.

Is there any difference between the 3 and 4 or they are interchangeable?


texts: What is another verb to use in this sentence "I stop at this step and unable to continue"?

texts: I have been using "get stuck" in a sentence like "I get stuck at this step and can't move on" . But by googling I don't see it is used as much. Is there a more common way to say this?


texts: Usage of had in the occurance of two events

texts:
There's a sentence in my book:

  "Jack did not know why he failed in the examination."

There are two events in the sentence:
1. Failing in the examination
2. Not knowing the reason

Since event 1 occurred before event 2, why did they not use "had" in the sentence?


texts: When has/have is necessary in a sentence

texts:
The man closed his mouth and scratched his cheek.
The man had closed his mouth and scratched his cheek.

It is even possible to express in that way? Using the possession word "had"? And when might it be necessary to do so?


texts: What is the difference between "Have I got it right" and "Did I get it right"?

texts:
Let's consider the following questions:

"Have I got it right?"

"Did I get it right?"

What nuances are introduced by the past tense and by the present perfect? These two tenses can't make the same meaning, right? Or can they?


texts:
The cat is a small, furry animal with four legs and a tail.

A mobile phone is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls
over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a
telephone service area.

The donut is a small, circular cake, fried in hot fat, either with a hole in the middle or filled with jam.

Why is the definite article  used in the first sentence  but not in the second and the third ones, since  we talk about any cat, any phone and any donut, or, in other words, about the categories "cat"/"phone"/"donut"?


texts:
I have seen the following video, where Marge and Family go to the Giant's Causeway. I don't fully understand what she says, even if I slow the playback speed. This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmpu-ondyFg

This is what I think she says - I don't understand the words in bold part.:

The Giant's Causeway, is the result of a vulcanic eruption.
Well kids, isn't dare and formational fant?

Please, can you help me? Thanks!


texts: What does "bumped into" convey in this sentence?

texts:
I found the following sentence in a book about learning English:

  My car slid and bumped into a parked station wagon.

According to the book, "bumped into" conveys that the car hit the station wagon "slowly". Is that correct? If not, what would you say to mean that your car hit another car slowly such that nothing serious happened?


texts: "as an algebra" or "as algebra" (zero article or indefinite article)?

texts:
This is a grammar question in the context of mathematics.

Introduction of the context:
I use the word "algebra" here in the sense of a mathematical object (see Algebra over a field (Wikipedia)). Often an algebra is defined over a field K. One then speaks more precisely of a K-algebra or of an algebra over K.

So let K be a field. A K-algebra consists roughly of two things (the details do not matter here):

a ring R
a structure that relates it to K

In particular a ring R can become a K-algebra in different ways. So one needs to specify how a given ring R becomes a K-algebra. In such a situation I would write

"We consider R as an algebra over K via ...",

where in "..." I explain the structure that relates R to K.

Question: Should one use the indefinite article "an" in the previous phrase or not? Why?


texts: How to say "a small and not so important question" concisely?

texts:
How to say "a not so important small question" concisely?

For example, if I am studying math, and there's a terminology that looks wierd. Its nomenclature gradually becomes a preoccupation to me. I just want to know the reason of this name. However, this has nothing to do with my serious study of math. Hence, it is "a small and not so important" yet curious question to me.


texts:
I've encountered a sentence in an article which is strange for me, that is:

  Some of the main issues to address are the following:

I think it should be:

  Some of the main issues to be addressed are the following:

Am I wrong? If so, why? or it is just a simple mistake by the author?


texts:
In the following excerpt

  Prominent absentees from the event apart from Punia, were cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, Asian Games gold-medallist shot-putter Tejinder Pal Singh Toor, and silver-winner quartermiler Mohammed Anas, all of who were picked for the Arjuna award this year.

I think instead of who,  whom should be used. Because I have never seen  who in these sentences.

Source:  The Hindu


texts: "I will make you {write / written} this letter."

texts:
I will make you write this letter.

or

  I will make you written this letter.

Which of these two sentences is correct? If both, please, tell me where to use each.


texts: When there's 'at present' in the sentence, does it still need 'is doing' form?

texts:
An example:

I'm pleased to tell you that our company ___ rapidly at present.

What's the correct form? 'Is expanding' or 'expands'?


texts:
I'm a little bit confused of the word rescue usage. From one perspective of view I know from the grounds about the television series "Chip'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" in which Rangers are rescuing others. On the other hand, Wikipedia says that "A rescue dog is a dog that is rescued from a possible euthanasia" - the opposite meaning.

So the question is - does the word rescue have these opposite meanings? And how can I refer to "A dog designated for rescue missions"?


texts: Asking for grammatical explanations for why "The book has two pages missing." is right

texts:
In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary,
there are example sentences as below for the adjective "missing".

  (Sentence A) The book has two missing pages.

  (Sentence B) The book has two pages missing.

I get right away that Sentence A is correct.
And I also feel Sentence B is okay but I cannot explain the reason.

For instance, the sentence "This is a book good." is incorrect as the one-word-modifier "good" comes after the noun "a book" which it modifies.
I know when the modifier consists of more than one word, it can be placed after the noun, as in "This is a book good to read." and this sentence is correct.

How does a one-word-modifier come after the noun it modifies and there is no problem in the sentence B?


texts: Can I use "the %whatever% one" and particularly "the other one" in IELTS Academic writing?

texts:
From some source I have heard that the other one is informal.
I am considering using this word in the IELTS Academic writing, particularly in the following sentence.

  Overall, both sites offer almost equal extent of accessibility from a city centre, although each of them has its own advantages over the other one.

Is this appropriate to use these structures in this type of an essay?

Research conducted before asking:
1. A Google search ("the other one" formal, "the other one" informal, what is informal in ielts essay) gave no relevant answers.
2. SkELL's British corpus has entries of structures "the %word% one".


texts:
Why we don’t use the article a after the preposition to in this phrase?

  He went to prison.


texts:
In the following sentence:

  Movies with sound became popular in the twenties

how would I parse the prep phrase? Mainly I can't figure out part of speech of "twenties". Is it a common noun or proper noun?

Or, if it were written as follows:

  Movies with sound became popular after 1925

is "after 1925" also a prep phrase? And what would be the part of speech of 1925?


texts: What does "point blank" mean in the context?

texts:
The original sentence:

  This tradition of guaranteeing anonymity began to develop quickly,
  although it was not until later that it was carried to the extreme of
  denying all knowledge of any individuals who were in its ranks and of
  refusing point blank to answer questions or to allow any outside
  contact with the legionnaires.

Three questions:

Does "point blank" modify "refusing", meaning directly?
Is "of refusing..." parallel to "of denying..."?
Is "to allow...” parallel to "to answer..."?


texts:
Take your pick - choose anyone you want

Pick of something is usually used.

  We were reviewing the pick of new magazines.

  This is the pick of modern technologies.

But in a Cambridge dictionary sentence I found

  Take your pick of any dessert on the cart.

How is any used here. Is it grammatical?

Thanks in advance........


texts: "Every time I eat (I'm eating) crabs, I feel (I'm feeling) sick" - what difference the continuous aspect makes

texts:
If I say "Every time I eat crabs, I feel sick" (it is a usual fact that will last  all my life.)

But is it possible to say "Every time I'm  eating crabs, I feel sick." Does it change the meaning of the first part of the sentence? when I say that I am not necessarily eating crabs right now.

Would it be possible to say "Every time I'm  eating crabs, I'm feeling  sick", what would that mean... a temporary situation ( won't last  all my life.)


texts:
What does “relayed” mean here? It means "delivered"?

When I looked up relayed in a dictionary, I found a definition that said:

  relayed (verb trans.) to tell something you heard :
  I relayed the news to the others.

From the context of the article, though, I can't tell who is relaying this speech. It sounds like they were listening to it as it was being delivered.


texts: What does "My back reached for soreness" mean in this context?

texts:
I would like to know what "My back reached for soreness" means in the following sentences:

I saw you and Hania slung together, dancing, oblivious to me on
the other side of the window. My stomach began to burn, secreting pain
like arrowheads, and then the two of you as a four-legged creature,
struggling on the forest floor. Eating itself, aware only of itself.
At the same time your pleas for trust rang in my ears, your pleas for
my patience. The fire in my belly spread. My back reached for
soreness, my eyes stirred and dampened. The man was still there,
staring at me. And so was the piece of paper.

Tomasz Jedrowski, Swimming in the Dark, Chapter 7

In this novel which is set in the 1980's in Poland under the socialist regime, where homosexuality was socially unacceptable, the protagonist Ludwik (a university graduate) left Poland in 1981 to live in the United States of America. And he remembers what it was like back then in Poland, where he went to the Passport Bureau to get his passport in order to leave the country. But then the officer at the Bureau blackmailed him with the fact that he was a homosexual, saying he had to give names of homosexuals if he wanted his passport. That was when he thought of his lover Janusz, who constantly tried to straddle between Ludwik and a girl named Hania.
In this part, I wonder what "My back reached for soreness" means. Would that mean perhaps that he stretched/extended his back because of soreness/pain...?


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

texts:
What does commission mean in this context:

  a volunteer who fixes up old, dilapidated houses for better community housing commission

I looked it up in the Oxford dictionary, but it doesn't seem to match any of the senses.

Source: The ILI English Series, High-intermediate 3, page 44


texts: Should I write "written on" or "written on it" in the following sentence?

texts:
Mary stood before me, draped with my blanket like a nun and holding a
  napkin that had written on (it), You don't want to play with me
  anymore?

Should I write written on or written on it? I'm confused because I see both occurrences on Google.


texts: the difference between prepositions and particles?

texts:
While driving along, Shiro’s owner decided to stop for awhile and she ran away again.

Is along  and away prepositions or particle? I am confused


texts: Use of the indefinite article with the name of the language in this way

texts:
I put back my red pencil, an English book and English notebook in my
  bag.

Is the above sentence right?


texts: What does "unplugged" mean or imply in this headline?

texts:
What does "unplugged" mean or imply in the headline

  Trump unscripted and unplugged


texts:
Invented in 1440 by the German scientist and engineer Johannes
  Gutenberg, the printing press is one of the finest inventions.

Is there an odd word in this sentence? Is the definite article in "the German scientist" correct?


texts:
Source

I'm wondering whether I should use "can" or "could" in the following.

  How can / could I concentrate with you breathing down my neck all the time?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Is it alright to say good afternoon Sirs and Madams in a panel interview?

texts:
I will be attending a panel interview (with two men and two women). I don't know their names. I want to be more polite, but I am not sure whether it is alright to say

  Good afternoon, sirs and madams

in the panel interview.


texts:
Which sentence is correct?

Explore wisdom of the ages with us.
Explore the wisdom of the ages with us.


texts:
I started the abstract of a paper that I am writing with this sentence:

Pashto language belongs to the eastern Iranian branch of the Indo-European family of languages, and it is spoken primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan by over 50 million people.

Grammarly says that I have to add the "the" article at the beginning of the sentence "the Pashto language....".
Should I add the "the" or not? which makes more sense?


texts: Why is "did be" grammatically incorrect?

texts:
What’s wrong with this sentence?

Where did you be yesterday?

These sorts of sentences have been bothering me for some time. Can someone explain to me why I cannot say sentences like one in the example?


texts: Is the phrase " Black market " correct? Meaning illegal or undeclared work and are there any other words or phrases, that are used to describe this kind of work or jobs?


texts: Do both the given sentences mean the same thing?

texts:
There was an insect in my room, and I was trying to get it out (of my room).

There was an insect in my room I was trying get out.

Do both the sentences mean the same thing?


texts:
is the word 'the' used correctly in the first sentence. I am not specific in this case. I want to talk about people in general. That's why I think I should leave out the word 'the'. I think if I use the word 'the', it means the people have been mentioned before, which is not the case. But I am not sure. should I Leave the word "the" in the following sentence.

(The) People who want to leave their own societies, for whatever reason, have the right to do so.


texts: Question about meaning of "as often as not" in this context

texts:
Outside, the emergency rescue team of the Civil Defence Force (CDF) scoured through the rubble. With little training and limited equipment from Britain, America and elsewhere, theirs is a task as grim as it is dangerous. When there is an attack on residential areas, they race in to search for survivors and - as often as not - to recover bodies. In the last year, eight crew members have been killed as they brave bombs and bullets to rescue others.

What does "as often as not" mean here?

I also would appreciate your help, determining what the word "theirs" refers to.


texts: Is there any difference between "do well in a job interview", "do well at a job interview" and "do well on a job interview"?

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference between do well in a job interview, do well at a job interview and do well on a job interview? For example:

If Kate does well in the job interview, that'll definetly call for a celebration.
If Kate does well at the job interview, that'll definetly call for a celebration.
If Kate does well on the job interview, that'll definetly call for a celebration.


texts: What's the meaning of this Idiom? "Slippery Slope"

texts:
She realized he was on the slippery slope towards a life of
crime.
Help me to figure out the meaning of that Idiom.
Some other example can help me most.


texts: what does **for want of commitment** mean in the following sentence?

texts:
what does for want of commitment mean in the following sentence? (emphasis added)

  If the reports have not been successful, it is not for want of commitment by the Bank.

Yusuf, Shahid. 2009. Development Economics through the Decades : A Critical Look at 30 Years of the World Development Report. Washington, DC: World Bank. p 107.


texts: How can I express "exclaim or say something not out loud, but in my heart, silently"

texts:
For example, upon my first arrival in a new city, I was shocked by the backwardness of this place, so I thought to myself, what a shitty place, why do I even come here. But of course, I wouldn't say so in public. I only had this idea in my mind.

So my question is: Is there an expression in English that can convey such meaning in a more concise way. Thanks!


texts: How can I translate the phrase "Does it make sense?"

texts:
Very often when a person describes his point he asks the audience a question.

  Does it make sense?

Is it correct to rephrase it as "Is it understandable?"


texts:
I've seen a comment that

I am a left wing liberal snowflake.

What does it mean?

I saw this on a Facebook comment; it's from Ellen talk show. Here is the screenshot:


texts: Which is correct in spoken language, "not exist" or "not exists"?

texts:
I know "something don't exist" and "something exists" are both correct, but when comes to spoken language, sometimes we say "not exist(s)" for short..

Example:

A: "does something exists?"

B: "not exists."

So which one is right?


texts: Writing “the increase in A and the increase in B" in a compact way

texts:
Considering the following sentence:

  The increase in diabetes prevalence and the increase in hypertension
  prevalence are of special concern.

I would like to know if this sentence could be written, without loss of meaning, as:

  The increase in diabetes and hypertension prevalence is of special concern.
  The increase in diabetes and hypertension prevalence are of special concern.
  The increases in diabetes and hypertension prevalence are of special concern.


texts:
The below sentence I have to tell to someone else who is just acting to be stylish.

  "It (his photo) seemed not to be your natural look "

Is that ok? Specifically, is “natural look” correct in this context?


texts: What do you call a phrase that's not an idiom yet?

texts: I was looking at "get the basics straight", but it doesn't seem to have an entry in any dictionary as an idiom, why is that, and what do you call an idiom that's not an idiom, or a phrase that didn't become an idiom yet, yet has all the appearances of an idiom?


texts: Why do we use singular verb with third person after gerund?

texts:
Why do we use singular verb in sentences like this:

Just sitting here and watching the world go by. (not goes)

Just sitting here and watching paint dry. (not dries)

The world goes, doesn't it?


texts: Difference between carry off and carry through

texts:
Could you help me understand the difference in meaning between carry off and carry through? They seem pretty similar to me. In additional resources I've read:

carry off - handle a difficult situation successfully
carry through - complete successfully in spite of difficulty

The result is the same for both of them- something difficult is completed successfully. Can I use them interchangeably?


texts: What's the meaning of "as may be" in this sentence?

texts:
I read "the beast in the jungle" by Henry James, and found the phrase "as may be" embedded in a sentence, just as below.

"When they were two they either mingled their sounds of ecstasy or melted into silences of even deeper import, so that there were aspects of the occasion that gave it for Marcher much the air of the “look round,” previous to a sale highly advertised, that excites or quenches, as may be, the dream of acquisition."

Then I can't understand what this phrase means and how this grammatically works. If you don't mind it, please teach me these points.


texts: "After you finish" vs. "After you have finished"

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning in the following sentence?

  After you finish your homework, call me.

  After you have finshed your homework, call me.

I pretty often hear natives use after and the present perfect when referring to the future, but I am not aware of the difference between the present simple and perfect when talking about the future.


texts:
Gisela: And also this girl whom Sihtric loves, you will not belittle her.

Guhtred: She is an alehouse whore.

Gisela: And what is Aethelflaed? What is a peace-cow if not a whore?

Note: Aethelfaed is the daughter of a King.
In an episode of The Last Kingdom from season 2 of the show, one of the characters said peace-cow which I stated above, and I do not understand what is the meaning of it.


texts:
Can we say that the phrase "as opposed to" means:

  instead of

or

  Comparing to something?

Thanks.


texts:
I know that

  "is gone"

can be translated to both "dead" and really "departed" and in most cases I can understand that when I know the context. But sometimes even when I know the context I have hard times defining it. Is there any way to determine that?

i.e: I've started a movie right in the middle, a man was in a hurry to go to someones house from the bus station and when he arrived a girl (a common friend apparently) said: Sorry, she is gone.

I knew the context, but I didn't know the history so I guessed that she had to be dead, but after 10 minutes I understand that she's moved to another country :|


texts:
I have time tomorrow.

  I will have time tomorrow.

Which one is correct?


texts: Direct address for 'you', does it need a comma or not?

texts:
You, get out.

You is a direct address, so I'm asking the person to get out. Do I need to add the “,” between you and get?


texts:
Could someone explain to me this part "used by itself" in the definition of a pronoun?

  Pronoun: a word that can function as a noun phrase used by itself and that
  refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g. I, you) or to
  someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g. she,
  it, this).


texts:
Ellen probably wouldn't have survived, let alone broken the record, if she didn't have such extreme mental toughness.

Is it the third conditional? I guess, they talking about past events that didn't happen. Then why "if part" of the sentence contains the past simple verb and not the past perfect?

Also this sentence from the same text

  But if she hadn't endured such tough experiences herself, she wouldn't understand nearly as much about what these young people have to face.

Text


texts: "in-between" vs "in between" vs "inbetween" vs "between"

texts:
When to use "between" and when to add an in and say "in between" has become clear from the two very related SE posts: "In between" or "between"? and 'in between' or 'between'. Apparently the in can always be omitted but is optional to add when "between" is used as a preposition for physical (and apparently also time-wise) comparisons:

  There is a puddle [in] between us. Optional "in"

  There is some tension between us. Don't use "in"

Question 1: Is this always correct? Are there never situations where the in is mandatory?

Question 1a: And equivalently, in order for me to understand the proper usage: what difference does the word in make in the sentence? Does it not make a difference? Can I safely omit the in completely in any context and never bother with this again?

When I do choose to use the in in relation to between there apparently are several options:

  in-between

  in between

  inbetween

The two first-mentioned seem well-explained in Should I use "in between" or "inbetween" in the following sentence?: the "in-between" is an adverb. But an answer in that post indicates that the latter form "inbetween" with no dash or space does exist.

Question 2: What exactly is the difference and meaning of these three versions? And do they all exist?


texts: Should the names of computer programs and libraries be preceded by an article?

texts:
If I want to refer to a computer program, like, e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, etc., do I need an article (definite/indefinite?) ?

(1) use the Internet Explorer, use the Firefox, use the Google Chrome
(2) use an Internet Explorer, use a Firefox, use a Google Chrome
(3) use Internet Explorer, use Firefox, use Google Chrome


texts: Is this sentence correct? ( on a table or on the table)

texts:
There is a book on a table.

Is this sentence grammatically correct?
What is the image of this sentence?
Should I write “on the table” instead of “on a table?”
What’s the difference?


texts:
I want to write the following sentence using the more ... the fewer statement.

  There are 50 soldiers and 5 missions to be carried out.

  If N soldiers are assigned to the missions, then 50-N soldiers support the soldiers assigned to the missions in the rear.

My first question is: do I need the word is or are written out twice in these statements?

My second question is: do I need the definite article before the word number?

My third question is: do I need to use the word number at all?

That is,

  the more the number of the soldiers assigned to the missions is, the fewer the number of the soldiers that can play a role as assistants in the rear is.
  the more the number of the soldiers assigned to the missions, the fewer the number of the soldiers that can play a role as assistants in the rear.

  the more number of the soldiers assigned to the missions is, the fewer number of the soldiers that can play a role as assistants in the rear is.
  the more number of the soldiers assigned to the missions, the fewer number of the soldiers that can play a role as assistants in the rear.

  the more the soldiers assigned to the missions are, the fewer the soldiers that can play a role as assistants in the rear are.
  the more soldiers assigned to the missions, the fewer solders that can play a role as assistants in the rear.

Which one is the best? If there is other better sentences, please let me know.


texts:
A very popular phrase it is Bend it like Beckham. I searched it on the Internet but found no satisfactory answers.They say that it's about bending a pathway of the ball like Beckham and also the rules in the life! But do you bend a pathway of a ball? Or you spin it as in cricket?

Am I missing something?


texts:
I want to describe something by saying it can do or has this and this and that, then putting the focus that it can do or has literally everything. Here’s an example:

  He has it all—money, a good family, decent education,...everything.

Can everything fit in that place? What about my punctuation?


texts: Difference between prepositions for and of

texts:
Is this the last exam of you guys?
Is this the last exam for you guys?

Could you explain which sentence is correct?


texts:
I wanted to say that "English is my second language so for me to get in to this academy was hard"
Would you be able to say the path (way?) to accomplish my goal was not easy? (Like it was a long way to accomplish my goal.)

I think there is a better way of saying this but I cannot remember.


texts: Is it okay to use “and” instead of “with”?

texts:
I was just wondering, is it okay to use the word “and” instead of “with” in these kinds of sentences?
For example, something like “Chimpanzees have a strong body with brown fur” is it okay to change the “with” to “and” so it becomes “Chimpanzees have a strong body and brown fur”?
Just because someone told me that using “and” is not correct and I should have used “with”.


texts:
In this audio file, what does the woman say at 2:05:

  drive that little

or

  tried that little

How about the man at 2:47:

  finish it off

or

  finish it up

Source: The ILI English Series, Intermediate 1, Unit 6


texts: Ambiguity in negation : Multasking is not productive and efficient

texts:
I didn't get any score from my English teacher as she said the following sentence on my answer sheet belongs to a partial negation.

  "Multasking is not productive and efficient."

By writing the above is it possible to mean:

  "Multasking is not productive and multasking is not efficient"

I want to know this sentence can have two meanings.
(Partial negation/Total denial)


texts: How does native English speakers pronounce "that he"?

texts:
I'm watching this Youtube video at https://youtu.be/BTMj0jlu5r8?t=190. At around 3:10, the narrator said:

  ... in fact that he slammed ...

He said it too fast and I can't hear how exactly he pronounce that he. Could anyone help to explain what exactly he pronounced? I want to learn it. Thanks in advance.


texts:
We say "I'm happy I helped" to refer to the past.
What about "I'm happy to help"?
Does it mean you you want to show your willingness to do something (something you haven't done yet)?
Or do we have to use helping verbs like 'will' and 'would' to make that meaning? As in "I'll be happy to help." or "I'd be happy to help."
Can we use "I'm glad to help" to refer to the past, that is, you helped you you are happy you did?
And my other question is whether the case is the same with glad ?


texts:
I know that a comma in front of the conjunction 'and' is usally set when and is connecting two independent clauses.

I can't decide, though, if the second part of the following sentence is, in fact, an independent clause:

  Boredom comes, and unsolicited thoughts

I know that verb-only predicates exist, but does the adjective here count as a predicate so that I end up with two independent clauses?

edit: note that I would very much like to set the comma. I'm not looking for ways to spare me the comma.


texts:
Could you possibly let me know which structure is the proper way to convey "being late"?

My apologizes mr. Manson! But I guess I.............
a. will be late for 10 minutes.
b. will be late by 10 minutes.
c. will be 10 minutes late.

I have always stumbled on ether constructions 'b' and 'c', but I've got no clue if 'a' is wrong and if it is, then why?
Please let me know about it.


texts: "We have lot of money" or "We have a lot of money"

texts:
1) We have lot of money.

  2) We have a  lot of money.

Which is correct?

I say "we have lot of money."

Google says "we have a lot of money" is correct.


texts: How many clauses and objects are there in this sentence

texts:
Actually, on account of a festival, I received a mail from my management. I felt that the following sentence in that mail is wrong. Because I can't determine whether it is simple, complex or compound sentence. Please have a look at this sentence and let me know whether it is grammatically correct or not. If possible, please explain it clearly.

  Our team is so blessed to have each other, since we are special in our own way - Creative, Hardworking, Dedicated, Committed, Passionate, so making work fly by.

I really appreciate any help you can provide


texts:
Effectiveness was generally measured in these studies by higher-than-predicted gains on measures of achievement in math and reading. The emphasis had thus shifted to the behaviours of effective teachers and the relationship between teacher behaviour and pupil learning.

I don't understand the first sentence, especially from the part "by higher-than-predicted gains on measures..." Is the preposition "by" here a part of the passive structure?


texts: What is the standard alternative for this Indian English expression?

texts:
It's common in Indian English (especially in schools) to say "If you have any doubts, ask me now". As you might have guessed, the expression is understood to mean "If you did not understand something or if something is not clear to you, let me know and I'll explain again".
However, I believe the usage of "doubt" this way is incorrect in standard English. At the same time, I cannot think of a simple, conversational alternative to the expression.


texts: I have a friend from Japan who wants a simple explanation.  Which is correct?  "These are their bags."    "This is their bags."


texts:
God, she’d love to get out of here!

Could you please tel me what God exactly means here?

The fuller text is:

  Lauren examines a broken fingernail, trying to recall whether she
  brought a nail file with her. She glances at all the gloomy faces
  around her. No one appears to be enjoying themselves—even if they
  wanted to, it would be in bad taste. Candice going off to the library
  to work, as if nothing has happened, seems a bit callous. God, she’d
  love to get out of here! And it’s barely past lunchtime. She wonders
  how much longer they will be trapped in this hotel.


texts:
What does "in sort of a fit of" mean here :

  Suddenly, this other kid from Harvard, named Mark, had this product called Facebook and people being excited about it.  So in sort of a fit of somewhat immature professional jealousy, I said, "I'm not going to use this thing."


texts: Why do we use "was" for the pronoun "I" in some cases?

texts:
Why do we use was for the pronoun I?

Can we use were or not?

What is the difference between I was and I were??


texts: Can I say “what was the war a reaction to?”

texts: If I mean to ask the main causes of something, so I want to know what something reacted to, can I say “what was the war a reaction to?”? It sounds pretty weird to me... I’d rather say “what did the war react to?” Are they both right? Are they both wrong?


texts:
In the both sentences bellow, for me both the words 'realm' and 'domain' work in AmE. I need your confirmation; do you agree that these two words mean the same in each one of the examples bellow and using each one would not change the meaning of the sentence in the following senses:

This question can be answered in the realm / domain of psychology.

On the internet you can find everything in the realm / domain of medicine.


texts: Is it something like "far away"? Unfortunately I don't have the context but it would be nice to have some examples of how this word is used. Is it conversational?


texts: How to call people with two racial backgrounds in English?

texts:
My mother is an American and my father is a Chinese, is there a term for people with two racial backgrounds in English?

Update: Is "halfer" a good word for it? Is it kinda derogatory?


texts: They are the experts on '"whether" their lives are worth living'

texts:
I found the following sentence in The New York Times.

  When people are in possession of their mental faculties, they are the experts on whether their lives are worth living. (SOURCE)

Now see the way this part - whether their lives are worth living. - is being used. It seems like it's a fused relative construction, and whether is being used as a relativizer.

But I have never known the word - whether - has ever been used as anything other than conjunction. So what is it here? Can anyone please explain the italic part in my quoted sentence?

I have found another sentence -

  They are the experts on whether the output from these dams can easily and inexpensively be replaced, not fishery biologists. (SOURCE)

But this one is a person's comment on a blog post. But the former one is from a reputed source.

[For my own reference: some asides from StoneyB regarding the gap in the clause. HERE]


texts: The meaning of "crash" in "The Wall Street crash in 1929"

texts:
I encountered a sentence from TOEFL text book.

Quote

  The Wall Street crash in 1929 threw the world economy into recession.

Now according to the previous question,

Since the best answer says "the incident can make sound", so that in this case, is that definition applicable too?


texts: Tense agreement in "What I was going for {was / is} ..."

texts:
So, the smallest of things give rise to questions in my head.
And, I was wondering which of the following was the correct one. (or will it be, "which of the following is the correct one"?)

  What I was going for was

or

  What I was going for is

Should I keep the tenses in agreement, or could I use the tenses as I please (here as well, will it be "could I use the tenses as I pleased?"
I keep finding myself in doubt when trying construct sentences of this sort knowing that it wouldn't make a huge difference if I used either of the sentences.


texts:
Derice asking Blizter to coach him for Olympics.

  Derice: Please, Mr. Blitzer, just give me a chance. If I don't have
  what it takes, we'll forget the whole thing.

  Blizter: Believe me, kid, you do not have what it takes.

What exactly Derice referring to by saying "it" word?


texts:
He turned and started toward his office when...

He entered the stairwell and started up the stairs when...

He exited his hotel room and started down the corridor when...

He spotted a friend of his and started toward him when...

Are these all natural uses of started?


texts: About the meaning of Friends' Chandler's quote, "then put out fire by peeing , no get invited back."

texts:
In S01, finale, Chandler and Joey enter Monica's apartment with charcoal to take part in a barbecue:

  Chandler: Men are here.

  Joey: We make fire. Cook meat.

  Chandler: Then put out fire
  by peeing, no get invited
  back.

What does the text in bold mean?


texts: Word order : he has not replied yet vs he has not yet replied

texts:
I have to write one of the following phrases into a formal correspondence (job application) in order to ask:

  Because he has not  replied yet to my confirmation mail that I have sent to him three days ago

  Because he has not yet replied to my confirmation mail that I have sent to him three days ago

Which one should I use?

This is the contest :

I was not sure whether a final decision has been made regarding my application, because he has not replied yet to my confirmation mail that I have sent to him three days ago


texts: Using a clause whose first word is "that" and using "that" along with "it"?

texts:
We can directly use a clause whose first word is "that" as a single entry. For instance,

  "That she is pretty does not ensure that she is kind."

While on the other hand, we also say

  "How is it that she shouted?"

Since a clause whose first word is "that" can be used as a single object, as exemplified in (1), I am strongly tempted to simply say "How is that she shouts" instead of (2), can I? If not, why?


texts:
I couldn't find the exact source where I found this. I heard in a video where the speaker says

We have international following...

(I might have wrongly heard that)
If that is possible to say something like above then my question is:
Is it correct to say:

He has a great number of international following

Or

He has a great amount of international following


texts: what's the meaning of "rail upon rail of something"

texts:
Rail upon rail of costumes

What's the meaning of the phrase "rail upon rail of something"?

Is this a common phrase?

I guess it means many layers(a lot) of costumes, but I couldn't find it in the dictionary or internet.


texts:
Earlier today, this question was posted and then deleted by the OP...

  "Oh, that they should think so!"

What does this sentence structure mean?

After I'd laboriously composed an answer, I was somewhat irritated to discover I couldn't "post" it because the question had been deleted. So I've asked it again here, where I can post my own answer.


texts: Why is only one event reported out of two

texts:
When Dante Fowler was stopped by police for speeding July 15, he had a unique reason for why he couldn't show officers his registration documents.

  According to TMZ, the Jacksonville Jaguars star told police he didn't have his registration on him because the car recently had been stolen and he just got it back the day before.

  He said he had left the keys in it and someone took the car, but he got it back in time to pick up a speeding ticket.

  Dante Fowler Says Car Had Been Stolen During Speeding Ticket Stop

Why it is not had taken? When the police asked him "why doesn't he have his registration documents" he could have answered  "I left  my keys in my car and someone took it"  so reported speech  should be had left and had taken  but either someone took is not reported speech or it is to maintain the time relations between these sentences.


texts: Could Mycoon as a company name be insulting?

texts: We would like to name our e-commerce startup Mycoon. Everybody in the team is happy with Mycoon (mainly because it resembles to tycoon and we just love racoons) but I've just found it out on urban dictionary that coon can be insulting. We are based in Europe but we expect customers from the US as well. Could Mycoon insult anyone or people would associate to the racoon as we intend (with a racoon in our logo)?


texts: One word to denote the category which falls under "everything except the best"

texts:
When comparing certain things do we have one word to denote the category which falls under "everything except the best"?

It can't be the worst because there are some which belong to just bad or not good and rest of them can be under worst category.

Edit: Scenario is some numbers or names are not as good as one of them. Hence I want to remove all the numbers or names that are not best except one.


texts:
A. She got their hair done.

I am wondering what done really mean here.

Thanks


texts: "resolved after call" or "resolved over call"

texts:
A person had a query and I answered his query over skype call. and I had to put comment in a CRM. and I put the following comment

  X's query resolved over Skype Conversation

and now I am thinking it should be

  X's query resolved after Skype Conversation

which one is correct or what will be more suitable for this sentence.


texts: Is this explanatory sentence properly added to the end of another sentence?

texts:
In the following paragraph, I am trying to say data collection has been performed using certain questionnaires, and in the end of the paragraph, I want to say the distribution of those questionnaires has been based on simple random sampling. Is the way I add the explanatory sentence to the end of the paragraph (in bold) correct?

  Collecting the information related to the study’s variables was done using Goldman’s standard questionnaire, incorporating 33 questions for measuring the variable of emotional intelligence and its 5 dimensions (self-awareness, self-adjustment, motivation, empathy, and social skills), and the questionnaire of Sherer et al., for measuring the variable of self-efficacy, incorporating 17 questions, with the questionnaires being distributed among the members of the statistical population based on simple random sampling.


texts: "...but with food not as fresh" a strange sentence structure

texts:
I found a sentence written by an English native speaker as the following:

"On every Monday, we would go to the supermarket to buy food, even though we have a market closer but with food not as fresh"

I find it hard to understand the grammar point here: " ...but with food not as fresh" I think they are missing a verb here to be grammatically correct. If I was in this case, I would write " ...but with food which is not as fresh".

Could anyone tell me if the native speaker's sentence is correct? If yes, why could "not as fresh" come after the noun "food".That sentence is just for speaking only, isn't it? It really drove me nuts


texts: *Why doesn't 'that-clause' come after 'want'?*

texts:
Cambridge dictionary says that we don't use 'want' with a that-clause :

I want you to tidy your room before the visitors come. (Not : I want that you tidy your room ...)

An website (https://www.englishgrammar.org/thatclauses/ ) also says : Not all verbs can be followed by that-clauses :

I want you to be happy. (NOT I want that you be happy.)

She wants that she should be respected.
This sentence has been taken from Lucent's General English by A. K. Thakur. I think this sentence should be written as : "She wants to be respected".

Is the sentence (from Lucent's General English) grammatically correct or not?
Why doesn't 'that-clause' come after 'want'?


texts:
I wanted to do something but have forgotten.

Is this sentence valid? Can I use the past simple with the present perfect in this case?

As another example:

  I have wanted to buy something but have forgotten what.


texts: How to understand the word "if" in case it means neither condition nor assumption?

texts:
I saw this sentence in Reader's Choice (P296):

  If this book begins with a familiar theme - the Native American experience of the last 120 years - the author brings to it great power and deep understanding.

The answer to the comprehension of this sentence is as following:

The book begins with a familiar theme.
The author of this sentence likes the book.

Given the answer, I am confused because the (bolded) word if here doesn't mean a condition, nor does it mean an assumption. So what exactly is going on?


texts:
The development of equity did not stop centuries ago. The innovation of major principles has
  occurred several times in recent history. One example was discussed in Chapter 4 on Case
  Law: the case of Central London Property Trust v High Trees Ltd (1947). It holds that
  a person who is already in a contract, and who has made a promise by which he intentionally
  modifies his contractual rights against another party, will not be allowed to resile from
  such a promise.

Source: P131, How the Law Works, Gary Slapper

Would someone please explain the by? Why is there a preposition at all? Why not another preposition?
Why not use the relative pronoun THAT instead:

  ...and who has made a promise by which THAT he intentionally
  modifies his contractual rights against another party...


texts: lecture theater- an American expression?

texts:
Lecture theatre is a British expression, and I've noticed that Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary lists lecture theater as its American version:

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/lecture-theatre?q=lecture+theatre

Theater is the American spelling, but I wonder if the mere American spelling could render that expression into an Americanism.

Curiously, after I changed the dictionary settings to American English on the top left corner of the page and tried to look up lecture theater, I could not find an entry for it.

Is lecture theater really an American expression?


texts: Is it inherently rude to say "I don't see how that's X"?

texts: When someone in semi-formal conversation says to me "It is X" and I disagree, would it be too rude to reply "I don't see how that's X?"


texts:
My question is how can I decide wheather a noun is a generic or specific one? I know all the rules but still one thing confuses me. For example:

  "According to the linguist (mentioned before) inhabitants of certain communities share common experiences as well as knowledge".

Should I use "the" before "inhabitants" in this sentence? On the one hand, I refer to all inhabitants of these communities, therefore maybe it is generic reference and I should use zero article, on the other, I do not refer to all inhabitants in the world, only those of certain communities, than maybe it is specific reference.

Should I take only a noun or a noun phrase deciding wheater it is generic or specific?


texts: Looking for reference of present continuous and simple past in story telling?

texts:
The sentence being: After pulling the fisherman to safety, the groomsmen returned for more wedding photos on the jetty – this time in their underwear, dripping wet and a little battered and bruised.

I think it should say After he was pulling the fisherman to safety, the groomsmen returned for more wedding photos on the jetty.

I could not find any reference why you can leave out he was. My assumption is, that AFTER implies, that this is past also as the whole story happened in the past and therefore this could be to stress this part of the story.
Does anyone have some reference for me on this? Thank you.


texts: How to understand "The slight reproach to which the virtue of patriotism is commonly liable, the noble are most likely to incur"?

texts:
The broadest and most prevalent error requires the most disinterested
  virtue to sustain it. The slight reproach to which the virtue of
  patriotism is commonly liable, the noble are most likely to incur.
  Those who, while they disapprove of the character and measures of a
  government, yield to it their allegiance and support, are undoubtedly
  its most conscientious supporters, and so frequently the most serious
  obstacles to reform.

1.Does the first sentence mean that the error exists because people are apathetic about it? "disinterested" here means impartial or not interested?

2.How to paraphrase the sentence? The noble are most likely to incur the reproach, what is it mean?


texts: What phrase would a native speaker say instead of "drill bit"?

texts:
When I tried to say drill bit before I knew the word bit, I used a phrase analogous to the one used in my mother language ("head(er) of the drill") which wasn't understood at all by the listeners.

What phrase would a native speaker say instead of drill bit or bit?


texts: What does 'too' mean in "But money he got for that too began to go"?

texts:
I came across the following sentence.

  Then he sold his piano and let the mice live in a bureau drawer. But
  money he got for that too began to go, so he sold the brown suit he wore
  on Sundays and went on becoming poorer and poorer.

This is from a novel "The Story Of Doctor Dolittle". I am taught that after "too" is adjective like the car is too fast to drive. However "began" is a past tense of "begin", isn't it? What's the meaning of "too began to go"?


texts: Meaning of “ at a height of “ in sentence

texts:
It can be dangerous to load the truck at a height of four meters .

In this sentence what i confuses me is whether “ at a height of “ is used to describe the height of level where truck is loaded or the height of load.


texts: "I can't get over the way your face looks"?

texts:
Two old friends run into each other after long time. Now one of them's saying to another:

  I can't get over the way your face looks.

What does that mean? In particular, what does get over mean here?


texts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY3-3S7SeZc
0:21

They are about to get sorted into their houses at hogwarts. And Ron says
"Mental that one. I'm telling you."
But what's the meaning of mental here? Can anyone help me?


texts:
Can I use after and then interchangeably in this example, and mean the same thing?

  I went to the game, and then I came home.

  I went to the game, and after I came home.

(The second example might sound a little weird, because only one event happened. What if several events had happened for example I washed my car, took the kids to school, walked the dog, and after, I came home. Would it also sound weird this way? There have been instances where I've heard native speakers using it this way, and that's what made me question this.)

What if we changed the phrase a little bit and wrote  I went to the game, and after that I came home? Would it still be incorrect?


texts: Finding a pleasant-natured expression for a list of things you want to learn

texts:
Imagine you write down a list of things you want to learn.  For example:

speaking Spanish
playing piano
cooking sushi, etc.

What name you would give such a list?
German has a single word for it, which is "Lernwunsch".

Directly translated into English it would be "learn wish", but this expression doesn`t exist. Is there a pleasant-natured expression?  (Curriculum, syllabus, and prerequisites sound too academic.)


texts:
In many cases we want to say about the target object in an article but I feel lack of synonyms for these occasions

I just know

Data of Interest
The desired Data

What are the other ways?

In my case the user wants to extract specific or desired data from a web page, for example suppose you want just the question section not irrelevant bars on this page.


texts:
I came across a phrase like this:

The board made firm promises that they will make a good use of his invention.

And I couldn't help thinking, is  a in they will make a good use even necessary? Does it make any difference if we remove it?

The board made firm promises that they will make good use of his invention.


texts: Can I use the present to express the future in this case?

texts:
When I'm writing an article, and I want to tell my readers what I'm going to do in the subsequent text, can I use the present, or do I always have to use a construction expressing the future? For instance, would the following be correct:

First I explain basic terminology, and after that, I move on to...

Or do I have to use a construction expressing the future, as in

First I will explain basic terminology, and after that I will move on to...

Thank you for your help!


texts: What is a difference between "to bear", "to stand", "to put up with" in the next situation

texts:
What is a difference between to bear, to stand, to put up with in using in the situation when one keeps from doing something that can give relief somehow? Are they all is used in such situation?

In very similar but not exactly this meaning all these verbs indicated as synonyms in the Oxford dictionary item 3 though using them in some situation looks awkward to me.
Here are examples I have just made up, so it may be somewhere incorrect, but they, I hope, fit the situation:

  "If You touched a nettle you should bear/stand/put up with the itch and
  not scratch it"

  "The man in the bus was so arrogant and rude that John can hardly
  bear/stand/put up with not to punch/punching(in case of put up with using) him"

  "- Dad I need a toilet! - Bear/Stand/Put up with it, we will be
  home soon"

Is it interchangeable in these examples? Actually, in the last case, all three option looks weird to me.


texts: fall into a category vs. fall under a category

texts:
As far as I know, when a group of people or things with particular features in common are classified we can use "fall into a category". But quite recently I came across the following sentence in a linguistics book published by Hodder Education:

  Notice that these examples fall under well-established categories of acceptable, standard English.

There is no record of "fall under a category" in none of my learner's dictionaries. Instead, they all say "fall into a category". For example:

  "Voters fall into three main categories."
  "Students over 25 fall into a different category."

So, is "fall into" different from "fall under" when we talk about categories?


texts:
I know that

  I wish (that*) I could buy a bike

is the standard way of expressing wishes of this kind. But can the construction below with (if) be correct/acceptable in any language register?

  I wish if I could buy a bike

How about this example here? Sorry could not find one with could. Would might be different.

  Blood and oil do not mix. We are not talking about oil here no more.
  We're not talking about that. We're talking about basic human lives,
  Kuwaitis, Americans, British, you know. You know, I hear these guys
  here clapping, but you know, I wish if you would air that stuff,
  people in the U.S., all of them, 100 percent, not 49, not 50 percent
  of them, 100 percent will clap for that and the rest of the world. I
  never thought in my life I would call for war, never. But this is-
  this is not a call for war. This is a call for help.

Source: People Trapped in Kuwait - ABC Nightline 1990 via COCA

This one is tricky to me. It has the wish and might be conditional too.

  UNIDENTIFIED-REPOR: Tonight, police need your help.
  UNIDENTIFIED-FEMAL: I just wish if somebody knew something, please
  call the police department. UNIDENTIFIED-REPOR: Who took mother of two Tiffany Brown?

Source: Young Woman Dies After Botched Buttocks Injection; NANCY GRACE 8:00 PM EST 2011 via COCA

*Edit: Without that is the informal style of this wish construction. Just to not mislead any ELL readers.


texts: goes/went/has gone, which tense is correct?

texts:
Dad, something goes wrong with the machine. Can you help me fix it?
  Dad, something went wrong with the machine. Can you help me fix it?
  Dad, something has gone wrong with the machine. Can you help me fix it?

I am confusing about the usage of the tense. Which sentence above is correct?


texts: Present Perfect VS Past Perfect depending on context

texts:
Is this sentence correct:

  I remember a lot of interesting stories happened here.

Unless I want to write the full sentence it will be pretty fine.

But:

  I remember a lot of interesting stories that has happened here.

And in this context I should change the Present Perfect part with Past Perfect.

  Last summer I visited the places where I had spent my childhood. I remember a
  lot of interesting stories that had happened here.

Or I'd rather write:

  Last summer I visited the places where I had spent my childhood. I
  remembered a
  lot of interesting stories that had happened here.


texts:
What is the verb for describing the movement of a cat's paw  when it is trying to hit something with it? Can I use the verb punch? For examle:

  The cat is punching the decorations hanging from the Christmas tree.


texts: Why don't you use Would for past states?

texts:
We would live in New York when I was young.

I know you don't say Would like this. But why? I just want to understand the feeling(?) underneath of that. When I posted a question about Past Habitual Would, someone told me like "You could exchange the Would to Often or Usually".

Like this one below.

  I would talk(=often talked) to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be(=was usually) greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

So far I've applied his advice very usefully. But somehow sometimes I couldn't switch Would with those words. Like, you can say "I often lived there when I was kid", but can't say "I would live there when I was kid". I know you will say like "You can't always substitute those words for Would". But still I just want to connect and expand some ideas that I already get used to. Any good advice please?


texts:
And social media is filled with tributes to Harden's signature look. "I'll take 5% credit," Harden says of the rise of hipster beards around the nation. "I don't want too much. Just 5%."

Does this mean he thinks people in the nations are having beards partially because of him?

http://time.com/4672996/james-harden-rule-nba/


texts: Is it ungrammatical to end a list preceded by a colon without an "and"?

texts:
Example:

  The mansion looked like a castle: crenelated roof, lancet windows,
  cylindrical towers with crosses on top.

As yo can see I omitted the and. Is it ungrammatical?


texts: What’s the difference between “here we are “ & “ here we go “

texts: I need to know the difference between “here we go “and “ here we are “ ?